Add-on software apps make iPhone a great travel partner
— -- Tech-savvy road warriors are enjoying a new era of handheld computing as more sophisticated smartphone software floods the market.
The iPhone, in particular, has amassed more than 900 applications targeting business or leisure travelers. Many applications are free, and others range from 99 cents to $19.99.
Unlike desktop software, iPhone applications are relatively simple tools that don't require hours to learn. Most rely on the phone's embedded GPS chip to tailor information to a traveler's current location, such as spotting nearby Starbucks, Wi-Fi hot spot, police radar, restaurants and taxi companies. Others transform traditional travel tools — foreign language phrase books, city guidebooks, restaurant tip cheat sheets — and render them digitally.
We recently tried several of the most popular iPhone travel applications. Here's what we found:
FlightTrack
Provides real-time flight status with scheduled departure and landing times, as well as actual takeoff and projected landing.
Travelers can save their flight schedules and check for cancellations and delays when encountering bad weather. They also can search for flights by airline, flight number or date.
Its live flight maps show weather radar, provide information on aircraft type, speed and altitude. Price: $4.99
WorldView Live
Promises the "world in your pocket" by showing video streams from 6,000 webcams worldwide.
Search for a place nearby or browse through popular locations. Images are small and often grainy, especially at night.
It's an ideal toy for tourists wishing to get a sense of the weather at their destinations, or for armchair travelers stuck in their work cubicles. You can stare at downtown Moscow or Newport Beach in California. WorldView isn't necessary for business travelers, but it's a fun time-waster. Price:$2.99
Babelingo
Contains 300 useful phrases and words in 11 languages.
You can find a phrase by using key words and tapping a button to translate. Its unique feature is the large, clear script of translated phrases that can be read easily from a distance. Need help? Just show your iPhone — with the translated phrase — to the store clerk or taxi driver.
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