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AnyFinder – track down local points of interest

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Apple Maps and Google Maps are great for directions, and they’re not bad for seeking out local restaurants and bars. But both lack fidelity when it comes to searching for non-specific points of interest (POIs). The interfaces and databases of those mapping behemoths are built for the broad strokes – they just aren’t designed to help with the nitty-gritty of finding the nearest public toilet, bicycle park, or drinking fountain. Say hello, then, to AnyFinder – a new app aiming to be the ultimate POI hunter.

AnyFinder uses an extensive database of POIs submitted by volunteers around the globe (via OpenStreetMap) and as such offers to help users track down “anything with a GPS coordinate on this planet.”

For the record, that includes the following. (Take a deep breath.)

AdBlue Stations, Airports, ATMs, Apartments, Bakeries, Bars, Beaches, Beacons, Beauty Salons, Beer Gardens, Benches, Bicycle Parking, Bicycle Rentals, Butchers, Cafés, Camp Sites, Car Parking, Car Repairs, Sites for Caravans / Campingcars / Campervans, Chalets, Charging Stations for Cars, Cinemas, Christmas Markets, Clinics, Clothes Stores, CNG Stations, Communications Towers, Convenience Stores, Defibrillators, Dentists, Drinking Water, Fast Food Places, Fire Hydrants, Fire Stations, Gas Stations, Greengrocers, Guest Houses, Hairdressers, Helipads, Hospitals, Hostels, Hotels, Ice Cream Places, Kiosks, Laundries, LPG Stations, Marketplaces, Pharmacies, Places of Worship, Playgrounds, Police Stations, Post Boxes, Public Bookcases, Pubs, Recycling Places, Restaurants, Sanitary Dump Stations, Shelters (Weather), Soccer Fields, Supermarkets, Swimming Pools, Taxi Stands, Toilets, Tourist Informations, Vets, Wastebaskets and many more.

We’ll be extensively testing the app over the next couple weeks to see how it compares to the tried-and-true alternatives offered by Apple and Google. In the meantime, though, the app is a free download if you wanted to give it a whirl yourself – though you will be hit by the occasional ad if you don’t want to pay for the Pro version ($12.49/£10.49 per year).