Away back in those halcyon boom days of 2003 I read an article by Aaron Scullion called, Mobile video hits Edinburgh Festival. Then called Pocket Video, the technology was certainly there but financially infeasible for us ordinary punters.
That was then but now, at last, the technology is here and financially feasible! With less than a week to go to the start of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, iFringe is launched – the first ever guide to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the Apple iPhone and with our video content too Here’s the press release:
Press Release dated 13th July 2009
iFringe
EDINBURGH – With less than a month to the start of the Edinburgh Fringe, five of the city’s leading independent reviewers have joined forces, using new technology to plot a new course through the 2,000 shows on offer this August.
Local company FringeGuru, in association with ThreeWeeks, Broadway Baby, FringeReview and Festival Previews, is proud to present iFringe – the first-ever guide to the Edinburgh Festival for the Apple iPhone. Bringing together reviews and video clips from all five sites, the brand-new technology shows different critics’ views side-by-side, eliminating the need to trawl websites and at last empowering busy Fringe-lovers to pick a great show on the move.
Making full use of the iPhone’s high-tech features, iFringe is an entirely new way to enjoy the best of the world’s largest arts festival. Using the phone’s inbuilt GPS, iFringe links Fringe-goers with great shows about to start near to them – cutting through the confusion and enabling a spontaneous, interactive day, without hassle or fuss. For those who prefer to plan ahead, iFringe downloads reviews to read at leisure, even learning the user’s own likes and dislikes. And the iPhone’s high-speed 3G connection is perfect for multi-media, with over 100 videos from Festival Previews slated to appear in iFringe this year.
As well as the all-important reviews, iFringe features venue guides, mystery-shopper reports and up-to-date news, making it an all-in-one reference for a perfect Fringe. And the Festival experience needn’t end at the theatre doors, as iFringe’s database of locally-recommended bars and restaurants helps the entertainment go on into the night.
A free version of iFringe gives Festival-goers the latest reviews at no cost, and for dedicated audience members, a full version of iFringe gives them all published reviews for just £2.99: less than half the cost of the average ticket. The initial response has been overwhelming, with hundreds of downloads in the first two weeks – some from places as far-flung as Brazil, Australia and China. Working with many of the Festival’s biggest independent review magazines, iFringe looks set to achieve its mission: to guide the world’s Festival-lovers to the Fringe’s hidden gems.
iFringe. Reviews on the go!
Testimonials:
“iFringe is sure to become an essential tool in the pocket of anyone who wants to get the most out of the ever-burgeoning programme.” Pete Shaw, Publisher of Broadway Baby
“We look forward to this becoming as essential a tool for ‘doing Edinburgh’ as the Fringe programme itself”. Chris Cooke, Co-Editor of Three Weeks
The iFringe is a step towards our ideal; combining the best in technology with the best in sustainability.” Paul Levy, Editor of Fringe Review
“iFringe is a very exciting iPhone application and we are very pleased that Festival Previews and our catalogue of Fringe video clips will be part of it.” Ian Smith, Publisher of Festival Previews
