Discover Local Treasures With This New App

One of our latest favorite apps for local discovery is SPUN. The app currently covers 11 cities in the United States including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and others.
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Instagram is demonstrated on an iPhone Monday, April 9, 2012, in New York. Since Verizon Wireless broke AT&T's exclusive grip on the iPhone last year, several other phone carriers now offer Apple's popular smartphone. On Monday, T-Mobile said it will make a stronger bid for used iPhones from AT&T as Apple prepares to launch a new version. (AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof)
Instagram is demonstrated on an iPhone Monday, April 9, 2012, in New York. Since Verizon Wireless broke AT&T's exclusive grip on the iPhone last year, several other phone carriers now offer Apple's popular smartphone. On Monday, T-Mobile said it will make a stronger bid for used iPhones from AT&T as Apple prepares to launch a new version. (AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof)

One of our latest favorite apps for local discovery is SPUN, created by the team from Broadcastr. Building upon an impressive list of partnerships with institutions like Lincoln Center, the 9/11 Memorial and NYC Parks from the Broadcastr app, the SPUN team launched this geo-targeted news app last week that curates content from hundreds of local sources like the New York Times, Huffington Post, Gothamist, Eater, Humans of New York and many more. The app currently covers 11 cities in the United States including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and others.

In a way, the app is the reverse of Foursquare, focusing on content as the entry point, then location. The articles pulled by the SPUN editorial team are chosen based on uniqueness of content first and then cross-referenced for popularity.

The best part is how the app navigates through an article. Take our piece on the "Top 10 Bookstores in Manhattan." The map at the top of the screen moves as you scroll down the article past the different bookstores. You can save articles and locations, which will pop-up the next time you're nearby, and share the content through your social media platforms. The app, developed in partnership with Apple, is driven by great imagery, and is the first we've seen to eliminate the pesky topbar on the iPhone. And a fun fact: the sounds on the app are created by Mikael Jorgensen of Wilco.

Check out the Untapped Cities recommendations for the top 10 Bookstores in Manhattan and more on SPUN. Get in touch with the author @untappedmich.

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