Can you tell I've been spending way too much time on my iPhone? Needless to say, all of the new apps have revived the entire idea of the phone for me. One such app is called Urbanspoon. It is so practical for a person like me that desperately wants to try new restaurants and types of food but doesn't want to risk picking a place at random to discover the food is vomit-inducing.
So with this app you get the feeling of picking a place at random, without the risk. When you open the application, it will prompt you to select your location, which it can do on its own. Then, it shows three wheels of options. The first lists cities--you don't really need to mess with this one unless you're going somewhere far to eat. The second lists types of food. If you have a preference, select it, and click the lock below it. Otherwise, let it free float for a truly random pick. Last, there are dollar signs. Pick the amount that you feel comfortable spending.
Then, you can either press the "shake" button or physically shake the iPhone. When doing so, the wheels will spin and land on a choice randomly. At this point, you can select the restaurant to view contact information and reviews. Plus, you can read reviews from newspapers right within the app--it doesn't open Safari to do this.
Urbanspoon is practical and fun at the same time. I don't know that I'd use it everyday, but when in the mood to try something new, you can bet on it.
Update: A reader pointed out that I failed to include information in which countries this app works. In this case, Urbanspoon contains information for 52 cities, mostly US-based but a few Canadian cities are included as well as London. I've also been reading around that if you are in a location that this app does not recognize, it will crash. Just a head's up!
