Crenk » review

Opera Mini 5 Beta Reviewers Guide

Steven Finch — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:56:02 +0000

ECwid: Create an eStore in Minutes!

Dean Sherwin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:16:56 +0000

ECwid is a web app which allows you to easily create your own store which you can integrate within your website in minutes. Basically, it’s like Amazon Associates (mostly because it’s powered by Amazon) except this has much better easy-to-use tools installed and is also easier to use for novice users when it comes to integrating your ecommerce store within your website.

Once you have created an account you just select what products you would like in your store, tailor the layout and colour scheme to your tastes and then click ‘Finish’. You’ll then be given HTML coding which you can copy and paste into a page on your website to embed the store. This will then act as your very own store on your website as though your developed and integrated it yourself.

The program also allows you to track invoicing, customers, accounts and other such important data to see how your store is getting on and how it can be improved.

Sony Ericsson Aspen Caught on Video

Dean Sherwin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:07:33 +0000

I’ve actually been keeping my eye on this one for a few weeks now. It’s the up and coming Sony Ericsson Aspen. The reason it caught me eye is threefold. Firstly, it has a touch screen. Secondly, it has a Blackberry-style keypad. And lastly, it’s running WinMob 6.5.3. Oh, and it looks great too!

Now, a video has emerged which shows a Russian or Eastern European guy reviewing the phone. Unfortunately, it’s all in a foreign language but you can still make out some of the great features of the phone. He first shows you the exterior casing and build quality. Then he powers up the phone and takes you through some of the very impressive 6.5.3 menus and functions. The media player and messaging options are displayed in great detail.

Lastly, he compares the device alongside devices from other popular Smartphone manufacturers such as Apple and RIM. Check out the new Sony Ericsson Aspen below.

Jing: Undoubtedly the Best Screencasting Program

Dean Sherwin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:43:07 +0000

Yesterday, I did my first screencast for my personal blog. Prior to making it, I had to choose a screencasting program. I wasn’t to fussed about paying a few bucks for something that’s good, but would have liked to get a free program too. That’s when myself and Jing crossed paths. Without a doubt this is the best screen casting program I have used. What’s more there is both a free version and a pro version.

The download is quick and simple. As is the program. Here’s how it works. There will be a small ‘sun’ around the edge of your screen while the program is running. Once you have clicked on this sun you then have to drag your mouse and select what portion of the screen you want to record. You can either select it all or any specific area. Then you have to choose whether you want a screenshot or a video. I selected video. Then, the program locates a microphone connected to your system and does a countdown to the beginning of recording. And just like that you can record a screencast for up to five minutes.

You then sign into your account at Screencast.com (owned by Jing) and upload the video. From here you can share and embed it

But that’s just the free version.

The pro-version offers:

Unlimited recording time
The ability to record from your webcam and switch back and forth
Receive the video in .MP4 format
Instant upload to YouTube
Only 13 Euro per year

Overall, I found this to be an amazing product which is well worth the 13 euro price tag. It’s easy, quick, simple and very good at capturing high resolution video on the fly. A must for any tech podcaster.

iPad Analytics will be Supported by Motally

Dean Sherwin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:00:54 +0000

As I write this article, and as you read it, thousands of developers are scrambling to update their apps so they’re compatible with the iPad and to make better versions which suit the device. Nobody knew what was going to be in store for the app world with the launch of the iPad the other day. Many expected a Mac laptop without the base. Fortunately for app developers, it’s basically a big iPod touch!

This brings a whole new market to the app world. And a new market needs to be monitored for usage and revenue. Motally, who currently offer remote services for iPhone app developers have said that their service will be extended to include iPad SDK devices. That way, developers will be able to keep track on how popular their app is and what users are doing when on the app. Data which can be taken include page views, time spent using app and when the app is most frequently in use (time of day).

Developers will be able to get daily updates delivered straight to their own iPads or iPhones and can view complete statistics on the Motally website. Currently, the small start-up is quite successful and has helped some big clients keep track of their apps. These include Twitter, Yelp and Verizon.

Dell Mini 5 Tablet Shows up on the Black Market

Dean Sherwin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:52:18 +0000

More tablet news now, except this one wasn’t expected by anyone. It’s not too often that you hear of company prototypes being sold for over a grand on the black market, but it appears that it’s just happened.

PC Online managed to get their hands on an early version of Dell’s Tablet which is still in development. It was unmarked on the exterior but a model number under the battery read ‘M01M’.

