It looks like the guys at Spoonfed have stolen a march on Time Out and other event guides with the release of their iPhone app, the Spoonfed Events Radar, available free from the App Store as of today.
The launch is the first step of the startup company’s mobile strategy which extends the Spoonfed events listings database to the mobile platform, making it easier for Londoners to find interesting things to do while already on the move. It also puts paid to one of our major criticisms of the Spoonfed service when it officially launched in January this year, when the mobile strategy was one of many planned but as yet unrealised features.
Using your location as a point of reference, the Event Radar scans the surrounding area for events happening that day. Found events are represented as blips on the radar dial, and users can then tap each of the blips to find out more information about cost, artists, genres, time, distance and what to expect from the event itself.
The radius scanned expands or contracts dynamically depending on how many events it finds in your vicinity, and results are usually limited to between three and 10 events from which to choose. Each event listing integrates with Google Maps, so you can find your way to the venue without a hassle.
You can see a screencast of the navigation, which is among the smoothest I’ve experienced using an iPhone app, here:
Events Radar was developed in conjunction with mobile apps agency Ubinow and is the frontrunner to the next stage of mobile development, which will bring the same functionality to other handsets.
Another recent addition to the site’s functionality is integration with venues’ Twitter feeds, so that Spoonfed users who aren’t on Twitter don’t miss any of the last minute cancellations, news of secret gigs and other announcements venues such as the Science Museum or Koko make via their Twitter feeds.
Spoonfed’s revenue model includes ticket sales and outsourced advertising as well as event marketing services targeted at venues and promoters. Being able to drive the website and brand over mobile will no doubt make the company’s offering more appealing to a corporate client base.
Alexander Will, who co-founded the company with Henry Erskine Crum after they met studying at London School of Economics says all the planned mobile products are about differentiating Spoonfed from their competition.
Given a recent comment posted by a employee freelancer for TimeOut on the Mobile Geeks of London Facebook group looking for an iPhone developer to work “on spec” to help pitch the idea of a mobile phone application to an editor “too busy to hunt for developers or business plans”, it seems the kids Spoonfed are on the right track.
UPDATE: We’re happy to point out that the person on Facebook who appeared to be speaking for Time Out was in fact an over-enthusiastic freelancer and not someone acting in an authorised, official capacity.
Clever design, nice friendly user interface, intelligent useful service. Congratulations.
Hoping the underappreciated TimeOut developer doesn’t get any grief as a result of his email being circulated.
I’ve seen the App demo’d and it is pretty awesome. Good work to the guys at Spoonfed, they have done a great job and I am not very easily impressed.
The “obviously underappreciated TimeOut developer” is a writer, not a developer.
Basheera, a bit more research before posting obvious conclusions…
Thanks for the correction, Manu.
Nice look, easy to use and actually has a ton of content. Nice job Spoonfed!
Spoonfed is great and really easy to use, i dont understand why people are still paying to get a printed version of timeout when most of us have internet access from our phones. this new app will make it EVEN easier…
Congrats Spoonfeeders!
Awesome App. Great job on the interface. Doubt I’ll ever use TimeOut again. Congratulations
nice work spoonfed! your listings were already the best and now we get to use our iphone like Ziggy in quantum leap
Spoonfed has already made me a much more active person in my free time as it makes it so much easier to find things that I am interested in, instead of having to do the work to find exhibitions, shows, etc.
This new application looks incredible and is going to make it even easier. Congratulations Spoonfed, and thank you!!
will the spoony guys create an app for the android phone as well? that would be cool
Great app, I love the design! Are you planning to integrate google maps to the radar function?
Think this is awesome – really useful from both perspectives – people with events/happenings and those who want to explore.
Should help people spread their interests outside of their daily routine – which gets my votes.
Also good mix of novelty and functionality.
Steal the march on everyone else spoonfed.
Well done guys, it was about time that someone came up with something this useful! Next stop New York Please?
Absolutely love the application havent stopped showing it off since downloading it – got me to a really fun impromptu gig last night as well! Thank you Spoonfed!
This app is totally rockin! thanks spoonfed!
Awesome! I dont need anything else.
Well done on a very useful app! live in paris though – when are you branching out over here..?
SpoonFed’s new app is awesome. What’s ‘Time Out’ again?
Henry and Alex have created a really slick brand with Spoonfed and it’s great to see all this product success as well. Keep it up guys – knew you’d crack it!
Hi Everyone,
Jim, Ryan, Kelly, Pedro, Adrien, lexy, Ernst, Corrado, Glen the Gorden, Mary, Lottie, Nina, nick scott and Jamie Murray Wells.
Thank you very much for you kind words. It means a great deal to the Spoonfed Team.
@sissi We are looking into Android but are focused on launching the iPhone Event Radar for now.
@lucy @nina We are currently focused on London but will be looking to expand in the future. NY and Paris would definitely be near the top of my list.
The whole of the Spoonfed Team is continually working hard to make finding out what’s on easy, quick and fun and your feedback and suggestions are invaluable to us.
Thanks
Henry and Alex (from Spoonfed)
UPDATED: We’re happy to point out that the person on Facebook who appeared to be speaking for Time Out was in fact an over-enthusiastic freelancer and not someone acting in an authorised, official capacity.
spoonfed – well done to the whole team! Great app – you’ve opened up London like an oyster – you’re the pearl…
thanx admin
I just downloaded the latest version of the App and its brilliant. Sitting next door to Madame Jojos and the radar has found me right in the middle, and best of all it has found an event called Tranny Shack. Go Spoonfed!
Hi Guys,
I wanted to let you know about “Events Finder”, which is the first and only iphone app on the appstore that brings events from multiple event sites such as Upcoming, Eventbrite, TicketStumbler, and more. Check it out on the AppStore!
-Srinivas