Hipmunk travel booking lands on iPad

Hipmunk's slick travel booking service that sorts flights by "agony" and hotels by "ecstasy" landed on Apple's iPad tablet computers on Tuesday.

The San Francisco-based startup released an iPad application that capitalizes on the large, high-resolution screen to present visual timelines for flights as well as touch "sliders" for filtering results.

"The Hipmunk App optimized for iPad aligns with our mission of providing a superior, and fun, travel search experience," said startup chief Adam Goldstein.

The program tailored for iPads allows travelers to "easily search for flights on a screen that is well-equipped for viewing results, understanding trade-offs, and booking flights at a glance."

Hipmunk also updated the versions of its free application for Apple iPhones and iPod Touch devices.

The startup launched late last year at hipmunk.com and its roster of investors includes actor Ashton Kutcher.

(c) 2011 AFP