This leak has confirmed many of our suspicions about the Mini 5.

5 Inch Touch Screen
80×480 resolution
Running Android 1.6 OS
1Ghz of CPU power (not to shabby, Dell)
Wifi
Bluetooth
3G capabilities
Good quality 5Mp camera with a dual-LED flash
A front Facing Camera for video conferencing etc…
and a 1530mAh battery to power the device

So how much does a prototype Dell Mini 5 cost you on the black market? $1,100. But keep in mind that’s on the black market. The actual retail price will be much lower. At least I hope!

Blipr: Send Noises and Have Conversations with Fellow iPhone Users

Dean Sherwin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:47:23 +0000

The iPhone now seems to have a million ways to communicate with other iPhones besides traditional SMS or calling. This is largely down to its 3G capabilities and of course, an abundance of great apps to choose from.

Blipr is a new one that has been thrown into the mix. Basically, it revolves around IM as well as sending sounds and icons to your friends. The app is completely free and here is how it works.

First, you download the app and send an invite to your friends asking them to do the same. You can do this via e-mail but you can also simply enter in your Twitter or Facebook username to send them a message that way. One your friends have the app and you’re all connected to one another you can have conversations in the form of text and sound effects. There is a vast library to choose from including musical instruments, barn yard animals and um… bodily functions.

You can also look back through your conversation history and play the attached sounds too.

This app runs in the background so you can start it up and every time you receive a Blip you’ll be notified without having to keep it running in full-mode. Check out Blipr here.

Hivision’s Android Netbook ain’t so bad!

Dean Sherwin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:23:57 +0000

It’s been getting a lot of guff lately. And for what? Because it isn’t a high performance windows vista or XP netbook from one of the top dogs? Because it doesn’t look so great?

This is one ting which bugs me about the tech review scene, they tend to bunch all items into the one category. This isn’t like other netbooks. It’s a budget machine for those who need a quick little gadget that’ll do the job for 2010. Nothing more.

They based the OS on Android, the popular mobile device OS. As you can see from the picture, it’s nothing too flashy and it isn’t too powerful either. But then, all you’re going to be using it for is doing Emails, some light web surfing and maybe using the word processor. It’s not for playing video games or creating home movies for god’s sake.

They’re rugged little machines that’ll suit many individuals. This could easily act as a spare PC for households to cope when people all want to use the family PC at once. Or it could accompany you to work on the train. Or it could be a field laptop for photographers, surveyors etc…. And because of that cool $149 price tag, it doesn’t matter if it gets broken.

At the end of the day, there’s a market for cheap yet reliable machines that’ll do a basic job. So maybe the Hivision netbook is worth a go.

Chomp: The App Recommendation and Review App

Dean Sherwin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:10:58 +0000

Sometimes, finding the right tool for the job can be hard. The app store now has millions of apps which can do just about anything. Apple’s slogan – “There’s an app for that” rings true. What’s more, the App Store’s search feature is known to be rubbish and biased. Chomp however, a new app which recommends apps based on user reviews isn’t.

It has just gone live on the App Store itself and with Digg founder Kevin Rose on board they have a good chance of taking off in a competitive market. Here’s how it works.

When you load the app, you’re greeted by a home screen with four option; Live App Reviews, Recommendations, Add People and Bookmarked Apps.

The App review section allows you to see what others think of apps (in the form of a ‘heart’ for good and a ‘broken heart’ for bad) and give your own reviews. Actually reviewing apps yourself is important as it opens up the apps community aspect which allows you to interact with other users and ‘Friend’ them. The recommendations section gives you a list of apps which the system thinks you may like based on your previous downloads. Kind of like TiVo for apps. Finally, you can bookmark apps for later.

Chomp make their money via an affiliate program. So for every app you download via Chomp they get a small percentage at no extra cost to you. This is a promising app and well worth a try for the iPhone power-users among us.

My Gengo – Translation by People, Not Computers

Dean Sherwin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:09:09 +0000

One of the emerging trends in the online world is to have a translation service. Google Translate is probably the best well known with ad-ons and blog widgets to help people translate web pages, documents and the likes. However, the problem is that it’s often a little too ‘literal’ meaning some sentences don’t make sense when translated. They get ‘lost in translation’, if you will.

My Gengo allow users to upload a document, have it translated by a professional and then returned to them at a very low rate (normally 70% lower than freelance translators charge on sites like Elance). I think this is a great idea. A few times I have needed letters and documents translated for my business and have had to spend quite a lot of money to ensure they’re translated properly – especially when I’m sending them to a client or a potential one.

