Untapped Cities is excited to announce a partnership with the new mobile phone app, SPUN, created by the team from Broadcastr. They’ve built upon their impressive list of relationships with institutions like the 9/11 Memorial, Lincoln Center and NYC Parks, and created this geo-targeted news app that curates content from hundreds of local sources like Untapped Cities, Gothamist, Eater, Racked, ScoutingNY, Humans of New York, and many more. They’re currently in 11 cities, including many of those Untapped Cities covers, like New York, San Francisco, Austin and LA.
We think it turns the app Foursquare on its head, banking on the fact that people are interested in stories first and foremost, then by location. The articles pulled by the SPUN editorial team are chosen based on uniqueness of content first and then cross-referenced for popularity. Fittingly, when Scott Lindenbaum, President and COO of SPUN showed me the new app, we didn’t meet in an office. I took him to one of my favorite hidden spots in New York: the freight entrance restaurants of the Garment District. Urban curiosity drives the SPUN team.
The best part though 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.
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
