Survival guide app

by Jason Heflin on
No one likes to think of the bad things that could happen on a trip. But what would you do if you survived a plane crash, were caught in a terrorist attack, or encountered a tsunami while on vacation? Well wonder no more iphone users. The SAS Survival Guide has been around in book form for over twenty years but now there’s an app.

John “Lofty” Wiseman spent years as a soldier and instructor for the SAS, an elite British fighting unit. In the app, Lofty guides the reader through a myriad of nightmare scenarios. Stranded atop an icy mountain? Covered. Need to know what local plants are edible? Check. Stuck in a forest fire with no obvious escape? No worries. The guide provides detailed information on all these would-be disasters. The app will cost $6.99 at itunes and is compatible with the ipad and ipod touch as well.

Although the guide is a great read, and the bulit-in survival quiz is fun for parties and around the campfire, the practicality of using it on-demand in some of these situations is questionable. For instance, if your plane were to crash land in the ocean your cell phone would be wet and useless. Then what? You are stranded on a mountaintop in the Himalaya and your phone runs out of battery. Tough luck. To get the most out of the guide read it before the disaster strikes.

The app holds interest by utilizing several interactive features including the survival quiz, an instructional video, and even a morse code feature that will turn your iphone into a beeping/flashing communicator. These make it fun for the user to learn a bit more about surviving if and when disaster strikes. That can’t be a bad thing when the shit hits the fan.

StreamThru for iPhone – the ultimate all-in-one trip manager?

by Scott Carmichael on

Last week, the developers of a new iPhone app asked me to take a look at their newest creation – now, I’ll admit right away that I get about 30 of these requests a week, and a large portion of them are just not “travely” enough for Gadling. But in the case of this app – I’ve been taken by surprise and may have found a new favorite travel app.

StreamThru is a mobile travel assistant that takes all the best parts of many other travel apps, and turns it into a single all-in-one assistant.

With StreamThru, you can email your travel itinerary to their service, and it’ll automatically add your trip to your online StreamThru account. Those trips can then be viewed inside the iPhone app. But the best part is the amazing amount of information included inside the app.

Not only do you get your schedule, but you can also check the weather, airport amenities, information on how to get from terminal to terminal, airport terminal guides, city guides, local events, phone numbers and more.

Flights can be added using the email option, or by manually entering it into the app – which is assisted by a flight schedule system – so you only need to enter the date and city pair, and StreamThru will display all available flights. Once flights are entered, StreamThru will notify you of any flight changes and status updates.

Itineraries can also be accessed using the web, where you’ll also find additional (paid) add-ons like daily weather reports and a destination assistant feature that provides phone based translation services.

All in all I’m amazed by the app – but the best part is that it is (currently) free of charge. The app is also available for Nokia devices, and can be found in the Ovi store.

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GateGuru 1.5 adds JetBlue leaderboard contest, maps, local ads and more

by Scott Carmichael on

In the world of mobile apps, not much pleases me more than watching a great app slowly evolve into something amazing.

Take for example GateGuru. We first mentioned this fantastic app last year – and since then, the developers have slowly been adding new features.

In its latest version, Gateguru 1.5 really takes things to the next level – the app has added a leaderboard contest, maps and localized ads.

The new leaderboard contest is an awesome way to rewards active users. As you may already know, a lot of the content inside GateGuru comes from travelers – and when you add tips, new amenities or rate a current location, you earn points.

If you earn the most points in your area, you’ll win a $100 JetBlue gift card. The national leader will be awarded two JetBlue tickets. This contest is one of the largest ever held with prizes awarded for virtual points.

The maps are another very welcome addition – it means you can now look up an amenity, and find your way to it, all without having to stop and ask for directions.

With the localized ad feature, you are presented with ads that offer discounts for stores at your airport. During my test, I was offered a rent 1 – get 2 DVD offer for the nearby InMotion airport store. Seriously – if you are going to put ads in an app, this is the kind of stuff I love seeing. The ad discount was worth $5, and all you need to do is show the ad to the store clerk, and you get your discount.

All in all some brilliant improvements – and best of all, the app is still free of charge from the App store.

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Griffin Technology PowerDuo Reserve review – iPhone/iPod power at home, in a car and on the go

by Scott Carmichael on

Here on Gadling, we’ve covered quite a few portable battery packs in the past – and most of them are relatively straightforward (and boring). The new Griffin PowerDuo Reserve is the first truly interesting and innovative power product I’ve seen in a long time. The product consists of three parts – an AC charger (the PowerBlock Reserve), a DC/car charger (the PowerJolt Reserve) and a 500mAh ipod/iPhone battery pack (the Reserve Battery).

The combination of these three products delivers a power solution that can charge your device at home, in a car or on the go. Best of all, the AC and car chargers are designed to charge and dock with the reserve battery.

At home, you can plug your iPod/iPhone USB cable into the AC charger, while charging the battery pack. When you leave on a trip, you can unplug the charger, fold in the prongs and pack it away. Then, if you need some backup power, you simply undock the battery pack and plug it into your device. The same applies to the car charger.

Both the AC and car charger deliver 1 AMP of power – which means your device will charge much faster than many of the low cost (and low power) solutions on the market.

The AC charger is rated for 100-240 Volts, so with the appropriate plug adapter, you’ll be able to use it anywhere in the world.

The 500mAh Reserve Battery is by no means the most powerful on the market, but it’ll be enough to add a couple of hours of use to your device. On the front of the battery is a power status button and 5 green LED’s show the remaining capacity.

The Griffin Technology PowerDuo Reserve is a very well designed power solution – for a single purchase price ($59.99) , you get three chargers in one, with the ability to keep your device going, no matter what kind of situation you are in.

The parts are also available separately, so if you only need the AC or car charger, you can mix and match. The Reserve Battery is also available separately ($19.99) – which means you can order a spare and be sure you never run out of power on the go.

Product links:

PowerDuo Reserve
PowerBlock Reserve
PowerJolt Reserve
Reserve Battery

Griffin Travel Stand for iPod and iPhone reviewed

by Scott Carmichael on

The Griffin Technology Travel Stand for iPod and iPhone is one of the the smartest little gadgets I’ve reviewed in a long time. Despite not consisting of much more than a small case and rubber headphone winder, this product fulfills multiple tasks in one.

When closed, it is a great case for your headphones – keeping them wound around the included rubber wrapper. But when you open it up, this little marvel becomes a brilliant little movie watching stand for your device. Despite the name, the travel stand works perfectly with almost any player on the market – including most mobile phones and small media tablets.

How good is the Travel Stand for iPod and iPhone? Well, when I first saw it, it made me furious. Furious because I didn’t invent it. The whole thing is ridiculously simply, yet so perfectly executed.

Headphones store neatly inside the stand when not in use.

And the whole thing folds up into a neat little headphone case.

The viewing angle is perfect, and rubber feat on the bottom prevent it from sliding around on your airline tray table.

Best of all, the Griffin Travel Stand for iPod and iPhone retails for just $14.99 (though I have already seen it at the local Walmart for under $10!).

If you have ever struggled with watching a movie on your flight, this is one $15 you won’t regret investing – even if it is just to keep your headphones protected. You’ll find this brilliant little product at Griffintechnology.com or your local electronics retail store.