Find shops, restaurants, bars and amenities around you

Just like the Beach Boys, I get around quite a bit. As a result I’m forever having to ask people where the nearest supermarket is, where to find a taxi rank, or whether there are any decent bars or restaurants in the vicinity.

With AroundMe this is no longer a worry because the program is able to provide me with this information in just a couple of clicks. The iPhone software automatically detects your current location and provides one-click access to lists of the nearest: banks, bars, cafes, gas stations, hospitals, hotels, movie theaters, parking, pharmacies, pubs, restaurants, supermarkets, taxis and theaters.

Click on any of these categories and AroundMe will bring up a list of those type of business in a remarkably quick time. You can then click on one of the suggestions to get the full address and phone number of the business, which you can add to your iPhone’s contacts with a single click. Hit ‘Show Route’ and AroundMe will display the directions from your current location, via Google Maps.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of results returned by AroundMe. Granted, I live in a big city but from anecdotal information I’ve heard from users in smaller towns I gather that AroundMe provides decent results in these less built-up areas too.

AroundMe is very quick and simple to use but I felt it’s usefulness could still be improved upon. For instance, it’s not possible to view the results in order of proximity, meaning you often have to flick through a few pages before you find the closest. Also, it would’ve been great to see more information about each place, such as guides, reviews or even just a link to the company’s web site.

All in all though, AroundMe is a very handy thing to have in your pocket when you’re out and about.

Improved compatibility with some external navigation app Minor bug fixing

Changes

• Improved compatibility with some external navigation app Minor bug fixing