Georgia, Rene, and special guest Phil Nickinson of Android Central talk tech for business travelers. Whether you’re a road warrior or frequent flyer, or just headed to CES to get with the gadgets, a little planning and a lot of good apps and accessories can make your trips less stressful and far more successful. This is ZENandTECH!

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• Georgia (@GeorgiaTiPb)
• Rene (@reneritchie)
• Phil (@philnickinson)

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You can reach all of us @ZENandTECH, via email at podcast@zenandtech.tv, or leave a comment below!

Thanks everyone, you’re the best community on the web and we love having you with us!

Disclaimer

While Georgia is a therapist, she’s not YOUR therapist. Everything said or implied on this show is for informational and entertainment purposes only. And shouldn’t be taken in any way as a replacement for proper, professional care.

Credits

Music is Peace on Earth by wellman.

School’s out and it’s time for a break from work. Curious which are the absolute best apps and games to take with you on your much deserved summer vacation? Odds are you’ll want to share your adventures, brush up on local attractions, and stay connected while you’re having fun. Luckily there are tons of apps available in the App Store that makes organizing and sharing your vacation from your iPhone super simple.

Whether you want informational apps for your own use or social apps to share, we’ve got you covered. Read on for TiPb’s top 10 most recommended, most must-have summer vacation apps to get your started.

• Top 10 apps for new iPhone owners
• More top apps

Gowalla

For regular everyday check-ins, I typically use Foursquare. But for trips, Gowalla wins hands down. It acts as somewhat of a “digital passport”. They offer stamps and pins for completing trips and checking in at certain places (similar to Foursquare badges).

You can also upload pictures and comments on places that you’ve traveled to. Sometimes you’ll pick up items when you check into places. You can either drop them elsewhere for someone else to find (and to become a founder of a place), or you can choose to add them to your pack where they’ll permanently stay. I’ll typically drop items I’ve picked up more than one of and save more rare and unique items in my pack.

Gowalla also allows you to share check-ins and pictures to Twitter and Facebook as well which makes it even easier to let your friends and family follow along with your adventures.

Free – iTunes Link

Instagram

I use Instagram on almost a daily basis but it’s especially cool for sharing pictures on vacation. Not only does it upload your images to a plethora of services (Twitter, Facebook, etc) – you can also add all kinds of cool filter effects to your photos before uploading them.

I’ve always found uploading photos directly to Facebook to be hit or miss. I always use Instagram now. It’s fast and connects to all the services I want to share to. The user interface is simple and uploading a photo only takes seconds, which is great when you’re constantly on the go and just want to share a quick snapshot.

Free – iTunes Link

TripAdvisor

While you may have already loaded some GPS and navigation apps, you’ll also want to make sure you have additional information about certain places. TripAdvisor is a great app to find out about hotels and attractions. You can read and write reviews straight from the app. I know we’ve saved ourselves some heartache by checking user reviews for certain hotels and restaurants before making our decision.

It’ll work regardless where you’re at so this is a great one to have on board for virtually any type of trip. And don’t forget to write reviews for future travelers as well!

Free – iTunes Link

Beautiful Planet HD

No matter where you’re traveling, Beautiful Planet has tons of pictures, facts, and descriptions of the most amazing travel destinations on Earth. I’ve found a lot of really cool destinations just by browsing through the app in my spare time. While on vacation, you can not only learn about the places you’re visiting, but find other really cool areas to check out.

This app is perfect for vacationers that want to spend a lot more time outdoors than they do indoors. I also recommend this to travelers who don’t necessarily have a strict itinerary and really want to spend more time exploring than anything else.

$1.99 – iTunes Link

Navigation and/or information apps

No matter where you’re going, some type of GPS app should be on the top of your list. I personally prefer Garmin StreetPilot when I travel but you’ll want to pick the GPS app that covers the areas your traveling to. That’s why I’m not picking a technical “favorite” for this category. What you will want to use will differ based on where you’re going. Just pick one that covers the area you’re traveling to the best.

You can also look at specified navigation apps as well. I live on a lake and love the water, so I picked up an app called Marine&Lakes. These types of navigation apps are great for specified areas and a lot of times contain attractions or areas that you’d never otherwise discover.

Prices will vary depending what apps you choose to use.

Your top summer vacation apps?

So there you have them, our top 10 best iPhone 4 apps to get you started. Be sure to check out our Picks of the Week and iPhone App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites leave them in the comments below!

