10 Great Summer iPad Apps
Your Apple iPad was born to roam. Bring it--and these helpful apps--on your summer sojourns.
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt69509c9116440be8/bltc0182b2356ae8eed/64b83949410a1b4c0bd7459b/IW_generic_image.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Your iPad is arguably a better travel companion than your laptop, particularly on summer trips. It's a pound or so lighter than super-slim portable clamshells like the 11-inch MacBook Air--an important consideration if you plan to trek through vast airport terminals or carry your device around town.
However, the iPad in its native state (i.e., out of the box) isn't travel-ready. In fact, it's missing several key apps that can make your journey more enjoyable, such as an alarm clock, an easy way to find free Wi-Fi hotspots (even when you're offline), and a tool for checking the status of your flights. And since you may want to access your Mac or Windows PC back at the office, a remote-control app is helpful as well.
A good travel app can help too, even once your journey is underway. Say you plan to extend your stay an extra day, or decide to change your itinerary and check out a city that comes highly recommended by fellow travelers you've met. A free app such as Hotel Tonight can help you get a great, last-minute deal on a room.
So what makes a great summer app? Pretty much the same qualities that distinguish other terrific apps. It's free or inexpensive, has a clean, easy-to-learn interface, and most importantly, provides a unique function or service that's extremely useful. In short, it does one thing very, very well.
(If you take your iPad on a sand-and-surf vacation, a water-resistant case is essential. Check out 10 iPad Cases Fit For Summer for a slideshow of great iPad covers.)
An iPad, like other large tablets, can get heavy in a hurry. There are smaller slates, of course, including the 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire, Google Nexus 7, and Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet. Depending on your traveling needs, these slates may suffice, particularly if you plan to hold the device for long periods of time. The new Nexus 7, for instance, weighs only 12 ounces--roughly half that of the 1.46-pound iPad (3rd generation). Of course, persistent rumors say Apple is readying its own 7-inch slate, the mythical "iPad Mini," for launch later this year.
But an iPad Mini won't help you this summer. The following apps will. Click through to learn more about these 10 great iPad tools.
You've just rolled into town and need a room for the night. Sure, you could stroll up to the front desk of the nearest hotel and pay top dollar. Or you could use Hotel Tonight to score the same room at a significant discount. DealBase's free app is a money-saving must for travelers who can't (or won't) plan in advance, and it's a lot easier to use than Priceline's bidding process.
Hotel Tonight negotiates deals with a handful of top hotels in several dozen major U.S. cities, as well as in Toronto, Vancouver, and London. The app's discounts vary but are usually quite good. For instance, I found a room at a Boston luxury hotel marked down from $390 to $195. (Note: The cheapest room rate on the hotel's website was also $390, so the Hotel Tonight discount was real.)
Why toil at your desk this summer? The aptly named Splashtop 2 frees you to work by the pool or some other shimmering body of water. This remote-control app lets you use your iPad to operate a Mac or Windows PC. It connects devices across the Internet (via the optional Anywhere Access Pack), has a simple authentication scheme, and is optimized for the new iPad's Retina display.
Splashtop 2 costs $2 for a limited time in the iTunes App Store, and $10 thereafter. The Anywhere Access Pack, an in-app purchase, is $1 per month or $10 per year.
Throughout much of the United States, summer weather has been hot and miserable thus far. The free Weather Channel app is a great way to keep up with the latest heat warnings and other weather-related alerts. Dry your sweaty fingers and scroll through the 10-day forecast for your area, or check the weather for a city you're visiting. The app's radar maps also show various points of interest, including parks, golf courses, and (yes!) lakes. Weather nerds will enjoy perusing the selection of map layers, which show clouds, rain, and other weather phenomena.
Another free app worth checking out is Apalon's Weather Live, which has a beautiful interface as well as detailed forecasts and related weather factoids.
If your iPad is Wi-Fi-only, finding nearby wireless hotspots can be a challenge. That's where Free Wi-Fi Finder comes in handy. JiWire's app locates more than 145,000 free Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide. You can find locations nearby, search specific geographical regions, or filter by location type (e.g., cafe).
OK, but how can you search for free Wi-Fi if you're not already connected to the Internet? Well, download the app's offline Wi-Fi database before hitting the road. Both the Free Wi-Fi Finder app and offline database are free.
The iPad makes a great traveling alarm clock, particularly if you've brought along a stand. (Hotel alarm radios are often tricky to configure, and wake-up calls won't keep you from falling back asleep.) The iPad doesn't come with an alarm clock app, but Nightstand Central is a great solution.
