iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Packing

Web: www.stevenfrischling.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

20/11/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Packing

Packing for a one day trip or a one-week trip is the same for me. I am slow, methodical and spent a considerable amount of time compiling what I need. Once I have assembled everything in front of me I spent an hour mumbling incoherently to myself as I remove items, add items and pack everything in my bag(s).

Departing is somewhat easy; it is the return that can be stressful. At the end of a short business trip, an assignment or a long vacation, travelers tend to pack at the last minute. Last minute packing often causes people to be forgetful and leave items behind.....this is where the iPhone 'App' Of The Week "Packing" comes in very handy.

Packing is simple to use. You set up a packing list for yourself. You add items to the list. As you pack those items you place a check mark next to them. Could it get any simpler?

Since downloading Packing I have used it to track a variety of packing situation. Since entering my 'Day Pack - Run Kit' I have chosen to permanently leave this packing list in my iPhone, as it is a fairly constant kit.

Packing allows you to view pre-created Sample Packing Lists, as well as create a list from a template, or creates lists from scratch. As a photographer, none of my packing set ups match any sample lists or templates, so I have been creating lists from scratch simply and quickly.

Using Packing is simple in practice. As I begin to put my gear and personal items away I take out my iPhone, open Packing, and scroll down my list checking off everything I have stowed away

Best of all for all travelers, the Packing 'App' is easy, functional, hard to lose (unless you lose your iPhone), not prone to bad handwriting, and can be easily edited.

Next time you sit down to print out your print-at-home boarding pass also take a moment to download Packing from the iTunes App Store.

Below are five screen shots of Packing (typos and all...)

Happy Flying!
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iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Google Earth

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

30/10/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Google Earth

For quite some time people have enjoyed using Google Earth on their computers to check out various locations around the world.

I have been using Google Earth in conjunction with United Airlines as a fun way to search for fares, as I detailed back in January in this post: 09/01/08 - A Fun Way To Search For Airfare Specials

Google Earth is simple, you type in a location and Google Earth shows you an image of the area shot by satellite. I have used Google Earth for quite some time as a way to scout out locations. With Google Earth's ability to show you an area as broad as the entire planet and as narrow as local road makes it an ideal tool to map out where you are, where you are headed, where you want to go.

Having Google Earth on my iPhone allows me to stand in a location and get the big picture on angles I want to explore. Standing on a street corner in a city I don't know anywhere in the world, I can type in my location and find options for locations to create images. This new information found from Google Earth, in my hand, gives me a new perspective on images I can offer my clients.

For travelers who are just interested in where they are, or photographers seeking a real life, photographic image of the map in their hand, Google Earth is an indispensable tool and a vital iPhone App.

This is an iPhone App you should be downloading right now!

Below are six photos of Google Earth for iPhone locating the Eiffel Tower in Paris (its under all the blue boxes in the final photo)

Happy Flying!
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iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Airport Status

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

16/10/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Airport Status

No one likes delays at the airport. Delays are not only annoying, but also potentially disastrous when flying on a tight schedule.

Over the past few months I have used a variety of iPhone 'Apps' that are designed to keep travelers updated on airport delays. I have previously written about the iPhone 'App' FAA Wait in this post : 11/09/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : FAA Wait, now I am introducing your to "Airport Status."

Having used half-a-dozen iPhone 'Apps' I have found only FAA Wait and Airport Status to be reliable and timely on a consistent basis.

Airport Status breaks out delays by Ground Delays, Ground Stop Programs, General Delays and Airport Closures.

Each section breaks out delays by airport, reason for delay and average length of delays.

If you are flying out of Newark (EWR) and there is weather Airport Status will display "WX: TSTMS" which stands for Thunder Storms, with a minimum delay time.

Having tested Airport Status side by side with live delay information I find it to be updated in a manner that is

I have found Airport Status' information extremely helpful when travel to or from an area experiencing severe weather, as well as through airports known for significant delays, such as New York's JFK International Airport (JFK ) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

If you travel at all I suggest going to the iTunes App Store and downloading Airport Status before heading out to catch your next flight.

Below are two screen shots of the FAA Wait 'App" on my iPhone.

Happy Flying!

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iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Lightsaber

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

9/10/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Lightsaber

This week's iPhone 'App' Of The Week comes from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away………and it has absolutely nothing to do with photography or travel. In fact if I was pressed to come up with a useful application for this 'App' I could only say that it will bring a little joy to your life and that it might quench some boredom during long layovers.

Lightsaber is just what you think it is. This iPhone 'App' turns your iPhone into a Star Wars lightsaber. Five of the six Star Wars films have kept me company through countless flights (I am not a fan of one of the movies). I have watched Star Wars DVDs during long layovers on three continents, one sub-continent.

At one point in my office at my former magazine, where I served as the Director of Photography, I had six senior editors and my daughter crammed in my office (that at best should only accommodate two people) watching the original Star Wars film in its entirety.

.............maybe there is a tie between travel, photography and Star Wars for me!

