Find yourself a p***-up next to a brewery

Product: Nearme Good Pub Guide
Supplier: Oxford Softworks/Nearme
Web: www.nearme.eu http://www.nearme.eu
Price: Software client 50 pence. 20 pence a search
Download available: Nokia Download, Orangeworld, Handango
Compatibility: Java/J2ME handsets including Crackberry

THE CONCEPT IS SIMPLE. Take the information from a well-respected publication – The Good Pub Guide. Turn the content into a mobile phone-friendly format. Add in a search capability and, then, top it off with location-based technology and maps.

That's what you get with the Nearme Good Pub Guide which is the very latest incarnation of The Good Pub Guide Mobile. The difference is that this latest version includes the ability to tie in GPS location data as well as the CellID information supplied by the mobile networks.

The company behind Nearme is actually Oxford Softworks which told the INQ that it takes its CellID information feed in via MX Telecom. This means CellID works on all the UK's networks with the notable exception of 3. Must have a word with 3 about that.

Anyway, this didn't matter to the INQ because the app was being tested out on a Nokia N95 connected to 3 but with GPS built in, of course. So it could use GPS to establish location without help from the network. Incidentally, the N95 has the latest firmware upgrade which includes Assisted GPS (A-GPS).

The easiest method of getting the Good Pub Guide – although it can be obtained from mobile portals like Handango - is to text the word 'goodpub' to 87080. You'll then receive the relevant URL via WAP Push.

While the software costs an initial 50 pence, the actual search process is not. Nearme charges you 20 pence for a search; 15 pence for a pub map; and 10 pence for the pub review or another search using a previously-saved location.

When you initially download the application, you actually get 50 units free. As each unit currently seems to equate to a penny, that means you've got 50 pence for free. You can top up in batches of 100, 300 or 500 which are purchased via premium rate texts. Obviously 100 units will cost you £1, etc.

Nearme works really quite well, especially as once you've read the review of a particular pub, you can decide to look at it on the map.

The actual UI needs updating because it looks as if you can zoom in only three times but in reality it's now possible to zoom in as much as you like.

You can plan a route to the pub from your current destination and Oxford Softworks claims that if you're on foot, you should be able to see yourself moving in the right direction on the map.

The sad thing is that this particular INQ hack wasn't particularly impressed with the choice of pubs the guide present. There are plenty of good pubs in the village nearby but the guide pointed us a minimum of two miles away. Ho, hum.

There is actually a dog-friendly version of the Good Pub Guide and it would be great to have that on the mobile phone. The Good Beer Guide instead. Perhaps Oxford Softworks will oblige?

In the meantime, the INQ is waiting for the company's next release – Fancyapint – which should give directions to great pubs in London. Let's hope their reviews are better than the Good Pub's. µ

The good
Makes great use of built-in GPS
The bad
Getting directions isn't easy
The ugly
The actual choice of pubs is poor. Sack the reviewers

Bartender's verdict