Part 1 of Mega Travel Program Review
Since I'm still playing with the travel applications that I was sent to review and I'm no where near done testing out all the features of each, my new plan to attack is to post the mega review (below) and write updates as I use each program more.
There are three applications from our friends over at Deluxeware that I've had the chance to try out: EarthNavigator, EasyTour and Travel Deluxe SE.
The first, aptly named EarthNavigator, is a program to help plot distances between locations around the world. If you're traveling from Philadelphia to London then on to Tokyo then back to Philadelphia, this is the program for you (approx. 19,163mi, by the way). With EarthNavigator solve those disputes with your friends over how far it is between places and plan your next trip. The graphics and interface are fantastic and the learning curve isn't that bad. At $14.95 (USD) buying it won't break the bank.
Features (from the Deluxeware site)
* EarthNavigator PRO database contains more then 53 000 cities
* Search for cities:
- By title
- By stylus
* High Resolution map
* User friendly city search, track creator and editor ( use stylus )
* Day / Night terminator
* Custom tracks saver
* Custom display settings
* Adjustable scale of the map
* Ergonomic interface
* Easy to use
* Coordinate grid with different formats
* Selectable units for the calculation of distance and formats of the coordinates
* Useful information for each individual city contained in database:
- Current time in real time;
- Populations
- GMT displacement
- Country
- Geographical coordinates
* Capability of adding your own city
* Capability of inserting destinations:
- Add cities or arbitrary geographical points to your trip
- Rearrange geographical points and cities within the trip
- Calculate distance between cities and points within the trip
- Calculate fuel expense in each leg of the trip
- Calculate expense money in each leg of the trip
* Calculate trip expense based on mode of transportation (plane, car or default transport)
* User-definable parameters for calculating expenses (distance, fuel consumption, fuel price)
* Palm / Sony Hi-res devices 320x320 (16bpp color) support
* Palm / Sony Hi-res+ devices 320x480 (16 bpp color)support
* Palm / Sony Hi-res+ Landscape devices 480x320 (16 bpp color)support
* VFS support ( SD, MMC, Memory Stick )
* Palm OS 4.x / 5.x devices support
* 5-way navigator support
The second, EasyTour, is also a great application. Choc full of neat features like multiple alarms and time/currency calculators, EasyTour is a must for any vacation traveler. The UI is very visually pleasing an easy to navigate. EasyTour is also only $14.95 (USD)
Features (from the site)
* User-friendly interface
* Beautiful interface graphics
* Home screen
* World Time Map - Click on the map to find the closest city, or choose a city and see where it is on the map
* Clocks - Compare 4 world clocks to your home time, 550+ preinstalled cities and Automatic Daylight Saving Time calculation
* Nine alarms with advanced options:
o Enachanced digital sound
o Modify alarm tones ( Digital Sounds/Midi )
o Timing advanced settings
o Customize SoundBanks / RingtonesBanks
o Install / Uninstall additional tones
o The alarms can be set to a specific day, or range of day
* Time Calculator - When it is 8:00 am in New York, what is the time in Moskow?
* Date Calculator - How many days and workdays is between two dates?
* Currency Converter - Currencies Converter - View 4 currencies at once
* Unit Converter - Convert Temperatures, Measurements, Weights and more
* StopWatch with the capability to mark control points
* Reverse Counting Timer
* CheckSplit - Set the tax, tips, number of people, enter the total amount of
* the bill and you'll see how much is each one to pay Calendar from 1904 to 2031
* Expenses - Track your expenses easily and quickly
* Codes&Domains - information about World countries and large US cities phone codes and World countries WWW-domains.Search included.
* Luggage - Easy manage your luggage
* Clothes Sizes - Clothes and Footwear Sizes in different countries
* Palm Low-Res devices 160x160 (16bpp color) support
* Palm / Sony Hi-res devices 320x320 (16bpp color) support
* Palm / Sony Hi-res+ devices 320x480 (16 bpp color)support
* Palm / Sony Hi-res+ Landscape devices 480x320 (16 bpp color)support
* Palm OS 3.5 / 4.x / 5.x devices support
* 5-way navigator support
There are many features that EasyTour has that the third application shares -- Travel Deluxe SE (though it looks like it's been taken off of the site). The features of TravelDeluxe are very similar with those featured on EasyTour, but personally this seems to be geared to a more business people. Though it also has the wide variety of calculators and shirt sizes. Its appearance resembles something a business person would like more than the blue, yellow and orange of EasyTour. Between the two the main differences seems to be the appearance. The price of Travel Deluxe SE has been slashed from $19.95 (USD) to only $9.95 over at Palmgear. This makes it seem that Deluxeware is replacing TD with ET. But I have not been able to con
# Beautiful interface graphics
# Home screen
# World Time Map - Click on the map to find the closest city, or choose a city and see where it is on the map
# Clocks - Compare 4 world clocks to your home time, 550+ preinstalled cities and Automatic Daylight Saving Time calculation
# Time Calculator - When it is 8:00 am in New York, what is the time in Moskow?
Seven alarms with advanced options:
* Enachanced digital sound
* Modify alarm tones ( Digital Sounds/Midi )
* Timing advanced settings
* Customize SoundBanks / RingtonesBanks
* Install / Uninstall additional tones
* The alarms can be set to a specific day, or range of day
# Internet Time
# Currencies Converter - View 3 currencies at once
# Convert Temperatures, Measurements, Weights and more
# Packing list to help you pack before a trip
# Translate clothes sizes between USA, UK and Europe
# International dialling prefixes and internet domain, serach included
# Track your expenses easily and quickly
# Calendar from 1904 to 2031
# Check Split makes the tip and per person split fun and easy to calculate at the end of a meal.
Now there are other applications out there, the next one is from our friends over at Creative Algorithms -- Trip Boss (2.0). At first thought the $34.95 (USD) price tag is a bit scary, but after looking at what this little application can do, it's worth every penny. Now you're probably saying to yourself, why should I pay $34.95 when I can get a program for much cheaper. Well the other programs, like EasyTour and Travel Deluxe, though amazing applications, can't quite do what Trip Boss can do. Like I said earlier, I'm still playing with the programs and will add my impressions as I find new features in each.
