TripAdvisor has upgraded its existing smartphone application for the iPhone to include features especially for users of the sister iPad tablet.
Until now the iPad app has run with the same functionality as the mobile version - user lists, hotel search, reviews, etc - but TripAdvisor has released a new version today to specifically take advantage of the iPad's larger screen size and format.
Central to the new app is a large map-based search system, similar to the well-received map search on the Kayak iPad app which Steven Hafner has admitted is better than the metasearch's version on the iPhone.
Various drop-down menus allow the user to browse the map for activities and hotels in a given area as well as viewing reviews in a separate navigation bar.
TripAdvisor has come a long way in the mobile world in a relatively short space of time, having only launched its first application earlier this year. In September this year, TripAdvisor said it had around three million unique visitors a month visited the site via a mobile.
The iPhone app also performs well in various iTunes download charts.
Of course, releasing a new version of an existing service is a smart move by TripAdvisor given that new apps automatically feature in more prominent positions in the Apple iTunes appstore.