Now dry-cleaning as well as restaurant booking can be done from your phone
With Uber – the taxi-ordering app – now valued at $40bn (£25.5bn), it is no surprise others are trying to take old-school, real-world services on to your mobile phone. *ZipJet* (iOS, Android, free) attempts to move the dry-cleaners into your pocket. Only in London at the moment, the interface is slick – finding your location automatically and scanning your credit card number with the iPhone’s camera, making it a breeze to order. Put in what it is you need to be cleaned, then choose a half-hour collection and delivery slot. The cost compares well with a service wash at a local launderette – £12.50 for a bag of washing and £10 for a two-piece suit – and it works fantastically, but while it is sure to be a big hit in New York, where communal facilities are the norm, it seems unlikely it will ever be more than a niche product in the UK. Equally, *Zomato* (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, free) is the latest restaurant finder, but what makes it stands out is the breadth of its service. Select to search for coffee-shops, a plethora of culinary genres, or even somewhere specialising in hot chocolate, and the app locates them on a map. From there you can browse the menu and book a table. Good for the tastebuds, if not so beneficial to the waistband.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.
With Uber – the taxi-ordering app – now valued at $40bn (£25.5bn), it is no surprise others are trying to take old-school, real-world services on to your mobile phone. *ZipJet* (iOS, Android, free) attempts to move the dry-cleaners into your pocket. Only in London at the moment, the interface is slick – finding your location automatically and scanning your credit card number with the iPhone’s camera, making it a breeze to order. Put in what it is you need to be cleaned, then choose a half-hour collection and delivery slot. The cost compares well with a service wash at a local launderette – £12.50 for a bag of washing and £10 for a two-piece suit – and it works fantastically, but while it is sure to be a big hit in New York, where communal facilities are the norm, it seems unlikely it will ever be more than a niche product in the UK. Equally, *Zomato* (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, free) is the latest restaurant finder, but what makes it stands out is the breadth of its service. Select to search for coffee-shops, a plethora of culinary genres, or even somewhere specialising in hot chocolate, and the app locates them on a map. From there you can browse the menu and book a table. Good for the tastebuds, if not so beneficial to the waistband.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.