Sketch-A-Search with Yahoo to find good eats
Yahoo Mobile has launched an update to the Sketch-A-Search app, which lets you circle an area directly on a map on your iPhone or iPad to find nearby restaurants.
Back in April, Yahoo Mobile announced a unique approach to searching for nearby restaurants with the Sketch-A-Search app for iOS. The concept of the app couldn't be more simple: pull up a map of the area that you're currently in, and then sketch a circle (or any approximation of a shape) around the neighborhoods or blocks of streets where you'd like to eat. Sketch-A-Search then drops in pins to indicate the restaurants that fall within the designated space. Clicking the pins pulls up information on each establishment, including the phone number, operation hours, and Yahoo user reviews.
Today, Yahoo announced a welcome update to Sketch-A-Search. Version 1.5 brings in partnerships with both Zagat and OpenTable, so you not only get more in-depth reviews, but also the ability to reserve tables directly within the app. According to Yahoo, the team has also worked to improve the quality of the data to ensure that the user receives the freshest local information possible--good news for those who complained that the previous version contained out-of-date info and out-of-business restaurants.
Sketch-A-Search 1.5 is free and is now available in iTunes. There are separate apps for the iPad and the iPhone/iPod Touch.