I recently announced the imminent arrival of a couple new wine apps on the Android Market. Since then, I’ve had about a week to play around with the beta release of Corkbin, and I’m impressed.
Take a picture of a wine, and if you want, jot down a note. Over-share to Twitter and Facebook, too. That’s it.
Corkbin is the perfect app for when you want a quick reminder of what awesome wine you were drinking last Tuesday, not to write the next great American novel. There’s a place for laboratory-precise notes, but for me, mobile phones are all about speed and efficiency; Vintage, producer, and varietal are important, just not when you should be hanging out with your friends.
The home screen, or My Bin, shows you wines you have saved, and you can search them by date or location. You can also view wines other people have saved nearby, as a list or by location, and even bookmark them if you want. There’s a small glossary, too, in case the meaning of “morcellated” somehow escapes your mind.
It’s simplicity is two-edged, though. There is no context for wines. For instance, I’m drinking a Pelter Chardonnay from Israel, but I can’t search Corkbin for any other entries on that wine. I also can’t access information, like reviews, on the wine through Corkbin, I gotta go elsewhere.
There also are privacy issues. If you are making journal entries from a private residence, there is no way to disable geo-location. This isn’t a problem if you use the app at bars, or your friend’s house (ha!), but it shouldn’t be anyone’s business if you happen to making a journal entry at your A.A. meeting. This is America, after all.
The iPhone version also includes wine recommendations from Hello Vino, which unfortunately won’t be hitting the initial Android release. But I’m told it should make a post-release update, along with new features such as friending and following of other users, and, thank god, privacy control.
I’d be really excited to see them work in image recognition technology, like the new Snooth app, which would probably make Corkbin the only wine app you need aside from a cellar manager (assuming that’s doesn’t refer to your closet.)
Overall, this app is perfect for the on-the-go wino, and more than worth the $0.99 price tag.
Pros
- No-hassle wine journal entry.
- Syncs with your Twitter and Facebook account.
- Beautiful, clean look.
Cons
- May be too simple for some users who want technical information, etc.
- Lacks context with other users and wines.
- No privacy control.
Download Corkbin on the Android Market Now!
UPDATE: 10/8
As Corkbin draws closer to an Android release, I received a new build that gives a setttings menu option to turn off location entirely or sett it by GPS or Network. Although I’d still like to see an easily accessible option on the individual posts, like the facebook or twitter button, beggars can’t be choosers, can they?
