Sherman's Travel

These days, a smartphone is expected to do more than just field calls and text messages. Increasingly, users are ditching paper maps in favor of handheld screens, and if you’re the owner of a shiny new Windows Phone 8, you’re holding one of the most potent navigational tools on the market today. Unbeknownst to many, Nokia has been producing world-class maps for years, and the company’s recent ties to Microsoft has brought a lot of that expertise to the Windows phone’s platform. If you’re ever in rural places with weak mobile coverage, or in foreign countries where you’d rather not run up a high roaming bill just to navigate, it’s worth it to understand your offline options. Read more

Windows Phone may be the new kid on the mobile block (until BlackBerry 10 launches later this month), but it’s quickly shaping up to be a reliable platform for travelers. The user interface is one of the most beautiful out there, and a number of developers are embracing the new landscape to produce some incredible programs. Here are a few can’t-miss downloads for travelers from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Last quarter, we recommended that owners of Lumia devices – Windows Phone handsets made exclusively by Nokia – download a suite of top-tier navigation tools. Since then, Windows Phone 8 has shipped, and with it has come one hugely important change: the Nokia mapping suite can now be downloaded and used across all Windows Phone 8 products, not just the ones produced by Nokia. This means that WP8 phones from HTC and Samsung can now enjoy Nokia Maps, Drive, and Transport. Drive supports offline turn-by-turn navigation, while Maps and Transport can help you get from Point A to Point B, even via mass transit options.

Next, no avid flyer should be without FlightAware. While Flight+ works wonders for those with an iPhone, this app is an excellent alternative for users of the Windows Phone platform. It’s free, astonishingly, and provides real-time tracking of commercial flights worldwide (and private flights within the U.S. and Canada). You can search by aircraft registration, route, airline flight number, city pair, or airport code, and even if you’re not checking up on your upcoming travels, it’s a pretty awesome way to kill time.

It comes recommended on other platforms as well, but WorldMate‘s Windows Phone app is without question its most elegant. For those unfamiliar with the service, it’s effectively a rival to TripIt, but it tends to handle multiple flight confirmation numbers a bit better, and generally rings up a bit cheaper for the Pro level of service. Even for those who use the free services, you’ll be able to keep track of all of your forthcoming itineraries, including flights, hotels, rental cars, train reservations, and more.

Our prior recommendations for Android can be found here, while iPhone users can look here.

It’s not often that Microsoft launches an entirely new operating system, but that’s what happened recently with the introduction of Windows 8. Specifically, the user interface was overhauled completely to focus on “tiles,” and Microsoft engineered this system to work nicely with touch panels. Yes, Windows 7 machines can be found with touch panels, but those looking for a far more polished experience should be eying one of the fresher alternatives.

I discussed the pros and cons of Microsoft’s own Surface RT tablet in a prior piece, but the fact remains: some business travelers simply aren’t in a place where they’re able to ditch a full-fledged notebook. For those of you out there in need of a laptop refresh, and wondering which of the latest and greatest will give you the best Windows 8 experience, I’ve got a few recommendations. Read more

In recent weeks, we took a look at Apple’s iPad, and how busy professionals who find themselves constantly on the go could use it as a replacement for a bulky laptop. But the reality is this: while the iPad can be repurposed to handle business duties in some regards, it was never built to be used specifically for that. Microsoft, on the other hand, has a storied history when it comes to productivity, and it’s hard to visit any corporate environment without seeing Office icons on desktops and laptops everywhere.

A couple of weeks ago, the company launched its first tablet ever: Surface with Windows RT. It’s a peculiar name for a tablet, and even the operating system itself takes some explaining. But in many ways, this is the first flagship tablet built primarily for productivity, and it’s worth taking a look at the pros and cons surrounding it. For those hoping to put their Windows laptops aside while picking up something more portable (and longer lasting, in terms of battery life), this particular unit might just be the ticket. Read more

With the holiday only days away, airlines are making it easy to do last-minute tasks to alleviate pre-holiday stress. Virgin Atlantic is helping out holiday travelers by wrapping gifts. For $2, “Virgin Helpers” will wrap one carry on-sized gift while you’re waiting for your flight home for the holiday. Kiosks will be stationed in Terminal 4 of JFK Airport in New York, after you go through security (since the TSA discourages flyers from packing wrapped gifts). All of the proceeds will benefit the charity Virgin Unite.

At the Toronto-Pearson International Airport, you can arrange for a flyer to be greeted by carolers upon arrival. Through December 24, if you’re flying domestic into Toronto-Pearson, tweet @torontopearson with the person’s name, flight number, and flight date whom you’d like to surprise with some holiday cheer.

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In a program called Holiday Photos on the Fly, Southwest Airlines and Microsoft are bringing a little extra holiday cheer to your busy travel schedule: Santa Claus will be set up at 26 U.S. airports to pose for free holiday photos with passengers, young and old. Santa’s helpers from Microsoft will not only provide travelers with a free photo print, but also show customers how to edit and share their pictures. The program will run for the three weekends preceding Christmas in December (Dec. 2-5, Dec. 9-12, and Dec. 17-20) from 8am to 7:30pm. You can seek out Santa at the following Southwest airports: Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Boston Logan, Chicago Midway, Dallas Love Field, Denver, El Paso, Fort Lauderdale, Houston Hobby, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Oakland, Ontario, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, San Antonio, St. Louis, Seattle Tacoma, and Tampa Bay.

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