Nat Geo brings national parks maps to iPhone and iPad

by Kraig Becker on

National Geographic has launched a new iPhone and iPad app that is sure to please travelers visiting America’s national parks. The app offers detailed maps of 15 parks, providing information on places to camp, trails to hike, locations of shops and visitors center, and other points of interests.

The program is apply named National Park Maps HD and it comes preloaded with digital versions of Nat Geo’s excellent Trails Illustrated Maps. The parks that are included are amongst the most popular and beautiful in the entire national park system, attracting millions of visitors on a yearly basis.

Upon launching the app you’ll be presented with a map of the U.S. with a photo representing each of the parks. Simply tap on the park you would like to explore and a detaied map will appear with an overview of the region. Double tapping the screen will allow you to zoom in even closer, showing you all the roads, campsites, and various other points of interest. And if the default maps don’t have the detail you need, HD versions of each of the maps are also available to download inside the app, bringing the zoom levels up even further.

National Parks Maps HD also offers the ability to use your device’s built in assisted GPS to triangulate your location and there is even an in-app compass to help you find your way. You’ll also find an option to place virtual pins on the map to mark your own favorite places and the built in search function allows you to locate anything you’re looking for in the park. The amount of information at your fingertips is fantastic and a real benefit for travelers.

The list of parks included in the app are Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Glacier/Waterton, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Mount Rainier, Olympic, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Shenandoah, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. If you were to buy each of those maps in paper form, it would cost over $300.

The National Park Maps HD app is available now for $4.99. The universal app is a one time download that will work on both your iPhone and iPad. If you’re planning a trip to one of the above parks in the near future, this would make an excellent travel companion for sure.

Celebrity Cruises new app welcomes a new generation of passenger

by Chris Owen on

Celebrity Cruises new app is more than just another little program you an use to kill time. In a natural evolution of their programming, Celebrity Cruises has added its first app and mobile web site.Celebrity is a cruise line that has fully embraced technology, rolling top-shelf brands into their onboard experience. More importantly, with this roll-out of Celebrity Cruises new app the line opens the door and welcomes a new generation of cruise passenger.

Now, iPhone users have the opportunity to download the free, new app from the Celebrity web site or from the Apple store. Other apps have been available from third-party sources for quite some time. This is the first official app from Celebrity and there are some big differences in Celebrity Cruises new app vs. the third-party apps available right now.

Users of Celebrity Cruises new app will have a wealth of functionality allowing them to view the destinations Celebrity visits, check out onboard activities including iLearn and language courses offered in the Celebrity iLounge and more.

Technology can be a big part of the Celebrity experience. Prior to boarding, guests can go online to explore a number of activities and packages available on their sailing. On board, a Celebrity iLounge is a popular gathering place that includes an Internet cafe equipped with 26 workstations. As an Authorized Apple Reseller, there is also a retail area where guests can try out and buy various Apple products and accessories plus an “enrichment center” that will offer classes on the iLife suite of programs and other general topics.

Celebrity Cruises new app welcomes a new generation of passenger in many ways. One of the best parts of Celebrity Cruises new app is having the ability to see menus, wine lists and even walking tours of a ship’s art collection, a Celebrity Cruises first.

Guests can use iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices with Celebrity Cruises new app to search for a Celebrity cruise and itineraries, obtain destination information, view details about each ship, connect with Celebrity’s social media sites, e-mail itineraries of interest to Celebrity’s Customer Service team, or contact Customer Service ‘live’ at any point during the experience.

Did you catch that last line?

“... or contact Customer Service ‘live’ at any point during the experience.”

That’s huge.
That’s engaging.
This is a cruise line that “gets it”.

Standard operating procedure for cruise line customer service:

Call on phone/work through problem/call back if you don’t like the result until you find someone who will tell you what you want to hear/Addressed problem but not feeling very good about it.

Glimpse at what might be coming:

“... or contact Customer Service ‘live’ at any point during the experience.”

Celebrity Cruises new app is definitely a step in the right direction.

Celebrity Cruises new app is just one use of available Apple technology. The cruise line already uses the iPad for its menus and wine list in its Qsine specialty restaurant, which debuted this year on the Equinox, and its ships are home to “Celebrity iLounges,” equipped with MacBook workstations. Guests on board can take courses and get tips on Mac and iPod use.

