Labs

You want to see a particular film but you have no idea which cinemas are showing it, much less the screening times. Don't fret that you could find yourself kicking your heels and gorging yourself on popcorn and soft drinks in the foyer. Direct your iPhone to the above site to get all the essential information you need in advance.

It retrieves data from Google's Movie Showtimes directory and formats it in an iPod-like menu structure that is proving to be a popular approach for web apps that retrieve simple data. It saves a lot of the pinching and scrolling around that the regular version demands on the iPhone.

Enter a film and location and the application shows a list of nearby cinemas. Just tap one of them to see the programme times and the theatre address. The latter can then be tapped to open the native Maps application.

Make sure that you have the latest iPhone firmware installed, as its ability to pinpoint your current location over the phone network is invaluable in finding directions to the cinema.