Updates on Communicarta- exciting new project, Learn Chinese app for the iPad!

Following extensive negotiations with our partner in Beijing, The Commercial Press, Communicarta is proud to announce that it has secured an exclusive contract to provide development services in the production of a unique application to help the world learn Chinese.

This will initially be an iOS application specifically for Apple's iPad device. Future development will include the iPhone and Android devices.

The revolutionary app will have some very exciting and cutting edge technology, making it fun, easy and enjoyable to Learn Chinese for people of all ages. All will be revealed in April 2012 but here is a sneak preview!

 

 

Updates on Trapeze - Travel with Ease

Back in the summer of this year, Communicarta and it's esteemed Chinese publishing partner, The Commercial Press, jointly launched Trapeze- travel with ease, in Beijing, with great success. Trapeze is an iPhone and iPad travel planning application that helps travellers around the world plan journeys on public transport systems in 6 major world cities, easily and confidently.

Within the next couple of weeks, another 7 world cities will join the Trapeze family, and these include Madrid, Washington DC, Bilbao, Bangkok, KL, Berlin and Istanbul, bringing it to a grand total of 13 cities, with more to come over the following months. 

Trapeze- Travel with Ease. Download your copy today !

 

Back in July 2010, Communicarta teamed up with the highly prestigious The  Commercial Press, Beijing, to produce out first ever joint iOS application , the Shanghai Metro App. It's an easy to use application to help navigate the Shanghai Metro system, with high quality maps, fast routing, and a great interface.

Fast forward to July 2011 and we're proud to announce the successor to the Shanghai Metro App. The official launch of this brilliant app takes place at the Prime Hotel, 2, Wang Fu Jing Street, Beijing, this Wednesday.

We wanted to build on the success of Shanghai Metro, and we also wanted  Trapeze to be a breath of fresh air, to make travelling on subway systems even Easier.

So we decided we wanted to add  more cities. In addition to Shanghai,we're adding Beijing, Guangzhou, Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong and we're going to be adding lots more cities around the world in the coming months.

We also want to support more devices, so in addition to supporting the iPhone and iPod touch, we're also supporting the iPad.

And we are making things Easier!Trapeze has the best quality metro maps, intelligently scalable, these maps adapt as you zoom in, with intelligent line markers that move around with the map so you can always tell what metro line you're looking at.

And we made it faster: once you select a start station we calculate how long it would take, and how many changes it would require, to get to every other station on the map.

These are just a few of the highlights of Trapeze, and we will be adding more functionality in the coming months.

DOWNLOAD YOUR copy today!

Glorious Washington: Well worth a visit anytime of the year!

But especially at leaf fall or during the Spring time Cherry Blossom Festival. It's really difficult to decide when to go and what to see when you have such great beauties in a city Don't be fooled by its cliche image. There is a lot more than just high powered politics here !

If you love architecture and all its different styles , then there is plenty to feast the eyes and the metro and suburban rail will take you to the places where you can see the examples, and more, in our gallery .The capital is great explored by public transport. Quick, efficient, safe and cheap as well as extensive. With our map you'llbe able to reach downtown DC from ALL three airports serving the city- Washington Dulles, Washington Baltimore, aka BWI, and Ronald Reagan National.

 

All the great attractions and more are accessible using our Washington Metro map. You can even explore a little further afield to destinations such as Baltimore, Martinsburg and Fredericksburg using the MARC and Virginia Railroad Express lines.

 

Why not visit the Antique Row in the heart of historic Kensington a mere 18 minutes direct from Union Station. 15 lines and over 140 stations to plan your journeys to.

We hope you enjoy Washington as much as we do every time we go.

New website coming soon

Istanbul old and new

Arriving at the shiny new Atatürk  airport terminal it was easy to forget that this is a city with a history of more than 2600 years, where the old meets the new and the east meets the west. Obtaining a visa to enter the country is certainly less hassle than many, being as it is just a matter of queuing to pay a respectable £10 for a 90 day Tourist Visa.

