The Zenbu app which has been on iPhone since September is now out on Windows Mobile. (Be jealous no more!)

http://download.cnet.com/Zenbu-Windows-Mobile/3000-18495_4-10911689.html?tag=mncol

With Version 1.03 you get full text search of 68,801 Zenbu listings from www.zenbu.co.nz (exported Mar 23) with full detail display, all without a network connection which is great for those of us not on a big data plan. The download package is 18Mb.

It's free and I look forward to any feedback. Here or wm@zenbu.co.nz

Sam
Chief Zenbu Bloke


What is Zenbu? Zenbu is a local search engine for New Zealand places, products & services. www.zenbu.co.nz

Zenbu's content is created by the community and is freely available under a Creative Commons license which results in Zenbu data being found in a number of other projects such as NZ Open GPS Maps or on Zoomin, which has utilised over 33,000 Zenbu records. 

The idea is to collect the same basic information that is available to you as you walk down the street such as business contact details and hours, as well as non-commercial things like parks, DOC camping grounds and public toilets, and make that available electronically.

I find it particularly useful to have instant access to this information, especially with the data already in the mobile which enables some quick, powerful, and free searches; it's like packing the phone book in your pocket without the weight.

Google can do a lot more, but it will require a net connection.

If you can't find something on Zenbu you can just add it, for the benefit of you and everyone else, which is a little more difficult with Google. 

Google is great, I use it all day.

I also use Zenbu, it is smaller, simpler and in just one tiny niche, better.

Of course as a "crowd-sourced" content provider Zenbu gets better with the more people who use it and contribute back, in any small amount. If you find it useful, please do add or edit content to keep the network effect growing. Updates made on the website will feed into future app releases.