By Tham Yuen-C

What it is

FindIt is a simple application that lets you find just two things: taxi stands in the central business district (CBD) area and Wireless@SG hot spots around Singapore.

Where to get it

The app is available only for iPhones; download it from the Apple App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/findit-singapore/id352906650?mt=8

How it works

All you have to do is launch the app and it will automatically zoom in to your location and display your choice of either CBD taxi stands or Wireless@SG spots within a radius of about 1.5km around you.

Photos: ST

Objective

With taxis limited to picking up and dropping off passengers only at the taxi stands in CBD areas - and not anywhere they are flagged along the road - trying to get a taxi has become more of a challenge, especially with clueless taxi drivers who do not know where the nearest taxi stand is.

Use the app while in the cab to pinpoint the nearest taxi stand where you can alight and even give the cabby directions too.

The app can also direct you to the nearest taxi stand when you need a cab.

The results are displayed on a map with reference to your current location so you know how to make your way there.

Many cafes and fast-food joints from TCC to McDonald's are already Wireless@SG hotspots. But apart from these, most people cannot recall which places are also wireless friendly.

With the guide, you can find out where the hot spots are beforehand.

Results

A stripped-down user interface makes this app easy to use. Just launch it and it automatically detects where you are.

You can also toggle between three different views - map, satellite images and a hybrid of both.

As for taxi locations, the list it provides says only how far a taxi stand is from you and whether it is a taxi stand or a pick-up and drop-off point of a building.

The list of Wireless@SG locations is similarly dismal and tells you only whether it is SingTel, QMax or iCell providing the service plus how far the hot spots are from you.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.