The site offers translation services between languages like English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Italian and Russian. They recently received investment from tech entrepreneur Dave McClure so it looks like this start-up might just be a success in the near future.

Fandango Release App for Google Android Platform

Dean Sherwin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 09:48:11 +0000

I’m a big cinema goer. In fact I go at least twice a week. There’s nothing I love more than chilling with friends in a cool movie theatre as George Clooney works his magic. Checking times is something that always gets on my grapes though.

Now, for all Android users, you can download a free app called Fandango which enables you to do just that; check movie times at any cinema.

This is just a few weeks after they put out a Beta release before Christmas.

What I liked most about this app was how it integrates so well with Android phones such as the Nexus One. For example, it uses the phone’s GPS to find nearby movie theatres and automatically downloads their screening times.

Furthermore, you can also watch movie trailers, get reviews and even buy tickets at selected cinemas. The app also has a community whereby everyone is asked to rate a movie they’ve seen already to tell fellow users what’s how and what’s not.

Definitely a must have for hardcore movie buffs! You can find it here.

LG’s Cool New 11.6 Inch UltraPortable

Dean Sherwin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:13:32 +0000

I’m all about netbooks and laptops. There’s something sexy about having all that computing power in such a portable little housing. May I introduce to you LG’s new x300 laptop sporting 2Ghz of processing power and measuring up at a very slim 17.6mm. And sexy she is.

A look from the outside

The portable machine also has a 1.3 mega pixel webcam, reflective keyboard (keys have resistance to bounce back quickly), SSD and a sleek, minimalistic design. It all comes to together very nicely. Even though it is quite skinny, it can run for over three hours. While that may not be hugely impressive for some, the fact that it ships with a spare 2-cell battery for when the going gets tough is.

It was officially announced at the CES conference yesterday. However, we’re all still waiting on one thing – a retail price. Guesses anyone?

Yelp Walks Away from Google’s Half a Billion Dollars

Dean Sherwin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:52:01 +0000

Over the past week, Yelp and Google have been in heated debates concerning Google acquiring the service which was founded by two former PayPal employees and allows users to submit reviews of their local services. After days of deliberation both parties had agreed on a price – half a billion dollars. It seemed that everyone was quite happy with the deal until the CEO of Yelp Jeremy Stoppleman notified Google over the weekend that the deal was off.

What happened?

Well nobody knows for sure but it must have taken something big for Yelp to walk away from half a billion dollars and pressure from internet giant Google. My guess is that another offer has been tabled. Obviously, Yelp wan to keep their cards close to their chest should this deal fall through and need to go back to Google. Perhaps one of Google’s rivals such as Microsoft or Apple have decided they want Yelp?

Vidque – The Internet’s Premium Video Syndication Site

Dean Sherwin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:10:50 +0000

While YouTube is definitely your best bet if you want top videos, it can be a little to constantly search and scour in order to find them. Yes the featured video sections helps, but I think I know better solution.

It’s called Vidque. It’s basically the most popular video sites all combined (or syndicated) into one with a touch of social media plopped on top. Here are the basics:

When a video from a popular service (Youtube, Viddler, MetaCafe ec…) reaches the Vidque it can be viewed by clicking on it. You can see a sample of this below. To the right of the video screen you can see options enabling you to either boost the videos rankings of deem it not worthy. This is how Vidque ranks its videos (along with taking the current rankings from the parent sites).

You can also choose to add a video or series to your page and see what your followers and people you follow have added to theirs. This is where the social media aspect comes into play. This idea (like so many others on the site) is once again incorporated into the videos rankings. The more people who choose to add the video to their page the higher it climbs in the rankings.

You can check it all out here.

Top 3 Netbooks for Home, School and Work

Dean Sherwin — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:53:34 +0000

Netbooks are becoming more popular because they’re more portable than the very portable laptop and have all the working power into the bargain. Plus they pack more punch than even the best of smart phones. Here we have what I think are the best three netbooks for their tasks.

Home

Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook

This is a great little curvy computer running the most popular of OS among netbooks – Windows XP. It has 1GB of RAM which is into laptop territory and is great for surfing the internet and taking care of all those tasks. The reason why this is the best netbook for the home is because of the price. At just $299 it’s a fine purchase to make to fill the gap when someone else is using the family PC or you just want to relax in bed and check you e-mail or RSS. It also doesn’t look and feel cheap like other netbooks for the same price. It can run for over five hours playing video and using software so it’s ideal for entertainment and heavy usage.

