AN innovative mobile-phone based tourist information guide has been launched in north Suffolk today.With more and more people holidaying at home, a revolutionary new tool has been designed - and all you have to do to access it is point your mobile web browser at the website.

AN innovative mobile-phone based tourist information guide has been launched in north Suffolk today.

With more and more people holidaying at home, a revolutionary new tool has been designed - and all you have to do to access it is point your mobile web browser at the website.

Pocket Southwold is designed to tell users everything they need to know about the place in a colourful, fun and interactive format, and is sponsored by Adnams Brewery, which is based in the town.

It's free to use from a mobile or iPod touch, and was developed by entrepreneur and inventor Mark Oakden, from Hoveton, near Norwich, who said: 'I created this new system because I realised that tourist information about interesting towns and cities just wasn't available from one, reliable source.

'Also, traditional guidebooks can be rather dull, expensive and cumbersome to carry around. This pocket guide is completely different because it provides tourists with something more fun, more colourful and easier to use that's packed with information they would never get from a guidebook. It enables them to really interact with places of interest - all at the touch of a button.'

He added: 'We have already launched Pocket guides in London, Cambridge, Norwich and Barcelona and it's proving hugely popular. This clearly shows there is a strong need for this kind of technology to bring places to life. Southwold is a wonderful, fascinating place and I am confident it will be very successful here too.'

Adnams managing director Andy Wood said the new product would enhance the tourist experience, and Asa Morrison, principal service manager, culture, tourism and sport, at Waveney District Council, added that demand for tourist information in a format suitable for handheld devices was a growing market.

'Technological innovations such as the Pocket guide website provide visitors with easy to access information on web enabled mobile phones,' he said. Demand for tourist information in a format suitable for handheld devices is a growing market, and I would expect this to become a popular resource for visitors.'

The guide works on a wide range of mobile phones, is incredibly easy to use and there is no need to download anything.

You can find Pocket Southwold at www.pocketsouthwold.co.uk either on your PC or mobile.