Screenshots of BuUuk beta
If you like HungryGoWhere or Yum.sg, you're gonna love this.  I've just got myself a beta version of BuUuk, an iPhone App for finding places to eat in Singapore. I'm guessing the name is a play on the word "book" like "book a table at a restaurant"? Even as a beta version, I have to say this is a great app and a much needed localised product. While there are all the usual elements of an iPhone App: search, scroll menus, tabs for featured, top rated, and categories, BuUuk does an amazing job of connecting your geospatial data to your food. In other words it completely solves your hunger woes because:

• You get to search for what you want to eat.
• When you find some you get to pick the highest rated.
• When you pick that highly-rated restaurant you get to read reviews if you still have time and your digestive juices haven't killed you yet.
• But, if you're in a race against time, it tells you the distance you are from it via your GPS data.
• If you're on a non-GPS iPhone (like me) it tells you how far the place is from its nearest MRT station.
• But if you're lazy like me and want to drive, it also gives you a map and a button out to get directions from your Google Maps app.

But despite all the fancy technology, these guys haven't forgotten that the iPhone is essentially a phone. On every page that shows a restaurant, there's a huge orange Telephone button to press and make a phone call to the restaurant. And in the spirit of Web 2.0, they haven't forgotten about the social features as well. Without even the need to login, you can simply cast your vote with a single button press at the end of every satisfied meal. How much simpler can that be? I know I'm suppose to be a beta tester, but I can't seem to find the bugs. Its not really crashing or mucking up. But if I could propose some improvements it'd be:

• Dates on the reviews and blog posts so I know what's current.
• What does the map and distance mean for an iPhone 2G user who doesn't have GPS?

Other than that, it's an awesome app that's going to stick with my iPhone for the long haul. Oh, and BuUuk is looking for more Beta testers. If you're interested, why not drop a note in the comments below and I'll let them know you asked.