25 Apt Apps for Your Trips

With so many travel apps on the market, finding the best ones can be a daunting task.  The market is flooded with copycats and inferior products. So how do consumers find the best, most reliable apps?

We asked four industry experts for their favorites:

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Mark Stetler is chief executive officer of Appmuse, a company that links businesses and entrepreneurs with smartphone app ideas and application development needs. "It's all about research and looking around the Web to see what those in the know recommend," he says. His recommendations:

ALK CoPilot Live 8 is a solid GPS mapping app with turn-by-turn directions, essential for anyone traveling by car. There are hundreds of direction apps, but this one has received particularly good reviews. (Android, iPhone/iPad, Windows Mobile)
 
Taxi Magic 9 uses the internal GPS to pinpoint your location and send a taxi there. "I downloaded the app and had a taxi at the curb in less than five minutes," says Stetler. (Android, iPhone/iPad, Blackberry)
 
FlightBoard allows you the most current flight and gate information in a simple, user-friendly interface. (iPhone/iPad)
 
KAYAK Pro offers comprehensive travel information such as flight and hotel search and travel planning and management (packing lists, tip calculator, currency converter). (iPhone/iPad, Blackberry, Android, Windows)

Currency converts 100 currencies quickly and easily. (Android, iPhone/iPad)
 
Pageonce lets you manage bank accounts and investments on the road through your mobile device. (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone/iPad, Windows Mobile)
 
GeoTipper tells you tip standards for 42 countries and includes a tipping calculator. (iPhone/iPad)
 
Google Goggles translates when you take a picture of foreign text. (Android, iPhone/iPad)
 
Lingolook Flashcards provide important phrases in Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese and Japanese. (iPhone/iPad)
 
Skype is a popular communication app. Find a WiFi connection and make Skype to Skype calls for free and call landlines for 2 cents per minute. Make video calls, as well. (iPhone/iPad, Blackberry, Window Mobile, Android)

Simon Buckingham, CEO of Appitalism.com, a digital app superstore, says the way to find the best apps is to ask other people, rather than relying on algorithms or advertising. His recommendations:

Road Trip Planner is a configurable road travel planner with everything you need for any road trips (maps, food, gas, etc.). (Android)
 
AAA Mobile Web is a device you hope you'll never to need, but you'll definitely want to have it handy in case of a breakdown. (BlackBerry)
 
iExit quickly communicates where your next interstate stop should be based on your favorite chain brands. (iPhone)

Next: Apps for weather predictions and flight tracking. >>