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03.2014 BACKPACKER 45 *Panorama tip Move the tablet ever-so-slowly to capture all the fine details and a nice, crisp shot. Why we love it The 7.9-by- 5.3-inch iPad Mini remains a tester favorite after nearly a year in the field, thanks to the easy- to-use interface, the longest battery life, and the largest selection of quality apps. Testers loved the preloaded Photo app, which automati- cally organizes pics in smart groupings and is built for sharing select “streams” with friends and family. Apple’s free iMovie app provides simple tools to edit and build HD movies with cinematic transi- tions and impressive effects. Apple iPad Mini Best for content creators 1. Theodolite HD Take geotagged photos and videos embedded with coor- dinates and custom notes. This powerful app also offers real-time overlays of altitude, map views, and KML export (see bottom of page 47). $4; hrtapps.com 2. 360 Panorama Use this app to stitch together multiple images into a high-resolution pan- orama. Just hit record and pan up-down-and-around to capture vistas. $1; occipi- tal.com/360/app 3. Mosaic Instant gratification: No need to wait until you get home to create gorgeous trip photo books. Load in 20 pics from your camera roll or social networks, and with a few clicks order a 7-by- 7-inch, linen-wrapped book that costs $20 and arrives in four business days. free; heymosaic.com 4. Yonder If Instagram and Foursquare met at REI and fell in love, this would be their offspring. Yonder uses your location to find nearby adventures and connect like-minded travel- ers, plus lets you upload and geotag images with a range of filters. free; yonder.it lens to work when he fired up the 360 Panorama* app, which created an immersive, Google Street View-style image that cap- tured the view from Longs Peak to Boulder’s far-off Flatirons. Before heading out on trips, another tester preplanned his routes in BACKPACKER’s Map Maker app—available only on iPad—that offers easy drag-and-drop waypoint entry (see right). Then he was able to have a custom topo map sent to his house right from the app using MyTopo’s map builder. Cool feature: Apple’s new Maps app for desktop computers syncs with the iPad’s Maps app, which bridges front- and backcountry use. Get directions, 3D views, and satellite imagery for stream- lined trip planning. “While getting ready for a climb- ing weekend in Colorado’s South Platte area, I pre- plotted our route to the trailhead and bypassed metro Denver traffic,” one tester says. Ding: The screen resolution lags slightly behind the Samsung. $329/16 GB, $429/32 GB, $529/64 GB (Wi-Fi, non- retina version tested); 10.8 oz.; apple.com Case Lifeproof Fre with portfolio cover This svelte tablet wrapper is the big cousin to the iPhone case that won our Editors’ Choice Award in 2013. The snap-together, rubber- sealed sleeve is immune to water, the clumsiest hikers, and the rowdiest toddlers, but it’s spendy. $100 (case), $40 (cover); 12.1 oz. (case & cover); lifeproof.com Essential Backcountry Apps [iOS] In the field The Mini returned best- in-class battery life, with our tester netting 14 hours of nonstop mapping from one charge and up to 30 hours of battery life dur- ing light use. The Mini’s 5-megapixel iSight camera is superior. Like the Galaxy (page 47), it has built-in autofocus and records in 1080p HD video. But it also sports an infrared filter which helps cancel out digi- tal noise and boost image fidelity. While hiking Rabbit Mountain outside of Lyons, Colorado, a tester put the 1. 2. 3. 4.