Are you longing to see blue skies again? But maybe your budget doesn’t stretch to a flight abroad? And you’ve spent too much time on a tanning bed already? Then how about heading to sunny Saas-Fee?

Or enjoying the views of vineyards and Lake Geneva?

Select “Vineyard of Lavaux ” from the dropdown menu for views of grapevines.

Select “Garden” from the dropdown menu for views of Lake Geneva.

Our clients use these 360° views to present their business’ website on local.ch in an even better way. So you can get a general impression of your new hairdresser or gym even before your first visit.

How do you create a virtual tour? We’ll explain in this short video.

How are you getting through this cold and wet springtime?

Mathias Vettiger has been working as Audience Manager in local.ch’s Mobile Team since April 2013. He is therefore responsible for everything that affects the users of local.ch’s mobile services. In this blog, he summarises the new features of Version 4.60 of the iOS app.

The category search is one of the most popular functions in the local.ch app. Whether it’s a restaurant, a hair salon, a tradesman or a perfume shop – the app always has a suggestion. As a new feature, you can now change your location in the category search. This enables you to find a restaurant in Neuenburg while still at Bern train station, for example.

And it couldn’t be easier: in the category search, tap “Change location” at the top, search for the desired town/city or move the map, then tap “Done” to arrive at your destination virtually.

How to change the location in the iPhone app: in the category view, tap “Change location”, move the map or search for the town/city, then tap “Done”.

Other new features:

• You now navigate horizontally between individual entries, rather than from top to bottom. This allows you to navigate between restaurants in a list, for example. Simply swipe to the left or right, or use the arrows at the top of the screen.
• Route planning is now possible with the Google Maps app. Inside an entry, simply tap the arrow at the bottom of the screen and select “Plan route with Google Maps”.  If Google Maps is installed, the app will open automatically; if not, Google Maps will open in the browser.
• You can now display embedded websites in full-screen mode in the iPad app. This allows you to enjoy 360-degree views of businesses in full splendour (like the restaurant Casa Ferlin in Zurich).
• You can now refresh categories and special offers with the “pull to refresh” feature, which is found in many popular apps.
• We have also improved the appearance of offers, icons and pictures.

The latest version of the local.ch app requires iOS version 5 or later.

We hope you like the new features! If you don’t yet have the app, click this link to get the latest version for free: Download

Brunch is a classic way of celebrating Mother’s Day. A beautifully set table with delicious treats prepared by the children is sure to bring a smile to every mother’s face. But such an occasion often means that, the next day, the kitchen isn’t quite in the state that she’s used to…. An alternative is, of course, brunch at a nice restaurant. Here are a few recommendations from our restaurant magazine for you.

Are you visiting your mother by train and would like to get her some flowers at the station? Find out how to reach a florist (and other shops) in and around the station here.

You’ve managed to host brunch successfully, but cooking a fine evening meal with your siblings looks like it could end in an over-competitive explosion in the kitchen? How about going to a nice restaurant? You’ll find various search options in our restaurant guide.

Have you forgotten to reserve a table and are already out and about? Find a restaurant quickly and easily using our app – you’ll find this works best if you tap “Near me” and then “Restaurants”. If you’re in Zurich but want to find a eatery in Biel, you can easily change your location at the top. Some restaurants make booking even easier – just reserve through the app. For others, all you need to do is click on the telephone number to be connected to the restaurant to book.

P.S. If you’re struggling to get your kitchen back in shape, you’ll find a helping hand in the “Cleaning” category under “Near me” and “Services”.

Never seen a cow fight and can’t really imagine it? The battles between the cows usually end without injury and serve the purpose of determining the dominant cow and the rank within a herd. Find out more about this Valais tradition in this video by swissinfo.ch:

More information about the event and the programme can be found here.

We have managed to get Kevin Fickentscher, reserve goalkeeper of FC Sion, and Bob Mongrain, coach of HC Sion, on board as ladies-in-waiting – or, should we say, pages of honour. They will represent local.ch in Aproz and hand over the bells.

