Hearing the description, Babelshot appears, for all intents and purposes, to be the ideal iPhone app for translating languages. However, it has its flaws if you’re not using the right equipment.

Let me explain.

The way the captured image text translation works is by using the iPhone’s camera to take a photo from within the Babelshot app. Note, you cannot use a previously captured image from your photo library or camera roll. Once the image is captured, a text box appears to crop the text to be recognized and translated. If it doesn’t recognize the text correctly, it asks you to manually edit the text to create the correct entry.

Babelshot’s photo translator works great if you have an iPhone 3GS, but use anything else and the images won’t be sharp enough for the optical character recognition system to work. If you want to use Babelshot with an iPhone 3G or earlier, you’ll need a way to improve the camera’s macro capabilities.

Even if you’re not blessed with an iPhone 3GS, you can still use Babelshot’s manual translation while you wait for your Clarifi case from Griffin Technology.

The other thing to remember is that the iPhone’s picture quality is limited in less than perfect lighting, so the efficiency of Babelshot may be compromised in low-light situations, such as in a restaurant, or if you need to translate a bus schedule at night.

Don’t let these warnings scare you. Babelshot is user-friendly, mostly accurate, and accepts quite a bit of text for translation. As long as you own the right phone or accessories, you’ll be pleased with the features of Babelshot. And, if you do have to type in your text for translation? Well, even if you only use it as a traditional text translator, Babelshot is still a bargain at $2.99.

There are dozens and dozens of languages supported: Danish, French, English, German, Hungarian, Swahilli, Turkish, Hebrew, Chinese, Greek, and Portuguese are but a sampling of the languages Babelshot supports.

• rating: 7/10
• app_name: Babelshot

© AppCraver, 2009. | Babelshot Takes Aim at Text Translation with Photos | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

Tpo be clear, Globemaster is basically a clever repackaging of Wikinews, Wikitravel and Google Maps — all free resources used with permission. So, why pay for information you can get for free on the Internet? There are many reasons. (Editor’s note: Globemaster is on sale for $0.99 until the end of 2009.)

Globemaster is polished, easy to navigate and endlessly interesting. Even more, it passes my “airplane mode” test. All the information and functions (except for the ability to refresh news alerts) are available and work as expected even when your device is in airplane mode. This is one of my most important requirements for any travel app. You don’t want to get lost in a foreign country and find out your guidebook stops working when you don’t have a cell connection — especially when you’re using AT&T.

Other Globemaster features include:

• an intuitive user interface
• more than 260 countries and areas, and 1400 major cities and 4100 photos
• satellite view by country/city using Google maps
• information that is neatly categorized for quick access
• tip calculator with one-tap access to customary tipping expectations of your currently selected country
• currency converter with on-demand update
• “favorites” for saving tip and currency presets
• comprehensive information for each country including history, holidays, travel advice, reference information, weather, electrical requirements, languages, eating, staying safe, etc
• “alerts” from Wikinews offer international news and maybe insight about which countries to avoid

One of Globemaster’s features — the “neatly categorized” part — is what makes this travel guide stand out from the pack. The app takes information from wikitravel.com and separates it into bite-size pieces so jet setters like you and me can quickly find just the information we need at any given moment. The categories make planning for your trip a breeze. Wondering what to see, where to sleep, how to show respect? It’s all just a tap away.

Keep in mind that wikis are community-edited resources. Although generally reliable, sometimes you may want to double-check the facts.

The developers, Ivan Kerpan & Evgeniy Lebed, have done an excellent job of wrapping an intuitive, user-friendly interface around a community-created information. With the addition of the currency converter and the tip calculator, Globemaster is a practical and useful travel app that globetrotters won’t want to leave home without.

• rating: 8/10
• app_name: Globemaster:

© AppCraver, 2009. | Globemaster: Offline travel guide is clever, polished and endlessly interesting | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

Paris 3D is part of this new generation of maps. Using the same aerial image technology — all new photos from 2009 — the travel app allows users to take a thorough exploration of Paris, France. Of course, if Paris 3D were just another map app, there wouldn’t be much to write home about.

The app combines the true-life images with the functions of a guide book. Armchair travelers will enjoy reading about the 2000 points of interest, all categorized by interest and location. Tourists actually visiting the City of Lights have even more options. You can plan a walkable route for getting around Paris and, if you veer off the beaten path, use the geo-location features to find your way back to the hotel.

