Popular restaurant recommendation app Urbanspoon has just launched a brand new version of its app, complete with a full redesign and the ability to rate and upload photos of your dishes.
Version 1.17 of the Urbanspoon iPhone app [iTunes link] puts its focus on the food you eat. Like Foodspotting, you can take a picture of your meal and upload it. You can then write a specific recommendation for that dish and post it on Urbanspoon.
The IAC-owned service also updated its navigation. It has de-emphasized the "shake to find a random restaurant" home screen in favor of a menu system that lets you browse restaurants, see what your friends are recommending and reserve a table (a beta feature available in Seattle, Los Angeles and New York City).
The focus on photography and dishes makes the app richer. It will have more data on not just the best places to eat but the best things to order at these locations.
The upgraded app puts it in direct competition with several heavyweights though, including Yelp and OpenTable. Moreover, the photos feature pushes Urbanspoon onto Foodspotting's turf. Urbanspoon has the vast resources of InterActive Corp at its disposal, while Foodspotting has raised just $750,000. This could prove to be an interesting battle.