Product Reviews Net » Travel http://www.product-reviews.net Information on the latest gadgets, technology, news and product reviews Sun, 27 May 2012 11:45:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Simplicity with Google’s flight search engine http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/09/14/simplicity-with-googles-flight-search-engine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=simplicity-with-googles-flight-search-engine http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/09/14/simplicity-with-googles-flight-search-engine/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:54:53 +0000 Daniel Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=140587 When it comes to booking a flight it can become a bit overwhelming sometimes, which is due to the amount of different services available to the traveler. What service should you trust and use?

This job has become a whole lot simpler thanks to the new Google flight search engine, which has been launched today, and was helped by technology Google bought for around three quarters of a billion dollars, from ITA Software.

When you run flight related queries like “flights from LAX”, or “flights from NYC”, you should see an airplane logo and the word flights on the left of a Google search. Clicking this will show you the google.com/flights page, and results for the flights you may want to book.

At the time of writing we cannot see this link on the left of related searches, but have seen the results directly above the normal search results. By visiting the google.com/flights page you can go directly to the new service, and experience it for yourself.

Just like most of Google’s products, the service works extremely fast and looks simple. There are plans to expand the service in the coming weeks for a better range of plane tickets, but at this time you should only see flights for a limited amount of U.S. cities.

For a visual look at how the new flight search works you should see the official video below this article. Let us know what you think of Google’s flight search tool, and if you plan to use it when shopping for tickets?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/09/14/simplicity-with-googles-flight-search-engine/feed/ 1 How not to gain weight on a cruise: apps and weight loss http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/06/15/how-not-to-gain-weight-on-a-cruise-apps-and-weight-loss/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-not-to-gain-weight-on-a-cruise-apps-and-weight-loss http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/06/15/how-not-to-gain-weight-on-a-cruise-apps-and-weight-loss/#comments Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:24:34 +0000 Daniel Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=134671 Those of our readers that have been on a cruise ship before will know that learning how not to gain weight on a cruise is more complicated than it first looks, and this is made harder by the amount of free food on offer. Having been on a few cruises and with 3 booked up for 2011 and 2012, we have a few tips for you.

We’re Product Reviews after all, so lets point you in the direction of a few apps we found handy to help you while cruising. Time is something on your side when at sea, so reading and using apps is something that can be done with ease, which makes iOS and Android apps perfect for when on a cruise ship.

Apps will help you educate yourself on what food to eat, yes the steak and pork looks nice but there are other tasty options on offer that can stop you putting on weight, and could help you lose weight while on a cruise. Fish, greens and fruit are something we love and the variety on a cruise is amazing.

One app we found that helps you analyze your own food choices and diet is called “Healthy Foods – Calories and Nutritions”, and another more insightful app called “Health Solutions Nutrition” answers a lot about the foods and how they affect your body. Both of these apps are found on Apple’s App Store.

There are thousands of apps for iOS alone, so forget magazines and think applications that both teach you and monitor how your health and fitness are. This doesn’t need to rule your holiday, but will help you monitor and learn what to eat.

My first cruise saw a weight gain of over one stone in 2-weeks, but with a little education the second cruise saw a gain of just one pound, and that was with a lot of eating, although these were healthier foods.

Technology is not a miracle worker; think of apps as educators. There are other small things you can do on a cruise like use steam rooms and the gym just for an hour a day, and if that’s too much then think about using the stairs rather than lifts if your in ok health as this alone can help you lose weight.

Waiters will be at your side all through your cruise, and its not the cost of the drinks that could hurt you most, rather the calories in some drinks can top 500. Educate yourself on the calories in food and also drinks, one app called “QuickkaCalories” will monitor the food intake but there are also apps for drinks.

Learning how to keep the weight down on a cruise will not be easy, but do enough of the right things, have fun, and you will come home feeling relaxed and maybe lighter.

