New Times Best Of App Gets Love From Wired and Apple

By Eric Barton Wed., Dec. 14 2011 at 2:36 PM

Categories: Best of Broward-Palm Beach

Just a few years ago, the web presence of New Times was the digital equivalent of a kid in a bowler hat yelling out the news next to the haberdashery.

Now, we've got a sweet new homepage, award-winning blogs, and apparently a smart phone app that rocks.

Sure, that sounds like we're using this space for some self promotion. And that's true. But our Best Of app has gotten some serious love from those who know about these kinds of things.

The app, just for some background, compiles all of the Best Of issues from New Times and its sister publications across the country. Open it in major cities across the country and it'll give you the best restaurants, bars, clubs, and everything else nearby.

It works well enough that Apple, which didn't invent the idea of a cell phone application but did make it a three-letter word -- included it in the "App Store Rewind 2011." Essentially that's Apple, king of what's good for your phone, saying that it was one of the best apps that came out this year.

Then there's Wired.com, which gave our app a good review, saying it's able to "squeeze the indie energy and local knowledge" out of New Times and its sister publications. OK, nobody wants to see the New Times machine that squeezes the indie knowledge out of our employees. But Wired went on: "What Yelp would be if only the cool kids could post reviews." Hey, Wired just called us cool.

So go to your iPhone store or Android market and search for "Best Of" to download the app (or, if you're on your phone now, click here). For free. Afterward, please tell the kid hawking our papers on Clematis Street that he's no longer needed.