Yelp

By | November 28, 2011 I was recently in a bookstore and came across a couple books I was excited to check out right away. However, I didn’t grab them and run to the register as I would have a couple years ago…instead I pulled out my evernote app on my iPhone jotted down the title and author. Then as I walked out, I pulled up Amazon and purchased them with 1-click for my Kindle app. Within approximately 90 seconds I had the books in my hand, and for cheaper than the bookstore price. Mobile apps…are my best friend for a person who’s on the go constantly and wants everything easily accessible from a simple and easy to use device. Nowadays the saying “there’s an app for that” goes without saying. However, is the app really that great? Is it inexpensive? Quick to download? Easy to use? Have an intuitive interface? All these characteristics are essential to apps being successful in the mobile space. According to a few different lists (such as Time, PCMag and others) the following are known to be the top five iPhone and Android apps (respectively)…notice the difference… 2. On-the-go: Kayak 3. Lifestyle: Amazon 5. Utility: Google 2. On-the-go: Yelp What do these apps have in common, despite some of their different categorical types, features, and uses? How and why are they in top lists by many magazines and experts? Easy… A. User Interface: Keep it simple, easy to use, and most of all easy on the eyes…we can’t all afford laser surgery just yet. B.  Adapt to User’s Needs and Wants: If you are focusing on a productivity app, make sure it’s actually making the user’s time more efficient. Make it easy to learn to use, intuitive in all senses, and something they’ll use on a regular basis. If not, it’s just as easy to hit delete and try another one that works better. C. Understand the Market: It’s key to understand if the market is ready for such an app. Does it exist? Does the market want something like this? Example – Spotify is a great example of an app that filled people wants/needs. People loved music but were tired of being interrupted by ads. This app allows music fansto stream music of their choice (a whole album if they want) without having incessant ads. Yes, they may have to pay more, but true music Read More

T-Mobile is teaming-up with Yelp to preload their mobile app on select Android smartphones, including the Samsung Exhibit II 4G, T-Mobile myTouch and T-Mobile myTouch Q. But that’s not all, T-Mobile customers get a customized version of the application that comes with some additional features like advanced filters that make searching for a business easier and faster. Moreover, there is a new “saved search” functionality, which allows users to save search filter settings (e.g. open now, free wifi, price range, and outdoor seating) and use the same criteria over and over without having to re-enter the specific filters. To help promote this new initiative, the two companies will run an integrated marketing campaign in select markets such as Austin, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu and Sacramento. The efforts will include a device give-away at Yelp Elite parties with some parties also featuring T-Mobile gift card giveaways. Select T-Mobile retail locations will also feature special Yelp check-in offers with the first 100 people who use the Yelp app to check into the store getting an eco-friendly Yelp tote bag. Finally, it’s worth adding that existing T-Mobile users with Android smartphones are also able to download the free customized Yelp app… Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis. Read More

Yelp is a must-have app for the Android tablet owner who dines out often. The customer review site for restaurants, stores and businesses is the same old Yelp you've always used and loved—only this mobile version of the service is a lot less clunky than the website. The app's clean home screen has a search bar and a few well marked icons, so it's easy to find an excellent hair salon or the best pizza in town. The app makes it super easy to check-in at nearby businesses, bookmark restaurants you'd like to try, or draft reviews. One of Yelp's best features is an option called Monacle. The app taps into your phone's camera and GPS functions to display local restaurants, bars or businesses using Augmented Reality to display them. It's a clever way to encourage exploration and to overcome the ongoing question of "what should I eat?" Read More

Smartphone owners running Google's OS need more than just a top ten list to stock their devices with the best programs for entertainment, productivity, reference, and more. Productivity/Organization Read More

Whether you're an faithful Android user or you've just unboxed your first Android phone, there's a wealth of free and cheap apps in the Android Market that can turn your device into a mobile powerhouse. Our second annual Lifehacker Pack for Android is stuffed full of apps to keep you connected to home, office and friends, or just help you stay entertained on the go. The Lifehacker Pack is a yearly snapshot of our favorite, must-have applications for each of our favorite platforms. If you're curious to see how things have changed this year, here's last year's Lifehacker Pack for Android. Want to skip to a specific category? Use these links: Evernote for Android has been regularly updated and has come a long way since it made it into our pack last year. The app scored a huge update in April that added shared notebooks, geolocation, sharing with Facebook and tighter integration on your phone, and more. Evernote says mobile is their most rapidly growing space, and it shows in their Android app. Springpad is another utility that allows you to take notes and snippets from the web and the things around you and save them for future reference. Where Evernote focuses on notes and web clippings, Springpad expands the idea to products, places, and more The app combines all of those clippings with a robust organizer and to-do manager that can change the way you work. What started as a side project of a Google engineer has turned into Android's leading to-do list organizer and manage, and is still one of our favorites. It's simply, it's easy to use, it syncs with Remember The Milk RTM syncing has since been removed, and it'll keep you in line so you don't forget to do the things you need to do. Even though other services have appeared to help manage money and finances, Mint still holds the title for all-in-one web-based financial management tool. Mint has updated with budgeting tools and the ability to add transactions manually, making it even better for on-the-go budgeting. Make sure you lock the app with a PIN though, in case your phone falls into the wrong hands. Dolphin HD is still one of our favorite alternative Android browsers, and given the state of Android fragmentation, it's good to have a browser that'll work well on any version of Android you may have. The interface is remniscent Read More

