GPS lovers might be familiar with the Zagat restaurant rating and review guide from its implementation on some portable navigation devices such as Navigon’s 8100T–the one David Pogue hates so much. Finally the company, which has ratings for over 30,000 eateries in the United States and select international markets, has released an iPhone application.
PCMag has put it through the gears and come up with a fair but revealing review. Judging by the frequent comparisons to competitor Yelp’s iPhone application–which came out on top every time–the reviewer simply wasn’t impressed with Zagat to Go ‘09. The application requires the user to click on a globe icon in the upper righthand corner of the iPhone’s display which acquires present location via the mobile’s GPS. You can also enter your location manually. From there you can search through eating establishments in the range of 1 to 50 miles from your location–you choose. You can also search using a variety of features, but price isn’t included.
Yelp’s coverage is much greater than Zagat’s. Too be fair however, Zagat tends to focus on higher-end establishments–Yelp covers everything. And I should mention that Yelp does allow you to browse restaurants based on price, something Zagat really should have included in its app. Once you’ve clicked on a potential dining destination, Zagat will reveal details like the address and phone number and one click is all it takes to phone said restaurant. But if you wish to reserve via the iPhone you’ll be redirected to OpenTable’s mobile website; PCMag accurately points out that if you already have a destination in mind, it’d be much more efficient to navigate to OpenTable in the first place.
You also can’t submit your own rating or review for a restaurant to Zagat on your iPhone, but Yelp doesn’t allow that either. Considering that Zagat’s iPhone application costs a ridiculous $9.99 it doesn’t look to be a smart purchase. A membership at Zagat.com costs $25 per year and a tangible paper Zagat guide costs even more, so if you’re the type that dines at the most expensive restaurants around then maybe Zagat would be worth it. For the rest of us, Yelp or Urbanspoon would be my recommendations. You also might be interested in checking out Local Picks by TripAdvisor.
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