Get back there with Rego

Rego is a simple idea — it’s a location-aware app that allows users to “bookmark” locations for easy retrieval later. It is primarily intended for personal use, but also carries some social functionality to allow users to share their locations with others. It is not a replacement or competitor for “check-in” apps like Foursquare and its ilk, nor is it a navigation app, but it does allow the locations to be shared to other apps if desired.

Using Rego is very straightforward. Upon opening the app, the user’s current location is displayed, and a new “bookmark” may be created at that location by tapping the “add” button in the upper-right corner of the screen. When creating a new location, the user must give it a title and may fine-tune its location if desired. It’s also possible to snap a photo of the place and apply one of four Instagram-style filters to it, or to take a note. Multiple photos and notes may be applied to a place if desired, effectively allowing the user to use Rego as a “scrapbook” of memories at various places.

Once a location has been created, it can be shared either purely as a location on the map or include any or all of the photo and/or note “memories.” The resulting Web page can then be posted to Facebook or Twitter, shared via email or SMS/iMessage, or copied. The location may also be sent to another compatible app using an “Open In…” dialog.

The app is free to download, but limits non-paying users to creating 10 different places and only one of the photo filters. The app’s full functionality may be unlocked through an in-app purchase which is currently $0.99, temporarily down from its usual price of $2.99.

The idea of bookmarking places is not a new one — both Apple Maps and Google Maps on iOS support the creation of bookmarks, but the key difference between Rego and these other apps is the fact that Rego’s list of places is created by the user rather than pulled from a central database, allowing users to make their own bank of “favorite places” with other information attached to them for whatever purpose they desire. This could make it potentially very useful for those whose hobbies take them to a variety of different places where they would like to record photo or text information — trainspotters or wildlife enthusiasts are two groups who could get some good use out of the app, for example.

The fact that Rego stores the list of locations privately by default rather than making everything public will also be beneficial to some users — and the fact that locations can then be selectively shared with a lot of control over exactly what information is made public allows more social users to enjoy the app, too. It may not be useful to everyone, but for those with an interest in recording specific locations for their own personal purposes, it’s a solid, well-designed app that is easy and intuitive to use.

You can follow Rego’s progress with AppData, our tracking service for mobile and social apps and developers.