RTS will be reporting live on the cow fights in Valais from 3.55 p.m. on Sunday. The awards ceremonies are scheduled for 4.30 p.m. (1st category) and 5.30 p.m. (Queen of Queens).

We hope that everyone from Valais and beyond will have lots of fun during this unique event.

20 May 2013 promises to be exciting! The two teams will be meeting in a cup final for the 5th time. In three of the four matches played so far, Basel took the cup home.

A bad omen for GC? But Grasshopper Club Zurich has hogged the cup longer than anybody else so far. GC has won the cup 18 times and reached the final 30 times. But the last time they featured in the final was in 2004.

Basel, on the other hand, has been involved in 6 of the last 15 finals, and has won all of them. The “series” against GC began in 2002. Can the holder continue this series?

As a sponsor, we are looking forward to this football afternoon. We will be delighted to take a couple of you to the stadium – you can win 25 x 2 tickets from us. Simply fill in the form to take part. As usual, you can only enter once and our employees cannot participate.

We wish you all the best of luck and an exciting game!

Competition conditions: The closing date is 15 May 2013. local.ch will draw the winners and inform them in person. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the competition. There is no right of appeal. The winnings cannot be paid out in cash. Your data will not be used for advertising purposes or disclosed to third parties.

In theory, 500 to 3,000 francs in less than two minutes would constitute a monthly income of between 10 and 65 million francs. This would surely make one or two bankers or pharma CEOs jealous, despite their additional bonuses…

So, what do you have to do?

• Start our app
• Search for “Number 1″
• Click on the local.ch logo between the input field and the search results
• Complete the form

Why are we doing this? As a reward to you for using our services so often and recommending them to others! We would like to thank you again for our Swiss record in March of 4,117,000 unique clients. A total of 10,000 francs in cash is up for grabs again by 30 April:

1st prize CHF 3,000
2nd prize CHF 2,000
3rd prize CHF 1,000
4th – 11th prizes: CHF 500 each.

If Lady Luck wasn’t on your side last time, try again today with the Seven Lucky Gods from Japan ;)

Good luck!

Terms and conditions:

The contest is free and without obligation to buy. Only persons resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein are eligible. The data will not be used for marketing purposes or passed on. Employees of local.ch and partners in charge of the competition are excluded from participation. The closing date is 30 April 2013. Winners will be notified in writing. No correspondence will be entered into about the competition and the draw. There is no right of appeal. The winnings can also be paid out in cash.

Myriam Blal joined local.ch in January 2012 as a web consultant and has been creating search engine optimised websites for SMEs in western Switzerland. One of her latest projects is fujiyama-geneve.ch. In her first blog post for local.ch, she talks about the culinary journey of discovery around her new workstation at the Förrlibuckstrasse 60/62 in Zurich.

Since our offices moved to Förrlibuckstrasse, I now find myself in Zurich West, an industrial area that has been booming in the last few years. As I am in unknown territory, I am relying on my local.ch mobile application.

I can choose from several options. If I select the result closest to my place of work, I am directed to Cantina Pomodoro on the 4th floor of our building. This simple, unpretentious restaurant does prove to be the most practical solution when I’m turbo-lunching, or when weather conditions are disastrous or if I’m feeling just plain lazy.

The restaurant Max & Moritz, also in the “canteen” spirit, offers daily specials and a buffet with the bonus of a “takeaway” option.

Focussing again on the application map, I discover Sphères. This spot with its urban décor isn’t just a restaurant and a bar, it’s also a bookshop. This mix of genres comes across in its simple, seasonal daily specials that go perfectly with a novella, novel or newspaper.

As I pass by the Italian restaurant Il Gallo, I notice a varied menu: fresh pasta and pizzas for a real Italian lunch treat.

I go from Italy to Germany at Wurst & Moritz. These currywurst specialists have fun with their sausages, offering them in every imaginable form on their inventive menu.

