Webware

LocalReuse lets you browse free things up for grabs in your area.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

You might remember Gigoit, a service we covered early last year. Much like Freecycle it's set up to let you get rid of, and browse through other people's, junk. The site is littered with things like old lawn mowers, television sets, and anything else that was once useful and is now taking up space.

Up until now the only way to get the directory was to go through the site or use the service's Facebook app; however, there's a new iPhone app called LocalReuse that lets you see which of these items is nearby based on where you are.

To get started you just plug in your ZIP code and how far you're willing to schlep to pick things up. There wasn't anything within 10 miles of my house, so I had to expand my coverage area. Half the fun is just perusing what other people have laying around, which is made even better with small photo previews. (See the photo to the right.)

Once you've found something you like you can call "dibs" which kicks you off to the item's page on Gigoit.org. It's not the ideal way to do things, but it's a much simpler affair than trying to navigate Gigoit's site in Safari.

A few improvements would really make this application shine. In future versions I'd like to see it make more use of the device's hardware to include things like posting new items using the camera, or using the geo-positioning to figure out where you are instead of requiring you to enter in ZIP codes. Likewise, there's currently no tie-in with Gigoit accounts, which would help facilitate messaging other people without having to leave the application. In the meantime, it's still a handy app to hold onto, if only to check a city's junk scene while traveling.