Vaunted Michelin guide adds mobile Internet to its review menu

October 14 06:05:02 AM, Yahoo News

Jean-Luc Naret, president of Michelin Guides. The guides, lauded as roadmaps to the world's finest cuisine, will be delivered to iPhones and other

AFP - Michelin guides, lauded as roadmaps to the world's finest cuisine, will be delivered to iPhones and other "smart" mobile devices as the century-old publication embraces the Internet age.

Michelin guide director Jean-Luc Naret on Monday unveiled an alliance with mobile "jet set" content provider Ubi Ubi as the Paris-based publication's third San Francisco area edition debuted in this technology-oriented city.

"It is catering to the needs of the person on the go," Ubi Ubi president Mario Giacalone told AFP.

"It is a generation that grew up with the Internet and is tech-savvy and mobile. Sometimes a book gets dated or people don't have it with them, but people always carry their mobile devices and we can keep the content fresh."

Mobile Michelin guides are online at www.ubiubi.mobi with the latest reviews of restaurants in the US cities of New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. There are plans to expand the offerings to include other cities.

Naret says that while Michelin guides are adapting to new-age models of digital delivery, he is certain people will continue to want printed guides they can get their hands on.

He notes that a Tokyo guide launched for the first time last year sold 120,000 copies in the first 24 hours it was available in mobile gadget-loving Japan and that sales topped 300,000 copies by the end of five weeks.

Michelin guide reportedly sells about 1.2 million copies annually in a total of 97 countries. A first-ever Michelin guide for Hong Kong and Macau will be released in December.

"The books will continue to be available but we are looking at mobile and development on the Internet" Naret said. "There is a new generation going to the Internet instead of buying books."

Links to popular restaurant-reviewing bloggers have been added to www.michelinguide.com, and guide-using diners are being offered chances at prizes if they share eatery experiences at the Michelin guide website.

Feedback from users is shared with Michelin's trained teams of inspectors, who are to bear the comments in mind when determining whether restaurants are worthy of coveted stars awarded as symbols of outstanding culinary experiences.

"With so much being put out on the Internet by people you don't know it becomes a question of who to trust," Naret said. "We listen to what people are saying, and then we go and see for ourselves."

Michelin is a premier partner in for an Ubi Ubi mobile internet service tailored for "the needs of the person on the go," according to the New York City based Internet firm.

"It will make the brand stronger and refreshed," Giacalone said of Michelin. "It is Yelp-plus, because you have inspectors."

Yelp is a popular social-networking website at which users rate and review local restaurants and other businesses.

Ubi's Michelin platform is to eventually let diners use mobile devices to post written messages to the Michelin guide during meals at restaurants.

"Michelin guide is establishing a connection with the community and at the same time maintaining its tradition and standards," Giacalone said. "The technology allows you to marry both."

Michelin guide on Ubi Ubi will also make restaurant recommendations in categories such as "impress, indulge, or discover."

Michelin's move into the mobile internet age comes as it plans a March gastronomical gala in Paris to mark the 100th annual edition of the guide, which was first printed in 1900 for motorists planning road trips.

"It is the 100th edition because we missed a few during the war," Naret said light-heartedly.

"Paris will be the gastronomic capital of the world for a week. All the top chefs from around the world will be cooking in restaurants in France."