‘Tis the season to be gifting and with iPhone and iPad being pretty much the perfect travel companions, there will be lots of vacationers to shop for this year. That means not only devices like iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad all wrapped up and ready to go, but all the great apps and accessories that go with them. Do you know someone special who’ll be traveling over the holidays? If so, here’s TiPb helpful holiday gift guide!

Don’t need anything for a traveler? Check out the recommendations anyway, something great might still catch your eye. If not, no worries, we’ll have plenty more holiday gifts guides coming your way this month!

Sun and fun

iPhones and iPads are great… dropping them in the sand or surf really, truly isn’t. That’s why we never go near the beach or poolside without a waterproof case. Both the Overboard and the Aquapac have a lot to recommend them. Aquapac’s design makes it a little easier to see through but Overboard has just turned it up a notch with a new model complete with waterproof headphones. Hot tub. Ready. If we’re not so much swimming as hiking, we want something a little more secure and for that we like the Golla Bag. Tons of styles, tons more functionality.

• Aquapac or Overboard and headphones
• Golla Bags

Nothing harshens our vacation mellow more than overcast skies and rainy days, so we use Weather Channel Max or AccuWeather.com to keep as up-to-date and informed as possible about the climate. Both are US-centric, however, so if you’re traveling outside the states, the quality and quantity of information declines. If there’s a golf course nearby, V1 Golf or Golfplan with Paul Azinger can help tune our swings either before travel or between hitting the links. Need a few good books to get us through a hard day’s lounging? We like iTunes or Amazon gift certificates so we can download iTunes movies, TV shows, and iBooks or Amazon Kindle books. iBooks is frankly the better reading experience but Kindle has a much bigger library and works on a wide range of devices, so it comes down style vs. quantity and compatibility.

• Weather Channel Mac [iTunes link] or AccuWeather.com Quick [iTunes link]
• V1 Golf [iTunes link] or Golfplan with Paul Azinger [iTunes link]
• Apple iBooks or Amazon Kindle

Home for the holidays

When we’re heading home for the holidays, and that means snow and pine trees, we keep the same waterproof cases we mentioned above handy in case our iPhone or iPad takes a tumble in the snow. And since we don’t want our fingers frozen, we also pack a Pogo Sketch stylus. Yeah, Steve Jobs hates them but he lives in California, not the frigid north. We also love our SCOTTeVEST cold weather gear since it looks great and has room for tons (and we mean tons of iOS and electronic gear. Lastly we pack a stereo BT headset with some serious base. It’s great for the slopes… and for drowning out in-laws and other assorted family members (don’t judge us!)

• Pogo Sketch Stylus
• Motorola SD-9 HD Stereo Bluetooth headset
• SCOTTeVEST clothing

When we’re on the slopes, iTrail Map 3D is a great way to keep track of what we’ve done — as long as we have a good GPS signal in the mountains. Speaking of GPS, both Apple’s Find my iPhone (part of MobileMe) and iHound are lifesavers if you lose your iPhone or iPad while traveling. Just go to the nearest other iOS device, or any internet-enabled computer, log in, and track it down. MobileMe offers a lot of other features, like Mail, iDisk, etc. but has a much higher annual subscription price to go with it. And when we need to entertain the little ones, we pull out How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or one of the other Dr. Seuss or Disney books.

• iTrail Map 3D [iTunes link]
• Find my iPhone [iTunes link] or iHound
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas [iTunes link] or other Dr. Seuss [iTunes link] or Disney books [iTunes link]

On the Town

When we’re spending the holidays in the big city, the first thing we make sure of is that we have a lot of power to get us through the day. The Griffin TuneJuice 2 will take care your iPhone or iPod touch, and any other iPod you might have. If bling is more your thing, than the Case-Mate Barely There Chrome Case will match any lights the big city can throw at it. And to keep walking and talking, we’re currently hooked on the Jawbone Prime Bluetooth headset. For serious noise, like clubs and pubs, we turn to the HP HX1 Endeavor.

• Griffin TuneJuice 2
• Case-Mate Barely There Case
• Jawbone prime or Motorola HX1 Endeavor.

When we want to get our munch on, high-end style, ZAGAT TO GO is our go-to. If we need to know about more than just food, there almost always a Lonely Planet Guide for that.

• ZAGAT TO GO [iTunes link ]
• Lonely Planet travel guide apps [iTunes link]

Your picks?

Remember, you’re part of Team TiPb too, so if you’ve already picked the perfect gift for your iPhone or iPad business user, or have the perfect idea for one, let us know in comments!

