Monday, May 10, 2010

Travel Apps Described ... Most of these are FREE

I took some time yesterday to look at my collection of apps tagged as Travel,  that I have downloaded to iTunes.  I have listed the apps and a short description for others to quickly explore.  Not all these apps are useful, I have hopes of picking the most useful to retain on my iPhone for travel purposes.  I will be listing some other apps tagged as Utility, which are also useful in another blogpost in the future.  If you have any useful travel apps that you find invaluable as a traveler, please feel free to mention them in the comments.

FlyerStats - free simple app that allows you to input the 3 letter airport codes with dashes and observe the route on a satellite imagery. calculates the mileage for your flights.  This app did not  allow me to enter my local airport code. 

Yelp - free Yelp is an online urban city guide that helps people find cool places to eat, shop, drink, relax and play, based on the informed opinions of a vibrant and active community of locals in the know. Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what's great — and not so great — in your world.

WorldMate - The Traveler’s Value Pack -   free service provides Itinerary Manager, flight search, hotel smart search, currency converter, world clock, weather forecasts with free service.  If you want flight alerts, real-time flight status, ad-free and priority customer service you have to pay $69 a year for extras.

Pack Free - features: packing to do lists and notes lists, automatic item count calculation, customizable master catalogue, custom groupings and bags lists, re-useable lists, pre-installed lists to help get started. Check items as packed, can be reset for repeated trips.  can view by category group like clothes, sports equipment, toiletries, etc.

USA Today AutoPilot - helps you keep track of multiple upcoming trips, or import flight based trips from Tripit Account.  Check-in reminder, flight details including onetime status and departures, current weather at departure and destination, ability to email itinerary, selection of article in USA today, flicker photos of destination, flight tracker, airport deletes by mayp, travel directory of major airlines, hotels, car rental services, phone numbers and websites, weather conditions

Urbanspoon for iPad and Urbanspoon for iphone -  free, comprehensive list of restaurants and places to eat by type of food, map for pad version, spin if you can’t decide where or what to eat, data kept on pad offline access.

GeoPedia - Now 2.99 (I got free)  location based wikipedia for iphone.  takes advantage of the geographic positioning functionality, browse list of articles about places near to your approximate location.  Like having your own Wikipedia tour guide in your phone based on your current location.


 Tripit - Travel Organizer - free app …  keeps your itinerary at the ready whether online, offline or airplane mode, maps and directions from your itinerary, links to airlines, hotels, restaurants directly from itinerary, dial numbers direct from itinerary.   For the PRO version you get alerts, alternate flight optins and more.  Must sign up with Tripit Account online to use the app.

Travelocity - free app.  fast easy access to flight info, your itinerary, on time status, gate numbers, baggage claim areas, security wait times, weather, driving directions for destination.  flight chedules for most airlines,

AirportStatusFree - free app - offers quick view of airport delays across us and some in canada, due to weather, traffic, or airport problems … data comes from FAA


 PDX Bus is a FREE application that displays arrival times for public transport in Portland, Oregon. This little application uses the Internet to quickly access TriMet's tracking data displaying arrival times perfectly formatted for the iPhone.

Priority Pass Lounge Finder -  airport travelers who have Priority Pass membership can access over 600 airport lounges with lounge information.  I could not access membership rates from their website.  If you pre-plan your trip you can access this info via their website before leaving home. store on your phone and use later.  They have pdf file format that could be downloaded and read with one of the pdf readers. or send to your email to view offline

Southwest Airlines -  get alerts about ding deals, book your air reservations, book car rentals, check in for your flight, check your flight status, log into your Rapid Rewards account, view flight schedules and a phone number for direct contact with SWA.

Flight Sites - free - gives a simple list of most of the airlines in US, find the airline, tap on it and it launches that website for that airline.  hidden feature . in upper left corner “Search Cities”, type in city in US, taken to list of places to see and places to eat. 

Softmatic Artificial Horizon - Corresponding to the roll and pitch angles of an aircraft the central sphere indicates the tilt of the device relative to gravity for the Z axis (from your eye to the display of the device) and the X axis (from the left side of the display to the right when the device is in portrait orientation). Changes around the Z axis correspond to an aircraft roll, changes around the X axis correspond to an aircraft pitch.

Simultravel GPS lite -  displays a map of hotels, around you as you travel, access to priceline partner network, international hotel travel, all over the world in the current city or given an airport code.

NPR Station Finder - Using a magazine-style presentation, the NPR App highlights News, Arts & Life, and Music content, all core editorial strengths for NPR. It is also the ideal destination to discover hundreds of NPR stations and their programs. The website features all of NPR.org's content, including its signature photo journalism, but has been optimized for the touch screen and given a more prominent audio player on the assumption that listening will be a key part of the iPad experience.   Over 1,000 live streams and playlists. 

Pointer Cards - Visual Aid & Translation App. A Language Survival Pack for the Traveller featuring Icons, Key Words, Phrases and Audio Clips. Each key word is visually represented by an easily recognizable symbol or picture you can point to (ideal for in the back of a taxi).  With 11 languages to launch, Pointer Cards not only provide users with the TRANSLATION of a word and a visual icon, but when you tap the card it plays an audio translation so you can hear the word spoken!


Taxi Magic - first nationwide free online taxi booking service that is directly integrated with taxi dispatch systems.  Book from mobile phone with a few quick taps.  Track the arrival of your taxi.  Charge the ride to your credit card.  Expense the trip with an e-receipt.


