At Your Fingertips: 5 Apps for the Explorer in All of Us

PHOTO: Zipcar app for iPhone and Android (courtesy Zipcar Facebook page)

Apps have become increasingly popular. They are not only highly useful, accommodating a variety of needs across the globe, but they are also able to be updated to change with the world.

In the latest edition of TravelPulse’s running apps series, we highlight some newer apps, as well as some apps that have been around for a while but have released significant updated versions.

Want to learn Spanish?

Check.

Want to create a video production with sound bites?

Check.

Want to eat healthy?

Check.

Want an app for your Zipcar?

Check.

Want one of the better maps apps on the planet?

Quintuple check (I’m not gonna lie, I just wanted to use the word “quintuple”).

Here are five apps for the explorers in all of us.

Rosetta Stone Travel (iPhone, free)

Now you can access Rosetta Stone’s award-winning language lessons on the go with Rosetta Stone Travel for iOS.

Available in Spanish, French, Italian, German and Russian, each language app comes with three free lessons that encompass meeting people, dining out, staying in hotels, using transportation, getting directions, and telling time.

On top of that, the app includes speech-recognition technology, a searchable phrase book, translations when you want them and a listening mode for those times when you don’t want to speak in a crowded room.

You can also purchase additional lessons if you are serious about becoming fluent.

FYI: Former Olympian Nastia Liukin and television host Sal Masekela both used Rosetta Stone Travel Russian while in Sochi for the Winter Olympics.

 

Videolicious (iPhone, free)

Videolicious has been around since 2011, but the acclaimed app’s new version (released April 2) is receiving even better reviews due to a new sleek design and improved speed and efficiency.

The app has already received more than 1.5 million downloads since it debuted. It seamlessly weaves interviews, video, photos, music and more together into an eye-catching video production. All you have to do is select your video clips or photos from your digital album, add in audio (whether it be an interview or a customized voice recording), select from a fully licensed collection of songs, and “presto”—Videolicious mixes it all together into a professional-looking presentation.

You can see why this app has been so popular among journalists, marketing and sales professionals, educators and more.

Now, where did I put that interview I did with Robert De Niro? I know I have it somewhere…

Caveman Feast (iPhone, Android, $2.99)

Caveman Feast by appropriately-named seller Fat-Burning Man includes more than 200 Paleo recipes for the health-conscious.

There is nothing revolutionary about the Paleo diet. The low-carb, low-sugar, grain-free, gluten-free, nutritious whole food diet has been around since, well, the days of the cavemen.

But just because Caveman Feast doesn’t include earth-shattering dishes doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. Ask the 1,300 people who collectively rated the app a perfect five stars at the Apple Store.

In the app, you’ll find easy-to-follow recipes such as the “Perfect Paleo burger, “healthy caveman cookies,” blueberry espresso brownies, grilled buffalo shrimp, smoke avocado lime pork chops, apple Dijon burgers, homemade healthy mayonnaise, “caveman crunch bars,” sweet potato pasta, “beasty barbeque sauce,” and “caveman shepherd’s pie.”

Yes, you can still eat tasty things while losing weight, increasing your energy, improving your sleep, ramping up your fitness, clearing up your skin and reducing allergies.

This ain’t no gimmick. The ratings prove it.

 

Zipcar (iPhone, Android, free) 

As the need to go green increases each and every year, apps like Zipcar become more and more important.

Zipcar, which has received even better reviews since its latest update on March 31, makes it easy for Zipcar members to get around, no matter where they are on the planet.

With the Zipcar app, members can view available Zipcars on a map or a list using their current location, favorite location or a specific address. Members can also reserve a Zipcar 24/7, sort cars by time available, car type and model; view upcoming reservations; get directions to your Zipcar and contact support.

Heck, you may even feel more hip with the Zipcar app. You can honk your car’s horn or unlock/lock the doors through the app.  

The new version also comes with a sleek design compatible with iOS 7. 

Maplets (iPhone, Android, $2.99)

Maplets has been a popular app even since it was introduced to the public in 2009, but it just got better with its March 29 update.

First of all, the offline map service includes more than 10,000 global maps of national parks, state parks, local parks, theme parks, metro and subway systems, bike routes, ski resorts, college campuses, zoos, theme parks and more. That includes Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks, the Grand Canyon, the New York City’s MTA subway system, the London Tube and a Los Angeles bike map (yes, there are bikes in LA). In fact, every U.S. national park is included in the app.

But the new update really takes things to another level.

With the new update, you can now open downloaded locations in Google Maps, export a pin or path to GPX, simply tap the map to create a pin, and download/search faster and easier.

The app comes with the ability to organize your maps into folders or add notes, GPS locations for supported maps, and weather and snow reports.

 

Follow me on Twitter @RyanRudnansky