We've recently showcased the winners in Nokia's Calling All Innovators 2011 apps contest, and among them is the free location-based search service Poynt. Is it worth the hype? Find out in our review of Poynt on the Symbian Anna-powered Nokia X7.
Calling All Innovators 2011: The winnings apps!
As the name suggests, the idea of Poynt is to provide you with information on nearby services in your area, divided into three categories: businesses, restaurants and movies (though the award-winning US version also has info on petrol stations and nightlife).
You're prompted to choose between these three options when firing up Poynt the first time, and your choice dictates just what comes next (although you're never more than a couple of screen taps away from being able to switch).
The business option simply presents you with a search box for typing in the business or business type you're looking for. This operates exactly like a normal search engine, so if you're looking for a specific business type its name in. Either way, results will be listed in order of proximity to your current location.
Select one of the businesses listed, and you'll be given the usual info like address and phone number, with the option of calling directly or adding its details to your phone book. You can check out its location on a map and get directions, or send the info to a friend.
The restaurant finder delivers the same options for your search results, but how you get there is different. You can just enter a basic search if you like, but there's also the option of searching by cuisine (though this will inevitably not manage to cover all of the people all of the time), or simply show nearby options.
What's useful here is it lets you discover new restaurants in your area even if you're not actively looking for somewhere to eat right now, or simply search for the nearest restaurant that specialises in a specific type of cuisine no matter how far away it actually is.
It's a similar story with the movie search, which lets you search by nearby theatres, nearby movies, genre, the current top 10, or a direct search of your own. Once you have results on screen, you can check out everything from a trailer to reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, once again providing you with far more than just a service to find out what's on in your area.
There are other touches we love too. You get a basic weather listing of the current temperature on the home page, but tap it and it opens out to a full five-day forecast – a far from essential component, but more than there needs to be.
Even more useful is the ability to base your searches on a location other than where you are right now. It lets you discover more about new places in advance, or allow you to search for restaurants in the vicinity of a theatre you've found that's showing the movie you're looking to watch.
Out of principle we're docking Poynt a half-mark for not giving us the full range of services the US version has here in the UK, but otherwise its quality and genuine usefulness comes across loud and clear, and is absolutely worth the download.
DOWNLOAD: Poynt
Size: 4.69MB
Price: Free
