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Picture 1 of 27
Have Smartphone, Will Travel
The summer travel season is heating up, and more of us are heading out of town to destinations unknown for a little fun in the sun, or off to visit somewhere new and different that we’ve never seen before. Most of us will wind up heading to the airport with stacks of paper folded up in our bags, like our flight confirmations, hotel reservations, and other critical information like maps and phone numbers.
You may not know that the smartphone in your pocket can be the ultimate travel companion, and can do everything from store your itinerary and alert you when there’s a weather or travel advisory to help you keep your friends and family back home up to speed on how everything is going on your out of town vacation.
In this roundup, we’ll look at apps for multiple mobile platforms that can help you collect all of your travel information in one place, help you get to your destination safely and without getting a migraine in the process, find something to do while you’re there, and tell everyone back home what a great time you’re having.
All apps mentioned in this article are free, unless otherwise noted.
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I was kinda expecting an app or two to let you remotely do things from your home (i.e. program a DVR, even toggle your lights). Still, those things only apply to people with those specific services pre-installed in their home, so I guess its not applicable to a general vacation guide.
Still, am I the only one who feels a little sick about the fact that some people go on vacation and the only thing they can think about is posting crap to Facebook? Guess what, no one cares about the fun stuff you're doing on your vacation while they're stuck at the office. Not even your friends and family. Ask them sometime if they really care, go ahead, ask them.
I was kinda expecting an app or two to let you remotely do things from your home (i.e. program a DVR, even toggle your lights). Still, those things only apply to people with those specific services pre-installed in their home, so I guess its not applicable to a general vacation guide.Still, am I the only one who feels a little sick about the fact that some people go on vacation and the only thing they can think about is posting crap to Facebook? Guess what, no one cares about the fun stuff you're doing on your vacation while they're stuck at the office. Not even your friends and family. Ask them sometime if they really care, go ahead, ask them.
Ha! You definitely make a good point, but I guess if you're really close with your family and you want them to see the sights that you're seeing in an exotic/foreign location, I get why people share. But sharing with *everybody*? That is SO not to my taste.
[citation][nom]hellwig[/nom]I was kinda expecting an app or two to let you remotely do things from your home (i.e. program a DVR, even toggle your lights)
I have DirectTV and an iPhone. I can set the DVR with my phone while on the road in case I forgot to set it up before I left, I have 2 DVR and I can even set in which I want to record the episode or season. I believe Dish has a similar app too. I also have a Sling Box, you buy the box and install the app one the phone and with a little configuration you can watch TV on your phone, no monthly fee. You can change the channel access your recorded shows, etc. and all just like cramping your TV screen on your phone. its awesome. Air Video let you stream all the videos on your computer to your phone, no matter the format, if need it it will convert while streaming, another great app. They come handy when stuck in an airport for a few hours.