Here are some of the features (let's let them speak for themselves):
* Expenses - easy intuitive flexible - multiple currencies
* Mileage and Time - odometer and progress views - miles, km
* Itinerary Storage - flexible - export to date book in relative time zone!
* Budget
* Trip Distance Planning Calculator - unique to Trip Boss™ - plan your route waypoints in advance!
* Journal - up to 32,000 characters per entry! - Allows for multiple users to enter information.
* Ratings - lodging, restaurants, places
* Fuel Economy
* Side Trips and custom tracking- billable hours, hiking trails, side trips, customer-specific mileage, regional travel - you define
including.... special stand-alone
* Currency Converter - plus expenses automatically converted in expenses summary report by category
* Tip / Split calculator - pops up automatically when entering meal expenses
Plus:
* Export - to address book (places), memo pad (CSV formatted expenses and waypoints (mileage/time)), datebook (itinerary)
* Import - from address book (places)
* International - currencies, measure, time zones, main PDA format preferences, language
* Highly configurable - places, types of places, types of expenses, budget categories, currencies, units of measure, time zones, enter types in your own language...
* Reports and graphs
* Easy navigation - tabbed windows, fingertip buttons, 5 way navigation button supported
* Trip databases are backed up on your PC during HotSync® operation.
* Copy past trip configurations for new trips that are similar - no need to re-enter all modifications
* Based on an actual paper log - trip tested!
* A Palm Powered Solution (TM) - passes test requirements recommended by PalmSource.
There really isn't anything this little application can't do. Well it can't cook you dinner or fold your laundry but you know what I mean. Worth every penny. I will post more of my observations as I get a chance to play with it more.
The final application, in my opinion is by far the best of them all -- WorldMate 2005 Professional. For $74.95 (USD) it's quite pricey, but for the business traveler on the go it's worth every buck spent. The main thing that sets Worldmate Pro apart from the others is the wireless conductivity. Get the weather for most cities and places in the world. Sync your PALM's clock to the atomic clocks in the US and probably around the world. Like Trip Boss, Worldmate allows you to make a packing list and so much more.
Here are some of the features:
*Comprehensive Flight Schedules
Comprehensive and reliable flight schedules for over 800 airlines. Daily and weekly schedules provided for any selected route. A dynamic connection engine provides the 50 fastest connections to your destination. Flight information provided by OAG WorldWide, the world’s leading provider of travel information since 1929.
*Real-Time Flight Status
Get information in real-time about your flight - delays, gate, terminal information and more. Available for over 25 of the world's leading airlines, this is the only service with this coverage. Flight information is updated in real-time by OAG WorldWide.
*Global Weather Forecasts
5-day forecasts provided for over 38,000 locations worldwide.
Provided by The Weather Channel (weather.com), the premiere source of global weather information.
*World Clocks
View 5 multiple world clocks featuring full time-zone coverage and automatic daylight savings time (DST) calculations.
*Global Weather Satellite Imagery
Animated, up-to-date Weather Satellite imagery available globally. Weather radar and precipitation maps for North America. Wherever you are going – see the weather with your own eyes. Provided by The Weather Channel (weather.com), the premiere source of global weather information.
*Currency Converter and Exchange Rate Service
An advanced currency converter coupled with an online exchange rate service. Supports 3 currencies concurrently, with rates for over 160 currencies.
*Travel Itinerary Manager
Manages all details of your travel itineraries - from flights, hotels and car rentals to business meetings. Records all relevant details. Exports data to the device calendar. Provides on-the-spot information via the Quick View display and the handy event alarms, allowing you to always find out immediately where you need to get next. Enables itinerary exchange and desktop synchronization using the optional WorldMate Desktop Companion.
*Desktop Itinerary Synchronization*
Create, edit and exchange your itinerary on your desktop PC, then synchronize it with your handheld, or send it to it via e-mail. You can have a secretary edit the itinerary on the desktop and send it over-the-air to one or more travelers. Exchange itineraries with travel companions. Import meetings and contacts from MS Outlook, and more.
* Requires the optional WorldMate Desktop Companion.
*World Day/ Night Map
View current day/night conditions on a dazzling world map. Includes a city locator and world clock display.
*Global Tax and Tip Calculator
Including tax & tip information for over 30 countries and across 7 service categories - from restaurants to taxis, the Global Tax and Tip calculator will help you figure out the bill, and prevent awkward situations.
*Packing List Organizer
Organize and pack everything efficiently and precisely with the list organizer feature, which displays packing categories such as clothing, toiletries, electronics, documentation and much more. Lists are configurable and allow for full personalization.
*Clothing Size Converter
Clothing size conversion tables across 4 regions (US, UK, EU and Japan) and 6 clothing categories.
*Size and Measurement Converters
A handy global conversion tool, the Size and Measurement Converters facilitate conversion of lengths, distances, weights, volumes, temperatures and pressure. Fast and accurate.
*Global Dialing Code Guide
This comprehensive guide provides searchable lists of international dialing codes, time-zones, US and Canadian area codes.
There is also a standard editions with slightly less features for $34.95.
On the whole here's how I rank each application.
EarthNavigator: 12/20 -- usefulness is a factor
EasyTour: 17/20
Travel Deluxe: 17/20
Trip Boss: 19/20
WorldMate 2005 Professional: 20/20
