The Cruise Finder App for Your iPhone

If you're planning on taking a cruise soon, there's now an app for you! iCruise.com, a website for booking discount cruises online, has finally launched a cruise app for your iPhone and according to the company, it's the best one on the market.

The app, which is called the Cruise Finder, is free to download and provides lots of great information. It includes 20 cruise lines, 200 ships, and 12,000 different itineraries from the iCruise.com database. Other features include a multiple search option, which allows you to find cruises based on destination, cruise ship, cruise line, departure date, or departure port; 32,000 pictures, including cabin photos; descriptions, and deck plans.

Uf Tukel, the co-president of iCruise.com said the app was created for people who plan vacations away from their computer. He said the company wanted to build something that was "visually appealing" and included most of the content found on the website. He also says the app is the only one of its kind in the United States, because such an app is a "complicated, expensive and time-consuming undertaking to target only 25% of the U.S. smartphone market, which happens to be demographically younger than the average cruiser.”

If you've already booked your cruise, the Cruise Finder app can help you, too! You can find information such as driving directions to various cruise ports, pier parking, and even port weather conditions.

Finally, if you're not into cruises at all, Tukel said he hopes the app will appeal to you, as well. "We certainly believe that this app will appeal to cruise enthusiasts, but we really hope that mobile technology will be a new platform for us to help introduce cruising to folks who never thought they’d consider it," he said.

Right now, you can't book a cruise from the app, but Tukel said that is in the works for future versions. You can download the app at iCruise.com or through the Apple App Store. iCruise is based out Delray Beach, Florida.

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Kansas City Now Has its Own iPhone App

There's an app for almost everything these days and now you can include traveling to Kansas City in the mix. A new app called "Kansas City Uncovered - a Sassy Look at a Midwestern Gem" has been created by Sutro Media and it is now available from the Apple iTunes store.

It was compiled by Diana Lambdin Meyer, a travel writer and resident of the city. She came up with 109 restaurants and attractions along with 639 pictures (shot by her husband, photographer Bruce Meyer) for the app. Meyer said she tried to come up with "fun, distinct and memorable" selections and tried to include some information that even the most savvy of Kansas City residents and travelers would not know about.

According to the St. Joseph News-Press, a "marketing blurb" that comes along with the app reads, "This guide gives you the facts, as well as a little sass and trash talk as only longtime residents of the city can provide. Who would you ask about the controversial newspaper ad for the Blueberry Margaritas or what services Count Basie received at the Phoenix Jazz Bar?"

So what kind of attractions will you find in the app? There are museums, gardens, places to take children, attractions, fountains, nightlife, restaurants and even trivia. Did you know the first Walt Disney studio was located in Kansas City? Did you know the Happy Meal started there? You can also learn about different tours and hikes and some of the town's history. Visiting a specific neighborhood? You can use the app to tell what you can do in that specific area.

Meyer says she has lived in the city for 25 years and had a hard time narrowing down what she wanted to use for the app. Restaurants were the hardest things to choose from. She and her husband picked out their favorites, as well as asking others what they would suggest. She cut that list down to 50 restaurants, plus ten of Kansas City's famous barbecue places. The restaurant section includes facts such as where to get the best margarita in town and even some information on some of the city's iconic places to eat.

One of her favorites was a place called You Say Tomato. Of the restaurant she says, "It's a farm-to-table restaurant in an old building that used to be a neighborhood grocery store, and everything has tomato in it. Excellent food, independently owned and they wear tomatoes on their heads. We had to include it."

Each place to visit, be it a restaurant or attraction, comes with pictures, information such as prices, whether it's child-friendly or not, any interesting facts, and of course contact information and links to websites. There's also a map and walking or driving directions to each location.

The app can be downloaded for your iPhone for $1.99 at Sutromedia.com or the Apple iTunes Store.

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Wi-Fi on U.S. Flights

According to Computerworld, one-third of all U.S. flights are now Wi-Fi friendly. This could make air travel time pass much more quickly, and it could also be very advantageous to those who travel often on business.

Virgin Flights and AirTran can boast that they offer on-board Wi-Fi on every single one of their planes. It will cost you anywhere from $4.95 to $12.95. The New York Times claims that Delta features the most planes with Wi-Fi access though. Nearly all of their 500 different planes offer their travelers Gogo-based Internet access. Gogo is an in-flight Internet service that provides coverage for Air Canada, AirTran, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways, and Virgin America.

