Digital Apps Stocking Stuffers
Many people travel around the holidays and anyone who travels knows the importance of staying connected to something, anything or anyone. There's no worse feeling when you're traveling in a foreign country - especially one in which you don't speak the language - than being lost and alone (even if you have a travelling companion.) Knowing what to do or where to go can make or break your trip. Keeping in touch with weather, hot spots, language, restaurants, transportation and friends will make any trip worth remembering.
This holiday season, instead of spending hours shopping and literally stuffing Christmas stockings with small items, why not opt for apps? Make gift cards or tags with the name of the intended gift app and a little note about why you think this app would be something the recipient needs or why it might be important have. The suggestions that follow are only a few of the available apps for the well-connected traveler.
WeatherBug iPhone App
There’s nothing worse than being caught without the proper gear when Mother Nature decides to take a turn. WeatherBug gives hour-by-hour forecasts no matter where you are or where you want to check the weather. Always be prepared so you can enjoy your vacation to the max!
XE Currency App for iPhone or Blackberry
The universally optimized XE monitors up to 10 currencies listed in any order and accesses more than 180 world currencies and precious metals. This app is an invaluable tool if you plan to travel to several countries during one trip. Convert every world currency on-the-go, get live currency rates, and travel knowing you'll never be taken advantage of because you'll be in the know.
Google Translate for Android or iPhone
This app is faithful to the desktop experience so it stays familiar. You can instantly translate between more than 50 languages using voice, text, text to speech, conversation mode, and keep track of translations you may need for later on.
Google Maps for Android
With this app, you can get locations even without a GPS. Access traffic, street views, directions, transit, bike routes and much more. Imagine the time and expense you’ll save searching for great places during your travels. Whether you're driving, walking or taking public transportation, Google Maps tells you where you are and gets you where you want to go with turn by turn voice-guided navigation.
Facebook Mobile
Never be out of touch with friends and family. Facebook Mobile allows you to make quick posts and likes, download email, photos and check friends' status using stand alone apps that work with a number of phones - iPhone, Palm, Sony Ericsson, INQ, Blackberry, Nokia, Android, Windows Mobile and Sidekick.
Yahoo Mobile
This app is for iPad, iPhone, Blackberry and Android. Get all standard Yahoo services. Play games, watch entertainment, tv shows, news, and all the other neat stuff Yahoo is good for at the desktop.
Wikitude World Browser for all Smart Phones
This incredible app is an augmented reality browser which scans your surroundings using the device's camera and sensors, showing restaurants, hot spots, cultural and government buildings and more which are in immediate proximity to where you are standing.
Monacle Mobile from Yelp
Before you decide to eat anywhere, Monacle can supply you with names, ratings and other useful information about the restaurants in your view. Search for anything from doctors to beauty spas to bars and nightlife in any country in the world. This app is available for iPhone, Android, and iPad.
Layar for Google Search
Upload, create, publish and optimize. If you’ve heard of a great place but don’t know anything else about it, Layar allows users to access digital content from Google's local search, yellowpages.com, and other partners using an intuitive interface live view of the physical world around you.
Robotvision
This app uses Bing's local search to get locations, maps and directions, and access phone numbers of points you're interested in. You can also type in anything you're looking for and Robotvision will bring it into live view. It also displays Flickr photos and Twitter posts that are geotagged to your location.
Look for new augmented reality apps to help you find everything from gas stations to lost family members simply by scanning the area with your device's camera.
Getting creative with stocking stuffers usually takes a lot of insight into the needs of the recipient. If you can get hold of their device and check which apps they need, it’s easy to write cards or tags with the name of the intended gift app. You’ll save many shopping hours and you'll gift something every traveler can really use! This is a gift that can be used any time and anywhere, whether traveling or at home.
