Tuesday, October 23, 2012

TRAVEL/APPS SPECIAL....The 22 best travel apps for your phone


The 22 best travel apps for your phone

Triposo
Free, iPhone, iPad and Android
Though there are travel-guide apps from existing publications, none are so optimised for mobile as Triposo. This app from two ‘ex-Googlers’ who claim to ‘have an algorithmic approach to travel’ has access to information on 8,000 destinations and is remarkably accurate. An internet connection is not needed to access the guide and useful features include a currency converter, phrase book and active suggestions for exploration dependent on the day, weather and opening hours.
TripIt
Free, iPhone and iPad
TripIt offers an easy solution, saving your itineraries in a simple, scannable format on your smartphone. Simply email your flight, hotel, or car rental confirmations to TripIt and the app will organise everything.
Hailo
Free, iPhone and Android
Hailo is by cabbies, for cabbies. A smart, easy-to-use app, Hailo finds the nearest black cab, tells you how long it will take to pick you up and gives you the registration and driver’s mobile number.
Urbanspoon
Free, iPhone, iPad and Android
Urbanspoon scans your location and helps you find the closest restaurants, bars and more. You can search by type, price and rating.
XE Currency
Free, iPhone, iPad and Android
XE Currency is the ultimate financial companion for world travellers. It gets live currency data and includes a calculator. Saves data for offline use as well.
Spanish Dictionary Pro
Free, Free, iPhone and iPad
You may find you know the basic words of a language, but what about all the unfamiliar vocabulary? This app lets you search by English as well as Spanish words.
TubeExits
Rs 60, iPhone
Savvy travellers on the London Underground know which carriage to board so their exit is as efficient as possible – what the French call la correspondence. TubeExits brings this information to the masses.
The New Yorker
Free, iPhone, iPad and Android
This is an unmissable listings app for Big Apple lovers that delivers the wit and wisdom of the New Yorker magazine. Look up events listed straight from their pages.
HotelTonight
Free, iPhone, iPad and Android
Every day at noon, three deals from trendy hotels are released in this same-day booking app.
Jetsetter
Free, iPhone, iPad
Members’ only website Jetsetter is known for their luxury flash sales and their slick app only precipitates more impulse travel-buying. Search by location, or by ‘collection’ – trips curated by their team – with cheeky titles such as ‘three day escape plan’ or ‘where the fashionistas sleep’. Every trip and hotel has a considered review from the prolific Jetsetter team.
Outdoors GPS
Rs 425, iPhone, iPad
With complete OS mapping combined with GPS in your mobile device, this app is the locational companion for the rambler or road-tripper. Be warned – the maps are pricey and will take up lots of memory.
Cartographer
Rs 225
Plan your trip with vintage-style maps that are designed to inspire the intrepid traveller. Using Google’s mymaps, outline the route before downloading the maps to your device which can be accessed through the app.
Google translate
Free, iPhone, iPad and Android.
This app translates between 64 languages, and can deliver audio translations for certain one. It doesn’t always get the translation right, but is probably the most comprehensive translation app out there.
Journey Pro
Rs 65 (ad-free), iPhone,
iPad and Anroid
The Journey Pro app directs you from station to station with real time updates. Plug in the time of departure and the stations at the beginning and end of your journey for a detailed itinerary.
Getpacked
Rs 130, iPhone, iPad
For the scatty traveller, this is a handy tick-list app. An initial Q&A upfront will generate a personalised packing (and to-do) list when going abroad.
Trip Lens
Free, iPhone, iPad
This app from the travel-guides helps document your travels through photos, text and maps into one continuous narrative, which you can share in a personalised blog. Skyscanner
Free, iPhone, iPad and Android
Tap your holiday destination and dates into the mobile version of the price-comparison website to see all the cheapest flight options around the dates you want to fly.
Yelp
Free, iPhone, iPad and Android
Get Yelp’s enormous database of reviews on your smartphone. Includes reviews of restaurants, cafés, launderettes and more for the world’s major metropolitan hubs.
Maverick Pro
Rs 250, Android
Maverick Pro is the perfect app for adventurous Android users. The app provides offline GPS tracking and compass and saves your routes; perfect for hiking in the wilderness and escaping from it all.
Street View on Google Maps
Free, Android
Google Street View comes to your phone via this Android app. Simply open Google Maps and zoom in to get a local look of where you’re going.
PetrolPrices Pro
Rs 250, iPhone, iPad and Android
With petrol prices in constant flux, using this app is a no-brainer. PetrolPrices shows you the cheapest stations nearest you and lets you filter by type of petrol as well.
MyMapRide GPS Cycling Riding
Free, Android
If cycling is your favourite form of travel, give MyMapRide a try. The Android app lets you save cycle routes and helps you navigate via GPS. Daily Telegraph
DNA  Oct 23, 2012

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Nice! This is such an awesome list of apps! I love finding all these great apps, and I can’t wait to try out the TripIt and Packing Pro; I am ALWAYS leaving my phone charger behind! My absolute favorite app though, is one that helps me deal with downtime. It seems like I’m always stuck between flights or getting delayed, but I found a way to fight it. I picked up the DISH Remote Access app through my job at DISH. It allows me to watch live and recorded TV off my home receiver no matter where in the world I am, as long as I can get a 3G connection. It’s great for layovers and jetlag!