When people want to just get away from this digital, modern world of ours, there’s no better place to go than the great outdoors. However, doing that usually also forces one to forfeit some of the conveniences of our digital, modern world. With Columbia Sportswear’s new GPS PAL app though, that does not have to be the case.

GPS PAL is designed to enhance one’s outdoor experience through its plethora of features. Users can keep records of their journeys through geotagged text, videos and photos. This user-created media can then be uploaded online to all sorts of websites and social networks. Users can also create and store routes along with their distance and elevation as well as set GPS markers at their favorite spots. Basically, the app is a living journal of one’s outdoor adventures.

Be one with nature while still being in the 21st century. GPS PAL is available now for free on the App Store.

FREE!

Columbia’s GPS PAL™

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-04-20 :: Category: Utilities

Good weather season is here and, along with that, the urge to look good and get in shape for it. One such way is through new workout app Pushing Weight.

Pushing Weight is designed for beginners to intermediate levels and dispenses with teaching users how to do relevant moves, instead focusing on providing a means to log and plan workouts.

Essentially, it means that the user can track and visualize their workout patterns, working out what works best for them. Training frequently rewards the user with a streak for each session they complete, represented by charge bars that fill up. It’s a neat touch that helps users check at a glance what they need to work on to keep those bars full.

For those in need of an easy way of tracking their workout routines, Pushing Weight is an ideal and easy to use solution.

It’s out now, priced at $2.99.

$2.99

PUMPING WEIGHT

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2011-12-28 :: Category: Healthcare & Fitness

Boat Beacon – AIS Marine Navigation has recently been released on the App Store and for seafarers, this is the perfect app to pick up.

The app offers a form of tracking that, like an AIS transponder, enables users to see each other and their boats out at sea. Using Boat Beacon maps and global AIS systems like AIS Hub, Marine Traffic and Shipfinder, users can keep watch of what’s going on around them without any need for external AIS transponder equipment.

While it’s not a transponder so users won’t be visible to other ships on their AIS systems, Boat Beacon – AIS Marine Navigation is an ideal backup plus it has the added benefit of being usable by friends and family to check that all is well at sea. There’s even Ship to Ship instant messaging through the app.

A specialist app for sure, Boat Beacon – AIS Marine Navigation is worth checking out for any seafarers out there that want some extra visibility.

$9.99

Boat Beacon - AIS Marine Navigation

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2012-02-16 :: Category: Navigation

Now I’ll admit that I don’t do much driving nowadays because I use mass transit (i.e. the subway), but I did drive a lot once upon a time. And it was quite the pain to deal with all of the extraneous annoyances like traffic, insurance, and gas. Guess which of those problems Gas Logs addresses?

The latest app from JAS Appications allows users to track their mileage, their spending, etc… All manner of values can be adjusted to fit a user’s region, including gallons/liters, and a number of different currencies. Of course, it just wouldn’t be a JAS Applications app if it didn’t also include a super-useful GPS feature. Which it does. Yup, as expected Gas Logs can do all this in addition to finding nearby gas stations by using the iOS device’s built-in GPS.

Again, someone like myself who doesn’t even own a car won’t have much use for it but there are billions of people out there who drive, and at least millions who own an iPhone. Chances are good that there’s a decent market for something like this.

$0.99

Gas Logs

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2012-02-15 :: Category: Finance

RunKeeper.com, the site that allows you to track various goals in your fitness training, has released nine new apps to help track fitness data. New apps include Clever Run, Coachya, Cycle Log, Fleetly, Nexercise, Pedometer Ultimate, Scosche MyTREK, Vitogo, and Weighty.

For the sake of clarity, some of these ‘apps’ are simply added to the RunKeeper service (e.g. Clever Run. Though some are standalone, iPhone apps, like Cycle Log and, of course, the official RunKeeper app.

The new apps have ranging functions from a coaching app for both the coaches and their athletes, like Coachya, to turning fitness into a game, like Fleetly and Nexercise. Many of the apps track some sort of activity. CleverRun tracks running-related items, Cycle Log is a comprehensive cycling tracker and companion, Pedometer Ultimate is self-explanatory, Scosche myTREK keeps an eye on the user’s pulse, and Weighty keeps track of weight and fat percentage. Vitogo is a personal trainer app that creates a workout program tailored to the user.

RunKeeper and its apps could be beneficial to a fitness-related New Year’s resolution. Go to RunKeeper.com to sign up for the service and click the “Apps” link to see the 45+ apps including the most recent nine.

FREE!

RunKeeper - GPS Track Running Walking Cycling

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-01-13 :: Category: Healthcare & Fitness

Back when the App Store was a new and shiny invention, I remember being able to browse the entire contents of the store within the space of an hour at most. These days however, it would take so long to browse the store that more apps would have been added by the time anyone got to the end. While we at 148apps can help iOS owners keep up to date with all the best and most interesting apps out there, even we can miss out on a hidden gem or forgotten bargain. This is precisely where AppZapp enters the picture.