The free version has weather information, customizable wallpapers--and ads. The ad-free full version ($3) includes a flashlight that you shake on and off (handy for those 3 a.m. time-checks); music alarms; a sleep timer for falling asleep to music, podcasts, and other sounds; and various wallpaper and configuration options.
Have some extra time? You might want to take a free course taught by instructors from the world's top universities and other schools. Apple's iTunes U app gives you access to dozens of educational subjects. Each instructor provides the course materials, including video and audio lectures, documents, presentations, apps, and even iBooks textbooks. iTunes U is a good way to learn something new from top-notch educators--and you can't beat the price.
Since it's summer, let's hope you're not sitting around the house, watching TV all day and night. If you're out and about, however, it's easy to miss your favorite shows--particularly sporting events you want to see live, such as Major League Baseball games as the pennant races heat up, and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
The solution is SlingPlayer for iPad, a $30 app that works in conjunction with Sling Media's Slingbox (Solo or Pro-HD) device to play your favorite live and recorded TV shows on your slate. SlingPlayer works with cable and satellite set-top boxes, Tivo and Apple TV devices, and even home security cameras.
Travelling internationally? The concierge at your hotel in Marrakech might not know if your afternoon flight is delayed, but FlightTrack will. This well-designed $5 app provides real-time information for departures, delays, and cancellations at more than 16,000 airports around the globe. It includes zoomable, live flight-tracker maps, weather forecasts, and even information on alternative flights. FlightTrack's offline mode allows you to view the app's maps even when you're not connected to the Internet, such as when you're cruising at 30,000 feet on a plane without Wi-Fi.
Mowing a lawn isn't the most mentally taxing of summer activities, but Lawnmower Challenge will help keep your brain sharp during those lazy afternoons. Lunar Enigma's $2 puzzle game certainly won't dazzle you with its graphics, but its tricky series of obstacles will test your grey matter. To mow the lawn, you'll need to chop down trees, find keys to unlock gates, plant seeds (to grow grass), and even light torches on dark paths. Lawnmower Challenge's 48 levels will keep you busy until fall.
Trip-planning apps are a dime a dozen. So what sets Jetsetter apart? For starters, it's one of the most beautifully designed travel apps around, packed with gorgeous panoramic photos and 360-degree room tours. Targeted at affluent travelers seeking a luxurious escape in exotic locations, Jetsetter displays scrollable pictorials of boutique hotels, vacation homes, and tour packages. The app's daily "flash sales" offer travel deals at significant discounts too.
Trip-planning apps are a dime a dozen. So what sets Jetsetter apart? For starters, it's one of the most beautifully designed travel apps around, packed with gorgeous panoramic photos and 360-degree room tours. Targeted at affluent travelers seeking a luxurious escape in exotic locations, Jetsetter displays scrollable pictorials of boutique hotels, vacation homes, and tour packages. The app's daily "flash sales" offer travel deals at significant discounts too.
Your iPad is arguably a better travel companion than your laptop, particularly on summer trips. It's a pound or so lighter than super-slim portable clamshells like the 11-inch MacBook Air--an important consideration if you plan to trek through vast airport terminals or carry your device around town.
However, the iPad in its native state (i.e., out of the box) isn't travel-ready. In fact, it's missing several key apps that can make your journey more enjoyable, such as an alarm clock, an easy way to find free Wi-Fi hotspots (even when you're offline), and a tool for checking the status of your flights. And since you may want to access your Mac or Windows PC back at the office, a remote-control app is helpful as well.
A good travel app can help too, even once your journey is underway. Say you plan to extend your stay an extra day, or decide to change your itinerary and check out a city that comes highly recommended by fellow travelers you've met. A free app such as Hotel Tonight can help you get a great, last-minute deal on a room.
So what makes a great summer app? Pretty much the same qualities that distinguish other terrific apps. It's free or inexpensive, has a clean, easy-to-learn interface, and most importantly, provides a unique function or service that's extremely useful. In short, it does one thing very, very well.
(If you take your iPad on a sand-and-surf vacation, a water-resistant case is essential. Check out 10 iPad Cases Fit For Summer for a slideshow of great iPad covers.)
An iPad, like other large tablets, can get heavy in a hurry. There are smaller slates, of course, including the 7-inch Amazon Kindle Fire, Google Nexus 7, and Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet. Depending on your traveling needs, these slates may suffice, particularly if you plan to hold the device for long periods of time. The new Nexus 7, for instance, weighs only 12 ounces--roughly half that of the 1.46-pound iPad (3rd generation). Of course, persistent rumors say Apple is readying its own 7-inch slate, the mythical "iPad Mini," for launch later this year.
But an iPad Mini won't help you this summer. The following apps will. Click through to learn more about these 10 great iPad tools.
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like