Digital Lifestyle > All Reviews > iPhone & iPad Apps > Maps and navigation > Urbanspoon for iPhone review

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 Urbanspoon for iPhone review

Restaurant locator turns dining out into a bit of an adventure

Kelly Turner

Manufacturer: Urbanspoon
Pros: An interesting take on eating out
Cons: Only available for London and US cities
Min specs: Requires an iPhone or iPod touch running 2.x software.
Price: Free
We rate this 3 out of 5.Star rating:

Tired of eating in the same old places over and over again? Try your luck with the Urbanspoon iPhone app. This quirky program, derived from the Urbanspoon Web site aggregates restaurant reviews from newspapers, bloggers, and diners – and puts a slot machine spin on selecting a nearby eatery.

Launch Urbanspoon and wait a moment while the program pinpoints your current location. Here in the UK the only location available is London.

The next screen resembles a slot machine with three spinning wheels: one filled with nearby areas, another with food categories, and a third with prices ranging from one to four dollar signs. (The more dollar signs, the pricier the menu items.)

Now comes the fun part. Gently shake your iPhone and the wheels start spinning. (There’s also a Shake button to tap if you’re too weakened by hunger pangs to exert the effort.) When the wheels stop, you’ll be given the name of a recommended restaurant that fits the selected criteria. Don’t like the result? Shake again. Tap on the blue arrow to the right of the restaurant’s name to get the phone number, address, and the percentage of Urbanspoon reviewers who gave it a positive review. Tapping on the address brings it up in the Maps program. Tapping on More Info brings up the restaurant’s Urbanspoon web page so you can read individual reviews. You can also email the restaurant’s info to yourself or a friend.

MACWORLD BUYING ADVICE >
1 | 2 | NEXT >

Reevoo Price Comparison For Urbanspoon

Reevoo Reviews For Urbanspoon

Submit your own review for this product

Click here for the latest reader comments

<<prev article | back to index | next article>>

Search reviews

Search Google

Newsletter signup

It's easy and free to get the latest news headlines, reviews and opinions straight to your email inbox. Sign up NOW to make sure you receive the latest Mac news, reviews and tutorials on your favourite topics.

Latest issue: Macworld

Find out what's in this month's Macworld here.

Macworld reader poll

What version of Adobe Creative Suite do you use?:

View poll results

Have your say in the
Macworld Forums!

Register now

Stay on top of the latest, breaking Mac news and chat with other Mac professionals and enthusiasts about the issues that matter to you. Register with Macworld today to join our forums and receive our twice-weekly email newsletter, Macworld Mainline.

RSS

Have the latest content delivered to your desktop via RSS. Use the links below to get access to a specific blog, news, or reviews feed.

Subscribe to our feeds here

Latest PC industry news

Latest news from MacVideo

MACWORLD MARKETPLACE

	LogMeIn Free - Remote Computer Access LogMeIn is a secure remote desktop software that lets you access your computers, files, and apps from anywhere on any device. Simply connect with LogMeIn Free and be free to work the way you want.
	TemplateCloud TemplateCloud.com is the design marketplace for graphic designers. You create designs, and use our software to build them into online editable templates. We sell your designs in different countries via different websites. Each time a customer uses your design, we pay you a royalty; the price is set by you.
	Amsys Amsys is recognised as the technical leader in Apple and has developed bespoke technical products and solutions to deliver class leading support to its business clients. Amsys clients can select from consultancy, integration, break-fix, recruitment, training and app development. Amsys make Apple products work for business.
	About NAD NAD Electronics has always stood out by doing things differently. Our relentless pursuit of great sound has earned us a ‘giant killer’ reputation. Every product is designed with heart and soul you can hear, emphasizing quality over quantity. We focus on the inside where it counts—and where you can hear the results.
	Sphero is a completely new type of gaming system. It's the world's first robotic ball that you control from your smartphone or tablet. You can drive Sphero, play tabletop and multiplayer games, use Sphero as a handheld controller for on-screen gameplay, and even explore augmented reality. Now with 20+ apps!
	MeteoGroup WeatherPro - the award winning weather app! Developed by professional meteorologists and providing weather forecasts for over 2 million locations with real-time, high resolution radar and satellite images, ski weather, water temperatures and more, WeatherPro is the most accurate and comprehensive weather app on the market.
	Beat the Credit Crunch - Lease your Mac from Hardsoft Hardsoft are the only 'one stop' solution for the supply and finance of I.T. to businesses throughout the UK via our regional branch offices. We are uniquely both equipment Apple Approved Reseller and licensed Credit Brokers and have tailored a solution which includes a full 3 year warranty and an equipment upgrade every 18 months.