What can Lightsaber do for you? You can pick your Star Wars character (this 'App' only primarily has unknown characters), flip on some 'App' supplied Star Wars theme music, fire up your lightsaber and have a lightsaber dual with a fellow iPhone user (or if you are really tired and delirious from jet lagged you can battle with no one..... who am I kidding I battle with no one all the time). As you move your lightsaber your iPhone gives off the familiar humming sound of a Star Wars light saber, when you strike something your iPhone emits the familiar clashing sound of a lightsaber.

My lightsaber never comes off of Darth Vader. Let's face it; there are few characters in the history of cinema that are nearly as cool of Darth Vader.

I think everyone should download Lightsaber. Even if you're not a Star Wars fanatic this is just a fun ‘App.’ Have two iPhones in your house? Friends have iPhones? Have them download Lightsaber as well and enjoy a friendly dual.

Below are five photos of the Lightsaber 'App' on my iPhone.

Happy Flying (in a galaxy far far away.........)!
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iPhone 'Apps' Of The Week : BA Flights & Qantas Mobile (yes, there are two this week)

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

2/10/2008 – iPhone 'Apps' Of The Week : BA Flights & Qantas Mobile (yes, there are two this week)

While I do not fly either British Airways (BA) or Qantas (QF), these two OneWorld Alliance airlines make up this weeks pair of iPhone 'Apps' Of The Week. These two intertwined global airlines had the foresight to release user friendly, highly functional and reliable iPhone 'Apps' to meet the needs of their customers.

There are quite a few travel 'Apps' I have played with that show schedules and flight status, however these pair of 'Apps' offer more detail and more reliable results in some cases for their respective flights

The BA Flights 'App' offers Arrivals/Departures, Online Timetables and a direct link to ba.com to book flights off of your iPhone. I have found that checking the Arrivals/Departures schedules against live flight data; the BA Flights 'App' is often slightly more accurate than other online sources. As another resource for travelers making their travel plans at a hurried pace, the Online Timetables time-and-time again offered me a more detailed choice of BA flights than most online booking sites when looking at uncommon routes, and short-haul routes. The information available for the flights listed on the Online Timetable loads rapidly, is easy to understand and offers quite a bit of detailed info on each flight, above what you'll find on many online booking sites.

Qantas Mobile not only offers Arrival/Departure and Timetable information, it also has a very useful resource for the business traveler........a complete list and detailed information for each lounge Qantas flyers may use around the world. This took is fantastic when traveling through an airport you are unfamiliar with, or using a lounge that is available to Qantas flyers but not operated by Qantas. The information for these airports is broken down to avoid confusion (such as listing LAX T4 and LAX Tom Bradley separately). For each lounge the Qantas Mobile 'App' lists the location in the terminal, the hours it is available to Qantas flyers, the lounge phone number & fax number, the facilities available in the lounge and the name of the airline that operates the lounge.

While these 'Apps' may not be useful for those who do not fly either British Airways or Qantas, these 'Apps' certainly are a must have for anyone who flies with either carrier.

Both BA Flights and Qantas Mobile are free in the iTunes Store.

Hopefully other airlines will follow the lead from these two OneWorld airlines and release their own 'Apps.' In an ideal world, maybe an airline alliance would be forward thinking and release a similar type 'App' covering all the airlines in their alliance.

Below are a few screen shots from both BA Flights and Qantas Mobile

Happy Flying!
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19/09/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Frequent Flyer Choices Pt1 : Packing Your Cameras : Credit Cards & Int'l Travel : Round-the-World Workshop & more!

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

19/09/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Frequent Flyer Choices Pt 1 : Packing Your Cameras : Credit Cards & Int'l Travel : Round-the-World Workshop & more!

This week's Weekly Round up comes to you from Seat 13A on board a US Airways A321 as I cruise past Pennsylvania heading out to San Francisco.

During my layover I had some fun reading Mark Rebilas' Blog (the same Mark Rebilas in who is the subject of this week's 15/09/2008 – Choosing A Frequent Flyer Program : Help A Photographer Maximize His Miles). This week Mark takes a different approach to travel writing up the 99 Things He Hates About Traveling, which is wrote while flying from Phoenix to Atlanta.

During my layover in Philadelphia (PHL), shortly before reading Mark's blog, I had the pleasure of being the subject of an interview by CFO Magazine regarding The Travel Strategist. The interview was an interesting discussion on the outlook of the 2009 business travel market and how business can reduce their overall travel expenses. The article should appear shortly in a future issue of CFO Magazine.

..........now onto the Weekly Round Up

I'll kick this off with mentioning that I have reintroduced the Round-the-World Workshop for Photographers! This workshop will push you to your limits as you travel completely around the world shooting on four continents, in seven countries exploring 8 world class cities all in 10 days. This workshop, which travels entirely in business class, costs less than a round-trip business class ticket from New York to Sydney. Interested in finding out if this workshop is for you? Find out here: 17/09/2008 – Round-the-World Photo Workshop : Reintroduced All For Less Than Flying From New York-to-Sydney In Business Class!

