PUBLIC MARKS from sbrothier with tags ipad & voyages

Christina Warrens of Mashable covered our iTunes Concert Ticket + report last week and added that "Delta Airlines, which is headquartered in my hometown, supports digital boarding passes at some of its bigger airports. I love this because it is one less thing to print out and one fewer line to stand in for a boarding pass." Well, Apple appears to agree with that thinking because they're working on a new travel check-in application that they're simply calling "iTravel." Apple is obviously working with the Airlines to ensure that the iPhone will be up to standard when new ticketless systems roll out in the coming years. Apple's iTravel focuses on such matters as airline check-in and baggage identification, advanced electronic ID, car rentals, hotel and airline reservations and so forth. Apple's iTravel is yet another Near Field Communications based application within a host of recent revelations. It would appear, at least on the surface – that Apple may be working on a new suite of NFC related applications for a future iPhone. Perhaps such a suite could be ready by the time they roll out their iPhone 4G next year.

One of the Apple iPad's best uses is going to be as travel companion: It's lighter than a laptop, more fun and intimate to use, and great for wasting time on a plane or train. So it's no surprise that many of the first iPad apps are focused on travel, extending the huge collection of great travel apps for the iPhone. These range from flight trackers to mapping apps to travel guides and references. Most are inexpensive or free.