PadGadget Weekly App Series – Apps for GPS and Navigation
For today’s Weekly App Series we’ve found eight great apps to add to your iPad collection. We have included eight GPS and Navigation apps in this week’s bundle. Our editorial team goes through the data, picks the best and most interesting apps and then brings them to you on a regular basis.
We used our PadGadget Apps Tracker to find these great apps and we’ll continue to look for the best apps on a weekly basis. Be sure to check them out because these apps might just be what you’re looking for.
This week’s category is: GPS and Navigation
1. Geocaching ($9.99) – Stop being a muggle and join in the global treasure hunt! Using the power of the GPS in your iPhone or iPad, locate the containers (known as geocaches) that have been hidden outdoors all over the world. This app provides access to the geocaching.com database along with all of the hints, descriptions and attributes for various geocaches. Log those you find and compete against all the other hunters! The offline capabilities allow you to create lists for planning later outings to search for promising caches. Great fun, I promise!
2. Challenges (Free) – Another app by Groundspeak Inc., the folks who bring you Geocaching. Just like geocaching, the idea is you need to find specific locations… only this time, instead of finding treasure you need to actually do something once you find the right spot. Hike a specific trail, take a picture of yourself in a famous location, video yourself singing a particular song –you never know what you might be asked to do! Obviously you should exercise caution and use common sense and stay safe, but have fun! A lot of these are great to do with friends or even your children.
3. TomTom U.S. & Canada ($49.99) – At first glance, this might seem like a very expensive app. In reality, it is well worth the price and can save you a lot of headaches if you are the type of person who does a lot of driving in unfamiliar locations. Featuring the latest TomTom maps, take advantage of adaptive routing and the famous TomTom HD Traffic app that will happily guide you out of the way of any and all traffic jams. The beauty here is being able to take advantage of a GPS device without having to purchase any additional hardware.
4. Google Latitude (Free) – This is a neat approach to social networking that might actually come in handy. Connect with your friends in this app and their locations will be available to you on a map. I love that I no longer have to text my friends or family with where I am or when I will arrive, I just share my location and they can watch me head their way! If you like, you can also check in at specific locations so people will know more than just your address –they will also see that you are at your office, a specific restaurant or your favorite store!
5. Tweetcaster (Free) – While this might seem like an unusual app to include in a feature on GPS and navigation, it’s more about something found inside the app itself. For those of you who just can’t get enough of Twitter, this app uses a built-in feature that maps nearby fellow tweeters. I love being able to view a map of my own neighborhood and city showing others who are posting nearby. Choose whether to view these folks on a map or in a list, then click to view their latest tweets.
6. Urbanspoon (Free) – You may think of maps and directions when it comes to GPS, but there are plenty of other uses. How many times have you been sitting with your friends discussing (fighting over) where to go for supper? The first question asked is almost always going to be somebody wondering what is close-by. Urbanspoon gives you the opportunity to search for restaurants based on your current location. Once you perform your search you can refine by type of food served, ratings and more!
7. GasBuddy (Free) – With gas prices soaring, it can never hurt to find the best deals around. Using location services and your GPS, find the local gas stations closest to your current area with the best priced gas on tap. The best part about this app is it works across the USA and Canada, so it should be available for most of your road-tripping needs. Prices are updated by a community of users who gain points for providing their information. The side-benefit of this app is it can guide you to nearby gas stations if you are in an unfamiliar area and just need to grab gas in a hurry!
8. Where To Go HD ($2.99) – Whether you are exploring your own city or in the middle of a road-trip, this is a neat app that might help you discover something you weren’t aware of. My favorite feature is the ‘shake-to-suggest’ ability that chooses things at random for you to learn about based on your current location. It is also nice that you can read reviews from others who have visited the places in the app and you can share your experiences in turn.
Note: For additional information, check out the PadGadget Apps Tracker. Our tracker provides an easy way to constantly monitor the App Store to find the best iPad apps for you.
