The Urban Explorer’s iPhone App

It seems as if they make an app for pretty much everything these days.  As a person who rarely even uses their phone (I like my solitude, thank you very much), most of these apps appear to completely useless.  But I just came across one that is definitely going on my list.  It’s called Abandoned, and it’s an app for your iPhone that you can use to find the best abandoned sites near you.

So what does this wonder of technology programming do for the urban explorer?  Well, you can jump in and check out a convenient list of the urban exploration sites that happen to be nearby.  The list can also be viewed on a map, so it’s a bit easier to actually hunt the sites down.  In addition, these site listings come complete with photos that other users have put up from their own adventures, along with reviews and personal stories from other urban explorers. 

Stories may seem like superfluous content to the person just looking for someplace to go and wander around for a bit, but often they can help by providing relevant information about the state of a site, including such things as security and potential dangers.  To round things out, you can use the app to keep a personal log of exactly where you've been.

The app relies primarily on the users, so it’s up to each individual to report on sites that they've found.  But this also means that the app is constantly updating, so there’s likely to be new places to explore on a regular basis or added information for the places already on the list.  The one main weakness of Abandoned is that it currently only supports the U.S. and Canada, so you can’t take it with you on an overseas vacation and find the best of what other countries have to offer.

Still, this app removes the need to go trawling the Internet for things in your local area.  You can find the best places on the app and many of the less known ones as well.  It’s a great addition for any amateur or professional urban explorer and it’s just under $3 over at the iTunes store.  If you’re looking for quick and easy access to facilitate your urban exploration addiction, give it a look.

iPhone photo courtesy of Majestic via Wikicommons