Trover Launches Desktop Photo Uploader to Meet Demand for Fresh Local Content Around the World

SEATTLE, Dec. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Trover Inc., a mobile app and website for travel, culture and photography enthusiasts, today announced the release of the Desktop Photo Uploader, a new feature that allows members to share their discovery images and locations directly from their Mac or PC.

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The new feature is designed to streamline sharing of photos taken with larger cameras and ease posting of photos stored in desktop archives. Until now, all discovery images and text on Trover were published through a smartphone. Trover believes the Desktop Photo Uploader will increase the posting rate among existing members and also attract a new group of passionate explorers who shoot primarily with higher-end cameras or prefer a desktop keyboard to describe favorite places.  With this feature, Trover expects to compound the growth of its global discovery collection.

"Trover members love uploading great smartphone photos while on the go, but for many, they're just the tip of the iceberg," said Jason Karas, CEO of Trover. "The Desktop Photo Uploader is what our members have been asking for: a way to tap into their photo archives, which can be a gold mine of stunning images. We expect a huge influx of original content, delivering more local insights, inviting more social feedback and attracting more photographers."

Strong demand for authentic, compelling local knowledge
Members of Trover's community now view an average of 35 discovery photos per week via iPhone and Android devices.  Each user-generated photo presents a unique perspective of something interesting to see or do, such as a favorite park, art installation, hiking trail, hotel bar or culinary delight.  With descriptive, beautiful content from over 200 countries, consumers are increasingly opening Trover to explore local options for an outing, or to learn and daydream about exotic places to travel someday.  Visitors to Trover's new website spend upwards of 7 minutes per session exploring places through pictures.

Trover is also developing content partnerships with travel reservation and media websites that increasingly seek fresh, user-generated content to inspire customers and to ease hotel and activity choices once they have selected a destination city.

Increasing the velocity of high quality Trover content
Since its launch last July, Trover has cemented its community values around geo-located content that is beautiful and also highly descriptive and useful.  Member comments, "thank" votes and other social feedback wired into the platform continue to drive the quality of this unique content.

"Trover has been fantastic for photographing and discovering hidden gems, yet my smartphone camera is only one of several I use as I explore and share the world," said Los Angeles-based photographer Tony Butler. "Now with the Desktop Photo Uploader, I can share my library of digital images of favorite places and cool locations directly from my computer without having to first send them to my smartphone. It's also much easier to include a detailed write-up using my computer keyboard, which makes for a better, more detailed posting. And that is very appealing."

About Trover
Since its launch in 2011, Trover has grown steadily as a mobile app and web community of travel, culture and photography enthusiasts. Trover's defining feature is its location-based discovery mosaic, which allows users to visually browse through an ever-growing collection of images created and posted by the community. As the user scrolls, a mileage indicator guides them to hidden gems located nearby or across the world, allowing users to explore new places and build visual lists of interesting things.

Trover is a private company funded by General Catalyst Partners, Ignition Partners and Benchmark Capital with offices located in Seattle, WA. For more information, visit www.trover.com.

Press Contact
David Templeton
DBT Communications
203.530.0458
[email protected]

SOURCE Trover Inc.