Excerpts taken from the following article – You are here: We test airport, mall and skyway apps – Julio Ojeda-Zapata.
Internet mapping and navigation services have evolved in remarkable ways, but it’s largely been an outdoors game. When I’m finding my way on unfamiliar roads, for instance, an Android smartphone can give me turn-by-turn directions using Google Maps Navigation, and even show me a photo of my destination using Google Street View. Amazingly, these goodies are free with the purchase of an Android handset.
Other wonders await. Microsoft’s Bing Maps service provides angled aerial or “bird’s eye” views of urban vistas, including downtown St. Paul, in both photo and computer-generated form that can be explored with a mouse, and even an Xbox 360 controller. Bing has its own (not as complete) version of Street View for virtual driving on a computer screen before you do the real thing.
This is all great when outdoors, but what about in a mall or airport? Sadly, the mapping of vast indoor spaces is not as far along. Progress is being made, though.
In recent mall jaunts, skyway expeditions and on one business trip to Silicon Valley, I availed myself of iPhone apps that aim to make indoor navigation easier. The apps didn’t always deliver, but did provide a tantalizing glimpse into the future.
MALL NAVIGATION
I was much more intrigued by FastMall, a competing app with one killer feature I have found nowhere else: indoor turn-by-turn directions.
Attempting to do this via GPS or other location-fixing technologies is hopeless because these tend to be less precise indoors. Getting a fix using navigation satellites is notoriously difficult with a lot of concrete and steel over your head.
FastMall gets around this, ingeniously, by tapping its own database to create turn-by-turn directions on the fly. The resulting guide is cool: Dotted lines take you from point A to point B using storefronts or other mall landmarks as signposts.
In recent tests at the Mall of America, this worked flawlessly. I looked up a destination in the app database, entered the store closest to me, and FastMall took it from there. Its animated navigation is almost like playing a video game.
I am well acquainted with the megamall, so I noticed FastMall did not always pick the most direct route (by cutting through the mall’s theme-park middle when appropriate, for instance, rather than around its retail-concourse edges). When racing my wife to Cinnabon, I lost by minutes in my reliance on the app to get me there before she did.
But for those unfamiliar with this mall, FastMall would be a time saver.
FastMall, made by New York City-based MindSmack, is crammed with features such as Internet check-ins, a bathroom finder and a parking-spot reminder.
Quick Pitch: Think Foursquare-meets-Yelp for shopping malls.
Genius Idea: FastMall is a website and an iPhone app that acts as both a mall directory/map/guide and a tool offering you local deals at stores, reviews of shops and eateries and fast access to information such as parking and restroom locations.
Like many other red-blooded Americans who grew up in the suburbs of a major city, I love my malls. In fact, I’ve had the layout of Atlanta’s major malls memorized since… well, let’s just say I’ve always know my way around Lenox, Phipp’s Plaza and Perimeter.
That isn’t to say that I don’t sometimes forget what mall has my favorite store or food court stand, or that when I travel to other places, I know the malls in those locales. That’s where FastMall comes in: it is designed to be your guide to a mall — complete with maps, a place to store parking info, a store directory with phone numbers and the ability to read and submit reviews and turn-by-turn directions.
There’s also a social element involved that lets you “check-in” a la Foursquare to a store or mall and find deals at the shops near you.
The FastMall website has the information for the detailed mall maps (which include some big malls like the Beverly Center and the Mall of America), but the iPhone apps includes store listings even for malls that don’t yet have a fully-featured interactive map.
The idea behind FastMall is to create a platform that can eventually extend to amusement parks and other types of venues. We think that’s really smart and that the app (and the site) is really onto something. FastMall isn’t a competitor to Foursquare and the like; it’s a niche-focused app that will help you find out what you need when at a venue or location with lots of shops.
FastMall: Free app, for your mall map(s)! Navigate a whole load of malls with detailed interior maps, which is much easiest that hunting down a physical key, and much less fogey-like. Added bonus: This app helps you get in and out of malls faster, which is great, because malls are universally terrible, and actually shorten your life, because a minute spent in a mall is a minute spent not not being in a mall, where actual human life happens.
Directionally challenged shoppers, take heart. There’s an app for that.