In practical application, Paris 3D works better than expected. The app is a beast! It’s a huge download that should only be attempted when connected to your computer. This is actually a good thing because it means that all the information Paris 3D needs is stored on your device not on the Internet. You’ll be able to plan your itinerary on the flight overseas, and, even better, you won’t be tied in to a costly data plan while roaming about the city.

For an app with so much information, the map is surprisingly responsive. Screen redraw time is minimal — about the same or less as you would get using Google maps — and navigating from map to description and back again is a breeze.

Like any map-based app, you use your fingers to scroll and drag your way around. But, there’s one thing you really need to know if you want to get the most out of Paris 3D. The map starts out with a typical top-down view, if you want to get the full 3D view you’ll need to rotate your viewing perspective. Hold one finger down on the screen, this becomes your anchor point. Now, use the other to rotate the plane of view or to take a 360-degree gander around a building.

It took me a while to figure this out. But, it’s quite impressive once you get the hang of it.

As you browse the Paris streets, double tap any building for more information. The app will provide a list of attractions and points of interest based on your current location.

Paris 3D is the first of a series of city-exploration guidebooks from Mobile 3D City. As my grandpa might say, it’s amazing what they can do with technology these days. Of course, this map app is more than just an awesome showpiece, it’s a practical guidebook for discovering Paris on foot, in a car, or from your living room. I can’t wait to see what cities they do next!

• app_name: Paris 3D
• rating: 8/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | Paris 3D Presents a New Way to Discover the City of Lights | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

I wasn’t too sure I could test the Disneyland iGuide by Walkee without a visit to the “happiest place on Earth.” However, since my app purchase did not include a ticket I realized I’d just have to give it my best shot. So, mouse ears in place I prepared to be imaginarily whisked away.

To my surprise, this guide to getting around Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney is interesting from the comfort of one’s own couch too. There is so much information! Each ride has a description and a separate “back story” with historical tidbits or entertaining facts about the attraction.

The Disneyland iGuide is organized around a circular legend that lets users select attractions, shopping, dining, favorites or “did that.” Choose any single category or mix and match to customize what you’re looking for. After you’ve made a selection, tap the big blue button to open the map. Places from your preselected categories will be flagged.

The map of Disneyland is one of Walkee’s big claims to fame. According to the company, users can zoom in closer than any other Disney map available. The map is a great way to browse through the app, let your fingers do the walking to visit your preferred “land” and learn more about your favorite rides or attractions.

For people that are actually in Disneyland the map has extra features that make it even better. Coupled with built-in GPS, you can use the Disneyland iGuide to route you from one ride to another, find your current location and the nearest restroom, or just track your progress as you travel through the park. If you are planning on being in Disneyland all day, you may want to turn off that last feature though or it’s unlikely your battery will last long enough to take pictures at the afternoon parade.

Walkee has included everything you would expect to find in a guide to the Magic Kingdom: daily schedules for opening, closing and parade times, lists of attractions, special requirements (like height or health), where to find characters for photo opps,  even restaurant menus!

The guide takes advantage of user-submitted data to provide up-to-the-minute details about the park. Users can use the Line-Timer to record wait times and will soon be able to send in alerts about down rides as well.

But, what I really like about the Disneyland iGuide is the personalization features that make this more than any paper guide could hope to be. As you enjoy your day, you can mark off the rides that you’ve been on and add notes to individual attractions. You can also use the app to snap a photo that will be stored with your notes. At the end of the day you can relive every minute of fun. After the next upgrade you’ll also be able upload your pics to Facebook or send e-cards to family and friends all from within the iGuide.

The Disneyland iGuide is a fully complete, well-thought out iPhone app, rather than just a digitized map with zoom. Use it plan your trip, guide your day, and relive the good times over and over again.

• rating: 8/10
• app_name: Disneyland iGuide

© AppCraver, 2009. | Disneyland iGuide by Walkee is a magical link to Walt’s Kingdom | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

3 Numbers has an old-world navigation appearance, which is quite elegant, but could be over the top for more practical users. Fortunately, this was taken into consideration and there is an option to for an incognito appearance. Which ever appearance you choose, 3 Numbers has a relatively simple to follow interface, though some aspects of 3 Numbers may not be obvious at first glance. There is a help section accessible by tapping the information icon shown in the currency conversion mode that contains directions.

So what can you do with 3 Numbers? Certainly more than 3 things, as the name tends to imply. The name is derived from the ability to retain up to 3 numbers you might use repeatedly by storing them to the fields at the top of the screen. I’m not exactly sure what instances this would be useful for, but perhaps there are a few. The main features of 3 Numbers are the currency and unit conversion tools and the tip calculator.

