When I saw this application in the CrackBerry store, I knew I had to get the word out before the last long weekend of the summer. Grab some ice, stock up your liquor cabinet, Mobile Bartender is coming to the party! You have just enough time to hone your bartending skills. Though may not turn out to serve like Tom Cruise in Cocktail, at least you'll have a wide range of drinks under your belt.
With Mobile Bartender you have access to hundreds of drink recipes, and you can add your own too! Before you read on, I'll have to check your ID. We can't have any minors sneaking a peak now can we?
What? No tab?!
"Well, you sure don't look 25, but your unlaminated, out-of-state driver's license is proof enough for me"
Mobile Bartender has been available to the public since September 7th, 2004 on numerous mobile phones. For Motorola's Q4 of 2004, it was named their best-selling application. Coincidently, owning a Motorola device may drive one to drink...
In May of 2005, Mobile Bartender had been released upon the BlackBerry world.
About Mobatech
Mobatech was founded in April 2003 by Greg Schwartz. Besides Mobile Bartender, Mobatech also offers other applications, including the best-selling Mobile Checkbook, and Mobile eNotes. These applications were created utilizing J2ME technology. These products bring ease of mind in regards to your personal productivity and lifestyle.
From their site:
We are committed to developing powerful, mobile software that our customers will find easy to use and that integrates seamlessly into their everyday lives.
To date Mobatech's product line has been sold to consumers in over 70 countries worldwide and is distributed by some of the world's largest mobile providers.
Version 2.5.0 of Mobile Bartender is available for the Pearl, Curve, 87xx or 88xx devices. If you're running an older Berry with an older version of Mobile Bartender you may think that, based on the screen shots, you're looking through beer goggles. You're not, Mobatech just made the app that much better looking! The newest version of the application offers fluid (pardon the pun) navigation though its database. At the main menu you are greeted by the following categories: Drinks, Shooters, Drop Shots, Random, Favorites, Add Recipe and Help.
main menu or a fun night waiting to happen?
The first three categories contain everything you need for a fun, responsible evening. Within each, you can search for a recipe using specifics including; searching by liquor, first letter and ingredient. In the shooter category, you can select from a sub-category of shooter types (candy shot, deadly sin, fruity shots and sexy shots). Looking at a search example, if we were to select Drinks, then search by liquor, then say...Vodka, we are given a list of drinks that contain that liquor. Fuzzy navel anyone? Clicking on a drink will reveal its ingredients.
various ways to find a recipe
decisions, decisions
so that's what goes in a Fuzzy Navel....
The Random category is self explanatory. Open this category up and choose between Drinks, Shooters and Drop Shots. A recipe will be presented to you at random from its database. For those with an adventurous pallet, or looking to stump someone who thinks they know all about drinks, this category could be handy.
If you want access to your favourite recipes even faster, you can bookmark them for a quick retrieval. Pick the recipes you want, open the menu, click options and select add to favourites. Go back to your faves, select the category and presto! Your "earmarked" recipes are ready for the party.
If you just can't find your favourite drink in Mobile Bartender's database, why not add it? The application will guide you through the filing process, so you know where to find it later. Your recipe will be nestled in the correct category, easily searchable by the same methods as the other recipes already available.
do YOU have a signature drink?
While it's great to have so many recipes at a trackball's reach, you may not get to all of them (or maybe you had a bad experience with a few). Just as you can add recipes, you can delete as well. Keep your list up to date and free of clutter. Navigating through Mobile Bartender was fast and precise. The random and favourite categories are great features. The only drawback I could find was the inability to add a drink found in the Random category as a favourite. The option was missing in the menu.
Last Call
Mobile Bartender will be a hit, using it at parties, a night on the town or just fun trivia between friends. While it does give access to a vast number of recipes, it doesn't give you any information as to how to combine the ingredients. Some recipes may require ice, fire (or some other sort of catalyst) or garnish. A great app for a great time. Please, just remember to drink responsibly. Never drink and PIN, unless it's for a ride home. Mobile Bartender is available at the CrackBerry Store for $7.95. Sorry, no free trial.
Pros
- Access to hundreds of recipes
- earmark your faves
- add/delete recipes
Cons
- cannot add faves from the Random category
- drink ingredients only, no directions
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