This week began with some entertainment for the global traveler with an introduction to Alanis Morissette's "Citizen Of The Planet." This is a great song for anyone who travels. Check it out here: 15/09/2008 – Music For The Global Traveler

In an effort to help fellow photographers on the road this week I asked readers of Flying With Fish to voice their opinions on the best frequent flyer program for Phoenix (PHX) based photographer Mark Rebilas. It is not to late to voice your opinion by visiting: 15/09/2008 – Choosing A Frequent Flyer Program : Help A Photographer Maximize His Miles

Over the past few years I have received a few dozen e-mails from photographers who have damaged their equipment when packing their camera and lens while connected. The damage generally involves warped camera mounts, damaged CPUs and damaged lens release locks, but there is a way to avoid damaging the mount of your camera and your lens. You can find out how to pack your gear to reduce the risk of damage in this entry: 16/09/2008 – Packing Your Cameras & Lenses Properly : Do Not Attach Your Camera & Lens

Traveling internationally with your credit cards? Have you contacted your credit card company to make sure your card is authorized internationally? For more information check this entry:
17/09/2008 – Using Your Credit Card Internationally : Inform Your Credit Card Company Before You Cross The Border

This week on Flying With Fish wrapped up with the iPhone 'App' Of The Week. This week I explored using TSAwait as a valuable tool for any frequent (and infrequent) travelers. With access to updated average airport security wait times for more than 400 commercial airports in the United States this 'App' is ideal for knowing how much lead time you need to get to the airport and get through security. For more info on TSAwait check this post:
18/09/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : TSAwait


Next week I'll reintroduce Come Fly With Fish (www.comeflywithfish.com) and hopefully get around to demonstrating how to use household tools to modify a lens hood to make it more effective for packing and travel!

That’s it for this week folks.................have a great weekend, I've got 6,000 miles to go before I get home again Sunday afternoon.

Happy Flying!

iPhone 'App' Of The Week : FAA Wait

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

11/09/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : FAA Wait

Travel can delays can be frustrating, but as a traveler the more information you have the better you are able to adapt your schedule due to possible delays.

For the past month I have been using an iPhone 'App' simply named "FAA Wait." While FAA Wait is not sanctioned by the FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) the 'App' tracks FAA alerts in real time giving its users a real-time view of airport delays.

Airport delays are broken down into four easy categories to give users a better picture of the type of delay they are facing. The Categories are Ground Delays; Ground Stops; General Delays; Airport Closures.

With each individual airport delay the reason for the delay is clearly stated. If there is a Ground Delay you are not left wondering why, FAA Wait lists delays as "Due to WEATHER : Low Ceiling” or "Due to WEATHER: High winds." General Departure Delays can read "Due to GROUND STOP: Traffic Congestion."

Along with a clear depiction of why there is a delay, the FAA Wait 'App' also states average delay times in real-time with information such as "3 hours 53 minutes" and "40 - 60 minutes (increasing)." "Increasing,” means that the delays are getting longer without a clear estimate when the delay should clear out. Not that I like increased delays, I do like to know an estimate and how accurate that estimate is.

I have found FAA Wait's information extremely helpful when travel to or from an area experiencing severe weather, as well as through airports known for significant delays, such as Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD).

If you travel at all I strongly suggest downloading FAA Wait before setting foot on your next flight.

Below are four screen shots of the FAA Wait 'App" on my iPhone.

Happy Flying!

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iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

3/09/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook

With my enjoyment of Lonely Planet's Mandarin Audio Phrasebook (which I reviewed *HERE*) I set out to find other language translation 'Apps' for my iPhone. While looking at a variety of language options, for not only the iPhone but also ink-and-paper phrase books and instructional software, I found myself downloading Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook.

Much like Lonely Planet's audio phrase books, Coolgorilla's talking phrasebooks are equally easy to scroll through to find the phrase you're looking for and effective in practice while on the road. The phrase categories are broken down into sub-categories. Inside each sub-category you'll find the phrase you are looking for. I was easily able to find the bathroom and explain that my baggage had not arrived while quickly scrolling through the Coolgorilla Talking French Phrasebook.

For those not comfortable in attempting to speak a foreign language (or in my case butchering a language) you can both find your phrase and show someone your comment/question in their native language or you can click the audio icon and play and audio clip of your comment/question. I generally attempt to speak (butcher) the language, but sometimes the audio clip is extremely helpful!

There is some overlap between both the Lonely Planet Audio Phrasebook and the Coolgorilla Talking Phrasebook, however they each have their own strengths, and in some areas there is no overlap in languages. Having used the Coolgorilla Talking French Phrasebook I'm now off to download the Coolgorilla Talking German Phrasebook as I start looking at a possible flight through Frankfurt, Germany.

Below are five photos that walk you through the steps of using Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook on your iPhone.

Happy Flying!

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