New Priceline iPhone app makes point with electronic compass

Priceline made available a new, free iPhone app, Hotel Negotiator Version 2.0, which uses the iPhone 3G’s electronic compass functionality.

With Hotel Radar, the name Priceline gives to the main enhancement in Version 2.0, users can point the iPhone in a particular direction and the app displays area hotels, including published room rate, star level and distance.

Not a bad mobile option if you are wandering city streets looking for a place to stay or to have a drink — or if you’ve already had a drink and are trying to find your hotel again.

When Hotel Radar picks up a cluster of hotels, users can tap the cluster for a list of the hotels, Priceline says.

Still under the radar, however, are Priceline’s Name Your Own Price opaque hotels. Although you can book both published and Name Your Own Price hotels with Hotel Negotiator, Hotel Radar does its thing for published-price hotels only.

Brian Ek’s the travel ekspert blog points to the new release’s other enhancements, including faster bidding and map displays, additional hotel photos and a mute button.

Enough said.