Vindigo.com
kozmo.com
urbanfetch.com
For New Yorkers, Vindigo is the killer app that's going to make a PDA as necessary as a MetroCard. Downloaded for free, it's a palm-based software application that guides you through the city. Say you want to plan a date: Just type in an address or select a neighborhood, and Vindigo helps you find the closest Afghani restaurant, the nearest florist, the liquor store, lingerie shop, and dance club. You can even check for the nearest theater playing Magnolia and pick a time. Vindigo gives you restaurant price ranges, ratings, and synopsized reviews. You even get walking directions. (Vindigo for the PC is available at www.vindigo.com; a Mac-compatible version is in the pipeline.) Both seem to rush orders to certain Manhattan magazine offices, so it can be difficult to tell which service is actually fastest. And Kozmo's entered the quiet period before its IPO, so it can be a little difficult to compare inventories. What we do know is that both Kozmo and UrbanFetch are extraordinary boons to dorm life in the big city or just those who want to live that way. Three cheers for money-losing businesses! If we can get Krispy Kreme doughnuts and H&H bagels at one in the morning with a Matrix DVD chaser, we don't give a damn who brings it. Of course, if it's two in the morning and we've got the munchies, we've got to go to UrbanFetch, since Kozmo doesn't deliver after 1:30. Come on, Kozmo -- the city that never sleeps has to eat sometimes, too!
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