FastMall is a free iPhone download that works sort of like an indoor Google Map. FastMall can help shoppers navigate through the maze of stores, find restaurant peer reviews, and (of course) get coupons and exclusive deals.
Parents with strollers can locate escalators and elevators. A GPS function can reunite parking ramp wanderers with their cars. FastMall even provides a turn-by-turn route to the nearest restroom.
FastMall is a product of New York-based MindSmack, which does Web development for such companies as Citibank and IBM. The program launched in mid-December, and was upgraded a little more than a week ago.
FastMall is the first and only iPhone app that lets you shake your iPhone to find, then be taken to the nearest bathroom. It also provides turn-by-turn directions for finding your way inside shopping malls and around shopping districts in the USA, Canada and UK.
Have a stroller? In a wheelchair? Trouble with stairs? FastMall provides directions using only elevators when needed.
NEW FEATURES:
1 – Registration is now completely optional. If you want to be a part of the community, you can register with FastMall, login with your Facebook account or even login using Twitter account.
2 – FastMall now opens up in 2-3 seconds or less instead of 8+ seconds.
3 – Global notifications ticker. You can simply swipe your finger to turn them on or off. Tap on the scrolling text to view details of any notification.
4 – Shortcuts! You can now simply swipe your finger across any mall listing (blue menu) to show you easy shortcuts for mall info, restroom locations, restaurant information, remember where you parked, get deals and more.
5 – My malls section has been added. This section is to see all of your favorite malls in 1 place. Simply tap the add to “my malls” text link on the main menu for any mall and it automatically saves it to that section.
6 – Profile added. You can now select the photo of your choice and set it as your avatar.
7 – Add a VIDEO or photos to your review of any product, store, restroom, restaurant or anything else shopping related. We will post it in the app and on the website/youtube channel after moderation.
8 – Community features upgraded. You now have the ability to add/view reviews with videos or photos. Share on Facebook and Twitter as well or email any review to someone.
9 – Map icon filter added. This feature is located on the bottom right of any mall map. You can tap this icon to choose the icons you want to view on the map. For example you can removemall entrance icons, elevator icons and so on if you like.
10 – Select mode on all mall maps. This is one coolest new features that enable you to navigate around the map with your finger! On any map simply tap, then hold down your finger and drag your finger over the stores. You can see the store names on the map! Then release your finger from over the map and a pin drops onto the selected store!
11 – Check in at any mall or store! Similar to Foursquare or Gowalla, FastMall now allows you to check in and let the world know where you are! To check in you can simply go to any blue mall menu and tap check in, or on the store detail/mall information page, tap check in and your all set! A future version coming soon we will give you badges and rewards for checking in, look for prizes and lots of other fun to come.
12 – Add mall or store to the main menu of the app! Choose any mall or store that you like and add that icon to the main menu as a shortcut!
13 – You can then move any icon to the location on the main app screen by dragging them around. Similar to how you can move icons around on your iPhone, press and hold over any menu icon. You will see the icon “shake” and then you can slide them around to page 2 or 3 or wherever you want! Tap the red DONE button once finished and your ready to go.
14 – View the latest check-ins by users in the community section.
15 – Photo and video reviews of anything you would like.
iTunes link, make sure you have version 2.0 installed:
The 2009 Best App Ever awards just contacted me to advise that FastMall has made the final list of 10 and is up against yelp and zagat amongst others for the best iPhone app ever for making you feel like a local.
Complete With Shake Your iPhone For Nearest Restroom:
Mall of America
King of Prussia
Sawgrass Mills
Aventura Mall
Menlo Park Mall
Mall At Short Hills
Shops at Columbus Circle
Westfield San Francisco Centre
The Forum Shops at Caesars
The 900 Shops
Beverly Center
The Shops at Mission Viejo
Stanford Shopping Center
Roosevelt Field Mall
The Shops At Riverside
NorthPark Center
Woodbury Commons
Kierland Commons
Burlington Mall
Brea Mall
Ala Moana Center
Grapevine Mills
Scottsdale Fashion Square
Northshore Mall
Bridgewater Commons
Laguna Hills Mall
Arden Fair Mall
The Oaks
Deptford Mall
Cherry Hill Mall
Lakewood Center
Green Acres Mall
Quaker Bridge Mall
Fashion Island
Serramonte Center
Puente Hills Mall
Smith Haven
Queens Center
Fashion Show
Rodeo Drive
Freehold Raceway Mall
Los Cerritos Center
Sunvalley Shopping Center
Great Northern Mall
The Grove
Moorestown Mall
Hamilton Mall
Stonewood Center
Monmouth Mall
Montebello Town Center
Wilton Mall at Saratoga
South Bay Galleria
Antelope Valley Mall
Fair Oaks Mall
FastMall has been developed to help you know exactly where everything is located at any shopping mall right on your iPhone.