If you’re looking for a sandwich, MenuFöif is the ideal place for you. This takeaway offers a large variety of flavours, as well as very satisfying alternatives to the traditional sandwich.

At the end of my walk, I head for the Puls 5 and discover a slew of takeaway restaurants: Migros Takeaway, Noodle House, Gnüsserei, HITZBERGER, Hokkaido, Angkor, and so on.

Thanks to the local.ch application, I have already conquered this corner of Zurich West on foot and discovered a variety of restaurants near my workplace!

Tim Luternauer has been a web consultant with local.ch since May 2012 and creates search engine optimised websites for SMEs in German-speaking Switzerland. One of his latest projects is hd-holzbau-gstaad.ch. In his first blog post for local.ch, he talks about his experience of the move from Konradstrasse to his new work place in Förrlibuckstrasse 60/62, Zurich.

Not all of my colleagues enjoy these extensive breaks. This was brought home to me when I realised that it’s always the same ones playing, while others look shyly across the playground. But I’m convinced that this is THE best way to free your mind of work and set your inner child free. Live in the moment – just you, the ball and your opponent. Give your mind a break from all that multitasking, which never really works anyway.

Encounters in open space

It’s quite a transition, moving from a small, cosy office to a huge open-plan work place. 149 colleagues working together on the same floor – obviously, there’s a lot more interaction. What might start off with a harmless glance can lead to the crossing of paths, then a nod in passing, and finally a quick chat in the cafeteria. This process of interaction is encouraged by the architecture: the front of each office is separated from the corridors by a pane of glass, if at all. Though I have to admit that I feel slightly embarrassed when I catch myself looking through the glass a bit too long, as if I’m peeking into a stranger’s living room on a late-night walk.

Identified for life

In the midst of a big change, it’s sometimes the little things that you have to get used to the most. Like the little card attached to my waistband on a cord. The first time I had my badge on, I noticed other men on the tram that were also on their way home from work and still wore their ID cards on their trousers. As I sat in the tram I really appreciated the fact that Mr. Eichenberger worked in accounts and used to have hair (I’m allowed to make that joke). So if you happen to see me hanging out on the tram with my badge on, you have my blessing to make fun of me.

When I look for a hairdresser today, I get a list of results with a small map to view. We thought about how we can make this into something bigger…

Imagine you could switch from the results list to the map and vice versa. And the map could display not only hairdressers, but also a host of other categories that are sure to be of interest to you. For example, if I want to meet a friend directly after going to the hairdresser, wouldn’t it be perfect if the locations were close to one another?

After I’ve booked my appointment at the hairdresser, I return to the new local.ch map application and take another look at the area in a different map view. I can see where the restaurant is located in the satellite map view much better. The beauty of the city can be appreciated through the images. It makes exploring the city that much more exciting.

What you’ve seen just now is not the final destination of our progress. Soon it will be possible to do much more. Like share maps with friends, calculate routes, print maps and send feedback through a feedback function.

Stay tuned as we carry on our surge forward. We look forward to continuing this little adventure with you.

Well, get ready for your wishes to come true! Today we celebrate our Swiss record with 4’117’000 unique clients so we’re giving away a total of CHF 10,000 (and only today!):

• 1st prize: CHF 3,000
• 2nd prize: CHF 2,000
• 3rd prize: CHF 1,000
• 4th -11th prizes: CHF 500 each

What do you have to do? Start up our app, search for “Nummer 1″, click on the local.ch-icon and hope that your lucky star is looking down upon you. Good luck!

Terms and conditions

The contest is free and without obligation to buy. Only persons resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein are eligible. The data will not be used for marketing purposes or passed on. Employees of local.ch and partners in charge of the competition are excluded from participation. The closing date is 10 April 2013. Winners will be notified in writing. No correspondence will be entered into about the competition and the draw. There is no right of appeal. The winnings can also be paid out in cash.