Hot on the heels of the city’s website launch in late 2010, the Time Out Australia team has released the inaugural Time Out Melbourne iPhone application, featuring thousands of things to do in the Victorian capital.

The application is free from the iTunes store, thanks to a major sponsorship of the program by award-winning vodka Smirnoff, and features bars, clubs, pubs, restaurants, gigs, events, films and festivals all mapped and updated every day.

Time Out Australia’s Marketing and Online Director, Julian Peterson, said the Melbourne app was released sooner than expected, following increased demand from both locals and visitors alike.

 “Time Out now has free iPhone apps showcasing bars, restaurants, gigs, films and entertainment in both Melbourne and Sydney,” he said.

“The apps are very similar but we will leave it to Sydneysiders and Melburnians to decide which one lists better restaurants and bars.”

Highlights of The Time Out Melbourne iPhone app include:

-Location driven: the app uses geo-location to pinpoint your location and show you Time Out recommended activities nearby, complete with event previews;

-Sociability: the app lets you invite friends along through Facebook, Twitter or email;

-Rating: You can rate all events and venues and share their rating. All ratings are stored and count towards an overall community rating;

-Regular updates: event listings and previews are updated on a daily basis so you can access up-to-date information on all the latest thrills and spills in Melbourne; and

-Be inspired: Chose ‘Inspire Me’ and the app will select 10 random upcoming events for you – never be bored again.

Along with the Melbourne iPhone app, the www.timeout.com/melbourne website is also updated on a daily basis, with a key feature being the weekly ‘top 5’ newsletter distributed every Thursday.

The app can be downloaded at http://www.au.timeout.com/melbourne/iphone