WorldMate 1.6 for iPhone: Get 5-Day Weather Forecast & Itinerary Sharing

 The WorldMate 1.6 travel application for iPhone has exciting new features for free and Gold subscribers.

 Now you can share your itinerary with family, friends and colleagues, and get a 5-day weather forecast wherever you are in the world.

Itinerary Sharing at WorldMate for iPhone

With one click, share your itinerary with any of your iPhone contacts. This service is available to both free and Gold subscribers.

Whether you want work colleagues to know your schedule, or you want to alert your family and friends that you’ll be nearby, itinerary sharing at WorldMate for iPhone does the trick.

 5-Day Weather Forecast at WorldMate for iPhone

Don’t be surprised by the weather. Get a 5-day weather forecast for any major city in the world, so you'll know if you need to pack a parka or winter coat for your trip, or if you can expect glorious sunny days. With a weather forecast, you'll be alerted to storms or climate conditions that could delay your flight.

The weather forecast service is available to free and Gold subscribers, and offers you three options:

• Current city: Get the 5-day weather forecast for the city you’re currently in. Don't get caught in the rain without an umbrella, or in the cold without your coat. You'll leave for work knowing exactly what to expect.

• Itinerary Cities: Get the 5-day weather forecast for the cities on your itinerary, so you know if you should pack an umbrella, sunscreen or both.

• All Cities: Select any of the cities listed for a 5-day weather forecast.

In the spirit of keeping WorldMate for iPhone the best product in the category (as evidenced by notable reviewers including TechCrunch and ReadWriteWeb), these new features have been added to both WorldMate and WorldMate Gold as free upgrades. So what are you waiting for? Get the upgrade now at the App Store and share it with your friends and colleagues!

The Best iPhone Travel App is Now Also The Best Selling One

Apologies in advance for the amount of glee in this post... Yesterday, WorldMate got a great review on TechCrunch titled "WorldMate a Must Have iPhone App for Road Warriors". To celebrate we provided free activation codes which ran out within 20 minutes (the App Store only allows a developer to issue 50 of those), so we agreed to drop the price for 24 hours.

It looks like the dam has broken! Urged on by an onslaught of Tweets, Diggs and comments, iPhone users got it instantly - here's something which provides concrete value, saves them time and stress.  The results followed within 12 hours:

We're proud to be #1!  But we also realize our work is far from done. Our iPhone product, while being the best travel app for the iPhone, is still not on par with what we have on other platforms, especially BlackBerry. We pledge to continue working on making it even better - filling some key product gaps suggested by some users, as well as implementing some of our own ideas!

Onwards and Upwards!

TechCrunch Reviews WorldMate for iPhone - And We're Celebrating By Dropping the Price to $0.99 Until Midnight

Earlier this morning the leading technology blog TechCrunch posted a review of WorldMate on the iPhone  calling WorldMate "A Must-Have iPhone App for Road Warriors".

We were so happy about it we decided to give readers free Gold subscriptions. Guess what - the requests went through the roof, depleting the number of codes we can issue on the iTunes App Store. And as the review was posted in the morning European time - TechCrunch' US audience felt they got the bum deal. We can't issue more codes - but we can do something else, so for the next 24 hours:

WorldMate Gold on iPhone is $0.99. Yes - that is $0.99 . This price will be in place until midnight PST. Get it here: WorldMate Gold on the App Store.

And if you happened to buy WorldMate Gold for $0.99 this morning before we dropped the price - send us an email at techcrunch@worldmate.com . We can't refund you (only Apple can do that) but we'll try to find a creative way to compensate.

 



 

Making Business Travel a Pleasure: WorldMate for iPhone v.1.5

At WorldMate, we make it our business to create an iPhone travel application that keeps track of your travel itinerary, so you don’t have to.

We are constantly pushing the envelope to bring you a trip planner that is powered with the latest mobile phone technology. That’s why WorldMate for iPhone v.1.5 is the hottest travel itinerary application to date—and the only one you need.

Download WorldMate for iPhone

Exclusive New Features

Only WorldMate brings you iPhone apps with these exclusive features:

•  Automatic alerts delivered to your iPhone  will let you know if your flight has been delayed, diverted or canceled, or if the flight departure gate has been changed. 
•  These alerts are powered by iPhone’s new “Push” technology, and ensure that you are always in the loop, and that you never have to check for updates.

