Nov. 13--Amazon Video (Free app for iOS, Android, Amazon Fire devices and connected TVs; requires purchase of Amazon videos or Prime membership for $99 per year)
What it is: an app to buy and stream or download movies and TV episodes from Amazon's huge video library. Unlike the Hulu app, Amazon videos are commercial-free and can be streamed in several other countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany. Non-Prime members can buy and download individual titles. Prime members can download Prime videos free.
How it works: After launching the app, you can browse titles or click on your Library or Downloads to see what you already have available. When you are online, you can stream videos. Be sure to download content before you hit the road.
Why it's great: You can download Prime content and pack your own entertainment, so you can board a train, plane, car or bus with downloaded videos without worrying about onboard Wi-Fi. I ponied up the $99 annual fee just to be able to download Prime videos. Getting free two-day delivery on Amazon Prime purchases is icing on the cake.
IMDb (Free for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire)
What it is: IMDb means Internet Movie Database, and this puts www.imdb.com in your pocket. It's the go-to resource for any and all info about movies, TV and celebrities. If you forget a title, an actor's name, the director or when a movie came out, IMDb can fill in the blanks.
How it works: Click the IMDb icon, and search for info by title or the name of an actor, director, etc. Then you can watch trailers, find out where a movie is playing, browse photos and rate favorite movies or TV shows.
Why it's great: Since Hollywood has begun rolling out the heavy hitters to be considered for an Oscar, a Screen Actors Guild Award, etc., it's time to hit the road with the No. 1 movie resource. What Shazam does for identifying songs, IMDb does for movies, except it can't listen to a movie and tell you what it is. But if you have Shazam identify a movie song, you can then launch the IMDb app for details about the film, including photos, trivia and reviews. This is fantastic on a trip when a movie comes up in conversation.
Camera+ Free and Camera+ (Free for iOS with in-app purchases or $2.99 for iPhone or $4.99 for iPad)
What it is: a fully loaded photo studio app offering an in-app camera, photo-editing tools and filters. Noel Rosenthal of app-maker tap tap tap told me that Camera+ was launched in 2010 to roll every photo-editing tool into a single app. The app had 14 million users before the recent launch of a free version.
How it works: You can shoot photos or snap your own images and then import them into the Camera+ Lightbox for editing. Since I've upgraded to the iPhone 6s, I prefer to snap my own and then use the app to edit images. Tools let you crop, adjust clarity, brightness, contrast, color and more. And you can add filters and frames.
Why it's great: I bought the app this summer after several travelers told me it trumped all other iOS photo editors. The tools remind me of Adobe Photoshop, but they are more intuitive to use. Click here or there or use a slider to make manual adjustments. I love the Hollywood filters and one-touch adjustments that let me add clarity, backlight, etc.
Terry Gardner is a freelance reporter.
