Audio Compass launches Taj Mahal guide app for iOS

Audio Compass is a company that essentially produces multimedia-based tourist guides to a selection of Indian monuments, which includes smartphone applications. They had already released applications with official tours of Khajurao as well as the Agra Fort, and now they’ve added the Taj Mahal to the mix. Their apps are available for both, Android and iOS-based devices. The idea behind creating a mobile application is to help you avoid expensive tour guides as well as the expensive audio guides that you can rent at any of these locations. Furthermore, once you have the app, you can use it again or use it for memories. The app has been produced in collaboration with the Archeological Survey of India. The company also works directly with site managers to make sure that the uniqueness and individuality of each site can be accurately represented.

Screenshots of the Audio Compass Taj Mahal guide app

With the Taj Mahal application in particular, the application contains pictures and guides for 20 spots that you can explore, while you’re at the monument. Included are audio guides that have been carefully curated and approved by the Government of India. Furthermore, there is a map you can use to help plan your visit and built-in, you also have a camera and social media shareability. Once you’re on the page of a particular spot within the Taj Mahal, you can listen to an audio tour, read up on its history, view pictures of it within the app and finally, mark the spot as ‘visited’.

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Something interesting that Audio Compass has done is that it’s made available the on-site audio tours through iTunes, in song format, as well. This seems to be more expensive and you miss out on the multimedia opportunities that the regular iOS and Android apps offer. Currently, their iOS Taj Mahal app is available for $2.99 (approximately Rs. 165.72). The app requires iOS 5.1 and is a 46.2 MB download. The application is also available for Android via Google Play for Rs. 129.57 and requires Android 2.3.3 and up. Audio Compass also has an Agra Fort application, which currently only seems available on Android. It is available through Google Play for Rs. 86.24.  The Khajurao tour currently only seems to be available in the form of the iTunes audio tour. If you’re traveling and want to read up on what applications to stock up on, check out our list of top ten iOS travel apps as well as top ten Android travel applications.