Today’s top 5 is directed towards iPhone users who travel for work, for fun, or for a little bit of both. From booking to preparing, finding your way to finding your food, and keeping yourself entertained while go, the iPhone really does have plenty of apps for all of that. Just like our other top 5 must-have iPhone app posts, all of these applications are available in the App Store. For the full run down, follow us after the break!

TripIt

Tripit [free - iTunes link] is an iPhone front-end to the free TripIt.com online service. With TripIt, once you book your online hotel and flight information, you just forward them the email and they automagically create a itinerary for you include flight times, airport maps, hotel maps, etc. Basically, all you travel has belong to them — but they’ll package and present it to you in a hyper convenient and consolidated manner.

If you’re a hardcore traveler, TripIt.com also provides a pro version with added functionality.

Alternative: WorldMate [free - iTunes link] or [$14.99 - iTunes link], recommended by Alli.

Appigo Todo

Making a list and checking it twice isn’t just for Santa’s once-a-year trip, it’s for everyone who needs to keep track of what to pack, where they want to go, and what they want to see. Appigo’s Todo Lite [free - iTunes link] is a great starting point for task and list manager, and if you need more, there’s a full version of Todo [$9.99 - iTunes] with a feature set that syncs with just about everything.

Alternatives: If you prefer to keep your lists in note-taking apps, check out our top 5 iPhone note apps roundup!

AT&T Navigator or NAVIGON MobileNavigator

If you’re driving rather than flying, turn-by-turn navigation and your sense of direction is anything other than perfect, turn-by-turn navigation is a must and there are two major types for you to choose from — online vs. on-device and subscription vs. paid outright.

AT&T Navigator [subscription - iTunes link] provides online maps and if you only need them for a summer road-trip through areas with good AT&T coverage, you can pay $9.99 grab it and go. (Powered by TeleNav, you can find other carrier-branded versions, like Rogers Navigator in Canada, in international App Store).

If you’re going off-grid, however, you’ll have to go offline and NAVIGON provides everything from the 1.5GB North America [$79.00 - iTunes link] to (for example) just the US East Coast ($29.00 – iTunes link]. They have a variety of international versions as well.

Alternative: whmurray recommends the built-in Maps app, which isn’t turn-by-turn but is GPS-enabled and powered by Google.

ZAGAT To Go

Yes, it’s complete overkill and yes, there are a numerous free/cheap ways to find restaurants with your iPhone but once in a while when you’re traveling you just want to do it in style and that’s ZAGAT To Go [$9.99 a year - iTunes link]. You get ratings and reviews from ZAGAT’s famous guide, and an offline mode so you can download it all to your iPhone, iPod touch (or iPad — it’s a universal binary!).

Alternative: Yelp [free - iTunes link] was suggested by Jamesus.

iPod

It’s built right into your iPhone and iPod touch (separated as Music and Video) and can keep you entertained with music, audio books, TV shows, movies, and podcasts everywhere from the airport to the airplane, hotel to restaurant. You can either transfer your own media from home before you leave or use the iTunes Store app to buy and rent the latest from Hollywood or download the best free content on the go. When Apple said the iPhone was the best iPod they’d ever made, they weren’t exaggerating. (Sure, the iPad gets 10 hours of video out of its battery, but it’s still not easy to pocket as the iPhone!)

Alternative: If you’ve got a SlingBox at home and want to keep up with your local sports teams or favorite shows while you’re out of town, SlingPlayer Mobile [$29.99 - iTunes link] will transport your TV to your iPhone anywhere you have a Wi-Fi or 3G signal.

Conclusion

Well there you have them, our top 5 iPhone travel apps. Did we many any of your favorites? Be sure to check out our iPhone App and Games Forum for more of our members’ recommendations, and leave yours in the thread — or in the comments below!

In the wake of the latest act of terrorism attempted on a US airplane, the TSA has enacted what appear to be deliberately unpredictable new security measures that seem to include a complete ban on the use of electronics like the iPhone or iPod touch, and even the use of the bathroom for the last hour of any plane trip in-bound to the US.

“Seem” is the operative word, as there looks to still be a lot of confusion as to how, when, and where the new policies are being implemented. We could joke about the come back of non-tablet paper books, or the train and automobile industries in the face of skies being so friendly, but missed flights and connections, mass confusion and sustained minor panic aren’t too terribly funny. Likewise we’ll side step the whole “eternal vigilance” vs. “deserve neither” debate.

