After having worked in NYC for over seven years, the one thing that still causes me grief is the complex subway system. There are hundreds of stations scattered around the area all leading to different destinations and stops depending on the line. Between the local, express, or that sometimes multiple lines are housed in one station what is a resident or tourist to do? With or without a data connection this convenient subway application gets you where you want to go in the Big Apple.

In the past I relied on HopStop to plan my route along unfamiliar paths including the CrackBerry meetup. While it served its purpose New York Subway offers additional functionality to guide you in the right direction.

It features an active frame that shows station status, interactive maps accessible offline, twitter integration to read their account feed for alerts, delay notifications, and the ability to find a station and plan your trip. 

Inputting your starting location or final destination is quite easy, it will locate the nearest stations or prompt you to enter the station name into the search field. However, unlike HopStop, you do not enter in a specific address as a starting point. For this you can always tap on the map to display the station list for convenience if you are unfamiliar with the local names. Another great features is that the interactive map and route planner will work even if you are not connected to the internet.  

What is useful is that it calculates the total travel time and presents the results in an easy to understand manner including the letter and corresponding color of the subway line used. In New York, all of the lines are color coded and utilize numbers 1-7 and A-Z depending on where your travels take you and they do overlap quite a bit. The only issue I have is that no alternatives are shown though you can set what type of route you want (i.e. fastest or fewest changes) which does alter the results. I'm sure it is searching for the least complicated route and I understand this helps minimize confusion. After all this time, I know which lines to substitute so I'm probably being overly picky. However, it gets the job done and I highly recommend it for help getting around this vast city.

Whether you are a tourist or a resident visiting the area, be sure to pick up your copy below. There are ads fixed at the top but they do not interfere with use. It supports the the Z10, Q10, and Q5 and is a Built for BlackBerry application.

More information/download New York Subway

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