Travel

• Apps & Updates
• AAPL Company
• iOS
• iPad
• Travel
• Mobile app

Expedia redesigns its iPad app with combined flight and hotel search

Travel booking website Expedia has revamped its iPad application with a new, tablet-optimized look and improved search. Expedia says that its app is faster at helping you book travel than apps from the competition because of its combined search feature.

You just enter your destination and the app will provide results for both hotels and flights in one panel. The app has a handful of other helpful features, according to Expedia:

• Single Search Box: To eliminate hefty search interfaces, the new tablet app offers a single search box to do the lifting. When a traveler enters a city] name, landmark, or airport code, the app will surface hotels and flights relevant to that query – no dates or specific details are required at the start.
• First-Ever Combined Hotel & Flight Travel Search:For the first time in the industry, combined search has arrived for the travel market. Rather than searching for trips in a rigid, linear progression of flights then hotels, or hotels then flights, Expedia is introducing one combined search that provides both hotel and flight results simultaneously, available all in one glance.
• Collections:Expedia presents various themed travel destinations to spark interest in future journeys. Collections offer customers the opportunity to explore vacation destinations they may not have otherwise considered. Beautiful locations come to life in a particularly compelling way on tablet devices. Collections offer a rich combination of design, mobility and travel research. Content is catered to various regions and will be updated based on traveler feedback.
• Integrated Trip Planning, Booking, & Data, Shared Across Devices:Earlier this year, Expedia introduced Scratchpad in certain markets around the globe. Scratchpad is an easy way to keep track of your travel searches. When a traveler is signed into an Expedia app, trips researched on a tablet device will appear on the desktop or mobile Scratchpad. This allows travelers to begin their travel planning from where they left off – on any device.

A new version for Android tablets is also available. Expedia also has an iPhone version , and both apps are a free universal download on the App Store.

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• Apps
• iOS
• iPhone
• iTunes
• Travel

United Airlines adds passport scanning for international flights to mobile app

The immigration authorities of most countries require airlines to check the passports of their passengers before they are allowed to fly, so if you are making your first international flight with an airline, you have to queue up at check-in instead of downloading your own boarding pass at home. United Airlines is aiming to end this by adding the ability to scan and verify your passport using its mobile app, then head straight to Departures at the airport.

Once you’ve scanned your passport with your iPhone’s camera, the app sends the details to credentials management company Jumio Inc, who verify that your passport is valid which then allows you to download your boarding pass.

If your passport is already registered with United from a previous international flight, you don’t need to scan it again, it is verified automatically.

The bad news is that the system can’t yet verify visas, so if you need a visa for the country you’re visiting, you’ll still need to check-in the old-fashioned way.

You can download the free United Airlines app from iTunes.

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• Google
• maps
• Google Maps
• Gmail

Google Maps for iOS adds mapped search results and Gmail appointments, more

Google today updated its Maps application for iPhone and iPad to version 3.2 introducing new features and improvements.

The latest version of Google Maps now supports viewing search results with descriptions directly on the map view. Gmail users will notice appointments and reservations with addresses will now appear the map view as well. The update supports changing between the map view of results and the list view of results and features an explore view for discovering new locations to try out.

Google Maps 3.2 for iPhone and iPad is out today on the App Store.

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• maps
• MLB
• Travel
• AOL

MapQuest navigation app updated with improved ETAs, baseball guides, airport maps and more

Navigation app MapQuest has been updated to version 4.4, offering more accurate ETAs thanks to better traffic data; an app-specific volume control that allows you to set the voice navigation volume independently of other apps; Ballpark Guides to MLB stadiums and airport maps; and GrubHub integration to allow you to order food from take-out restaurants before the app navigates you there to collect it.
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• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iOS 7
• social
• Travel
• Foursquare

Foursquare 7.0 boasts new redesign and more location intelligence

Foursquare is once again showing off an iOS 7-designed app update and a set of new features with version 7.0.

Foursquare originally updated its user interface in time for iOS 7’s public debut with version 6.3, but today Foursquare is introducing even more changes to its UI for iOS 7.

The app also picked up some additional street smarts with the ability to recommend businesses and locations without the app even being open.

Foursquare 7 for iPhone is available for free on the App Store. (Full change log below)

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• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iPad
• iPhone
• Reviews
• App Store

Review: Hotwire travels to iPad with intuitive app

After arriving on the iPhone late last year, Hotwire, the popular travel discount site for flights and hotels, has arrived on the iPad via an intuitive App Store app. The iPad version launches today as a free, universal update to the existing iPhone app.

The iPad app is very simple to use. From the start screen of the app, a user can input either their current location or another location where they want to travel, check-in/check-out dates, a number of rooms and guests, and tap a single button to immediately search for matching hotels.

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• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• AirPort
• Wi-Fi
• Travel
• subscription

Boingo Wireless’s iOS app updated with $7.99/month subscription billing via iTunes accounts

Boingo Wireless has updated its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch “WiFi Finder” application with the ability to sign up for WiFi hotspot subscriptions with iTunes credentials. Boingo has over 600,000 WiFi hotspots worldwide, and I typically see Boingo hotspots at airports across the country. Being able to sign up via an iTunes-based subcription will make using a Boingo hotspot easier than ever, so even though Boingo is seemingly giving up a 30% cut to Apple for these new subscriptions, their user base will probably grow due to the easier sign up process. The plan via iTunes is $7.99 per month. As it has always done, the WiFi Finder app features a data tracker and a VPN service. The app is available for free on the App Store. 

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