Traveling with the iPhone | Songkick

There was a time when I was totally on top of the live music scene. I knew when my favorite bands were coming to town, where they were playing, and when tickets went on sale. Somewhere along the way, I fell out of the loop. I just don’t have the time to keep on top of that stuff. And more often than not, I don’t find out about shows until it’s too late.

Well, the new Songkick app has brought me back in. It’s a dead simple way to keep abreast of concerts you might be interested in. Just download the app and it scans the music library on your phone and alerts you to any concerts those artists are putting on in your area. Anytime a new show from your list of “favorite artists” is announced, Songkick pushes a notification.

It’s not just great for local concerts. You can also add other locations, so if you know you’re going to be in Austin for a few days in August, you can queue up a comprehensive list of concerts happening there during the span. No more scouring websites. And more importantly, no more missing out on a chance to catch a cool act on the road.

Download the Songkick app from iTunes (Free)

For more apps in my Traveling with the iPhone series, click here.

Traveling with the iPhone | Shine

For a while now I’ve been looking for a simple weather app to replace the standard Apple offering, which, while slick-looking, doesn’t offer much beyond daily highs and lows. Unfortunately most of the available options in the App Store are endlessly cluttered and require a degree in meteorology to use.

AppThat, the makers of the Shine - Weather at a Glance app, seem to have gotten it right. Their message is clear:

Dew point. Visibility. Wind direction. Advanced Doppler radar. Who cares? Shine keeps it simple. Quickly discover what you need to know - nothing more. Readable, accurate, fast, and beautifully designed. Your daily weather app.

Not just marketing copy, mind you. Shine delivers the basics — a quick snapshot and five-day forecast in 3-hour increments. And isn’t that really all you need?

Download Shine from iTunes ($0.99)

Apps for Traveling Smarter | CNBC

A bit more fodder for my Traveling with the iPhone series. Emergency Call seems like a particularly useful resource.

50 Places of a Lifetime App for iPad | National Geographic

New York. Seychelles. Tuscany. Sahara. Angkor. Mesa Verde. What do all of these place have in common? They helped make up our “50 Places of a Lifetime” chosen in 1999 for a special edition of our print magazine. We update and reintroduce them to you today in a new iPad app, 50 Places of a Lifetime: The World’s Greatest Destinations.

These iconic destinations have endured over time, and in our app they come alive through personal essays from great writers (Jan Morris, Bill Bryson, and Paul Theroux, to name a few), stunning photo galleries, 360-degree panoramas, video, maps, insider facts—and an interactive checklist for your own places of a lifetime.

—Intelligent Travel, National Geographic

I don’t own an iPad, but they had me at Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux. The app is currently being offered at a limited-time introductory rate of $1.99. Click here to download from iTunes.

11 Best Travel Apps | AOL Travel

AOL asked ShermansTravel for its picks for the best travel apps for the iPhone. They provide a pretty solid collection, several of which I’ve highlighted in my Traveling with the iPhone series.

Jetsetter's New iPad App is Even Dreamier | TechCrunch

I don’t own an iPad, but I’ve fooled around with one enough to know that it has the potential to not only change the way we access and interact with content, but in how we make transactions. Nowhere is this more needed than in the area of travel, where the online experience is a hellish mix of bad design, unreliable information, and “hope this will work” transactions.

Unsurprisingly, according to TechCrunch author Sarah Lacey, Jetsetter — which brought thoughtful design and good taste to the travel web experience — is poised to lead again with the introduction of its iPad app.

Jetsetter has just launched a new iPad app today and the device is the perfect showcase for what Jetsetter is great at — melding the line between transaction engine and glossy travel magazine. The navigation isn’t completely intuitive, but it doesn’t take too long to figure out. There aren’t tons of new features– the main one being a 360 degree view of several properties that really does make you feel like your standing there and looking up, down and all-around. Jetsetter adroitly makes use of the uniquenesses of the iPad like the intimate touch interface that mimics scrolling through a magazine, the lush screen, and the gyro-effect to use the iPad like a porthole to look around a room.

Download the Jetsetter iPad app from iTunes (Free)

For apps in my Traveling with the iPhone series, click here.

Traveling with the iPhone | Hotel Tonight

Last minute deals have been marketing fixtures for travel companies since the internet essentially made them possible. The new Hotel Tonight iPhone app takes the idea to its absolute extreme — offering same-day deals on hotel rooms. The service claims discounts of up to 70% off the rack rate at hotels in 8 major U.S. cities — Boston, Chicago, Hollywood, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. (with more on the way).

I can’t see too many people planning a vacation to any of those cities relying on this service, but Hotel Tonight promises to be great for spontaneous local getaways. No doubt many a budding Lothario will be treating his significant other to surprise romantic nights out on the town.

Download the Hotel Tonight iPhone app from iTunes (Free)

For more apps in my Traveling with the iPhone series, click here.

Traveling with the iPhone | PBS

If you enjoy PBS, give the new iPhone app a try. It’s basically an on-demand platform for PBS core programming — offering everything from Frontline and American Experience to Masterpiece and Antiques Roadshow. The app includes previews of upcoming episodes as well as a selection of full-length programs (typically the most recent episodes, although some older content is available, such as Ken Burns’ The Civil War documentary). 

Just a perfect companion for a plane ride with in-flight wifi.    

Download the PBS iPhone app on iTunes (Free)

For more apps in my Traveling with the iPhone series, click here.

Traveling with the iPhone | Hipmunk

There are a ton of flight search apps available for the iPhone (including the Kayak app I featured before) but the new Hipmunk is notable for its simplicity and attractive interface. There’s no extraneous stuff here — just impressively quick flight search and comparisons.

Select your point of departure, destination, and preferred travel dates and Hipmunk spits out your available options to a slick timeline-oriented UI - a visual matrix organized by departure time, price and carrier* (with additional filters like Length and, amusingly, the default Agony).

If you want to buy a fare, the app will link directly to a service like Orbitz via Mobile Safari or email you the link if you prefer to handle later on your home computer.

Hipmunk is so clean and simple, it makes painfully evident how cluttered and overwrought — and perhaps irrelevant — web-based travel search sites have become.

Download the Hipmunk iPhone app on iTunes (Free)

For more apps in my Traveling with the iPhone series, click here.

* If there’s any downside to Hipmunk it’s that a few carriers like American Airlines and Southwest are not searchable. This, however, isn’t unique to Hipmunk. AA and Southwest don’t make their flights available to any third-party search.

Traveling with the iPhone | Google Translate

Google just released its Translate app for the iPhone, and it’s the only language translation app you’ll ever need. Simply set the language, say whatever you want translated into the phone, and let Google do the work. It transcribes your words into text and will even speak the phrase back to you — or to that random person on the street in Calcutta you’re hoping can tell you where the nearest bathroom is. It’s amazing. Get it.

Download Google Translate from iTunes (Free)

For more apps in my Traveling with the iPhone series, click here.