3 great snow apps for your next ski break
For many skiers the information weapon of choice is an app and the good news is you dont need to be a nerd with a head the side of a garden shed to understand how to use one. These days apps are simplier, smarter and faster so here are a three we think you should consider;
The Snow Report
Brought to your iPhone by The North Face, this snow report app looks clean and simple and does exactly what you would expect. If you’re planning a trip or already on your way, The Snow Report will give you up-to-date snow conditions in just a few seconds. You might get more information than you need, but the app’s design is clean, simple and easy to use. Get the latest weather updates, snowfall figures and even some real reports from skiers on the mountains.
Check out these features;
• International resort information (Metric results available in Settings)
• Resort Twitter feeds
• The North Face® News feed
• Avalanche advisory
• Image gallery
• Resort-based snow conditions with 24, 48 & 72 hour totals
• 5-day forecasts, including the day’s highs and lows and wind speed
• Trail maps
• Direct links to resort website and detailed forecast information
• The North Face® store locator
• Select, save and arrange your favourite resorts
• Pinpoint your resort location with Google maps
• Push notification alerts you when a “favourite” resorts gets snow
Although this app has been around for a while the recent newer version does seem a little sluggish. You can get more information about this app from itunes
Ski Location
Ski Location offers a vast amount of information on mountain areas across the globe. Information is currently available for 44 countries with over 1,000 locations listed.. and counting.. Skier, snowboarder, adrenaline junkie, alpine expert, mountaineer, ski guide, hiker, cyclist or just a general mountain goat - if you're interested in the hills then this app is for you!
Check out these features;
- News Feeds: Mountain news from around the world filtered and collated in the app. Constantly reviewed and filtered to stay relevant
- Live Weather: View the latest weather summary for an area.
- Peak Locations: Record your high altitude exploits right on your iPhone! Simply open PeakLocation, add a high point and your altitude and location will be stored on the phone
- Favourites: Mark several of the resorts in the app as "favourites" allowing you to quickly access them from the main menu
- Resorts: Searchable, List all the resorts at once or list them divided by country, top 50 resorts by altitude, you have the ability to filter all resort lists by name. This gives you the ability to very quickly jump to any resort
This app claims to be the ultimate guide to mountain locations worldwide and I have to say that its not far from it. The app is relevant and useful and the reviews I have seen at itunes don't have a bad word to say about it. You can find out more at http://www.peaklocation.com
Snocator
An app built for snow sport addicts by snow sports addicts! The Snocator iPhone app which uses location-enabled interactive trail maps to show you where you are on the mountain, with all the nearby lifts, runs, lodges, terrain parks, and more. Snocator also gets you the latest snow reports, surface and weather conditions, mountain cams, and up-to-the minute forecasts.
Check out these features;
Snocator gives you all the tools you need as a skier or snowboarder, on or off the mountain.
On the mountain:
See your current location on a map and what trail you're on (note: this will be less accurate for non-GPS iPhones)
Plan your next runs using interactive trail maps
Find the nearest spot to warm up, grab lunch, or get a hot drink
Find your friends - coming soon
Track your runs, speed, and vertical (and show it off on a map, later) - coming soon
Check the latest weather forecasts
Off the mountain:
Get snow reports: search resorts in order of largest snowfall and proximity to you
Check out views of the mountain from real-time mountain cams
Keep a list of your favourite resorts
Find the nearest resorts to you
Track your progress en-route to the slopes and see how far away you are
Although this app does boast a lot of features some reviews have been less satisfied with the quality and coverage it offers. This apps strongest feature has to be the 'location-enabled interactive trail maps' but remember this relies on GPS. Check out the apps full info at their website http://www.snocator.com you can also check some independent reviews at itunes
So thats the apps sorted, now all you need is a place to stay. Search Bargain Villas for your next ski holiday property.
7 Good sightseeing Apps!
Although I am a fairly well traveled nerd its fair to say that after a few days of bodging my way aroud I always have a flick through a local signtseeing book for a little insperation. However these days its pretty simple to get your eyeballs on some local knowledge with the help of your smartphone - here are 5 great Apps to consider;
Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) – 35 city guides for iPhones, with useful listings, maps and images. The newest development is Compass Guide apps for Google Android phones, an augmented reality guide to various cities (only available in the US at present).
Wallpaper (www.wallpaper.com) – 10 city guides including Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Berlin and New York. Simple to use and stylish, with useful cross-references.
Footprint (www.footprintbooks.com) – about to launch destination guides for Peru, Brazil and Argentina, with a South Africa guide launching in time for the World Cup. Good, simple listings and inspiring photographs, plus reader reviews.
AroundMe (www.tweakersoft.com/mobile/aroundme.html) – a listings app that uses GPS to tell you about nearby sites, banks, cafés and restaurants.
Of the emerging augmented reality apps, some of the betters ones include Wikitude (www.wikitude.org), Layar (www.layar.com) and Acrossair (www.accrossair.com).
So, thats the Apps sorted now how about the accommodation. Search Bargain Villas for a cheap holiday rental.
3 Cool Travel Gadgets
Freeloader Solar Chargers
This slick pack of solar power is a very neat take anywhere power station. It clips apart easily, you just affix the two solar panel wings to the main unit and it'll soak up the sun turning it into stored power for when you next need it. Once charged, the Freeloaders' internal battery can power an iPod for 18hours, a mobile phone for 44 hours, PSP for 2.5 hours a PDA for 22 hours and much, much more!?
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Digital Luggage Scales
With a set of lightweight Digital Luggage Scale you can weigh all of your cases to make sure they don't exceed the maximum baggage allowance - and they're small and light enough to pop in your handbag.Jetting off around the world on less than the price of an airport sandwich is all well and good, but one pair of sandals too many can have you cursing the god of luggage while airport officials bite a hefty chunk out of your holiday pocket money by way of an extortionate excess baggage charge - and that's just on the flight out. If, like lots of inebriated tourists tend to do, you find yourself inexplicably drawn to that wicker donkey you spied in Alicante (it's going to look just fabulous next to the chaise lounge, isn't it?) you could find that your cerveza-fuelled impulse buy becomes even costlier when you check in for the flight home.
Perfect for the jet setter who doesn't want to skydive into the red.
For more info, click here: Digital Luggage Scales
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Phone Home For Less With Go-Sim
Holidays are a time to relax, so the last thing you need when you get home is a huge phone bill. Overseas call charges can cost you a fortune but help is at hand to help you keep your costs down.
With GO-SIM it won't cost you the earth to keep in touch, even when you're on the other side of the globe. In fact you can save up to 85% on calls from 175 countries around the world. Or to put it another way, you can chat for up to six times longer than you would with a standard network provider.
As the world's leading supplier of global SIM cards, there are a number of other exciting benefits too. For example, in over 75 countries your incoming calls are FREE. So depending on where you are, you won't have to pay a penny if someone contacts you. You won't get charged for any texts you receive either. Add to that the fact that your GO-SIM card and any credit on it never expires - unlike similar services - and you've got incredible savings for life.
GO-SIM really is the perfect travelling companion. You can top up online, anytime, and we'll even give you ?5 or ?20 free airtime to get you off to a flying start. So no matter how far you travel, make sure you pack a GO-SIM card.
For more info click here: Phone Home For Less With Go-Sim
All these handy travel?gadgets and more?can be found at http://www.iwantoneofthose.com
Karl
BargainVillas
karlh@bargainvillas.co.uk
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