Have you ever wanted to know where the top restaurants, bars, events, and clubs are in your area? In this article we will cover a great, easy to use, FREE app for the Blackberry called "buzzd geo-launcher", which was just released the week of 3/23/09.
buzzd has been around for a while on the Blackberry platform (for the v4.2+ OS) as a web launcher to the buzzd mobile site. This mobile-only site is set up to be a social networking site (which requires free registration) that can provide text updates to your phone (which can be disabled), and a vehicle to find the hot spots in your area. Originally, you had to manually define where you were located via zip code, etc. However, now with this recent app release, the "geo-launcher" edition, it will determine your location via your cell phone carrier/service (in a sense using signal triangulation, and not GPS).
In my testing, I have found it to be fairly accurate in determining your neighborhood/city location, and its a great resource to find restrauants in your area. In searching, you have the ability to filter by "buzzd picks" or "zagat rated" via quick links at the top of the page. Located at the bottom of the screen, you can filter even further, via pull-down menus, by Cuisine, Features, and Neighborhood.
Each search result detail (the info page for each restrauant, etc) has a quick map view of the location (can be zoomed in or out), Cuisine category, location Features (Kid Friendly, Group Dining, etc), address, and phone number. You even have the ability to add a quick review (called "buzz it now"), save it to your favorites list, share it via text message, or search for other attractions nearby.
To further elaborate on the mobile-only feature of the site, if you point your computer's web browser to www.buzzd.com, and login/register, you will be presented a view of the site from a mock cell phone view (See above for attached picture).
Overall, the site's appearance is very simplistic with mostly colored text on a black background and minimal pictures, in which I did not run into any visibility or compatibility issues. Also, because of it's simplistic nature, it is a fast loading site for most recent Blackberries and phone connections.
To download over-the-air (OTA) from your Blackberry's internet browser, go to blackberry.buzzd.com, or the Mobile Blackberry Site.