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/06/15/how-not-to-gain-weight-on-a-cruise-apps-and-weight-loss/feed/ 0 Best kids travel games: Car bingo is your best bet, any advances? http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/06/09/best-kids-travel-games-car-bingo-is-your-best-bet-any-advances/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=best-kids-travel-games-car-bingo-is-your-best-bet-any-advances http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/06/09/best-kids-travel-games-car-bingo-is-your-best-bet-any-advances/#comments Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:38:41 +0000 Alan Ng http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=133933 We have some good news for those of you who are looking for the best kids travel games, as we have a variety of games which can ensure that the kids are fully equipped with anti-boredom material, while you sit back and enjoy a hassle free trip.

The best thing about travel games in the car, is that the only thing you need most of the time is your imagination, i.e no need to trouble yourself packing board games and so on.

One such game which is a popular choice amongst parents is car bingo. This requires children to draw up a list of 10 items that they think they will see whilst out in the car. This needs to be done before they travel obviously, with each child needing a different list for it to work. Once you have begun your trip, simply call off items on your list as you see them, and the first person to complete the list is the winner.

Another travel game which is popular and also a well known classic is I Spy. Everyone knows the rules to this one, but it may only be worthwhile if you have young children, otherwise you may find yourself getting dirty looks from elder children.

Failing that, you might want to see if the kids are up for playing the geography game. The rules of this game requires a child to start by naming a state, country or place. The next child needs to say the next word which starts with the ending letter of the previous word, so for example a starting word of New York would be followed up by Kentucky and so on.

Try some of these games now, we’d say car bingo is your best bet for keeping the kids entertained on a long trip, full details can be found over at eHow here. We’ve also included a link here to ‘MomsMinivan’ which contains some other useful information on this topic.

What is your best travel game for kids?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/06/09/best-kids-travel-games-car-bingo-is-your-best-bet-any-advances/feed/ 0 mTrip Travel Guides: Now available for Android devices http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/15/mtrip-travel-guides-now-available-for-android-devices/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mtrip-travel-guides-now-available-for-android-devices http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/15/mtrip-travel-guides-now-available-for-android-devices/#comments Sat, 15 Jan 2011 15:39:04 +0000 Gary Johnson http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=118813 These days when people go on vacations or trips, it is much easier getting helpful information at your finger tips via applications for portable devices. There are a lot of great travel guides available none more so than the mTrip Travel Guides.

We have told you before about these great travel guides available for iOS devices before, and now the company based in Montreal has recently brought them to owners of Android devices. Each of the guides are used completely offline except for sharing and updates.

Using an augmented reality to display all the places of interest in your chosen guide, users can get offline navigation by foot or subway. There is automated itineraries which can also be customized by the user, and content is updated daily free of charge.

New guides are being added all the time with currently thirteen available for Europe, North America has four, and Asia there is three guides. Users can share their trips with personalized e-postcards via email and Facebook, and the guides have received some great reviews from users and publications such as The New York Times. See a demo video of the guides below.

Each guide is available for the great price of $5.99, and you can get them here.

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/15/mtrip-travel-guides-now-available-for-android-devices/feed/ 0 Cheapest Rental Cars In Your Area: Find With Apps http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/13/cheapest-rental-cars-in-your-area-find-with-apps/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cheapest-rental-cars-in-your-area-find-with-apps http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/13/cheapest-rental-cars-in-your-area-find-with-apps/#comments Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:42:48 +0000 Peter Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=118809 How many times have you wanted to search for the cheapest rental cars in your area, but were overwhelmed when you did a search on Google, Bing or Yahoo? Well there are other ways to help you find just what you want, as well as sorting by the nearest location to you, and that’s with apps for Apple iOS devices.

The first app that we have found for you is called ‘Rental Car Sites’ and you will be pleased to know that this one is free. Te developers of this app knows just how difficult it can be sometimes when looking for a rental car site. Once you turn the app on it will use the GPS system in your handset to locate the nearest to you, as well as give you website details and a phone number.

The second app we have found for you is called ‘iLocate – Car Rentals’ and only cost $0.99. Some of the main features include: easy scroll system, view by map or list, huge searchable database, one click contacts and so much more.

