WhatsOpen.com - Never Leave Home Lost

It’s Saturday. You need to buy the perfect gift for your friend’s birthday in the evening. And then you need a drink. Where to go? What’s open? These are questions that have plagued many a hapless traveler, shopper, or just plain hungry or bored person in need of a place to go. That’s why the folks behind WhatsOpen.com offer their site to help you find where you can go when. Whats Open is a local search company that uses a Google maps mashup to show you what’s open in your area. So if you’re needing a liquor store in Boise, Idaho, simply type in “liquor” and the location. Whats Open will produce a Google map with a list of all the liquor stores and their hours of operation on the left hand side. Whats Open also works with the iPhone and is available in the US, China, and Europe. Currently in beta, Whats Open promises more to come in the coming months.

“To understand us, it might be best to explain what goes on around here.. We are unique. We are different. We are weird. -And we love that. Every star here believes that they are in this organization to change the world. To put sparkle in the universe.”

What’s Open is a smart application that’s likely to garner lots of fans. The site is easy free and couldn’t be easier to use. With more applications promised, Whats Open should be that much better. There are also no ads; the company seems genuinely good--their about us section reads like a happy hippie manifesto.

There are no ads, so how does Whats Open expect to generate revenue? Are the locations and hours provided truly up-to-date. Can they compete with the major players like Google and Yahoo which provide similar services?