Reviews August 12, 2009

Palm Pre App Catalog. 30 apps in 30 Days. Day 13: Open Table

Open Table is pretty similar to Good Food, which we looked at yesterday. Like Good Food, just enter your current location (either by city name or using the GPS). Open Table will then pinpoint affiliated restaurants in your area, which you can view either on a map, or in a list view.

The biggest difference between Good Food and Open Table is the purpose of the two apps. While Good Food was designed simply to help you locate restaurants in the area, Open table’s purpose is to book a reservation. As such, it is a bit limited to restaurants which are affiliated with the program. I found this left a number of good options unlisted.

Nonetheless, once you have found the restaurant you want, simply tap it to bring up the reservations page. you can change the date, time, and number of diners. From here, you can even view the menu or read reviews.

Of course, if you live in an urban area, like I do, you might find that your list of possibilities can be a bit long. If this is the case, you can simply tap the refine button in order to filter your list by cuisine, price, and other options.

Sign into your account (you will need to create an account on the Open Table website, inexplicably you cannot register from the mobile app), and you will find a listing of your upcoming and recent reservations. You will also be able to review your earned dining points (you earn points each time you use the program to make a reservation). Earn enough points and you can cash them in for free meals and other prizes.

Although I really appreciated the ability to book a meal from my Palm Pre, I have to say that I preferred the far more comprehensive coverage and user interface of Good Food. Like Flixster and Fandango, this is another instance in which it would have been nice to combine the two apps, and get the superior interface and coverage, along with the ability to make reservations. Even better would be placing a take out order at the local Chinese place from here as well.