Using an iPhone & iPad in Thailand Tips, App Reviews and News for the iPhone and iPad by Richard Barrow

iPhone App for the Famous QBar

To be honest, before last year I had never heard of QBar. It is apparently Bangkok's leading bar and nightclub for the rich and famous. In my defence, I live out in the sticks in Samut Prakan so this bar never stood out from the rest for me. That is, until I started using Twitter less than a year ago. I met someone by the name of Andrew Clark (@qandrew) who is very active on Twitter. Although he sometimes Tweeted about the bar that he co-owns, it was never in your face and he had gained quite a following because of his honesty and sincerity. Myself among them. That was when I first heard the name QBar. After that, I kept seeing the name cropping up on Twitter in various conversations.  Then, a few months later I started to spot advertisements in the Bangkok Post for QBar. What caught my attention though, was it's use of QR Code. This is like a barcode but it contains more information. Basically you scan the QR Code with your smart phone and it will often take you to a website relevant to the advert. Another innovation was their use of 4Square. I believe they were the first bar to make use of this with specials for patrons who checked-in as they arrived using their smartphones.

Now it seems only natural that QBar is one of the first bars/nightclubs to launch their own dedicated app for the iPhone. It is called simply QBar and you can download it for free at iTunes. The app has everything that you would expect to see. It has information about upcoming events, photos and videos of past events, a map to show you where the bar is and also your own location. Links on the homepage take you to their social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. There is even a link to hear live streaming music from the nightclub together with an archive. A few of the links and pages didn't work for me but as it was only launched today I am sure they will sort it out soon. I still haven't had the chance to go to QBar, but I can tell you that I have definitely heard about it now mainly thanks to their skilful use of social media. QBar is certainly at the top of my list of bars to go and visit the next time that I am in Bangkok.

Purchase QBar for free at iTunes >>>