Android app, TaazaGo rebrands as LocalBeat, launches for iOS

TaazaGo, a location-based mobile application rebranded itself to LocalBeat. The app, which was previously only available on Android, has now launched for the iOS. The app uses GPS to provide users with content based info on what's going on in the city around them. The content, includes news, deals and discounts, events and more. "Average user spends about 70% of their life around where they live and work; we make their lives better and bring information to their fingertips," says Arjun Ram, founder and director of Taaza. "The relaunch is a result of learning from our users on the Android platform where we have received over 250 ratings. India is expected to have 450 million smart phones in the next 4 years and we provide a first class service which makes a difference to their lives," he says. Check out the video below to take a look at how the app works.

The app also enables users to report issues in their own neighbourhoods, as well as search specifically for content they are looking for. The app might be useful for local NGOs to keep up with what's going on in their locality. The app is available for free from the Android Market and the iOS App Store.

Tech2 talked to Arjun Ram and Technology Head at Taaza, Rajat Upadhyaya on the nature and function of the application.

Which cities is the Android app available in? And the iOS app?

Rajat: The 40 currently supported cities are: Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Ambala, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cuttack, Dehradun, Dharwad, Gandhinagar, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Mumbai, Mysore, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Pune, Rajkot, Ranchi, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, Surat, Trivandrum, Udaipur, Varanasi.

Is the app primarily a city based content aggregator? What are your sources for city specific content?

Arjun: Content aggregation is a part of what we do. We also provide tools for citizens to engage and report issues around them. We are currently aggregating news but for deals and events, we have over 10+ partners offering their content. It's a location based marketing platform for them where the conversion rates are much higher.

Can users share content to Facebook/Twitter?

Arjun: The app is social is nature and hence content sharing has been part of the equation since day 1.

Do you list local deals available at local hotspots through the app?

Arjun: The app operates on a one touch mode - you locate yourself using the phone and content around you automatically appears including deals.

How long did it take to develop the iOS app versus the Android app? What were the challenges involved, if any, in developing for a different platform? Are you also planning on a Windows Phone app?

Arjun: Windows Phone is in the planning stage, mobile (HTML5) version will be available shortly.

Rajat: We had iterated on and released multiple versions of the Android app before we started on the iOS one. This made developing for iOS much easier as we had a roadmap ready. The chief challenge was adhering to the UI guidelines/paradigms for each platform. We couldn't just make an exact copy of the Android app for iOS, but at the same time the app experience had to be consistent across both platforms.