The third app is ‘CarRentals.com’ and is also free. There are more than 15,000 car rental companies in the database, and searches much like the other two apps above. What we like about this app is how you can search for the cheapest cars available or if you would much rather a bit of luxury instead.

The final app that we thought we would show you is from ‘Hertz Car Rental’ and again is free. Some people looking to rent a car would much rather stick to one company, as they can often save more money for being a Club Member. The best thing is, as you will be an iPhone user there are special discounts put in place just for you.

These are just a few apps that are available, which one do you use?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/13/cheapest-rental-cars-in-your-area-find-with-apps/feed/ 0 FAA Flight Tracker Live and Tracking via iPhone App http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/12/faa-flight-tracker-live-and-tracking-via-iphone-app/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=faa-flight-tracker-live-and-tracking-via-iphone-app http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/12/faa-flight-tracker-live-and-tracking-via-iphone-app/#comments Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:18:49 +0000 Peter Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=118716 There is nothing worse than a delayed flight; it’s not only a pain for those on the flight, but for those who are waiting to pick someone up from the airport as well. There are those who always call the airline before they travel to see if there is any issue with their flight, where others just go to the airport – like myself – and hope for the best. Things are now much easier for the traveler with the FAA Flight tracker Live service and a number of apps that also do the same job.

Before we get too ahead of ourselves here, we just need to inform you that the FAA service is not a flight tracker as such, but it does offer flight delay details direct from the ‘Air Traffic Control System Command Center’, so it only gives you general airport conditions.

One of if not the most accurate flight checkers on the Internet has to be on Flytecomm.com. The service is free and offers you details on flights going in and out of the U.S. and Canada. Not only can you get updates on flights, but also if there are any delays. This service is updated every 5 minutes, which is very valuable when waiting for someone’s plane to land.

Looking on the App Shopper website we can see that there are a number of apps designed to track a flight for a number of the main airlines, which we covered in a recent post here. However, one of the most popular apps has to be Flightwise Flight Tracker. There are two version of this, the Lite version that costs $0.99 or the Pro version, which costs $9.99. Neither version is intended for public use; it is more for the “aviation professionals and enthusiasts.” If you are looking for apps that just offers flight delay details, then read our previous article.

What service do you use to track flights?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/12/faa-flight-tracker-live-and-tracking-via-iphone-app/feed/ 0 Affordable Romantic Getaways: Apps for Florida, Mexico, Arizona http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/11/affordable-romantic-getaways-apps-for-florida-mexico-arizona/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=affordable-romantic-getaways-apps-for-florida-mexico-arizona http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/11/affordable-romantic-getaways-apps-for-florida-mexico-arizona/#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:27:52 +0000 Peter Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=118656 Whenever your wife says to you that she would like to go on a romantic getaway with you, the first thought you have is the expensive. The reason you think this is because you immediately think of the Maldives, the Seychelles and other such places. However, there are more affordable options, such as Arizona, Florida and New Mexico.

Just remember that it is not all about the price though, as you need to make certain that you are taking your wife or girlfriend to a place that they will enjoy, and that is where the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch comes in. There are a number of apps on the market just for this sort of thing, and App Shopper will help you find them.

To give you an example the first app that we came across is called ‘Romantic Getaways In Arizona’ and costs $6.99. You could search for a free one, but this application offers you details on all the best places to go for eating walking along the beach and also the best resorts. You can get more details by visiting App Shopper.

There’s also a host of location in Florida for those looking for a romantic getaway, with the Space Coast, Daytona, and Vero Beach being some of them. The bad news is this app cost more than the one above, $7.99. We know that this is meant to be the sunshine state, but every time I have been there it has either rained or been cold. Read more details.

Romantic Getaways In New Mexico has been developed by Don & Marge Young and also costs $6.99. This app has been written by a couple, so they should know what other couples looking for a quiet time will want – just hope its worth the price? More details can be found here.