        

•  Our Smart Search for hotels refines your search to find the perfect hotel for you. Now you can search for a hotel near any location you choose, including city landmarks or the location of your next meeting. Choose to be in the thick of it near Times Square, or stick to Wall Street for a shorter commute to your conference.

Hotel bookings are always just a click away. New for iPhone: For last-minute booking, choose the “Near Me” option: Using a GPS sensor, WorldMate’s travel itinerary app will check where you are currently located, and then find all the hotels that are closest to you (and which match your preferences for budget, star rating, and amenities). You can then book the hotel directly through the WorldMate travel itinerary application, and show up at the hotel with your reservation ready to hand.

• Tip Calculator: You’re at a restaurant in Hong Kong with colleagues, and the bill arrives. What do you do? Tipping practices vary from country to country—sometimes the service is included in the bill, while in other places you are not expected to leave a tip at all.

With the iPhone travel app’s new tip guide and calculator, you will be a pro at every restaurant in the world, from Paris to Singapore.

Find out more about WorldMate for iPhone

With the WorldMate trip planner for iPhone, your flight details, travel itinerary, and hotel searches are up to us. Enjoying the journey is up to you.

Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Norwegian and Travel Inc. added to WorldMate Itinerary Generator

This week, we've added three European airlines - Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle, as well as a top-25 US travel management company. Itineraries booked directly with these companies  are now supported by WorldMate's itinerary generator. Users can simply forward their confirmation emails to trips@worldmate.com to have all details added to their WorldMate itineraries.

 Austrian Airlines, Austria's flag carrier operates out of Vienna and is a Star Alliance member. It has recently been acquired by Lufthansa.

Brussels Airlines, another Star Alliance member is Belgium's largest carrier.

Norwegian Air Shuttle is one of Europe's largest low-cost carriers and the second largest carrier in Scandinavia. As you've guessed, it's headquartered in Oslo and serves many Scandinavian WorldMate users.

Travel Inc. is a mid-size travel management company operating out of Atlanta GA and serving Fortune 500s as well as smaller customers.

All four of these are now part of the hundreds of companies already supported by WorldMate's itinerary generator. WorldMate users can have itineraries created automatically for them from the confirmation emails and then synchronized with their BlackBerries or iPhones.

WorldMate Gold Users - Switching to iPhone

A couple of weeks ago, when we announced WorldMate for the iPhone, we started getting questions from existing WorldMate Gold subscribers - for instance on BlackBerry, who said they've switched to iPhone and want to carry their subscription over. However, we cannot facilitate that due to Apple's iTunes App Store policies. The App Store is a pay-before-you-download type of store, that does not currently allow trial software or selling the subscription off the store. We've had several discussions with Apple about that and they were pretty adamant - if we don't play by their rules, WorldMate Gold will not be allowed on the store.

Now frankly this is not within our best interests. We'd like to stick to the system we use on BlackBerry and Windows Mobile -  on the iPhone as well, for many reasons. And one of the reasons is that it allows us to let our customers switch from phone to phone freely. Why shouldn't they? But as mentioned above - we can't.

So if you're a customer in this situation, we'd like to be fair to you. Specifically the problem is if you've already paid us a yearly subscription fee awhile back and now you're charged again for downloading WorldMate Gold on the App Store. We cannot refund a subscription sold more than 30-days ago - and that's usually what we're talking about.

So there's one thing we can do - and that's what we're offering. You can switch over the remainder of your paid subscription to another non-iPhone account when you purchase WorldMate Gold on the iPhone. So you can give this subscription to someone else - your colleague, spouse, friend etc.

So if you want to switch and your yearly subscription is still in tact, simply:

• Purchase WorldMate Gold for your iPhone
• Have your friend download WorldMate to his/her BlackBerry / Windows Mobile phone and sign up for free (e.g. through www.worldmate.com)
• Sign in to the WorldMate website (in your account)
• Click "Help" (top right) then "Contact Customer Support" (left-side bar)
• Select Ticket Type - "Upgrade Problem" and explain you are switching your subscription to an iPhone. Also put in the account name (email address) of the person you wish to transfer your subscription to in the ticket.

...our great customer care team will take it from there. 

Thank you for your continued support. If / when we find an even better solution - we'll let you know.