The current policies seem to be effective until Jan. 1, 2010, and then we’ll see what happens next. With gadget-lovers coming into the US for CES in just over a week, and with no doubt plenty of Americans with return flights planned from the Vancouver Olympics (and countless other places) thereafter, let’s hope everything stays safe and and secure while returning as quickly as possible to functionality.

Meanwhile, Gizmodo has the TSA memo which basically lays out that if you don’t run your own country, get in line way early and be prepared for anything. You’ll likely get patted down once or twice. Your carry-on baggage may be restricted to one item and will be visually inspected. You’ll likely not be able to use any electronics or go to the bathroom for the last hour of the flight. The in-flight entertainment system may be completely shut down, or may just not show live location information or news. Everyone is going to be tired, frustrated, and on edge.

[Much of this via PCMag's @saschasegan who's doing a great job passing along information via Twitter]

iPhone vs. Palm Pre combat and comparison is nothing new, but is the latest rivalry in smartphones ready to take to the skies? Ars Technica certainly thinks so:

Ultimately, traveling with the Pre made me want my iPhone back

Though user-changeable, battery life on the Palm Pre was cited as one of the biggest disadvantages, draining rapidly under the onslaught of the famed Synergy and Card systems, and an estimated death in just 30 min. of Sprint TV viewing(?!). Lack of Apps was another.

Far from negative, however, the article gives Palm lots of suggestions to help the troubled Pre traveller out. (Ours, of course, would be actually getting that iPhone back…)

If you have any travel tips of your own to share, drop them in the comments!

[Thanks to Icebike for the tip!]

Are you a frequent international traveler? Are you always confused by international electrical outlets? Have you realized that there are a gazillion different electrical outlets requiring a gazillion different plugs? Well, the Mobi Products World Wall Adapter for S&C Cables for iPhone 3G, iPhone ($34.95) tries to simplify the tangled messy world of cables by giving you almost every solution in a simple adaptor. How does it perform?

Read on for the rest of the review!

Design

Also, the charger has two USB ports available for charging. Thank god USB is universal because if each region had their own USB, well that would be more of a doozy than the electrical outlets.

Usability

The On/Off switch and Indicator Light made it easy for me to determine if the adapter was working and its light weight made it unnoticeable when moving from station to station. However, because the adapter includes so many different charging capabilities, it is a little bit bulkier than ideal size, but this can be forgiven since the adapter packs so many features into one device.

The execution of the Mobi Products World Wall Adapter is smart and purposeful. It all is designed to look like a one piece device but when put to use, the usefulness of all three adapters shines through. The inclusion of the three main electrical outlets allows the adapter to be compatible with over 150 countries worldwide. There are also built in surges and spikes protection system to protect your electronic devices from potential damage.

Final Thoughts

PROS

• Simple, Straightforward Design
• Two USB Ports for Charging
• As close as you can get to a Universal Charger

CONS

• A tad bit bulky

Final Rating: 4.8/5

It doesn’t have 3G. It doesn’t have true GPS. It doesn’t have instant messaging or 3rd party apps or even cut and paste. With all it’s current shortcomings, the iPhone is still a worthy “Swiss Army Knife” of smartphones that you can confidently take with you through airport security, on a plane, and throughout your trip as an excellent traveling companion. In fact, I’ll boldly exclaim that the iPhone is all that I could ask for in my travels and I really put it through it’s paces on a recent trip.

Read on about my trippin’ with my iPhone!

Starting the Trip

Last Friday I caught a late afternoon flight from Salt Lake City to LAX. A quick check on Flightstats on my iPhone (http://mobile.flightstats.com/go/Mobile/), a neat little web app, allowed me to check on my flight status and learn my flight was running on time. The weather app confirmed that L.A. is like the movie “Groundhog Day” — 73 degrees and sunny now and forever. Hmmmm…. I’ve always wanted the weather icon on my iPhone to display the current temperature instead of the perpetual 73 degrees, but if you live in L.A., the point is moot.

Sitting on the plane, I made a call home, sent a couple text messages, checked email, and buckled up for my flight. Heeding the warnings about electronic devices singlehandedly downing commercial aircraft, I activated “Airplane Mode” and tucked my iPhone away until we had reached the magical “safe altitude” where everyone can power-up their electronics without fear of aerial armageddon. Plugging in my earphones, I turned my iPhone sideways and immediately immersed myself in a gritty movie, “The Departed.” Nothing like some Jack Nicholson with an ensemble of other talented actors to pass the time as I flew toward Hollywood.