School

Asus Eee PC

This one is slightly more bulky than the one mentioned above but it packs more of a punch and it has an extended battery life for those long cramming sessions. The keyboard is also much better for typing on than the DELL.

It has 1GB of RAM but a 1.66GHz processor while running XP.

It weighs 3.4 pounds which isn’t too bad when you compare it to the laptop you could have been lugging around between classes. It looks good and ticks all the right boxes for students. The price tag of $400 isn’t to bad either.

Work

HP Mini 5101

This small netbook is definitely the way to go for work and business. It stylish and discreet with a minimalistic design and has sharper angles than the other too. Again, it has 1GB of RAM and a 1.66GHx processor doing all the work for you. It’s really sturdy and solidly built however I don’t like how it lost its Express Card slot which was on the previous model.

Nonetheless, the 160Gb hard drive is more than enough to hold any projects (no matter how big) until you make it back to the office and the 10” display is the perfect screen for working on them along with the comfortable keyboard and track pad.

For ultimate gaming laptops, click here.

HP Pushing the mark with the Mini 311

Dean Sherwin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:16:51 +0000

Netbooks are becoming cooler by the day. I you’re going on holidays, on a journey or just need something light that can get the job done then a netbook is your best bet. However, they have their drawbacks – namely that they run an outdated OS, have bad graphics and are slow.

However, HP is looking to change all of that with their Mini 311 seen here in the picture. Basically, they have amped up the graphics and all of the other innards so that they’re approaching laptop specs (see list below). What’s more, it will soon begin to ship with Windows 7 instead of the current OS on the system – XP.

One bad bit is that you have to pay extra for a white lid and for a netbook, the price is already steep enough at the $400 mark.

Specs:

RAM: 1GB

OS: XP (soon to be Win7)

Hard Drive: 160GB

Processor: Intel 1.6GHz

********************

What do you think about the HP Mini 311?

ClickTale: Track How Users Interact and Use Your Website

Dean Sherwin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:24:08 +0000

Knowing what users do on your site can be extremely helpful. Why? Simply, because it gives you the opportunity to optimize your pages so that the premium features and advertisements get the very best attention.

ClickTale is a program for websites that records what users do on your website. Basically, it gives you back a video of just what they’re up to showing you where they pause, click, read and ultimately leave your site. This program can help you fix problems with your page to keep users on it longer.

There are four different membership levels. The most basic is ‘Free’ which is recommended for small-time bloggers. This will show you what 400 random users have been up to and give you somewhat of an idea of how to improve your site. However, the real goodies come as you progress up into Bronze, Silver and Gold.

With these membership programs you get a heat map which shows you the most active parts of your webpage, recordings of thousands of visitors and customer support via telephone.

This is a great piece of kit to for any website to have whether your visitor numbers are soaring or floundering. It’s always good to know where you can improve. So whether you blog or own a cool start-up, ClickTale is for you.

Meebo – A Web-Based IM Service

Dean Sherwin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:59:35 +0000

Ever been on a buddy’s computer, at work or just in a very low-tech situation? Yet you still want to chat with your friends on your IM service of choice, or perhaps even chat with friends across all the popular IM services at the same time!? Well Meebo is a cool app that I found that will let you do just that.

It’s entirely web-based so it requires no download. All you have to do is go to the homepage and sign in. It will then detect your current friends on what ever service you decide to use and you can start chatting to them using the messaging window (which is basic but what do you expect?).

It supports several IM services such as MSN, GTalk, AIM and Yahoo IM. And it’s not only for instant messaging. Meebo also carries some of the popular social networking sites such as FaceBook and MySpace.

When you’re actually using it everything is simple and easy to use. It’s no problem at all to get to grips with – which is handy seeing as you’ll likely only use it a few times as a back-up. To summarise, a great web app that will come in handy for the power user but I fear a little outdated for most situations given the amount of mobile tech we have.

iYunque: Rainforest App with Maps, Routes and More..

Dean Sherwin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:35:51 +0000

So the summer is nearly over and you’re wondering what to do. Sure, it’s not long now until big yellow busses start pulling up outside houses to cart kids all over the US back to school and as such the summer is over and the monotony of life kicks back in for a cold winter. However, there is one app that could appeal to your adventurous side before that too is shut away until next July – it’s called iYunque and it offers advice for, and indeed a virtual experience of the only rainforest in the US – El Yunque.