Travelling to the city centre is also a relatively easy job of hopping on a clean, new and nicely air-conditioned metro and, at 1.75 Turkish Lira (about 0.62 British Pound), a rather cheaper price than one could ever hope for in London which is now 4 British Pounds for a single journey.

At the time of my visit, the system is divided into two, maybe 3, entry options. Tokens for single journeys are issued from machines located in the booking area. There is also the option to buy a so-called Akbil ‘ticket’ which allows top-ups and can be swiped on the entry gates to gain access to the transport system. A ‘new’ (2009) Istanbul Kart multi-modal ticket is also available but from where is somewhat of a mystery. Offices that appeared to be old ticket offices only seemed to have staff giving change for the token machines and not selling anything.

If I have any criticism of the transport system of Istanbul it would be that it isn’t easy to see how one could buy any multi-modal/multi-journey ‘tickets’.

With a frequency of between 7 to 10 minutes makes for fairly reasonable wait between trains. Frequency on the tram network is roughly double at between 4 to 8 minutes.

I was staying at the Holiday Inn at Topkapı Caddesi 187 where the tram stop Pazartekke is immediately opposite making it ideal for the job I do. I have to say that this Holiday Inn is very good quality and features a swimming pool and spa included in the price. Not that I had any time to use those facilities on this trip unfortunately!

Taking the metro line M1 from Havalimani to Zeytinburnu - a 12 minute journey, was easy enough and the change to Tram line T1 there was also easy (but required another token at the turnstile). The tram platforms are right alongside the metro station so changing is stress-free. Trams on all lines are new and air-conditioned. Something I really appreciated in +30ºC temperatures!

T1 runs mainly on its own reserved track but in the old city part has to share with other road vehicles. This can slow the journey down somewhat as pedestrians and other road users can sometimes obstruct the smooth running. Be prepared for some sharp braking as the driver is on the lookout for cars and people jumping out in front!

There’s a nice contrast in one way between the ultra-modern sleek-looking trams and the very old architecture between Aksaray and Eminönü stations. Along this particular stretch of line there are a number of historic places to visit including the Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Yeni Mosque. Even the main railway station - Istanbul Gar - has some interesting features worth seeing.

Connecting one part of the European side of Istanbul with the other part is the Galata Bridge. Here you can always find rows of ever hopeful fishermen casting their rods into the choppy waters of the Golden Horn. I say hopeful, but actually I saw many who were landing their catches as I was walking by. I also noticed that many of them had quite a few buckets with their bounty inside.

There was also a hopeful cat waiting patiently for one of the fishermen to kindly provide it with a meal. Nothing like fresh fish and in one of the photo’s below you’ll see the grateful recipient devouring just one example!

T1 continues over the Galata Bridge where it is possible to reach the ever bustling Taksim Square via a choice of two funicular railway lines. One is outside the main operators ticketing scheme - the so-called Tünel - and that costs YTL 2.50 whereas the one that connects directly with T1 at the terminus station Kabatas, F1, is included, and the price for that is YTL 1.75.

Travelling extensively on all lines and I never once noticed any bad or threatening behaviour and everyone appeared to be paying for their rides. Mind you, there are security personnel at the entrances to each tram, funicular and metro stop  so that perhaps answers that.

All in all it’s a great system to get around, it’s clean, efficient, and good value for money if you’re a tourist (the locals may disagree with that view perhaps) and it’s possible to reach the majority of sites from most of the lines.

We’ll be adding our complete integrated map to the Trapeze Application very soon.

Beijing’s National Theatre. What’s your take on it?

An architectural splendour , it’s completely surrounded by a man-made lake, and it’s said to look like an egg floating on water. But what do you think?

Nearest subway station : Tian’anmen West, Line 1

Trams in Istanbul: Safe,fast ,clean and comfortable. What a way to see the city!