It’s no secret that smartphones make travel much less painful and way more fun–from reducing our chances of getting hopelessly lost to helping us find an ATM or even update Twitter in-flight. More and more travelers already pack them along on their work and business trips, and we have a pretty good idea of what devices they’re carrying, too. Gogo, which provides in-flight Wi-Fi for eight major North American airlines, revealed Tuesday that 65 percent of those using Gogo to log on to the web mid-flight do so with an iPhone and 15 percent with an iPod touch. By contrast, 12 percent of Gogo use is by Android device users, and 6 percent by BlackBerry owners. I’m one of those people who keeps my iPhone close at hand when I travel. And there aren’t many things I love more than planning and going on trips. So for you fellow iPhone-toting travelers, here are a few of the iOS apps I most rely on for planning a trip and using while making my way around. TripAdvisor's Live View makes for a cheap self-guided walking tour. For deciding when to go: Bing. The price predictor aspect of the travel section tells you when the price of a ticket is likely to fluctuate up or down. This is especially helpful if you’re deciding the best week or month to go to visit a specific locale. Or, if you’re a procrastinator like me and you like to wait until the last possible minute on these things, it’ll help you figure out when to pull the trigger. Price: free. For picking the perfect flight: Hipmunk. For those who care less about cost and want to pick the most convenient flight, Hipmunk is awesome. It’s got the standard ways to filter flights–duration, arrival/departure time, number of layovers–but where Hipmunk stands out is their “agony” filter. It consider the number of stops, the length of the layover, total travel time and price to rate how much a particular flight will make you want to poke your own eye out with the dull plastic fork you got with your in-flight meal. In addition, thanks to a brilliant recent update, you can search for flights with Wi-Fi. Price: free. Hipmunk's "Agony" filter is awesome. For finding your way around: TripAdvisor. If you find yourself in a place you’ve never been and want to hit up the most popular sights or tourist traps Read More

It’s no secret that smartphones make travel much less painful and way more fun–from reducing our chances of getting hopelessly lost to helping us find an ATM or even update Twitter in-flight. More and more travelers already pack them along on their work and business trips, and we have a pretty good idea of what devices they’re carrying, too. Gogo, which provides in-flight Wi-Fi for eight major North American airlines, revealed Tuesday that 65 percent of those using Gogo to log on to the web mid-flight do so with an iPhone and 15 percent with an iPod touch. By contrast, 12 percent of Gogo use is by Android device users, and 6 percent by BlackBerry owners. I’m one of those people who keeps my iPhone close at hand when I travel. And there aren’t many things I love more than planning and going on trips. So for you fellow iPhone-toting travelers, here are a few of the iOS apps I most rely on for planning a trip and using while making my way around. TripAdvisor's Live View makes for a cheap self-guided walking tour. For deciding when to go: Bing. The price predictor aspect of the travel section tells you when the price of a ticket is likely to fluctuate up or down. This is especially helpful if you’re deciding the best week or month to go to visit a specific locale. Or, if you’re a procrastinator like me and you like to wait until the last possible minute on these things, it’ll help you figure out when to pull the trigger. Price: free. For picking the perfect flight: Hipmunk. For those who care less about cost and want to pick the most convenient flight, Hipmunk is awesome. It’s got the standard ways to filter flights–duration, arrival/departure time, number of layovers–but where Hipmunk stands out is their “agony” filter. It consider the number of stops, the length of the layover, total travel time and price to rate how much a particular flight will make you want to poke your own eye out with the dull plastic fork you got with your in-flight meal. In addition, thanks to a brilliant recent update, you can search for flights with Wi-Fi. Price: free. Hipmunk's "Agony" filter is awesome. For finding your way around: TripAdvisor. If you find yourself in a place you’ve never been and want to hit up the most popular sights or tourist traps Read More