SpeedWarn - Just start the application and define a maximum speed. As soon as you are above that speed, SpeedWarn will play a warning sound and vibrate. 
You can even keep your iPhone in your pocket.


Qtranslator Lite - source and destination language translation app

OpenTable - this handy app lets you search eateries for available reservations. Enter the date and time you want to meet and eat, along with your preferred cuisine, price range, and the number of people, and OpenTable will spit out a list of places nearby—or near an address you specify—that are willing to accommodate. You can secure the reservation right from the app, get directions, view menus, and send e-mails to friends with the pertinent details. If you become a member at OpenTable's Web site, you can earn points toward free meals for each reservation you make.

NYC Way - Everything NYC - bundles more than 30 New York City-related apps into one. It offers everything such as locating the nearest post office, inspection results at restaurants, the nearest WiFi and views of live traffic cams.  Also, Los Angeles Way − DC Way - Boston Way - SF Way

PozBook Lite - Record and Share Trips on iPhone - create maps, travel guides, personal notes, logbooks on your iphone and distribute them.  Integrated GPS, camera, audio sound recorder, text, weblinks appear on a map as you record them.  Share your creations on PozBook Share, desktop synchronization tool, view others creations,

UPackingListFree - has lists to help you pack for picnics, vacations, business trips and more. There is a built in catalog that contains 300 commonly packed items that you can mix or match as you customize your list. Additionally, if there is something that you can't find, you can add it to your list as you think of it along with the amount of each item that is needed. Best of all, you are able to populate your list with tasks that must be completed before you leave for your trip. Upacking also allows each list to be e-mailed to others.

Instant Edinburgh - brings you information about sights of Scotland’s capital city.  Other cities available for fee.

TripDeck - Travel Itinerary Manager - Manage your hotel reservations, car rentals, flights, cruises, restaurants, meetings and more with easy-to-read Trip Decks for each itinerary. And now you can add some amazing flight tracking features to make your itinerary managing even better!  Auto sync with Tripit, access to check in times, seat number, confirmation numbers, gate info, baggage claim, notes, integrated airline contact info, alternate flight finder with phone numbers, edit and share itinerary on the go, interactive trip map, live flight status, gate info, baggage claim

Travel Mate - Travel Mate quickly identifies your location and lets you choose the nearest Airport, Air Charter, Airport Shuttle, Limousine or Taxi Service, Parking, Hotel, Restaurant, Bookstore, Museum, or Movie Theater? Travel Mate can help you locate these services, and more!  When you select a listing, you can see the business location on the map, the address, telephone number, and the distance from where you are. You can also call the business directly by tapping on the phone icon on your iPhone.

SayNFind - Say your destination to get directions, say any category to find nearby businesses, speech recognition replaces typing.

Lonely Planet City Guides for Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Istanbul, London, Moscow, Munich, Parish, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna and Travel (SF city guide/Spanish Audio Phrasebook Free)

Kayak Flight, Hotel Search - find flight, hotel, car rental, manage trips

Roadtrippr - help in finding interesting places to visit off the beaten path.  few international countries UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada as well.  have to have wifi connection or 3G.  directions, maps, info, article.  User add places to website.

WI-FI Finder - find all the wifi hotspots near you, public wifi around the world, works both online and offline.  Finds free and paid wifi spots.  get directions to hotspot.

Currency - provides you with up-to-date currency exchange rates, so you can always know how much your money is worth. Currencies are provided for over 100 countries, so you will always be able to find out the value of local money when you are traveling.

Conde Nast Traveler: 2010 Gold List -  search, book, browse, best hotels, resorts, cruise lines around the globe

Google Earth - explore 3D imagery and terrain, find your current location, pan, zoom and tilt your view, search by voice, search cities, businesses, places around the world, view layer of geographic info, photos, roads, borders

Simply Pack - a packing list is created by picking from a Master List of all potential packing items broken down into convenient grouped categories. Once these items are selected they can be transferred to individual Trip Lists with the simple touch of a button. Now you have a list of only items you need to pack. You can even set priority levels for any item to help highlight importance. Repeat the cycle above to generate all your trip packing lists. You can even email your list to others.  The program comes with various populated types of Master lists in order to generate all your types of trips. Copy similar lists. Even build your own unique checklists. Items and groups in lists can easily be added, changed or deleted to fit your unique needs.

Talking Spanish, Italian, German, French Phrasebooks - contains useful phrases translated into text and recorded audio, easy to use, phrases by categories.  Can also search for phrases with key words.

ViDICTO + Russian - audio visual dictionary for Russian - works offline

Quintessentially City Guides - providing users around the world with exclusive access to a wealth of insider and specialist travel content, anytime, anywhere. One click on your iphone or ipod touch handset will link you to a host of exclusive city guides, usually reserved for Quintessentially members only, providing the ultimate in travel knowledge for some of the world’s most sought after destinations. From Paris to Panama, Delhi to Dubai, the Quintessentially iphone application offers free and easy access to a wealth of must-have travel information, and with 44 offices around the world, and researchers and fixers in every other major city, Quintessentially’s expert team have the world’s best travel secrets at their fingertips.

Speak Spanish, Speak German - clear audio recordings for language using native speaker, pronunciation, 14 phrases per categories:  basic, emergency, travel, business and events, leisure, relationships.

Postino -  send photos taken by your iphone app as postcards (virtual e-cards for free) or physical postcards for a small fee ($1.99 anywhere in world).

Hawaii What Chefs Eat -  find a restaurant and foods

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