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Chimani releasing new national park apps and an option for augmented reality
We've said good things about the Chimani apps before. With National Park Week starting today, Chimani has released additional free national park guides, including Grand Teton, Glacier, Olympic, Sequoia-Kings Canyon and Bryce Canyon National Parks. A new guide will be released every day this week. These guides used to be paid apps priced from US$2.99-$9.99. They were a bargain then, and for free, they are must-haves. With these new releases, Chimani is adding what it calls Viewport, an augmented reality tool that lets you pan around the scenery and identify points of interest. This is one of the most useful applications of augmented reality I've seen. Without it, you would almost certainly miss some of the striking features within your view. The Viewport feature is $1.99 as an in-app purchase. The Chimani guides include information on local weather, restroom locations, accommodation information and details on activities specific to the national park guide you are using. There are also maps of hiking trails, scenic drives and overlooks. These new releases also include topographic maps based on data from Open Street Maps, pretty handy info in many of our national parks. The data is updated monthly, as Chimani claims the maps contain the most detailed and up-to-date information available anywhere, digitally or in print. %Gallery-186414% I've used the Chimani guides in a couple of our national parks, and it definitely made the experience richer and let me use my time more wisely. The apps are also most welcome before a park visit to help you to decide what to do and where to go. All the Chimani guides are universal, and are optimized for the iPhone 5. They require iOS 5.01 or greater. If you're planning a trip to any of our national parks this year, grab the appropriate app and you'll have a better time on your visit.
Summer Travel Ahead? Chimani National Park guides are free for a limited time
I've loved the Chimani National Park guides. They're chock full of worthwhile information and are well worth the US$4.99 to 9.99 they usually sell for. Beginning April 17, the apps are free in celebration of National Park Week. This great deal will last through April 29. "Last year we gave away over 100,000 apps during National Park Week. It was a huge success, and we're excited to do it again," said Chimani President Kerry Gallivan. "Our goal is to reach a million downloads this year and to encourage just as many people to visit their local national park." The Chimani suite of national park apps includes Acadia National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park and the National Parks app. It's a virtual passport for tracking visits to all national parks. These apps really are first rate, and I wouldn't think of going to any of these locations without this app on my iPhone. Auto tours, sunrise-sunset times, points of interest, scenic overlooks, when the ranger talks are taking place... you name it, it's all in these apps. If you're traveling this summer, or even think you might be, grab these apps while they're free. You can visit the Chimani web site for more details, and when you're ready, head over to the App Store and get what you need.
Chimani Yellowstone Guide for iPhone free until July 17
I have really liked the Chimani National Park Guides and now the long awaited Yellowstone Park guide is available in time for summer travel. Even better, the app is free until July 17, so if you're heading to one of our greatest National Parks start downloading. The Chimani guide for iPhone includes detailed maps of the park, descriptions of the 30 most popular hiking trails, GPS support to show where you are and what is nearby, a 60 minute audio tour, along with audio descriptions of 50 points of interest on the Grand Loop. There are sunset and sunrise times, which is great for photographers, and you'll get current events and lecture times at the park. The information is searchable, and even push notifications if you want them about happenings at Yellowstone. The Chimani guides have been uniformly excellent, and Yellowstone is a natural addition to the growing catalog of Chimani Guides. Because almost all the data is in the app, this is a hefty download of 357 megs. I keep the apps in iTunes, then download the ones I need for a particular trip.
Get ready for summer travel with a free National Park guide
It's almost summer, so thoughts turn to rock climbing, scenic vistas, maybe a geyser or a cool mountain lake. If you're thinking of traveling to any of the 58 US national parks, or any of the places in the National Park System that include seashores, battlefields, recreation areas and more, I think the new Chimani National Park app is for you. The free iPad and iPhone app gives you an overview of the place you want to visit, interactive maps and some Wikipedia-based information. It also provides a to-do list, letting you mark where you've been and where you'd like to go. The app also provides a web link to the official site for each National Park Service-administered location. I've previously reviewed the Chimani National Park guides that deal with some specific locations. This latest app is a much less detailed guide, but I was surprised to learn of national park facilities in my area that I didn't even know were there. There is also an option to get a lifetime subscription to the National Parks Traveler News website for $1.99. %Gallery-124341%
