Fotopedia Reporter, one of the many apps developed by the eponymous photo encyclopedia site founded by a group of former Apple employees, has just announced the release of a new app, “Fotopedia”, which upgrades to version 2.0 in 22 January 2014.
“Fotopedia”, the formerly Fotopedia Reporter, was launched in April 2013 for iPad and iPad mini only. Recently, for those running iOS 6.0 or later, the app has been made compatible with iPhone and iPod touch as well, which thanks to the updating to version 2.0. However, now, for the function of “travel story reporter”, is only exclusive to the app’s iPad edition (Fotopedia blog, 2014).
As one of the leading media consumption apps of tourism, Fotopedia, which focusing on photos and creating a photo-based online photo "encyclopedia", aiming at “ Travel the globe and discover the world best experiences”, are free available worldwide in nine languages(Fotopedia, 2014). Since April 2011, after the launch of the first application Fotopedia Paris, Fotopedia launched fifteen applications, for example Fotopedia Heritage, Fotopedia Japan, Fotopedia China, Fotopedia Wild Friends, Fotopedia Women of the World, Fotopedia North Korea, Fotopedia Dreams of Burma, Fotopedia Italy, Fotopedia National Parks, etc (Fotopedia blog, 2014). Rely on the exquisite pictures, the good travel interaction effect and tourism experience share, the attractive interface design, Fotopedia quickly captured a large number of fans, especially among tourism enthusiasts, photographers and educators. Just Fotopedia Reporter, has already racked up 300,000 downloads until June 2013, of which 60% came from iPad users (Fotopedia, 2014).
The photos provide by Fotopedia are mainly from the photographs based on the Flickr CC protocol authorization. Opening the apps and moving the fingers, the user could experience a "virtual tour". In networking status, the user could view HD quality travel stories, and mark the interesting stories, edit, or collect them to the self-album, so that to re-look next time (TechCrunch, 2013). They can also now sign up or log in to Fotopedia using Facebook or Twitter, and link the travel experiences for easy sharing. Using GPS positioning, smart labels, search tools and interactive maps to provide a full range of navigation services, so that the users can clearly look through what and where the “travel stories” around them, picking a place or calling up their current location on Fotopedia geo-localized maps, geting the best local content and the hottest tips from residents and the previous tourists, even being a "Travel Creator", personalizing the travel all by their design and plan (Fotopedia, 2014). It is also a good media for the "travel stories reporters" to recall and share the "memorable" travel experience to the users and potential tourists. The feature of Open Graph Integrated with the Facebook could allows the travel reporters easily sharing their interesting travel findings. Using the photos taken by themselves and the actual personal feelings to share an memorable experience, even to make a "Must-see list" for the own repeat visit or provide the advices to other tourists. This kind of "visual virtual tour" and online interaction could directly and effectively motivate users to imagine the virtual travel, even promote the action to travel.
For instance, Fotopedia Paris could provide a visual feast of "virtual tour" for you. More than 4000 photos, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of Paris, while the depth feeling of Paris culture. Art, architecture, cafes, castles, fashion, history, shopping, street life,etc.
Fingertips tapping, you are just under the Eiffel Tower, one second later you has been in Montmartre comic world, or the way to the Louvre. Traveling Freely in the city, you could not only enjoy the famous attractions, but also the unexpected landscape and monuments, which are hard to find in most travel guides.
In 2012, the company formally established a partnership to the world's largest online travel company Expedia (TechCrunch, 2012). When a Fotopedia user see the attractive pictures and want to travel to the destination, just clicking on the "Expedia" button next to the picture so that to enter Expedia applications to book the Hotel room. It is the most sensible choice to Fotopedia that has the cooperation to a travel company. Currently, the Expedia button just appear on the application of Fotopedia Paris and Japan, in the future the company will add the button in the previous applications and the some application of upcoming release.
When the tourism experience economy gradually becomes the mainstream thinking and development trend of the tourism market economy, when the rapid development of IT industry and its sustained impacts on the development of the tourism, Fotopedia could have a place in numerous tourism applications? Let us wait and see.
Written by Pinyi LU & Yi ZHAO
Sources:
Fotopedia official website (2014): http://zh.fotopedia.com/products/fotopedia
Fotopedia official blog (2014): http://blog.fotopedia.com/
TechCrunch (2013): http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/10/fotopedias-reporter-app-focuses-on-creation-as-much-as-consumption-crosses-300k-downloads/
TechCrunch (2012):
Tablette-Tactile (2014):
Images sources:
Image 1: http://blog.fotopedia.com/
Image 2: http://blog.fotopedia.com/
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