The main feature of this app is giving advice. There are maps, photographs, warnings and local information about the rainforest that will help you stay on track, literally. The maps are detailed and up to date with all the popular tourist and adventure routes taken today in the rain forest. The maps also point out good places to get a good view and nice places to take a little break and how to get to the area if you have to travel first.

Because it’s a rainforest it also offers a few words of warning about travelling alone into the forest and about the wildlife in there.

The virtual tour feature is also really cool for those who can’t make it. It allows you to tap on the map and it gives you information of that area and some pictures.

iYunque is available for download right here.

Camera Genious for the iPhone Photographer

Dean Sherwin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:36:39 +0000

The camera app that came with the iPhone is quite good. You get all of your basic features but nothing is really shines up to a glistening finish nor does it seem like Apple wants to improve on it. An app development company called CodeGoo seen a gap in the market and decided to make their new iPhone camera app called Camera Genius (well the name says it all really).

It is based more so on taking the right picture rather than just upping the specs of the camera. Take for example their feature called the “Rule of Thirds”. Basically, this feature divides the screen up into nine sections with three horizontal lines and three vertical ones. This technique is used by professional photographers to offset their subject slightly but it’s made really easy in this app.

The zoom feature is also better than the one that comes standard with the phone as it is more refined. Other cool things about this app include sound recorder which recognises a pre-defined noise to take the picture, Big Button which lets you tap anywhere on the screen to take the picture instead of fumbling for the small capture button and anti-shake (well, you figure that one out for yourself).

A cool app for those who are constantly snapping pictures on their iPhone but want more out of them.

IOJ – The Web’s Best Screenshot Service

Dean Sherwin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:22:41 +0000

A picture speaks a thousand words. Well a screenshot speaks ten thousand. Sometimes the only way to get across what you mean is to send someone a screenshot of the problem. Or maybe you want to capture a cool shot of a video game or you are making a step-by-step tutorial on how to do something on a computer. IOJ is without a doubt the web’s best screenshot service.

You go to their website (IOJ.com) and download the software. They have a Windows version and a Mac version which is nice considering the amount of Mac users is growing rapidly.

Having installed the software correctly all you have to do is press the ‘Print Screen’ key on your keyboard and a little window will pop up with some options. You can either take a ‘Full Screenshot’ or a ‘Region Screenshot’. If you select region screenshot the screen will go grey and you can select the area you want to shoot using the mouse.

You can also capture a video of what your doing on you computer by clicking ‘Capture Video’ after pressing the ‘Print Screen’ button. Both the screenshots and the videos are in very high quality.

Once you have taken the screenshot or video you will be given a link to the file in the IOJ server where you can download the image, as seen below. Simple.

This is a great tool – one which I use for all the screenshots in my articles here at Crenk.com. Its worth you while having even if you just use it the occasional time.

Bill.com – The New Way to Pay

Dean — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:40:03 +0000

Even though there is a global recession closing businesses, putting people out of work and somehow still giving top bankers big bonuses, companies still have bills to pay. The most widely used way to pay bills is via the tried and tested paper way. A bill comes in, it’s circulated and approved by all those necessary before being shipped down to accounting where it can sit for weeks before it is paid.

That’s assuming that it makes it that far. Anyone who ever worked in a big company will tell you that invoices and bills seem to grow their own legs and go walkies quite a lot, often unnoticed until an angry supplier calls up.

Bill.com looks to change all that. The company, which has just raised 17 million dollars, takes the whole thing digital. When a paper bill comes into a company, they fax it to a special number and when an e-mail bill comes in they e-mail it to a special address. Then, when they log into Bill.com they will all be there in digitised form. Then all the managers who need to sign off on the bill can simply click ‘Approve’. The bill is then set to a status where by accounting will take control. They can then pay the bill via transfer and all is done and dusted.

Many companies report that Bill.com has halved the amount of man time it used to take in paying bills. This is because everything is all in one place where everyone can approve or pay the bill at a time that suites them. This way, a bill doesn’t become stuck at a managers desk for days because he/she is busy, leaving others waiting around to sign. It also dramatically reduced the chances of the bill getting lost or misconstrued.

This is a great web tool for any medium or large business where bills seem to eat up too much company time.