It’s no secret that smartphones make travel much less painful and way more fun–from reducing our chances of getting hopelessly lost to helping us find an ATM or even update Twitter in-flight. More and more travelers already pack them along on their work and business trips, and we have a pretty good idea of what devices they’re carrying, too. Gogo, which provides in-flight Wi-Fi for eight major North American airlines, revealed Tuesday that 65 percent of those using Gogo to log on to the web mid-flight do so with an iPhone and 15 percent with an iPod touch. By contrast, 12 percent of Gogo use is by Android device users, and 6 percent by BlackBerry owners. I’m one of those people who keeps my iPhone close at hand when I travel. And there aren’t many things I love more than planning and going on trips. So for you fellow iPhone-toting travelers, here are a few of the iOS apps I most rely on for planning a trip and using while making my way around. TripAdvisor's Live View makes for a cheap self-guided walking tour. For deciding when to go: Bing. The price predictor aspect of the travel section tells you when the price of a ticket is likely to fluctuate up or down. This is especially helpful if you’re deciding the best week or month to go to visit a specific locale. Or, if you’re a procrastinator like me and you like to wait until the last possible minute on these things, it’ll help you figure out when to pull the trigger. Price: free. For picking the perfect flight: Hipmunk. For those who care less about cost and want to pick the most convenient flight, Hipmunk is awesome. It’s got the standard ways to filter flights–duration, arrival/departure time, number of layovers–but where Hipmunk stands out is their “agony” filter. It consider the number of stops, the length of the layover, total travel time and price to rate how much a particular flight will make you want to poke your own eye out with the dull plastic fork you got with your in-flight meal. In addition, thanks to a brilliant recent update, you can search for flights with Wi-Fi. Price: free. Hipmunk's "Agony" filter is awesome. For finding your way around: TripAdvisor. If you find yourself in a place you’ve never been and want to hit up the most popular sights or tourist traps Read More

As the Android market grows it gets harder and harder to separate the golden apps from the dross. Here's a list of 50 Android apps that you don't want to pass by. 1) The Weather Channel Keep up with everything you need to know about the weather with this app. It features hourly, 36-hour and 10-day forecasts and live video from the TV channel. Free. 2) iTriage Mobile Health Use this app to help take better care of yourself. It was designed by two emergency room physicians to help users identify their systems and find a healthcare provider. Free. 3) Google Goggles Google Goggles is a visual search app. Take a picture of the object, landmark, logo, etc. you want information about and Google Goggles will return relevant search results. It will even provide information about businesses by displaying their names directly in the camera preview. Free. 4) Flixster Use this app to keep up with everything about the movies. In addition to movie reviews and show times, you can watch trailers and clips from just about any movie. Free. 5) Kayak Flight and Hotel Search This travel app lets you search multiple airline and deal Web sites for the best price on a flight. You can use it to book your travel, hotel and car rentals, and even to check the status of your flight. Free. 6) Mint.com Personal Finance Manage your money and keep track of your budget while on the move using Mint. It gives you up-to-date information on your accounts and lets you edit transaction info right on your phone. And it's password protected to make sure your information stays safe. Free. 7) Amazon Kindle for Android Want to read an electronic book, newspaper or magazine but don't have your Kindle with you? Or don't have a Kindle at all? It's not a problem with this app, which allows you to read any of 900,000 Kindle-formatted books with your Android device. And Amazon's Whispersync that your last page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights will sync across your various devices. Free. 8) Google+ If you're already an avid desktop Google+ user, this app is for you. It lets you seamlessly take Google's new social sharing platform mobile. Free. 9) Slacker Radio Want to create favorite radio stations and take them with you wherever you go? This app has you covered. While other apps—notably Pandora and Last.fm—also allow you Read More

Chances are, most of you have heard of (and probably used) Yelp. Whether it's been their initial online presence, their myriad phone apps, or just a friend raving about it, Yelp is the top dog in finding delicious eateries on-the-go. Opening up the Android app, you'll notice six large, friendly looking icons to choose from. Nearby, Check-Ins, About Me, Bookmarks, Monocle, and Deals. A few of those are pretty self-explanatory, and one of them you just need to see to believe. Nearby is going to use your cell phone's location (rough or precise, up to you) to show you a list of everything around you. It doesn't discriminate by style or genre, so if you're just curious to see what's delish, this is definitely the way to go. Check-Ins is Yelp's version of Foursqaure/Gowalla/Places/Latitude. You can check-in to bars, restaurants and what-have-you, but I'm not sure why. Yes, you can become mayor or king or top dog or iron chef (not really, on the last one), but maybe there's coupons involved. Speaking of coupons, Deals is just that. If you want to know where you can save a buck, get something for free, or see what other promotions are going on, click on Deals and know you'll be saving some greenbacks. About Me and Bookmarks both require that you have a Yelp account, and if you do, they'll prompt you to log in. This allows you to check-in and leave reviews (and ensures you get credit to your Yelp account, for what it's worth) and also lets you view your list of Bookmarks if you've got a hankering for one of your favorite places that you've conveniently forgotten the address of. The thing that really does it for me (although it's usefulness is debatable) is Monocle. Monocle pulls you into an augmented reality environment, where, as you move your camera around, restaurants and such pop up on your screen, along with their rating, distance, and cost. I couldn't get a good screenshot without some wicked tearing, so just check it out for yourself. There's also the standard search bar at the top of the page, and you choose to search a name or style either based on current location, but also anything else, like a city or a zip code. It's the simplest way, but it's how things got started and it still works. So, if you like both 1.) food and Read More