If you are attending Mobile World Congress this week, the app recommendation platform Appsfire has a handy list of apps you should download to make your stay easier.
Yet, there is one more app that we would add to that list; called ‘Barcelona, Then and Now’, it lets users discover old pictures of Barcelona in real time on their Android or iOS mobile device while they walk through the city.
While practical information is undoubtedly very useful when staying in a new city, it is also nice to find out about history and culture. This is exactly what this new app does, giving us a chance to find out what a specific building looked like 100 years ago.
At the same time, it will also please geeks thanks to its clever use of technology, including augmented reality that lets users superpose old and new Barcelona.
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As a matter of fact, the pictures used on the app aren’t exclusive, and can also be found on the website Fotos de Barcelona. Yet, what makes it worth paying $1.99 for the app are its interface and features.
While geo-localized AR is obviously the coolest part of the app, it’s worth noting that it is still useable on devices that don’t have a camera, as you will be able to search for a specific place.
These features will look familiar to anyone who has already tested the app series ‘MyCityBefore‘, of which ‘Barcelona, Then and Now’ is part. It all started with French cities, as it was developed by a French company called RASAP. MyCityBefore’s marketing and communication manager Sylvain Gauchet explains:
“Since we launched the Paris app we’ve been looking for partners in big and touristic international cities, and it’s really tough to find content as great as we have for our other apps. We were really excited to find the fotosdebarcelona.com website, and start working for a Barcelona app!”
This is just a start; according to the company, other apps are already under construction for additional cities, the next one being for the city of Montreal.
➤ Barcelona, Then and Now, via the App Store and the Android Market
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