Since 2007 we've been providing interactive Flash metro maps at exploreshanghai.com and for four other cities. While recently we've been focused on apps for iPhone and Android, our popular online maps at are starting to look a little dated. It's time for a fresh start, so I've been redesigning the online maps from the ground up. The goals of the redesign are:
No more Flash: as an increasing number of devices don't come with Flash Player installed
Make the design responsive - that is to say, it should display well on any screen size, from a mobile phone right up to a large desktop monitor
Allow users of mobile devices who haven't got our native apps to access basic mapping functionality on all devices for free
Add online maps for Seoul and Taipei
Add some features from our native apps, like more intuitive routeplanning, and zoom in/out
We're still testing the new maps, but here's a sneak preview of things to come (click to enlarge):
Soon, you'll be able to opt-in to use the new version when you visit one of our sites. Stay tuned for updates!
ExploreMetro is dedicated to bringing you stylish, accurate maps for Asia'a great cities. Today, we're delighted to announce our latest iPhone app, Explore Pyongyang Metro map.
At last, smartphone-loving North Koreans will be able to check routes on the go. We hope the app will also be useful for the large number of foreign visitors who frequent North Korea's popular tourist attractions.
The Pyongyang Metro comprises two lines, the Chŏllima line and Hyŏksin line, which interchange at Chŏnu (Comrade) and Chŏnsŭng (Victory) stations.
We've brought all the great features from our maps of other cities in Asia, plus a few extra settings for the local market.
You can also search, plan a route between any two stations, or find your nearest station (though not by using the GPS spy satellites designed by the American imperialists).
Another great new feature is tips. Do you know any place to buy basic foodstuffs on the black market? Simply tap on any station and you can leave a tip.
There's a nasty bug in the current versions of the ExploreMetro iPad apps which means that the maps don't render correctly on the iPad (3rd generation). We submitted a bugfix to Apple last week and are currently waiting for approval. It should be worth the wait, the apps look great on the new Retina Display devices! Here's a comparison of Explore Shanghai running on an iPad 1/2 versus the new iPad (3rd generation).
We will shortly be releasing a new update for our iOS apps including support for the new iPad ("iPad 3") with its high-resolution retina display. Unfortunately since the new iPad is not yet available in China, I haven't yet got my hands on a physical device for testing. If you already have a new iPad, I'd love to hear from you. Click this link to sign up for our beta-testing program, I'll send a $25 iTunes Gift card for the first person with an iPad 3 to sign up :)
We're proud to announce that Explore Seoul is the sixth of our award-winning subway maps for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to reach version 6.
With version 6 we re-wrote the map code from the ground up to be faster. The app now loads quicker, and zooming in and out should be smooth, even on older devices.
The other big new feature is tips.
Ever wondered what points of interest are close to a subway stop? Now you can tap on any station, then tap on Tips to see what's nearby. Tap the thumbs up button on any tip which you find useful.
You can also view a list of the most popular tips for the whole city. And if you know a great local restaurant, attraction or a clever shortcut, you can add your own tip:
Explore Seoul 6 is a free update for existing users. Not got Explore Seoul yet? Download it now from the iTunes App Store.
We're proud to announce that Explore Guangzhou is the sixth of our award-winning subway maps for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to reach version 6.
With version 6 we re-wrote the map code from the ground up to be faster. The app now loads quicker, and zooming in and out should be smooth, even on older devices.
The other big new feature is tips.
Ever wondered what points of interest are close to a subway stop? Now you can tap on any station, then tap on Tips to see what's nearby. Tap the thumbs up button on any tip which you find useful.
You can also view a list of the most popular tips for the whole city. And if you know a great local restaurant, attraction or a clever shortcut, you can add your own tip:
Wow! We've just launched metro map apps for four more cities for Android. You can download our apps for Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul and Taipei from Google Play, or visit our downloads page to download the APKs directly.
Google recently announced that the Android Market will now be known as Google Play. We've received a great response from the community about our new Android apps and we thought we'd share some of the reviews from Google Play!
If you don't have access to Google Play (formerly the Android Market) on your Android-powered device, don't worry! We want to make sure our Android apps get into as many people's hands as possible. That's why we've added a Android Downloads page where you can directly download the APK files for any of our apps, absolutely free.
We will shortly be releasing a new update for our 
