Facebook’s purchase of Instagram was seen as a validation of the new mobile-first world. Add in growing numbers of app usage and a declaration of the death of the web, and one could certainly wonder if they should even bother with a presence online.
Yet there is some indication that developers can’t just abandon the web completely. Trover is a location-based, photo-sharing app which has built an impressive web site that may bring in more users to the service.
While Instagram is more centered on your friends, Trover is about discovery. In the times I have tried out Trover I have found either new venues or different images of places that I have been.
The web site incorporates this discovery, as it uses your location to generate images. Scroll down to see photos increasingly a further distance from where you are.
Users can also create lists, which are a group of images based around a particular theme. “A Trip West” and “Must Dos @ Olympic London” are among the many to be found on the Trover site. Given that it is generally for amateurs the images are of varying quality. Yet it provides a stronger context to browse through pictures than the usual unedited stream that is found in most social networks.
Some users in the reviews on Google Play complained of force quits and crashes, though I did not experience that when trying it on an iPhone 4S or a Galaxy Nexus. It was rather quick at uploading photos and scrolling through the stream.
Given the new site and mobile apps, Trover may be worth checking out for those looking for a new photo app or like to discover new venues in their city.
