Review: Global Subway
Score:
51%
I'm a bit of trainspotter. Not in the sense of physically collecting the numbers of each train that I see on the platforms of Edinburgh Waverly - once removed from that. So the availability of an application that brings subway maps from the major cities of the world to my handset has a certain base appeal. Unfortunately, this application feels more like a programming exercise to show off the capability of the developer rather than a genuinely useful globe-trotters guide.
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What we have is copies of the maps of ten subway systems around the world, with the ability to see the location of each station on a street map with some points of interest close by. There's no route planning capability, there's no live updating of train times or delays... it all seems rather superficial, and in terms of subway knowledge there's less here than in a paper map.
In any case, the practical side of me is not convinced about carrying digital maps to Undergrounds and Subways on your mobile phone. It means bringing your phone out while giving off the "I'm a tourist" vibe, when a subtle glance at the pocket sized maps that are usually to hand is far quicker (and easier to scrawl some notes on).
It also doesn't get over the bigger problem of navigating inside the stations to find the platforms, or which exit is the best to use when presented with a number of choices to get you back up to the surface.
The basic information on the subway systems present in Global Subway is actually less than what you can find on Wikipedia, or from the home pages of the respective systems. Okay, if you woke up and mysteriously found yourself in Vancouver, but still with your smartphone, then there is a tiny use case for Global Subway, but as of now, I can't see when I would use this. The database of systems is quite small (straight away I can see that it's missing the clockwork Orange in Glasgow, there's nothing for Moscow, and I haven't even started to think about some of the more obscure systems).
There's a gap in the market for a comprehensive system, but this isn't it. So why is this out there? I suspect that it's to profile the capabilities of developers Nerd Attack! - which it does very well. The interface is polished, with clear use of buttons to access functions and switch maps. The maps load quickly and are presented well, and the breadcrumb navigation trail at the top of the screen allows the user to jump back and forward as required.
So the developers have a great system here, it's just that they've coded an answer to a question that didn't really need answering. I wonder if they'd have more success if they focussed on just one Subway system and made a demo version of "the mother of all subway guides" and then promoted themselves to other systems around the world.
Global Subway isn't comprehensive, there are gaps, but what there is has a huge amount of polish. It's the ultimate blinged-out app for mass transit systems, a touch superficial, looks brilliant from some angles, but adding very little value for the users.
-- Ewan Spence, June 2011.
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at