Apps to Watch - Trip Advisor and Watch Chess

As more and more apps appear for the Apple Watch, developers have created some amazing tools to get the most out of it. However there are some apps that might at first seem a little frivolous but that nevertheless are fairly interesting. As part of our Apps to Watch series, we’ll take a quick look at two apps in today’s post.

Watch Chess

We don’t typically feature games of any kind on Mobile Industry Review, but Watch Chess is one of the more cerebral ways to get involved in chess. Despite the name, you can’t actually use the app to play chess (there are other Siri-controlled apps for that), but Watch Chess is basically an app that lets you watch the latest chess grand master level tournaments. The app also delivers the latest moves in dozens of tournaments around the world, so you never miss any of the action. As a (not very good) chess player back in my university days, Watch Chess is a nice way to keep abreast of the big names in the chess world, rekindling my interest in having a couple of games when time permits.

Watch Chess can be downloaded from the App Store here.

TripAdvisor

Despite the thousands of apps that are available for the Apple Watch, in my experience it’s the travel category where the best apps can be found. On recent trips to Chiang Mai and Hong Kong, I’ve found the Apple Watch really comes into its own when boarding at the airport or checking into a hotel (the passes from apps such as Expedia show up automatically on the watch), as well as finding directions without having to pull your phone out.

One of the more popular smartphone travel apps is TripAdvisor – and it’s been available as an Apple Watch app for quite some time now. It basically uses your location to show you (in a Glance) what’s nearby – including restaurants, hotels, and attractions. The app also chooses recommendations for you based on what time it is – for example a good restaurant for an evening meal. All your saved places show up on in the app too, and you can of course add new ones.

TripAdvisor works well on the Apple Watch and of course is best used when you’re away on a trip or somewhere new. The interface is simple and clean, and it’s one of those apps I’ve found myself using time and again just to try out a new restaurant recommendation. Having the wealth of information available on the wrist just makes it a little more useful in certain situations than the full iPhone app.

TripAdvisor for Apple Watch can be found here.

Do you have any favourite Apple Watch (or Android Wear) apps? Let us know in the comments below.