Lonely Planet CitySync

by Lonely Planet

Product Features

• For Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, IBM Workpad and Handspring Visor series.
• Choose any four CitySync Cities; including San Francisco, Paris, New York, London, Sydney, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Chicago, and many more.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004U1QS
• Item model number: 14000
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 12, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,339 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #78 in Software > Business & Office > Communication > Internet Phone
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

While there are fine freeware products that present maps and similar information, sometimes it's just worth investing the cash in a product as fantastic as Lonely Planet's CitySync. So well designed and so encompassing, and yet bite-size, CitySync provides information in categories such as shopping, nightlife, safety, and sleeping in exactly the manner most likely to please travelers most. Integrated maps, keywords to learn more specifics, up-to-date phone numbers, and other vital information from a trusted source make this a key purchase for tech-savvy travelers.

The product was painless to install, but it's worth describing some of the technical aspects of loading the program to a Palm. Like the Palm platform, CitySync is Mac and Windows compatible, so owners of either platform can be served. We tested the product on a 2 MB Handspring Visor and had more than enough room to store the information CitySync provided. After installing the product on our hard drive, we were able to seamlessly upload the specific cities we chose. One caveat: although many cities are provided, purchasing the software allows only four cities to be installed.

Due to the limited window space, the interface is necessarily complicated. The main screen is icon based, though, and easy to understand. Once you select a hotel or location for more information, things get more confusing. There are a series of drop-down menus that guide you through the vast number of choices. Having spent an hour or two playing with the program, we determined that underlying architecture of the program is sound. It's easy to understand that one series of drop-downs is, for example, a list of neighborhoods within a section of Paris.

Where CitySync is truly exemplary, though, is in two areas: maps and reviews. These two key elements are also linked, which is an impressive and much-needed functionality. (The makers also include a notepad function where you, the user, can make additional comments as if writing in the margins of a Lonely Planet guidebook.) The maps are clear and well marked, and the content of the reviews is wildly well written. For example, match these introductory sentences to the city they describe:

• "On a cold, brutally windy day, when the temperature is subzero and strong gusts keep you from walking down the street, you may find yourself wondering who the hell decided to build a city and settle here?"
• "[This is a city] that demands the suspension of disbelief--the moment you start to take it seriously you miss the point."
• "[City dwellers] may talk fast and walk fast and pay $10 for a sandwich, but this megacity sometimes demands that you assault it with a game plan."
• "First-time visitors often arrive with all sorts of expectations: of grand vistas, of highbrow intellectuals pontificating in streetside cafes, of romance, of naughty nightclub revues."

By avoiding blandness and giving the reader a true sense of the city, the Lonely Planet authors both inform and inspire. (The answers, by the way, are the four cities we picked: Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, and Paris.) A fantastic use of the Palm platform, Lonely Planet CitySync should be the standard for Palm products set on delivering readable and engaging content. --Jennifer Buckendorff

Amazon.com Product Description

CitySync offers listings for hundreds of attractions, entertainment options, and eateries, plus all the information you'll need to get around and keep in touch, all on your Palm or Visor handheld. With opinionated reviews and detailed information, CitySync lets you be your own travel guide.

Looking for an all-night diner in downtown San Francisco? The coldest beer in Sydney? The best deal on a Ming vase in Hong Kong? With CitySync you can search and sort the details of hundreds of attractions, hotels, shops, and restaurants to find exactly what you're looking for. And once you've found that perfect spot, CitySync can automatically record all the details in your Date Book.

Getting lost is hard to do with CitySync's detailed maps. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, and nightspots are marked on every street map, so you can figure out where you're going with just a tap. Maps and text are fully integrated; if you like the look of one of the listings, just hit the map button, and CitySync will show you where it is and how to get there. CitySync lets you keep your own travel notes, so you'll never forget the city's highlights (or lowlights). Then export those insights to your device's Memo Pad and beam them to friends, family, or business associates. You can also create a list of your favorite places with CitySync's Bookmark feature.

The CD-ROM includes a license to unlock four CitySync cites. A free license for a fifth city is provided when you register online. Customers can choose from the 12 cities included on the CD-ROM, or from additional cities as they become available on the CitySync Web site. Current cities available are Bangkok, Chicago, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Sydney.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price., August 13, 2000

By 

R. Tomlin "waukegan" (Waukegan, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet CitySync (CD-ROM)

After test driving one of the cities from the CitySync site I bought the software and I have not been disappointed. I decided to test drive the software by trying a city that I was familiar with and, thereby, check the accuracy and usefulness of the information provided.

I found the information to be basic for someone familiar with a particular city, but it was accurate and potentially useful for a tourist. After buying the software I loaded another city. (Even after buying the software you're limited to loading no more than four cities, so carefully select the cities you will use most.) I loaded Vegas prior to my last trip there and, even though I'm fairly familiar with the city, I found the information to be useful.

The restuarant reviews may be somewhat typical and brief, but when you need to make a choice on the run a quick check of the Palm can be very helpful. Also, once you're familiar with using the software the maps can be useful and much easier to carry than a paper fold-up map.