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2011/01/11/affordable-romantic-getaways-apps-for-florida-mexico-arizona/feed/ 0 American Flight Status: Apps For Airlines http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/27/american-flight-status-apps-for-airlines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=american-flight-status-apps-for-airlines http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/27/american-flight-status-apps-for-airlines/#comments Sat, 27 Nov 2010 10:40:51 +0000 Peter Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=115266 This is a busy part of the year for traveling, as people who work overseas plan to come back home for the holiday season. For those who travel to various destinations in the U.S., it is important to keep an eye on the status of American flights. The easiest way to do this is with an app for the airline that you are traveling with.

Years ago you used to have to phone the airline in person, which as you would imagine was a long-drawn out process, these iPhone / iPad apps have taken all that hassle away now. There are so many apps from these airline companies that I would not have enough time to discuss them all this week, so I will look at just a couple.

The first app (American Airlines HD) is available for the iPhone and the iPad, with the latter offering a few more extra features. Not only will you get flight information updates, but also a mobile boarding pass screen; view your personal flight details and so much more. This app is free for more details visit Appshopper.

However, the Virgin Atlantic Flight Tracker looks to be the better app of the two. You can also keep up-to-date on your flight, and you get almost real-time locations of Virgin flights around the globe. You can also see a rough flight plan of the aircraft as well. This app is also free, details can be found on Appshopper.

View more apps here and here. Would you use an app to check the status of a flight?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/27/american-flight-status-apps-for-airlines/feed/ 0 Thanksgiving 2010: Travel Apps Help Out http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/01/thanksgiving-2010-travel-apps-help-out/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thanksgiving-2010-travel-apps-help-out http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/01/thanksgiving-2010-travel-apps-help-out/#comments Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:17:44 +0000 Peter Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=112310 When you ask some people about Thanksgiving, they automatically think of travel; this is what then makes me think about the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”. No other movie symbolizes the travel chaos that a huge number of people have to take to reach a range of destination in the U.S.

However, for those of you who have watched the movie, you will know that planning your trip back home is now much easier thanks to the range of travel apps designed to help you out. Do remember one thing though, there are a number of things that you need to remember before you start booking.

Never before has there been a range of travel apps designed to get you the best deals, and advice on where you plan to stay - if you are not staying at home. One thing I would suggest – book now before it is too late; how would you feel if you had to pay $150 more for a flight because you left it another couple of weeks?

Some of the best travel apps has to be TripAdvisor, KAYAK, amongst others. Not only can you book the flights and accommodation, the latter will even ping you to let you know if a flight has dropped to the destination you was looking at. These are just two apps available, which is your travel app of choice for Thanksgiving 2010?

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]]> http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/01/thanksgiving-2010-travel-apps-help-out/feed/ 1 iOS Apps: Find The Cheapest Hotels And Flights http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/01/ios-apps-find-the-cheapest-hotels-and-flights/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ios-apps-find-the-cheapest-hotels-and-flights http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/01/ios-apps-find-the-cheapest-hotels-and-flights/#comments Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:18:08 +0000 Peter Chubb http://www.product-reviews.net/?p=112316 If we were to go back about 15 years, there were only a limited amount of ways to find cheap hotels and flights. However, the pace of technology has made this a much simpler task now, thanks to the introduction of apps, none more so that the iPhone and its range of applications for iOS.

There is a range available to you on the App Store, such as TripAdvisor Hotels Flights Restaurants. This offers so much more than your standard travel app because before you book you can read reviews and view photos before you go ahead and make your booking, which you can also do via this app; more details on iTunes.

Another cool app is KAYAK HD, so you know that this one is for the iPad. This makes finding a flight even easier than on the iPhone, as the largest screen makes it far easier to use when searching. Not only that, you can also view a huge range of hotels in a city where you plan to travel to, as well as read about all what there is to do in that area. The app is free; visit iTunes for more information.

One of the better class apps has to be the British Airways iPhone app. Using this app will allow you to log in to your Executive Club account; from there you will then be able to view your flight details, download your boarding pass and much more. Visit BA for more details.

If you are planning a trip in New York, then the New York Adventure Guide for iPhone will be perfect for you.

What apps do you use for finding cheap hotels and flights?

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