Dude, where's my flight? FlightBoard- another fun travel app

Flight Board is a real time arrival and departures board for any airport in the world.  It's available for iPhone and iPad, I like it on my iPad because I like the larger interface (more like a real board), but the pocket size iPhone version is nice too, and more portable.

You choose your airport and tap the button at the top of the screen to slide between arrivals and departures.  The gate listing is very helpful... you can keep up with status changes for your flight without leaving the airport bar! :)   I also like like the elegant, old-school design, inspired by the board at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

Once you've chosen your flight, if you tap on that flight, you get options to email a flight status update, post a flight status update to facebook or twitter, or if you have the FlightTracker app (another neat app by the same company which I'll review soon) track the flight.

emailing flight status info

So while this app is not free (it's $3.99) and doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles, it does the job, and in an elegant way.  In my opinion, worth it.  It means you can relax untethered to the inconveniently located monitors while still keeping an eye on your departing flight.  Or, if you are meeting someone at the airport, you can keep track of delays, arrival gates, etc.  Also very useful, especially since we've had so much unpredictable weather this year!

Happy flying!

GateGuru... making airports tolerable

As anyone who follows Undies knows, I LOOOOVE to travel.  I have to admit, however, I don’t like flying.  Besides the fact that I am a scardey cat when it comes to actually being in the plane, the airport is enough to turn even a relaxed happy-go-lucky optimist like me into a paranoid wreck who has to check every 30 seconds to make sure I put my passport back in my bag after security, haven’t lost my boarding pass, I’m in the right terminal, I didn’t leave my phone in the bathroom... You get the idea.  Plus it’s chaotic and stressful and you have to dissemble yourself at security only to get though and pay 5 dollars for a little bottle of water.   So when I read about GateGuru, I was hooked before I even downloaded it.

GateGuru is an iPhone app that helps you locate the best food, shopping and service options within any airport.  You can search by a specific place (i.e where is there an Au Bon Pain) or browse options by terminal, which i think is handier.

You can see the list of options in your terminal, with location and user ratings:

And you can even read reviews and see photos:

It's a great app, especially since its FREE.  And while all the functions are not operating at full potential now, if it catches on there is a lot about this app that could be very handy.  (Like being able to check the wait time at security checkpoints.)  So give it a try the next time you fly.  That perfect pre-flight martini at the great steakhouse bar you found out about, may just make all the difference. 

Be a tourist without looking like one! Getting around NYC with your iPhone

If you visit NYC, a great app to download for your iPhone is Exit Strategy.  It's the best NYC subway app I have found... and I have tried several!

It has local maps and all of the transit maps for New York (subway AND buses).  And it doesn't need access to phone service or internet connection to do it, which is great for when you are underground.

Not only does it have transit maps, but also has local maps of all of New York.  And the part I love is that you can tap on a station and it will show you which car you should be in to get out at the exit you want, so while you wait for the train to come you can walk to where that car will pull up and save time on the other end of the trip (we NYers call this "pre-walking")

It's only $3.99, which is less than a round trip subway ride, and totally worth it.  I use it almost every day.  Plus you won't be carrying around, and even worse UNFOLDING giant subway maps (why do they make them so big?).  You don't have to look like a tourist (even if you are one!)

B&H iphone app

From one of our guest bloggers Ethan Gurney, who lives in Naples, Italy:

I live outside of Naples, Italy with my three dogs, whom I love taking pictures of.   Because I love taking photos, I take my camera with me almost everywhere I go.  It is usually while I am out somewhere taking pictures that I think of an accessory that I could really use, but when I get home I forget to order it.  It is not until the next time that I am out shooting pictures that I think about it again.  Now there is a great iphone app that has solved this problem for me!  With the BandH Photo iphone app, you can order most anything you need for from your iPhone    

Twice now I have used the B&H Photo app to make an online order and twice I have been impressed with how easy the app is to use.  Let me start by talking a little about BandH Photo.  Recommended to me by a couple Navy journalist friends, BandH is everything I ever wanted in a camera store.   The Navy uses Nikon cameras almost exclusively and has contracts with Nikon and BandH for all their photography needs.   In my experience, BandH consistently has the lowest prices for camera equipment and accessories available anywhere online.  They have hard to find items such as replacement hot shoe covers and they usually ship the same day with the option of using USPS or FedEx for shipping.  I ordered my current DSLR (a Nikon D5000) from BandH on a Monday to be shipped to my military address in Italy.  Not only did BandH undercut any other price I could find online by $80, but also included USPS in the price.  The camera arrived three days later!  In Italy!  

I could go on forever about my positive experiences with BandH, including my visit to their Flagship store in NYC where I experienced the most knowledgeable and helpful staff of any retail company I have ever visited.  But if you are like me and like to take pictures, you will need to get the BandH iphone app.  Say goodbye to post-it reminders and say hello to the BandH iphone app.  Did I mention it was free?