Jolicloud – The Netbook OS

Dean — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:31:27 +0000

Netbooks are taking the market by storm. While they haven’t overtaken the laptop or notebook in many areas including sales they are ideal for family environments where each person has a netbook for e-mail, internet etc… and perhaps one central computer when you need performance and reliability. Syncing and even using those net-books with a Windows OS can be annoying because the screen is small and there isn’t a lot of RAM to keep you ticking over.

This is where Jolicloud comes in. It’s a new OS designed especially for netbooks. The desktop OS is designed like the main screen of a smart-phone with large icons taking you to your main programs and websites such as Twitter, Google, RSS feeds, E-mail and Skype. This is a great feature. Think about it. On a netbook you haven’t got a lot of things that need to be done. Just basic things so you might as well have them all up on the home screen along with some great search tools and tabs.

The netbook is based around the app idea. You can run a number of apps right on the desktop even if they are web based. For example, Wikipedia and Gmail are all available to open on the desktop. Twitter and Facebook are also available for your social needs. The interactivity and smart-phone feel of Jolicloud makes it so much better than what others would have left it at.

It’s also very easy to install and is designed to be installed on Netbooks with limited performance capabilities. The layout and the themes look great. Its basic but has great colours and is finished nicely. All in all, this is a great OS filled a gap in the market and I’m sure that many will flock to it. 8/10

NASA TV – A Pretty Cool View From Space

Dean — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:07:58 +0000

Sixty years ago a fuzzy image of two guy names Neil and Buzz crackled onto TVs around the world with the famous line “One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind”. Every television station seems to be going berserk showing anything remotely related to the event such as nostalgic summaries, conspiracy theories, sci-fi, interviews and documentaries. Here on Crenk however, we like to give you stuff that’s worth your time. Have you ever wondered just what the Russians and the Americans and everyone else in the International Space Station gets up to? Well now you can watch it all live.

NASA TV have set up streaming cameras in the space station that run continuously, streaming it all back down to earth onto your screen. I watched it for a few moments as a NASA technician repaired the US toilet. Apparently, it stopped working and the US astronauts had to ask the Russians if they could use their toilet. Good thing they said ‘yes’ too.

The video and sound quality are superb, keeping in mind that their being streamed from space. There is also a running commentary telling you what each astronaut is up to and why he/she is doing that. They also alternate to different positions around the Space Stations. For example, I seen a Russian chowing down on some space food, an American fixing a loo and two Canadians floating around talking to someone at home about their day.

If you’re into all that space stuff then this is worth a go. You can also get an app for Windows Sidebar in Vista that streams it onto your desk top. NASA TV is also worth a peek if you just want to see where your tax dollars end up. To have a look, click here. 7/10

BookofCooks – Useless, Awful, Frustrating.

Dean — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:12:18 +0000

Bookofcooks.com is just another one of those cool finds on the internet that we’re reviewing here on Crenk lately. These ‘finds’ of ours are useful and insightful – serving a purpose to some if not all people. For example, seathound.com was reviewed here yesterday. That had a bigger market than bookofcooks.com which is, in comparison, rather limited.

I logged in and put my critic hat on. But then I took it off because this was just too easy to review. It serves a purpose. A small one that might come in handy if the yellow pages have spontaneously combusted and every restaurant within a 12 mile radius of your house has “Closed for Renovation”. Basically, if you’re in need of a cook for an event or just want a simple birthday cake whipped up you type in your location. Simple right?

So for example, New York. From this I got … sweet nothing. That stupid map just kept flickering around showing me smiling people in Orlando wearing chef costumes. After a while, I got the thing to work having signed out then back in and was greeted by an indistinguishable list of cooks, caterers and chefs. I was like ‘what use is this?’

I could have swam to Shetland Island near Scotland, found a cook from the rural population, and swam home again with a roasted wild boar on my back by the time bookofcooks.com would have found me a chef called ‘Sandy’ in Orlando. Except, wait, I wanted a chef in NEW YORK!

If you’re a cook, I wouldn’t bother advertising your services here. Just stick to the local flyers or a simple website. You could spend an hour of your time setting up a profile, uploading pics and references only to have someone 200 miles away ask you to cook for them.

I truly wish I had something good to say about this. It’s not like I enjoy slating websites. This could have been good had they developed it right but its just to time consuming, complicated and troublesome to ever be used in an emergency.

Really and truly, this is utterly useless. If you want a chef in your area and the yellow pages has turned to ash, every food business is now populated by shirtless men lifting RSJs and every cook book in the land doesn’t have the right dish…use Google. 3/10