Source

Expo: Intuit prepping native app for Quicken.com users
Macworld.com - While Intuit is in the midst of overhauling the Mac version of its Quicken personal finance app, the online version of Quicken is going strong. Quicken.com just underwent a redesign in November,…
Employees the Next (Continuing) Big Security Risk?
surely_you_cant_be_serious writes "A nationwide survey finds that most companies consider their systems vulnerable to attack. Historically, crime rates increase during recessions — and some believe…
New Liquid Cools Hot Gaming PCs
PC World - Hardcore Computer has developed a new liquid to cool computer components inside a family of monstrous PCs it created for gamers, and the company hopes to attract interest for the coolant from…
Intel will miss its already-lowered 4Q targets
AP - Even after sharply reducing its outlook for the fourth quarter, Intel Corp. said Wednesday that it would miss its revenue projection by about $500 million, a sign that PC makers and buyers are being…
Google cuts temporary workers but murky on details
AP - Google Inc. has jettisoned a substantial number of temporary workers in a recent austerity drive spurred by the recession, although the Internet search leader still intends to spend billions of dollars…
Myspace Comes to TV With Intel, Yahoo
PC World - Consumers will be able to exchange messages with MySpace friends on their TVs while watching shows, thanks to a social-networking application for TVs jointly launched by MySpace.com, Intel and…
Clearwire Woes Hit Big Backers
PC World - Financial charges taken by both Intel and Time Warner Cable on Wednesday put the spotlight on the tough prospects for Clearwire, the company that aims to build a national mobile broadband network…
Live blog: Ballmer at CES
CNET - LAS VEGAS--With Bill Gates now a Microsoft part-timer, company CEO Steve Ballmer is filling in at this year's opening keynote for the Consumer Electronics Show.
Toyota to roll out safety, driver-assist systems
AP - Toyota Motor Corp. says it plans to roll out new features on certain models later this year that can summon help if you crash or call an operator for roadside assistance or information.
Toshiba to expand the powers of the TV set-top box
AP - Toshiba Corp. is planning to use the Cell processor, the brain of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 game console, to create an ultra-powerful TV set-top box that can record up to six high-definition channels…
Data Breaches Rose Sharply In 2008
snydeq writes "According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, more than 35 million data records were breached in the US in 2008. Tracking media reports and disclosures companies are required to make…
Future of Macworld Expo up in the air
CNET - Macworld Expo will go on in 2010 without Apple's participation, but what will it look like? And will anybody show up?
OpenID Fan Club Is Shrinking
A.B. VerHausen writes "Even though there's a whole new Web site devoted to understanding and using OpenID, some companies are dropping the login method altogether. OStatic is reporting that the 'free Web…
Motorola unveils mobile phone made from recycled water bottles
AFP - Motorola, seeking to capitalize on the trend towards more environmentally friendly products, has unveiled the first mobile phone made from recycled water bottles.
Expo: Kensington rolls out mice, chargers, other accessories
Macworld.com - Kensington announced a number of new accessories for desktops, laptops, iPods, and iPhones Tuesday to coincide with Macworld Expo as well as the Consumer Electronics Show.
Intel's miss weighs on Microsoft shares
AP - Shares of Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, sank Wednesday after chip maker Intel Corp. said fourth-quarter sales missed already lowered expectations.
Billions at stake as China issues 3G licences
AFP - China issued long-awaited third-generation mobile phone licences Wednesday, a move that will pour billions of dollars into new networks as consumers buy video- and Internet-enabled handsets.
China issues 3G mobile phone licenses
AP - China assigned third-generation mobile phone licenses Wednesday to three carriers in a long-awaited step that is expected to prompt $41 billion in spending on new equipment.
Wii boosts UK games sales, music resilient
Reuters - British retailers sold a record combined number of DVDs, games and music in 2008 despite the economic gloom, boosted by the popularity of Nintendo's Wii and single downloads, trade bodies said…
Android Fans Watch HTC Release a Windows Phone
NewsFactor - Many observers of this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas are waiting to see what kind of presence the open-source Android mobile-phone platform will have among new smartphones.…
Motorola unveils phone made from recycled bottles
Reuters - LAS VEGAS (Reuters) Motorola Inc unveiled a cell phone made of recycled water bottles on Tuesday, hoping to cash in on the trend for environmentally friendly products.
Phishing Is a Minimum-Wage Job
rohitm918 writes "A study by Microsoft Research concludes that phishers make very little (PDF): '...low-skill jobs pay like low-skill jobs, whether the activity is legal or not.' They also find that the…
Apple cuts copy protection and prices on iTunes
AP - Apple Inc. is cutting the price of some songs in its market-leading iTunes online store to as little as 69 cents and plans to make every track available without copy protection.
Fake celeb LinkedIn profiles lead to malware
CNET - A security researcher has discovered fake profiles for celebrities on LinkedIn that have links to malicious code, according to a blog posting on Trend Micro's site.