Hitting the Town

Arriving at LAX, I called my friend to let him know I was at curbside and ready to roll. He picked me up and let me know he had tickets for a night of comedy at “The Comedy Store,” a well-known hole-in-the-wall kind of club with big-name comics strutting their stuff and trying out new acts for the small crowd before taking their game to prime-time. Not having been there before, we used Google Maps on my iPhone to map our route and we got their just in time for the show. Fourteen comics and an excellent ab workout later, we called it a night (by the way, did you know the iPhone makes for an excellent flashlight when trying to find the bathroom in the dark?).

The next day, with my iPhone freshly charged, we hit the road and headed for the Griffith Observatory. Again, Google Maps was handy. After seeing a stellar (pun intended) show narrated by an enthusiastic-to-the-point-of-creepy volunteer, we walked around to look at all things spacey, including a moon rock (it’s gray and can not be mistaken for cheese).

In keeping with the theme of space (you know how those Hollywood types are “out there”), we killed some time with our own version of “star tours” — my iPhone was less helpful here due to no “Star Maps” available on Google Maps, but we saw some insanely-enormous houses (estates?) and did our best to satisfy our curiosity at how the “other half” lives.

We left the mansions behind and headed to the newly-renovated Graumans Egyptian Theater for a one-night showing of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” [ed. note: RIP Arthur C. Clarke]. Although my iPhone lacks the all-seeing red eye and pleasantly hypnotic Valium-esque voice of the HAL 9000, Google Maps once again performed admirably in giving us the best route to the theater. Watching the movie, I couldn’t help but be amused by the gigantic plastic push-buttons on all of the spacecraft — man’s best attempt in the 60′s to envision what our interaction with machines would be like in the year 2001. I suspect the iPhone’s touchscreen with all it’s “pinching” and “stretching” would seem like witchcraft.

The next day, my friend and I were talking about the movie. I couldn’t help but liken the monoliths to the iPhone (if you’ve seen the movie, you know what I mean), but apart from that, we were trying to decide if it was possible for a human, sans helmet and gloves for his space suit, could withstand zero pressure and extremely cold temperatures for even an instant. This was important, of course, because this happens in the movie and, the geeks that we are, we wanted to know if it was possible or if Stanley Kubrick was full of you-know-what. Again, my iPhone was helpful. I opened Safari and we Googled until we learned that the temperature in space is 2.725 degrees Kelvin. Hmmm… sounds kinda cold. But what does that mean to us? Try -454.765 degrees Fahrenheit (yes, that’s roughly 422 degrees below freezing). We both concluded that this was the temperature where Hell must surely freeze over.

The last notable part of my trip was our visit to Amoeba Records. Wow, what a store! You can find just about ANY music CD, cassette tape, vinyl, DVD movies, even laser disc. Again, Google Maps pointed the way and, as you can see here, the iPhone makes a suitable camera in a pinch. If you are in the L.A. area and have a list of media that you can’t find anywhere else, Amoeba Records may just be the place for you.

Workin’ It

During my stay in L.A., I had to mix business with pleasure. I attended a work-related conference for a couple days and utilized my iPhone often during the less interesting portions of the conference: text messaging, browsing the internet with Safari, and email. The iPhone is an excellent back-up when a laptop is simply too conspicuous.

I wrapped up my trip with a flight out of John Wayne Airport for my journey home to Salt Lake. Again, Flightstats confirmed my flight was running on time. In fact, we ended up pulling away from the gate fifteen minutes EARLY. Can that happen?? I’d like to give my iPhone credit for that one, but we know it can’t do everything (yet). I also checked the weather in Salt Lake City before leaving L.A. so I would know how to dress; no surprise that dressing warmer was prudent.

Flying home, I used my iPhone to listen to Phone different’s Podcast 14 (nothing like Dieter’s soothing voice to get you through the turbulence). I arrived in Salt Lake, listened to iTunes while I made the long walk to baggage claim, and called my wife to let her know I was at number 7 on the curb for pickup. Home in one piece — mission accomplished.

Besides learning how cold space really is, where to get a few laughs, and my flight status, what did I really take away from this trip? Well, I learned that even without the much-anticipated 3rd party apps, true GPS, 3G and multimedia messaging, my iPhone is an exceptional traveling companion when only using the built-in apps and the available web apps that are out there. I can think of no other complete package that slips so easily into your pocket that provides as much information, functionality, and entertainment than an iPhone. I’m looking forward to the next time I can go trippin’ with my iPhone.

How has your iPhone been trippin’ for you?