3 Numbers offers dozens of different currencies and conversion rates can be updated instantly. To use the currency converter, simply select the “from” currency in the left hand side of the dial scroll wheel and the “to” currency on the right. Tap the field above on the left to enter an amount and then tap the arrow button to convert. Similarly, entering into the unit conversion tool, the same UI applies and you can convert units to meters, kilometers, inches, feet, miles and knots as well as units of temperature, speed, and weight.

Like most tip calculators, the 3 Numbers tip calculator offers a sliding percentage scale and the ability to calculate the split of the total bill. Additionally, 3 Numbers has tipping “tips” for different countries, such as the standard dining tip, taxi tip, and other useful information that can serve as a guide while traveling. The final feature of 3 Numbers is the ability to take notes and upload them to a computer on the same network.

While there are several apps available that could combine to perform all aspects of 3 Numbers, some of which may be free, 3 Numbers is a fairly intuitive and simple to use multi-feature app that can perform a variety of tasks on the go. And for its current price of just .99 (USD) or $1.14 (Canadian Dollars) or $1.26 (Australian Dollars), you can hardly beat it.

• rating: 8/10
• app_name: 3 Numbers

© AppCraver, 2009. | 3 Numbers is a Travel Utility App that Provides Way More than 3 Functions | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

Based on user-posted reviews of Qype Radar in the App Store, it seems some people are complaining about an absence of information with Qype Radar based on their locations. And I can see why.

Qype Radar is organized by types of places – restaurants, pubs & bars, coffee shops, shopping, hotels, and so on. It appears that Qype is location-based and will include places nearby, but that depends. You can also use the search function to name a place such as Atlanta, Washington DC, Inverness, wherever and it will save the four most recent searches so you don’t have to re-enter them. While testing out Qype Radar, it appeared to me that there were far more results for the UK than anywhere else, but as far as here in the states I could get only a few results for many major metro areas and that was only using the search function.

When utilizing the location-based “places” function on Qype Radar, absolutely nothing turned up under any of the place categories. “No Matches Found” was my constant message. What’s odd is that while I could turn up a handful of results merely searching Cincinnati specifically, my current location wasn’t all that far off, so I’m not sure how well the location-based function really works or if “nearby” is limited to a certain mile radius. However, I suspect that it has more to do with the database being limited than anything else.

When I say limited, I believe it’s not as limited in the UK. Many of the locations listed under an Inverness search had several reviews, while the few locations that turned up under Washington DC had either no reviews or only one or two. I’m not a fortune-teller so I can’t speculate on whether Qype Radar will take off here in the states, but without user participation the database won’t grow and without a database, it’s going to be hard to get users.

Qype Radar may be a semi-useful free download if you’re planning a trip overseas, but for use here in the states it is too limited and won’t likely prove to be too useful.

• app_name: Qype Radar
• rating: 5/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | Qype Radar is Not on My Radar and Probably Not Yours Either | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

There are several things about Not For Tourists Manhattan City Guide that are just plain useful and it’s easy on the eyes to boot. The user interface is relatively intuitive for the amount of information included and navigation is relatively simple as well.

The travel guide organizes locations by neighborhoods, gives a brief description of each, and then organizes nearby places to eat, drink, shop, play, and buy dog food. Essentially if you’re looking for some specific type of place, you can find a category to encompass it.

Once you’ve located a place, you are provided with address and phone number, the option to call the establishment directly from within the app, pull up the place’s location on the map, as well as a little ditty about the place such as what they sell, serve, or might be known for. Granted, the editorial comments in the books are a fair bit more entertaining and comprehensive, but with most listings, you get the gist. It would appear to me that many of the places listed in the Not For Tourists Manhattan City Guide could have used a bit more detail in their description, but this is an iPhone app not a book.

I have no idea if it’s as comprehensive as it could be, as only a New York native could answer that. But being directionally challenged I concede that having the ability to easily find whatever I might be looking for, get the directions, contact information, including websites if available, as well as have it pinpointed on a map without ever looking like I was lost in the first place is pretty useful.

The most recent press release from Not For Tourists developers does not state if there will be more cities to come, but the Not For Tourist library includes a books for most major metropolitan areas so we can probably expect more for the iPhone as well. As a portable travel guide, if you’re headed to New York, Not For Tourists Manhattan City Guide should come in very handy.

