OGDEN, UT – November 8, 2010 --- Ogden City has unveiled a free mobile phone app that is the first mobile city app to enable citizen reporting, showcase area attractions and recreation, promote local business, offer local deals, and to be a one-stop-shop for local events.

Recognized twice in the last five years as one of the nation’s most technologically advanced municipalities in the country, Ogden is once again pioneering into new territory. Mobile phones are always in your pocket and they are quickly becoming the device of choice for communicating and accessing information. With all of the town’s information – events, shopping, dining, attractions, recreation – as well as the city directory and citizen reporting (sometimes referred to as 311) in one easy to use resource, iOgden, the official city app, both showcases the city as a high adventure recreation destination and serves the local community.

“We wanted people to easily find information on what to do and where to go in Ogden, and we wanted to make it more convenient for them to alert us about issues like street lights that need to be fixed. We are thrilled to be the first city in the country to offer an advanced mobile app that promotes the city to visitors, improves the quality of life for residents and helps the city to become more responsive,” said Mayor Matthew Godfrey.

Much like having your own personal tour guide in your pocket, iOgden allows users to:

• find and map mountain trails, historical sites, art galleries, museums, and points of interest

• be in the know about upcoming events and contact the venues for tickets

• search for Ogden businesses by keyword or category such as Mexican food, clothing stores, antiques, gifts, and more, view business hours, dial phone numbers, and get turn-by-turn directions

• get the best bang for your buck in Ogden with exclusive deals from local merchants

• contact Ogden City for prompt action on street maintenance, lights, potholes and graffiti, using the app to send a photo and exact GPS location of the problem

The iOgden app was developed in conjunction with iFan Media Corporation, a Utah company specializing in apps that build community by providing instant access to content, facilitating conversation, and enabling commerce via the mobile Internet. CEO of iFan Media, Mike Dodson said, “Ogden is leading its peers in using mobile technology for promoting economic development, advancing the buy local movement and expediting service response. Instead of spending money on a single feature 311 app that rarely gets used, the iOgden app will have people checking each day for things to do, deals to snag, and the latest twitter in town.”

iOgden has been developed using the hosted iFan Mobile Platform, enabling Ogden to benefit from continuous improvements and innovations by the company. Near term releases of the app already include features such as

• up-to-date movie times at Ogden theaters

• location information on how far a business is from you

• twitter channels where residents can follow conversations on topics of interest and get breaking news about what’s happening in town.

The iOgden app is a free download available now for iPhones, iPod Touch and iPad and will be available for Android devices in January 2011. Download and use the iOgden app and discover why now more than ever, in Ogden, Utah, “it’s all within reach™.”

This past summer we saw an interesting new addition to our downtown Ogden street scene.  As if out of no where we were visited by an entire heard of wonderful painted horses sponsored by our local businesses.