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You have to give Zagat a ton of credit. According to an article yesterday in the New York Post, Zagat guide sales are down dramatically, the company has laid off staff, and it is way behind online competitors such as Chowhound and Yelp in readership and relevance.
What’s a moribund print-bound company to do? Well, among other ploys, Zagat has launched an application, called nru (cool text-speak for “near you”), for T-Mobile G1, MyTouch 3G, and Samsung Galaxy phones. It’s available at Android Market, although, to be honest with you, I have no friggin’ clue what that means.
What I do know is that the application is pretty cool. It’s like an urban mine sweeper. You can stand on just about any street corner, and the application will tell you where the hidden-gem restaurants are (along with the crappy ones, too). Of course, those hidden gems will based on current Zagat ratings, which can be more than a year old. The app also gives you access to Zagat’s database entry on each restaurant, including the eatery’s special amenities and the very latest reader reviews on the place.
The only problem? It’s not available for iPhones.