Menlo Park Mall in New Jersey is FREE to use with full interactive turn by turn guidance and shake your iPhone for the nearest restroom. If you are curious how this all works and why you would want this application, please download and try Menlo Park for FREE and then if you love the full FastMall experience go ahead and purchase your virtual mall map. You can see the full list of what is available below. If you favorite malls are not available with a virtual mall map yet, email us Contact@FastMall.com and we will add it to the queue. Keep in mind we have over 1250 malls completed in our database that include tons of information for just about every shopping mall in the USA. You can read below to see the features we have adding to the FastMall experience.
Features:
1 – Interactive guidance from store to restaurant to restroom at the mall. Total OFFLINE search so the app is stable even if your signal fails.
2 – Shake your iPhone to locate the nearest restroom!
3 – Tell FastMall where you parked and it will remember for you!
4 – Find or add a deal for your favorite store and save money and help the community.
5 – Add a review of any store, restaurant or even review a restroom!
6 – Have a stroller or a walking disability? FastMall will give you exact directions INSIDE the mall by tapping the ELEVATORS ONLY icon.
7 – If any data is missing from FastMall, you can help the community and add just about any data to make the app better. Add a restroom, restaurant, store or even an entire mall if it is missing from FastMall.
8 – Share your status on Facebook and Twitter, let you friends know what your up to at the mall.
9 – If you are a business, advertise to targeted potential customers by sponsoring any category or result.
10 – If it is not listed above and you want us to add something just ask. This is the app for the entire world to collaborate and make the best social/shopping experience of all time.
Malls included with virtual maps to purchase the step by step guidance as of today:
1 – Mall of America
2 – King of Prussia
3 – Sawgrass Mills
4 – Aventura
5 – Menlo Park
6 – The Mall at Short Hills
7 – The Shops at Columbus Circle
8 – Westfield San Francisco
9 – The Forum Shops at Caesars
10 – The 900 Shops
11 – Beverly Center
12 – The Shops at Mission Viejo
13 – Stanford Shopping Center
14 – Metropolis at Metrotown (Coming December 21, 2009)
15 – West Edmonton (Coming December 21, 2009)
16 – Roosevelt Field Mall
17 – The Shops at Riverside
18 – Northpark Center
19 – Woodbury Commons
20 – Kierland Commons
21 – Burlington Mall
22 – Brea Mall
23 – Ala Moana Center
24 – Grapevine Mills
25 – Scottsdale Fashion Square
26 – Northshore Mall
27 – Bridgewater Commons
28 – Laguna Hills
29 – Arden Fair
30 – The Oaks California
31 – Deptford Mall
32 – Cherry Hill Mall
33 – Lakewood Center Mall
34 – Green Acres Mall
More virtual mall maps will be added weekly based on the size of the mall or number of requests we get for a specific mall.
Quick overview of features.
-Turn by turn guidance inside any mall that has a virtual mall map completed.
- Shake your iPhone to locate the nearest restroom!
-Remember where you parked.
-Find any store at the mall.
-Call any store at the mall.
-Directions to any mall.
-Add a review for any store.
-Add a review for any restroom.
-Add a review for any restaurant.
-Save malls, stores or restaurants to your favorites.
-Create a wish list of things you love.
-Get a deal at your favorite store.
-Share you status/reviews on Facebook and Twitter.
- All reviews and data collected will be shown in our dynamic feeds on the FastMall.com home page.
- Total OFFLINE mapping ability even if you lose your Internet signal.
- Find or add a deal for your favorite store and save money and help the community.
- Have a stroller or a walking disability? FastMall will give you exact directions INSIDE the mall by tapping the ELEVATORS ONLY icon.
- If it is not listed above and you want us to add something just ask. This is the app for the entire world to collaborate and make the best social/shopping experience of all time.
– 