JetBlue and Continental Airlines are currently testing out Wi-Fi on their planes, and all other airlines seem to have at least some form of Wi-Fi available on a number of their planes. Southwest Airlines only has Wi-Fi on 6 of their 540 planes as of now, but they claim that they will have all of their planes outfitted with Wi-Fi connectivity by 2012. Alaska Airlines only has Wi-Fi access on a few of their planes as well, but they say that by the end of the year all of their planes should have access.

The two main in-flight Wi-Fi providers are Aircell’s Gogo in-flight service and Row 44’s Ku-band system. Aircell is ground-based. They use cell phone towers to transmit Wi-Fi throughout the sky. Because Aircell has ground-based service, it limits its Wi-Fi range to the U.S., but as long as you are flying within the country, you’re set with great service from Aircell. Row 44 mounts an antenna to the plane using the Wi-Fi. The antenna then connects the plane to HughesNet satellite Internet service.

It's great that Wi-Fi is finally showing up prominently in the air. It will make flights so much more enjoyable. By 2012, when Southwest features Wi-Fi access on all of their planes, I’m sure that most airlines will have followed in their footsteps. Sooner than later, Wi-Fi access will be completely standard on all airlines.

If you're looking to rent a laptop for your next trip, check out rentacomputer.com for all your computer rental needs. All Rentacomputer.com laptops come with wireless network cards that can connect to the Wi-Fi currently being used by airlines. It's the perfect solution while you're traveling.

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Gowalla Encourages Travel to "100 Best Places to Live"

Money magazine has announced its annual "100 Best Places to Live in America," and Gowalla is taking full advantage of the list. The location-based social networking app is launching a series of new features that will allow users to explore and keep up with some of the higher-ranking places on the list.

The app will now feature organized trips for the top five small cities on the list. If you visit all of the spots in one of those cities, you'll get a stamp on your Gowalla Passport. These cities are Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Columbia/Ellicott City, Maryland; Newton, Massachusetts; Bellevue, Washington; and McKinney, Texas.

According to Mashable, the feature has been huge for Gowalla. CNNMoney.com (Money Magazine's official website) posted a link to the feature on its website, along with what Gowalla has trending in the top 25 towns on the list.

The pairing up of a major brand with location-based social networking is hardly a new idea. Gowalla has worked with The Washington Post in Washington, D. C.; The Courier Journal in Louisville, Kentucky; and USA Today in many major airports. And the popular game Foursquare has teamed up with The Wall Street Journal in New York, New York and the History Channel in several major cities. However, this new feature goes beyond the big cities, which could be another positive for Gowalla.

The "100 Best Places to Live in America" list was determined through public data such as median family incomes, auto insurance premiums, the number of local entertainment venues nearby, and air quality index ratings.

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Technology Rules When it Comes to Family Travel

CarMax, the United States' largest retailers of used cars wants to know what parents find necessary when taking long family trips this summer. Modern technology definitely had its place within the responses.

The telephone survey was a part of the CarMax LUV2DRV campaign, which took place on Facebook until July 6, 2010. The aim was to help families make the most of their summer vacation journey. All Facebook users had the chance to enter the giveaway, which featured a grand prize of $2,500 and other items that would be great for your summer road trip!

So what were the results of the survey? Well, 42% of participants said they'd be rate their stress levels pretty high for their anticipated trips, with the average trip lasting about 8.5 hours one way. That's pretty understandable considering the group of participants was made up of 500 parents of kids ages three to fifteen. About half of the survey-takers said music was the one thing necessary to help ease their travel anxiety and the one thing they couldn't live without. 17% said movies are must-have technology, 16% said books, 11% said gaming devices and only 5% said they'd resort to games like "I Spy."

As far as what type of car travelers are using this summer, over half of the respondents said an SUV or Minivan (36% and 34% respectively). 16% were taking a normal sedan, 8% a truck, and 4% would travel in their station wagon.

Technology was definitely important when it came to the "must-have" accessory for the trip. 28% said a GPS or Navigation system is important. That was tied with a DVD System. 14% would take extra cup holders, 8% needed their car racks, as well as the 8% who needed folding or removable seats and 7% who would not leave without an extra power supply.

If you go to CarMax's Facebook page, you can currently download the LUV2DRV "Summer Road Kit Trip" and print it out for your summer vacation. The kit includes, ideas for games to play on the road, helpful app suggestions for your smartphone, quirky tourist spots, safety tips for your vehicle, and the LUV2DRV license plate, which they'd like you to hold in family photos and post on the CarMax Facebook page.

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Looking for a short term mobile technology rental to to make your next trip a success? Call 800-736-8772 today and ask about our Nextel Rentals, Two Way Radio Rentals, or even our Aircard Rentals!