Let Westword's Happy Hours app guide your after-work debauchery

Technology has improved nearly every aspect of our lives, and now, at long last, it's been applied to mankind's greatest venture: the search for cheap drinks. Village Voice Media Holdings LLC, the parent company of this paper, and GoTime.com have partnered to bring you Happy Hours, the premier smart-phone application for finding drink specials wherever you are and whenever you're looking.

Nearly 20,000 happy hours in more than thirty cities are covered. Your phone tells the app where you are, you specify any special happy-hour needs you might have, and — voilà — you've got a detailed list of every happy hour around, including what's on offer and when that happy hour ends. The list is sorted by distance from your current location, and you can turn your phone sideways for a Google map of the nearest picks. Can't decide which one to try? Give the phone a good shake and the app will randomly select a happy hour for you.

The data comes from GoTime's extensive database, business owners and users, creating the most comprehensive and up-to-date listings possible. It's like having a native guide to the best spots in town, wherever you go. And in the fourteen cities with Village Voice Media alt-weeklies, it's not like having a native guide, it is having a native guide: Recommendations from our editorial staff, the people who live and breathe the city's nightlife, are integrated into the app.

Native apps are available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry users, but you can still get in on the fun even if you don't have a smartphone. Just point your phone's web browser to m.gotime.com and you can get the same info (albeit minus the slick functionality offered by the apps). And no matter what platform you use, it's free — so you can save your money for that last half-price mojito or two-for-one beer special of the night.