As outlined in a previous post we've released a location based cab finder for the iPhone which features a full offline database containing cab companies for all major German cities about a week ago. Since then we've enjoyed an impressive and increasing number of daily sales, very positive reviews and even direct feedback from customers.

Quite coincidentally Google has announced the winners of the Android challenge: cab4me! Reading the description of the service it's almost identical with what we've built for the iPhone:

“cab4me enables you to easily call a cab to any location worldwide. You do not need to know the number of the local cab company. You do not need to enter or even know the address you want to be picked up at. You do not need to place a call. With cab4me you can order a cab to your current location with a single click.”

While the level of integration (ordering a cab without placing a call) is only possible in the US with a more centralized structure the application basically provides the exact same value.

Don't get me wrong: The general idea of a cab finder is not that dramatic or even new. The need is pretty obvious for everybody who travels frequently. What really impresses me is that in the States you can win 275.000 US$ with it. In Germany you've got to invest into it with your own money and start to grow your business from scratch. That's a significant difference! And maybe that adds to the list of reasons why many innovators start abroad. In fact, the founders of cab4me are Germans. :-)

Well, I'm sure with the help of many iPhone owners and lovers out there we can outperform cab4me by generating real revenue. At a price point of only 1.59 € our cab finder reaches break even with the first call you don't have to make to your directory service.

Help us reaching 170.000 sold units!

Taxiruf is available in Apple's App Store (do a search for "Taxiruf") or directly via iTunes.