Hasta La Gadget!

Zagat, having been picked up by Google a couple of years ago for a sizable amount of money, is now back with a brand new Zagat website for you to play around with, in addition to a new mobile app for the Android and iOS platforms which will place the very best restaurants and nightspots right at your very own fingertips. Not only that, folks will love the fact that for the very first time, the trusted Zagat ratings and reviews can now be accessed for free without the need to go through any pesky registration procedures.

This new Zagat app will feature the latest news and video content from expert local editors, curated lists, powerful search and map-based browsing that will assist you in hunting down the places that locals go to, and want to keep it a secret from the rest of the world lest a bunch of tourists end up spoiling the place and atmosphere. The new Zagat will encompass both restaurants and nightlife across nine cities, with plans to expand this coverage to 50 U.S. and international destinations, touching on shopping, hotels and other places of interest to boot. Get Zagat for Android here and for iOS here.

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | New Zagat App For iOS And Android Debuts original content from Ubergizmo.

The Google+ Local iPhone app mysteriously disappeared from the App Store this past Friday—and now we know why. The Google-owned Zagat has just released a new app for both iPhone and Android today, all coming in Google’s new card-based UI.

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Avid Zagat users may or may not tell you that the Google-owned restaurant finder service hasn’t exactly been offering the best rating system possible. With the most recent update, however, the hard-working devs from Mountain View are aiming to fix those woes, announcing that it’s now “easier than ever” to publish reviews on the platform. The new rating system, as you can see above, will let users in on a more simplified scoring method, with the ability to simply rate as “poor-fair,” “good,” “very good” or “excellent.” Meanwhile, Google also launched a revamped, free-of-charge Zagat app for Android, which brings all the features you love to both handsets and slates. You’ll find the fresh application at the Google Play link below.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile

Google announces simplified Zagat ratings, launches new application for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Apple struggles to figure out how to help its users find their way, the mapping experts at Google have just launched a way to get folks to diverge a bit from their given path. Field Trip, released for Android by Google-owned Niantic Labs, runs in the background on your Android handset, eagerly waiting for you to get near a point of interest. Once that happens, it leaps into action, showing you a card for one of thousands of cool locations — historic spots, museums, restaurants and the like. Google’s partnered with a bunch of taste makers for the project, including Flavorpill, Cool Hunting and its own Zagat, to get things done. You can vote choices up and down, change the frequency of pop ups and post your findings to Twitter, Facebook and that one Plus social network. There’s also a driving mode serves as an auditory tour guide when you’re behind the wheel. The app’s available now as a free download in Play. The iOS version, on the other hand, is coming soon.

Psst… yes, it appears to be US-only for now. Bah, humbug.

Continue reading Google’s Niantic Labs launches Field Trip app for Android, helps the working world play hooky

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Google’s Niantic Labs launches Field Trip app for Android, helps the working world play hooky originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was only a matter of time before Google+ Local started spreading to the mobile space, and iOS looks to be its first landing spot through a rebadge of the Google Places app. Apart from achieving harmony with Google’s rapidly swelling social universe and letting us check Zagat ratings for nearby establishments, the update slips in the same voice search that Google has had in its primary Google Search app: we won’t have to search for the best Vietnamese cuisine with that archaic keyboard. The refresh makes it similarly easy to find locations that aren’t directly close by, and there’s a tighter login process to keep that bar search history away from prying eyes. If you’re a social adventurer with an iPhone or iPod touch, Google just gave your expeditions a shot in the arm.

[Thanks, Bono]

Google Places for iOS becomes Google+ Local, adds voice search in the process originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 05:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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