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TimmyME

It’s not uncommon for restaurants to have their own mobile site, and some have their own apps. Most feature almost no functionality and serve no other purpose other than to exist. Tim Horton’s is a staple for those in Canada and northern United States. Before seeing @TimHortons post about their app on twitter, I had no idea it they even had one. Curiously, I navigated  to the market on my Galaxy Nexus and downloaded the TimmyME app. To my surprise the app was quite impressive.

To start the entire interface for it is very clean and easy to navigate. TimmyME has large buttons with pictures on them for easy selection. It simplifies everything as it should. The first feature is the traditional location finder. It finds the nearest 10 Tim Horton’s locations to your GPS location on your phone. The second and maybe my favorite button is one that allows you to check your Tim’s card balance in real time. For those fortunate enough to have Tim Horton’s in your neighborhood, probably received some Tim’s cards for Christmas. This is an easy way to see how much is left on those cards. The app also includes the nutritional info for almost everything on the menu. There is an option to interact with Tim Horton’s on social networks like twitter and facebook. You can also contact Tim Horton’s right through TimmyME. The final button is a great idea for a Tim Horton’s app, an order notepad. So when you’re designated to go out in the frigid winter to pick up hot coffee and donuts for the family, you don’t forget anybody.

For a relatively small chain (compared to a Wendy’s or McDonald’s), this app is incredibly useful. Although it installs at a 7MB size, and doesn’t feature a full menu of what Timmy’s has to offer; this app is quite handy for most people’s favorite coffee stop. TimmyME is available on both Android and iOS devices with links below.

 

Zynga PokerIf you haven’t heard of Zynga, then you probably don’t have the internet. So how are you reading this? Anyway Zynga recently surpassed Electronic Arts (EA) in worth, so they’re kind of a big deal. Zynga is of course the creator of social games such as FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and Zynga Poker. Recently their Poker game made it to the android market. It’s their first app on Android and they’ve actually done a nice job with it. Now a bit of disclaimer before we proceed. I’m not a daily player, I really never play online poker, and hell, I’m not even that good.

Unfortunately on facebook and myspace, the Zynga apps are littered with offers and spam. Share this, help with that, post this, follow us, unlock this, buy more. It’s annoying at times, and can turn even the most dedicated gamer away. The difference on the android OS is that the game is sans all of the aforementioned defects. It’s poker with a nice interface, easy to use, and most importantly it syncs with facebook. playing hands and placing bets can all be done very easily through the android interface. So if your interested in casual no B.S. poker, then this is a great app to add.

Easy to use interface
No ads, spam or nonsense like the facebook app

Screen stays on all the time, draining the battery pretty fast. It’d be nice if it dimmed at times.
No way to quit the app, and can cause errors on relaunch if the app didn’t close all the way.
Sometimes on occasion game will freeze passing over your turn.

Zynga Poker Facebook App