Apps: Travel

For the past couple of years, my family has taken a week-long vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort (WDW) in Orlando, Florida. We go in late January because the crowds are small, the prices are reasonable, and the weather is comfortable (70's, sunny, low humidity). This Christmas, Santa tucked a pair of black 16GB iPhone 3GSs under the tree for me and my wife. Talk about making the nice list! I'll freely (and my wife will begrudgingly) admit that we've been coveting the iPhone since they hit the market. Call it what you will— honeymoon period, new device infatuation, seriously crushing on my iPhone, etc., but it seemed this handy device and the many applications available for it had, in the few short weeks after Christmas, made our lives a bit better than life before our iPhones.

With the onset of summer in North America, many people across the continental United States will be gearing up for an active camping season. While sentimental notions of camping "off the grid" persist, most modern camping enthusiasts leverage the latest in portable electronic assistance. This can be in the form of mapping, taking photos, and even watching movies by the glow of the campfire. The iPhone can perform all these functions and more. In fact, thanks to the vibrant developer community many of whom are also outdoor enthusiasts, a wide variety of camping and other outdoor related activity applications are available for the iPhone. This article reviews some of the most notable selections available today.

Long hot days, graduations, BBQ’s, vacations, bug bites, bored kids, and amusement park crowds…all a part of our love-hate relationship with the summer season. For Moms (and Dads or any caregiver), summer means that the kids are "free" from the day-to-day structure of schooling, sports, after-school lessons, etc. While a great time to be a child, it is also a potentially stressful time for parents. It starts off with graduation, then vacations, camps, and inevitably ends with back-to-school shopping. Here are a few apps to make getting through the summer heat a breeze.