“We knew our guests would relish yet another opportunity to capitalize on the latest technology in an entertaining, enriching way,” says Celebrity’s senior vice president of Hotel Operations, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

Celebrity Cruises photo


Delta Air Lines announces Delta Assist for Facebook

by Justin Delaney on

Delta Assist on Twitter has been a winning investment for the nation’s largest carrier. By utilizing the social networking site, Delta has been able to cater a niche customer service product to a vociferous audience — a product well lauded by the travel community.

Now, they’re taking that success to Facebook. With the program that launches today, Delta plans to be the world’s first mover in what could one day be a standard in customer service – completely comprehensive customer support without having to leave the social networking site. A special tab will be used within Facebook to allow for customers to communicate their service issues with Delta representatives.

Reached for comment, Allison Ausband, the VP of sales, reservations, and customer service for Delta, said:

“Our Facebook community told us that in addition to listening, we also needed to offer a way for customers to give feedback and get help with any travel issue. This feedback challenged us to reshape our online customer support strategy to establish Delta Assist as a comprehensive social media customer support program operating beyond just Twitter and into other social media channels where our customers are engaged.”

On the surface, this is a small change to a moderately comprehensive customer service approach being pioneered by Delta. But it’s an indicator of the industry movement. More and more people online are using social media as a means to communicate as consumers, and if Delta can see this demand quickly and respond to it then they’re going to quickly have an advantage over the competition.

flickr image via eisenbahner

Gogo Inflight Internet launches mobile connection apps

by Scott Carmichael on

Gogo Inflight Internet user with an Apple iPhone, iPod touch or a Blackberry? Thanks to a pair of new mobile apps, getting your mobile device online is now easier than ever.

Instead of finding the hotspot name and manually logging in, these new apps do all the hard work for you.

The process is simple – download and install the app, and enter your Gogo Inflight user name and password. If you don’t have a Gogo Inflight account, you can sign up for one on their site, or from within the mobile app.

The apps are available in your mobile market, search for “gogo inflight” in the iTunes market or Blackberry App World or click on the links on the Gogo Inflight mobile app page. We’ve been told that an Android version of the app is on its way.

Inflight Internet on a mobile device is available starting at just $4.95 (on flights under 1.5 hours). For frequent fliers, you can also opt for a $19.95 all you can eat connection pass, valid on a single airline.

SXSW: 5 last minute accommodation options

by Elizabeth Seward on

Austin’s biggest festival, South by Southwest, is just around the ever-closer corner. And most decent hotels in town are fully booked. The decent hotels with remaining vacancy, if there are any left, will be charging you for the luxury of staying in a hotel during SXSW. So what’s a film, interactive, and music-lover to do? Bypass the entire festival? No. I don’t think so. Instead, get creative with your search for accommodations. Here are 5 options for last minute SXSW accommodations.

AirBnB has been targeting Austin residents for a while in preparation for this event. There are still rooms available on AirBnB and, if I had to guess, you’ll have more fun staying with some insta-friends than you will holed up in a hotel room too expensive or too far out of town.

HomeAway also still remains a viable Austin SXSW option. With a focus on vacation rentals of all sorts, you’ll see more Austin area destination rentals on HomeAway, like Lake Travis, with your initial search. Dig a little deeper though and there are still some decent close-enough properties up for grabs.
CouchSurfing still exists, despite the growing number of websites offering home owners and renters actual money for sharing their living space. So don’t knock it until you try it and try it if you’re stuck. Especially if you’re stuck, broke, and believe in karma.


Craigslist and its users have secured my housing several times. Although sites like AirBnB are more user-friendly and safeguarding than Craigslist, you definitely still have a chance at securing SXSW accommodations on this always-mysterious original online bulletin board.

Friends and friends of friends. Relatives and relatives of relatives. It may seem far-fetched, but ask around. Maybe you’ve exhausted your internal lists of connections for crashing in Austin and maybe you’ve already asked everyone on Facebook. But don’t draw the line there. Ask those close to you if they know anyone trustworthy in Austin you might be able to crash with. Offer your potential hosts some money for their time and space, cleaning services, and tell them you’ll chip in on drinks and food. Top that off with a warmly-welcomed gift (Out of ideas? A bottle of wine often does the trick) and you might just have yourself a home with some not-so-strange strangers.

Finally, here’s a tip for the road: If you wind up using any of the above accommodation options for SXSW, that means you’ll be staying in someone else’s home. Do not, I repeat, do not get so drunk amid SXSW festivities that you embarrass yourself or damage property. Especially if that whole ‘believing in karma’ line above resonated with you.