• app_name: Not For Tourists Manhattan City Guide
• rating: 8/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | Not For Tourists Manhattan City Guide Debuts in App Store | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

That Beach Channel iPhone app puts you on the sand of ten wonderful relaxing beaches. You have the opportunity to spend a few minutes on beaches in Maui, St Thomas, Fiji, Oregon Coast, Cancun and St John, allowing you an escape for a few relaxing moments whenever you need to.

That Beach Channel has captured the essence of a quick vacation getaway. Sit back, select a beach, and be transported to a place far from where you are, if only for a few minutes. Each of the crisp clear HD videos is supported by the calming sounds of waves landing on the shore. Visuals and sounds so clear, you can almost smell the salty scent emitting from the ocean spray.

All of the videos in That Beach Channel are two-minutes in length. Just long enough to give you the feeling of being away, but short enough for those that only needed a few relaxing moments away from work. If you want a longer vacation you’ll  have to replay it, or travel to any of the other beaches for two-minutes at a time.

What else you ask? Other than the ability to send an invite to someone from your contacts list, that’s it. That Beach Channel iPhone app is simply a quick getaway to help you relax. What better way to relax but to have a beach all to yourself with only the sights and sounds of nature to relish.

• rating: 7/10
• app_name: That Beach Channel

© AppCraver, 2009. | That Beach Channel: When You Need To Get Away | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

I can not tell you how many times I’ve failed to appropriately prepare and pack for even a simple, weekend getaway. I have made lists, which helps, but I become so easily overwhelmed by the concept of complete organization that I make mistakes and invariably over or under-pack. With Packing Pro you get simplified organization, preparation and packing suggestions, as well as the ability to customize a checklist for successful travel.

Packing Pro provides users with sample packing lists that are already tailored to gender, number of people traveling and type of trip. You can then import the sample template for any upcoming trip and further customize it according to your needs, or you can create your own list completely from scratch. With Packing Pro, I can say I will definitely make fewer packing mistakes – like the time I forgot the stuffed monkey my five-year-old couldn’t sleep without or the time I forgot to pack myself any flip-flops on a trip that included a beach visit.

In both the Packing and Packing Pro versions, you get an incredibly detailed, professional organizational app with collapsible categories, auto save, email capability, detailed records, room for notes, and the list just goes on and on. Not only can you create a packing checklist, but also a checklist of preparational “to do” tasks. Flexibility is important in any organizational application and Packing Pro offers plenty of it. Plus, you get the ability to not only customize its function, but the appearance as well by changing background and header colors as well as font.

I would hate to overstate Packing Pro’s usefulness as a packing checklist, but it really is like having a personal packing assistant who wants and helps you to achieve organizational success, not just one that makes you think it’s possible. The navigation and iterface is as smooth as any and there seems to be sufficient memory to plan a year-long furlough.  Just as the original Packing version earned kudos from demonstrations in Apple Retailers across the US, the enhanced version of Packing Pro has earned a permanent place on my menu.

• app_name: Packing Pro
• rating: 9/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | Want to be a Pro at Packing? Check Out Packing Pro | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!

The best place to start with Lingopal-Fun Multilingual Phrasebook is the Setting icon on the right side of the bottom menu bar. Select your native language and then the language you want to translate to from the list of 42 languages.

The other three icons are Categories, Search and Favorites.

Because Lingopal-Fun Multilingual Phrasebook, is just that–a phrasebook–it’s divided into situations you are likely to encounter when traveling abroad. There are categories for dining, accommodations, how to ask for directions and so on.

Go to Dining, for example, and you see a list of common phrases, “A table for two, please,” and “Can you suggest a nice Bordeaux” and “Can you suggest a nice bordello [not really].”

Despite what you may have heard about love being the universal language, you’ll probably find the several flirting categories useful if you’re looking for love in all wrong places. You be able to say things like, “Can you rub some lotion on my back please?” and “And now on my chest, please.”

Here’s the cool part about Lingopal. Tap the phrase you would like to use and it will open a window with a text and an audio translation. You have at the same time the option to save the phrase as a Favorite or reverse translation.

You do not need an Internet connection to access any language, so no worries about having to wait for something to download. Lingopal-Fun Multilingual Phrasebook, from developer Lingo Holdings, contains the world’s most common languages such as English, French and Italian, as well as some you might use rarely such as Estonian, Tagalog and Afrikaans.

• app_name: Lingopal — Fun Multilingual Phrasebook
• rating: 8/10

© AppCraver, 2009. | Lingopal-Fun Multilingual Phrasebook Flirts with Travelers | Get our iPhone Reviews on Facebook & Twitter!