iPhone App of the Week: Foodspotting

Maybe I've been living under a rock (or just don't check the iPhone App Store often enough), but on Sunday, I saw a feature called "App of the Week." Yes, I probably have seen it but just didn't take enough notice.

Anyway.

This week, the featured application is "Foodspotting." It's pretty much a picture album of foods that are taken by users at restaurants. You know, to really see what the food looks like before you order. "Foodspotting" starts up by telling you what's nearby (after allowing it to find your location), then the sliding photo album is there. The information given on the bottom of each photo is what the dish is and what the restaurant is. This sounds like a potential tag line (and it might be, which is why I'm thinking of it), but it really is a must download for food enthusiasts and travelers.

Big plus, it's free.
Little minus, you have to register to do many options (but it's not necessary to look at the photos).

On Yelp, another application that is similar to the Yellow-Pages but more fun, users can post pictures of the outside of the building, the inside, the bathrooms, the tables, the food, and anything else in regards to the public place. However, having an application that is dedicated to how food is presented is brilliant because the outside of the building may be terrible and the inside may be just as displeasing, but if the food, the main reason you're going to a restaurant, is delicious, then that's all that should matter.

They have little blue ribbons on certain photos if people "Nom It," which means they tried it, loved it, someone else already posted a picture, and they agree.

It's fun little app to play around with, both seriously and just goofing around to see what some places serve.

There are also "Guides," which would be for the traveler. The guides have lists of places along with a food of theirs that you can spot/take a picture of and you have to spot all the foods to complete the guide (sort of like the Monopoly game at McDonald's). I'm not sure what happens when you finish all them, but according to HuffingtonPost.com, "[a]ccording to the app's creators, Foodspotting 2.0 will let you 'earn recognition and real world rewards for completing certain guides...'" It's like getting a badge on foursquare, so it sounds fun to me!

Why you should download it
1. It's free, so if you hate it, delete it.
2. It's fun to see different restaurants that you may not have considered and what it is they're serving. They're all nearby, too!
3. Some of the pictures are very telling and can convince you one way or another about going to a place.
4. Makes you hungry!

More information on the "Foodspotting" app can be found here.