WorldMate for iPhone - Press Coverage and App Store Success

Another day went by, and some more coverage for the WorldMate for iPhone app just released!
TheNextWeb.com states "WorldMate is the only service to that can help [travelers]... further distinguishes itself in that it can take this information and turn it into solutions...". The article, also published in SocialMedia.biz , goes as far as stating "In many ways this is a huge validation of the iPhone platform."

And at the same time - within 60 hours of launch - WorldMate is the #10 most downloaded Free travel app in the App Store, while WorldMate Gold is the #18 most downloaded Paid travel app. Huge achievements for this short period.

WorldMate Max and the World Crisis: iPhone Apps Come of Age

Just wanted to share this cool video with y'all. We believe it's a great entertainer - LOL!

CNET Reviews WorldMate for iPhone

Less than 24 hours from launch - and Josh Lowenstein of CNET has already noticed WorldMate. Thanks, Josh and CNET for the favorable review - "polished...the Swiss army knife equivalent...". Well this Swiss Army Knife is going to get a few more blades in the near future, so keep watching!

 

WorldMate for iPhone Takes Off- The World’s #1 Mobile Travel App Now Available for iPhone

The day has finally come.  WorldMate is now available for the iPhone and iPod!  We invested a ton of resources making this the biggest launch yet for our company, which is really saying something given our 9 year history.  A big thank you for a job well done to our R&D and Product teams stewarded by Gilad and Jonathan.

 

WorldMate for iPhone is the culmination of over 100 man years of mobile app development, and we think you'll find it one of the most innovate, robust and rich iPhone apps to date.  It comes in two versions-- WorldMate (free)  and WorldMate Gold ($39.99). 

Each version packs a wealth of functionality: 

 

Service:	WorldMate	WorldMate Gold
Itinerary Manager
Flight Search
World Clock
World Weather
Currency Converter
Automated Flight Status Updates:
Ad-free
Priority Customer Support:

WorldMate for iPhone features the world-leading WorldMate Itinerary Generator. You can automatically have itineraries created by simply forwarding confirmation emails to trips@worldmate.com. Or you can export information directly from Microsoft Outlook using our Outlook Add-in. Or you can use the www.worldmate.com website to edit your trip, view your trip on the map and more. All this information is directly synchronized with your iPhone so that you have all the details at your fingertips while traveling.

 Flight status has always been a WorldMate favorite and so we offer it in the iPhone version in partnership with FlightStats.com.  Over 350 airlines are supported.  The free version links out from your itinerary to flightstats.com while the Gold version integrates flight status and automatic updates directly within the app. This means that as soon as you open the app - the status of upcoming flights will be displayed and you'll immediately be alerted of flight delays.

  

 

Flight Schedule lookups are also included and we continue to work with OAG to provide schedules for almost every commercial flight worldwide. Many WorldMate members use this feature to search for low cost and regional airlines’ flights into certain cities.  You often won’t get such details from Kayak or a major travel agency such as Expedia.  Check it out before booking your next flight; it could save you a lot of time and money. And if you're stuck somewhere cause your flight was cancelled or you missed a connection - one click on Alternative Flights in your itinerary will help you figure out what your alternatives are - so by the time you speak to the airline / agent, you know what they can do for you.

 

And for something completely new, check out the brilliant weather graphics on the summary screen.   WorldMate serves up a multitude of images depending on the current conditions.  No more tiny weather icons.  Now you can almost ‘feel’ the weather with a quick glance.

And if that's not enough - WorldMate for iPhone includes a Currency Converter with automatic exchange rate updates, a world clock that updates automatically when you land, and more!

 

      

For the hard core WorldMate fans, you will notice that we are including advertising in the free version.  This is a first for WorldMate and makes it possible to provide extra services such as complimentary Flight Schedules.   Of course, for those of you who prefer to avoid the ads, there is WorldMate Gold, which includes customer support and the aforementioned automated flight status updates. 

 We are thrilled with our first foray into iPhone but we’re by no means resting on our laurels.  Gilad’s and Jonathan’s teams are already hard at work on a future iteration that will take advantage of all the great things you can do with iPhone 3.0.  Try WorldMate for iPhone today  and follow our progress through our free series of updates. We promise at least two significant upgrades  before the end of summer, with services never before seen on an iPhone.

 

We are working on the next version - so let us know what else you want by commenting here. And if you like WorldMate and want to see us grow it further - please tell as many people as possible about it by sharing this post with your friends and colleagues!

... your Mates at WorldMate