AppleInsider Staff
Yelp on Monday pushed out an update to its iOS app that allows users to upload short video clips up to 12 seconds long alongside written reviews and pictures.
With the new functionality, Yelp version 8.1 brings a new dimension to the crowd-sourced business and restaurant guide, allowing members to post review videos between 3 and 12 seconds long. Prior to Monday's update, user reviews were limited to text and pictures.
The video review tool can be accessed from the app's main page, through the central button that, when selected, fans out into "Check in," "Review" and "Photo or Video" options. From the "Photo or Video" screen, users can switch from still shots to video with a dedicated toggle button.
The new function opens the door to new review possibilities for Yelp members, who can now better describe products, take note of a restaurant's ambiance or even add short narrated videos to their review. Yelp's video content should start showing up in line with text and photo reviews on both the app and Web portal, though examples could not be found at the time of this writing.
Along with the new video capabilities, the updated Yelp app comes with minor user interface tweaks and bug fixes.
Yelp is available as a free 30.7MB download from the App Store.
Charles Martin
Wesley Hilliard
Marko Zivkovic
Malcolm Owen
Andrew Orr
Christine McKee
2 Comments
i'm curious as to why they settled on 12 seconds. [QUOTE] [CENTER][font="courier new"]HITCHHIKER You heard of this thing, the 12-second Yelp! videos? TED Yeah, sure, Yelp!. Yeah, the online review site. HITCHHIKER Yeah, this is going to blow that right out of the water. Listen to this: 11... second... reviews. TED Right. Yes. OK, all right. I see where you're going. HITCHHIKER Think about it. You frequent a place, then you could leave a 12-second video review, then there's my 11-second video review option.. Which one are you gonna pick, man? TED I would go for the 11. HITCHHIKER Bingo, man, bingo. 11-second reviews. And we guarantee just as good a video review as 12-seconds. TED You guarantee it? That's - how do you do that? HITCHHIKER If you're not happy with the first 11-seconds, we're gonna send you the extra second free. You see? That's it. That's our motto. That's where we're comin' from. That's from "A" to "B". TED That's right. That's - that's good. That's good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 10-second reviews. Then you're in trouble, huh? [Hitchhiker convulses] HITCHHIKER No! No, no, not 10! I said 11. Nobody's comin' up with 10. Who leaves a review in 10 seconds? You won't even get your review finished, not even close. TED That - good point. HITCHHIKER 11's the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 11 players on a soccer team, Ocean's 11. 11, man, that's the number. 11 is the zodiac sign for aquarius which refers to water and we all need water to live. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby. Step into my office. TED Why? HITCHHIKER 'Cause you're fuckin' fired![/font][/CENTER][/QUOTE]
Uh oh. Here comes the flood of videos shot in portrait orientation. (is that even possible with the Google Glass?)