iEat with an Urban Spoon

The advent of the smart phone has changed the way people do just about everything. If there isn't already an application that showcases the many ways to tie your shoes already, there will be one soon for the upcoming audience of tech-savvy toddlers. It makes sense then, that there's an array of gadgets available to help with something we do every day: eat. One of these however, stands out more than the rest because it doesn't only give you ways to answer the popular question of "where do I eat?" It picks a place for you!

Urban Spoon's "shake" feature is something altogether fun and different than what the alternatives provide. With as little as a single button press, it will randomly select a place to eat in your immediate area.

The interface, reminiscent of a slot machine, consists of three parts. First, there's the area. If you leave this box "unlocked", it will always default to the area you're in according to your phone. Second, there's the types of food in the area. It can be very specific or largely broad. In two spins, you might get "Italian", but immediately after also get "Pizza". Lastly, but far from least important, there's a field which represents costs in a series of dollar signs. The more dollar signs, the more expensive. Lock this in at one symbol to keep your prospects in a fair price range.

There's no limits to how many times one can spin in a session and sometimes it may take a few gambles to arrive at a place that satisfies an obscure hunger. Once satisfied, all the standard tools of reference are another touch away: map, directions, phone numbers, reviews and the ominous thumbs up or down button people love to abuse.

Urban Spoon satisfies most practical desires relating to food. It provides a list of nearby restaurants, relevant information and reviews, it even picks eateries for indecisive patrons. It's an all-encompassing application with the twist of appealing to everyone's inner-gambler.