Seattle's UrbanSpoon Shakes Up iPhone
Confluence of Apple and local tech talent: Seattle startup UrbanSpoon (a restaurant review site with Yelp-like feedback features, but for serious foodies) has written a free app for the new iPhone.
Says co-founder Ethan Lowry: "When Apple announced that they were going to allow third parties to write apps for the iPhone, we applied, and they accepted." How does it work? Part magic eight ball, part slot machine: you shake the phone, and it randomly displays the name of a nearby restaurant, using the iPhone's motion sensor and GPS.
Hundreds of downloads already this morning, and the new phone doesn't even go on sale until tomorrow. Since the app is free, Lowry and business partner Adam Doppelt won't earn royalties as such, but it's safe to say that their ad-supported website, with restaurant listings in over 50 cities, will benefit handsomely from the additional traffic.