AppZapp promises to be the Bargain Guide for the App Store and a quick glance will confirm that for all. AppZapp keeps track of all the price drops going on at any one time then lists them in appropriately organised lists for easy consultation.

The Live Stream is of particular interest offering a whole bunch of apps that have had their price adjusted. The difference here is that the Stream keeps track of what other users of AppZapp have been downloading at the current time forming an ideal way of seeing exactly what’s popular at any given time. The Top List offers a similar facility along with the option to view the App Store charts easily without having to delve into the App Store app. Sales and Now Free sections supply apps in order of when the price dropped. There’s even an AppZapp news section that informs users of the best apps out there that have recently gone down in price.

AppZapp has the potential to save its users a heck of a lot of money which is pretty impressive stuff for such an inexpensive app. It’s free for iPhone users while a mere $0.99 for a HD iPad version. Users can choose to pay $1.99 to remove ads if they so wish. There’s also the option to pay $0.99 for a Push Service Notification system.

However readers of 148apps don’t have to worry about this as we have an exclusive code to gain that for free! All users have to do is go to Settings and Coupon Code then simply enter 148apps to gain the service for free!

Surely a perfect reason to give AppZapp a try, right?

FREE!

AppZapp

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-08-03 :: Category: News

$0.99

AppZapp HD Pro

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2011-04-06 :: Category: Utilities

Tuition Tab strikes me as an app that might have begun as a joke—and ended up as something that could possibly force truant professors to change their habits. Developed by college student Logan Moore, Tuition Tab keeps track of how late your professor is for class each day, as well as when classes are outright cancelled. Moore remarks that he was frustrated by paying for classes, only to have them cancelled:

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t mind when class is canceled but I also would like a reimbursement for something I paid for but didn’t get. Tuition Tab allows you to enter your Tuition information and it then gives you a running total of how late your professor is and how much of your tuition they have wasted. There is also the “Class was Canceled” button.

Oh, and the funniest part? At the end of the semester, you can generate an invoice to send to your professor and university requesting reimbursement for your “lost” tuition.

I feel obligated to point out that tuition is based on far more than how many hours you sit in a classroom—you’re paying for all manner of resources and services that your university lets students use for “free.” And professors are allowed sick days too, right? Still, Tuition Tab is an ironically amusing app that just might get you some results. I doubt that your university will refund you, but as Moore points out: fifty emails complaining about the instructor’s attendance are good incentive for them to change their habits.

FREE!

Tuition Tab

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2010-08-09 :: Category: Education

Forget Apple’s expensive Find My iPhone program. iHound is the way to go.

iHound is an iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad tracking app that incorporates many of the iOS’s unique features. Now, with an update for iOS 4, it’s better than ever, and I’d argue that it’s the best iPhone tracking service out there. Here’s how it works. You go to ihoundsoftware.com, make an account, and then download the free app. The service is free for a month; after that, you can purchase a longer term at $10.99/yr. Compare that to MobileMe’s $99/yr requirement for Find My iPhone. Yikes!

Once launched, iHound functions in the background, transmitting your device’s location every 10 minutes. You can opt for always-on tracking, too, as long as you don’t mind the battery drain. Now, if you lose your iPhone, you log on at the iHound website. From there, you can view your device’s current location and / or send a push notification to your device (“Hi there, I’ve lost my iPhone–please call 555-555-5555!”). Better yet, you can force your device to emit a loud, wailing siren noise. That’s sure to catch someone’s attention. And if someone turns your phone off, iHound will launch and transmit its location once the phone is turned back on.

What makes this even sweeter is that with iHound, you can have as many devices as you want on the same plan for no additional cost. (Take that, AT&T…your FamilyMap plan just got crushed.)

I’ve just installed iHound on my second-generation iPod Touch, and I was quite impressed. Not only did iHound pinpoint my location, but the push-notification and siren options work extremely well. It’s true that with an iPod’s dependence on WiFi, iHound isn’t foolproof, but at least I won’t lose my iPod in my own house any more. Furthermore, for iPhone and 3G-enabled iPad owners, this is a no-brainer. iHound is a fantastic, affordable, and highly functional tracking system, and with iOS 4′s background capabilities it’s finally a complete app. Forget MobileMe and Find My iPhone; get iHound!

$3.99

iHound Tracker for iPhones, iPads & Families

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-01-16 :: Category: Utilities

Expedia has made a major update to its TripAssist app including all-new interactive features to make it easier for travelers reach their destinations.

A YouTube video has been posted explaining the new features using an example case study.

Some of the best enhancements include itinerary tracking, real-time SMS and email alerts, online booking, alternate flight options and SeatGuru seat maps. Ideal for those last minute alterations to your trip or unexpected ash clouds from Iceland.

From within the TripAssist app, users can now plan their route or follow that of others by looking up flights or checking an entire itinerary. A new horizontal view shows you where you should be at any given point in your trip including arrival and departure times, hotel and rental car locations.

The SeatGuru seat map feature allows you to find where you are seated on your flight to allow for any last minute changes.

The app is free and available now in the App Store.

FREE!

TripAssist

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-05-06 :: Category: Travel