If you happen to be on the road a lot or are frequently on business trips, then you know the importance of being able to stay as well connected to your clients, co-workers, friends and family as much as possible. You also know that using your mobile devices such as a smartphone or a tablet PC, with the proper mobile applications, can be of great assistance in helping you do so.
But with all of the overwhelming number of apps that are available on the market right now, allowing you to constantly receive email or text messages, get instant updated weather reports, or any other travel or business updates that are important to you when you’re away from home. So we rounded up some of the most useful of these apps to make your next trip as enjoyable and stress free as possible.
The Top Mobile Apps When Away From Home
Yelp Mobile Smartphone App
Yelp.com established itself as one of the most popular social interaction sites on the Internet that offers local or any city that you may be in, unbiased reviews and ratings for restaurants, hotels or shops which are written by real people. There is also a free Yelp app that offers the same functionality along with some added mobile specific features, allowing you to find that perfect diner or hotel a lot easier when traveling in an unfamiliar locale.
If you own a smartphone or a tablet, either an iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android or a Palm Pre device, you can then download the Yelp app and quickly search for places to eat, or find places of interest using the location finder. You will also be able to instantly view photos of the restaurants, read real user reviews as well as look at the menu. You can also customize the searches using whatever criteria that you choose.
Yelp also on its mobile app has an “augmented reality” feature, which allows you to point your smartphone at any business and then get an information based overlay of the establishment in real time.
Mobile App For MapQuest
If you’re on the road and in an unfamiliar city and just hate asking for directions, then you need a map, detailed maps with accurate directions as well as GPS navigation. What may also come in handy is constantly updated “in real-time” traffic reports, allowing you to take the quickest route to your destination without ever getting lost.
You need the MapQuest 4 Mobile app, which includes all of these features along with voice activated navigation giving you exact – turn left, turn right or go straight directions, as well as mobile maps directly from MapQuests Web site. The “real time” traffic updates also refreshes every five minutes as well.
The MapQuest 4 Mobile app also has an Auto Re-route feature, which automatically adjusts your route, if you happened to miss your turn or an exit. You will also be able to select the Energy Savings option, which consumes less battery power. The MapQuest 4 Mobile app is free for the iPhone, the iPad, and for Android powered devices.
DriveSafe.ly Mobile App Enterprise Edition
DriveSafe.ly is an app available for the BlackBerry and the Android smartphones, an app for Windows Phone 7 and the iPhone should be available soon. What drivesafe.ly does is it will read out your emails and your text messages that you receive on your mobile, “out-loud” for you while you’re driving. You will also be able to set up customized responses so you can keep conversations ongoing without the need of taking your hands off the steering wheel.
The DriveSafe.ly Enterprise Edition is designed specifically and primarily for the business traveler since it features built-in encryption technology for sensitive business emails and text. There is also a free version that’s available.
An App For The Weather Channel
Keeping track of and knowing in advance what type of weather to expect is extremely important when traveling, or when driving on the road, so you’ll be able to prepare in advance for any possible potential delays as well as changing your plans accordingly.
So using the Weather Channel Max app, which is available for the iPhone and the iPad, will provide you with extensive up to date weather coverage which includes maps, traffic cams and live radar in some areas.
You will be able to save multiple locations at once, which is important if you’re traveling from one city to another. You will also be able to easily find current weather conditions in that area as well. There is a nominal charge for the iPhone version while the iPad version is currently free. There’s also a Desktop Max version that’s downloadable to your laptop as well.
Automilez Mobile App
There are times when it can get difficult to remember exactly when or where you started your current trip, and where it ended, so that you’ll be able to keep track of the mileage traveled. This is important for mileage reimbursed purposes when business traveling to various locations. The Automilez app which uses a GPS feature, will automatically track that mileage for you for each trip that you’ve taken, and will create detailed logs as well.
Once Automilez creates a trip log, you’ll have a choice of either sending the report by email or just keeping it on your smartphone. You’ll also be able to view all of your individual trips or see the detailed sum of your year to date mileage traveled.
Automilez is currently a free app available for the iPhone and the iPad. It supports detailed logs in both miles or kilometers, allowing you to use it in North America or abroad.
Concur Mobile App
The Concur app, which is available for the iPhone and the iPad, makes it a lot easier for you to manage all of your expenses, your receipts, and much much more. You’ll be able to take images of your receipts using your mobile device’s camera, create an expense report, and then submit it using the app. The Concur Mobile app will allow you to track all of your flight statuses, search for local hotels, or find a place to eat or places to shop from multiple airports.
You can also book a taxi online directly from your mobile device using the links to Taxi Magic which are provided. The app at this time is free to download, but only for the Apple mobile products. You must however be a member of either Concur Expense, Concur Travel or Concur Breeze, which you can sign up at Concur’s (www.concur.com).
Kayak Mobile App
Every trip you take, whether on business or leisure, usually requires three essential components that you’ll need:
• Your flight details
• Your hotel arrangements and possibly
• A rental car
The Kayak app which is free, and available for the iPhone, the iPad, Blackberry, Android and Windows Phone 7 will keep track of this for you.
This app will help you keep track of your travel itinerary, as well as look for deals on the best car rental deals, hotel prices and flights, while keeping you updated on your trip and flight status. You will also be able to find airline information or book trips directly from your smartphone or tablet device. The PRO version, which is $0.99c and available for the iPhone, has all of the same features without the ads.
Poynt Mobile App
So you the tired exhausted road warrior, will need to take some time off, you need a break now and then, which is the exact reason why Poynt is an excellent app for those who need to kick back a bit and find some deserved entertainment while traveling.
Using the Poynt app, you’ll be able to search for local restaurants, businesses or movie theaters, and purchase those movie tickets directly online, or make dinner reservations from your smartphone. The built-in GPS feature will find your exact location and then display the results for establishments in your immediate area.
Poynt however isn’t just for entertainment, it also features important information such as local gas prices as well as weather updates. Poynt is a free app to download, available for the iPhone, the iPad, Android OS, BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone 7 devices.
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