I presented the Newcastle iPhone App at the Newi Awards for Best Mobile App last night. It was a stellar showcase of local apps hosted by New Lunaticks.

My talk was mostly about problems the app is solving; that the best travel experiences and real connections with places come from being with locals and having an insider’s point of view. That’s what the app does for Newcastle. It’s like a local you can call on whenever you choose. You can trust the app’s opinion to guide you around and show you what you’re interested in. The app features a curated collection of the best things to see and do in Newcastle and includes maps, a directory, events, a gallery and contacts. Downloads have grown organically by the app being useful and people telling other people about it. The future of the development of the app is focused on making it more useful.

You can take a look at the Newcastle iPhone App, check out the slides below for an overview of the talk and watch the video (starts at 59:20) if you’re interested in the full story.