Hi, Joe here, with my first contribution to the blog, hope you like it…
Travel Apps open up a whole world of information and fun whilst you’re on the move. How many times have you been in the car or in a new town and thought: I need somewhere to eat; I need an ATM; where’s the nearest supermarket? I wish I had the internet! With the rise of the smartphone, of which the iPhone is still king, now you do.
Whether you’re skiing in the Rockies or exploring the French vineyards and need some help with the practical things or finding those special places… there’s an App for that.
Travel Apps’ strengths lie in putting information at your finger tips whilst you’re on the move. Flight times, metro maps, language guides, city tours there are literally thousands to choose from. With GPS, wikipedia links and realtime updates the iPhone is rapidly replacing the traditional travel guide.
We don’t claim to have tried and tested the whole App store so I’m sure there’s plenty more for us to discover but below is a selection that we’ve found useful when away. If you think we’ve missed some gems or picked a turkey then please comment on this post and let us know.
Apps to help avoid those roaming charges:
Open maps – allows you to download maps of your destination before you go (via Wi-Fi) and then they’re stored on your phone so you can simply use the GPS (which is free) and you’ve got maps.
Wi-Fi Finder – as the name suggests it helps you find Wi-Fi hotspots, using GPS it will guide you to the nearest place to get online without being stung for those roaming fees.
Skype – needs Wi-Fi but then allows you to call other Skype users anywhere in the world for free.
Air Sharing – this neat little App allows you to view all manner of documents on your iPhone meaning you can take PDFs, html pages, Word docs etc with you on holiday stored in your iPhone. By saving pages for places to visit, booking detail docs etc you can then easily view them while you’re away.
Apps to help find your way around:
MetrO – download a city and then have offline access to all the public transport details for that city. It covers over 400 cities around the world and, although for some smaller cities I’ve tried it doesn’t have that much detailed information, it certainly works great for London and Copenhagen.
Cabchap – this uses GPS and then returns a list of cab firms close to your location but be warned it does require internet access. I think the reason I like this over other taxi Apps is the simple interface.
Around Me – Uses GPS and then returns lists under various useful categories such as ATMs, gas stations, coffee shops, supermarkets etc. It’s not perfect, for my home town I don’t find everything I would expect but if you’re in a new new city it will certainly give you plenty of useful options.
Apps to help you bridge the language gap:
iTranslate – the basic version is free and works well for translating text, the interface is simple and, although I can’t claim to be bilingual, it seems pretty accurate. But if you need it for a language with a different alphabet or, even worse, characters, then the translation is in the native text and I can’t read Japanese so it’s no good for speaking! Plus it requires an internet connection so watch those roaming charges.
Lonely Planet – they offer a range of ‘Audio Phrasebooks’ each covering a single language but in considerable depth and with audio pronunciation. Much more useful if you hope to actually learn some of the language and speak to the locals rather than simply be understood.
Babelingo – a proper multilingual phrasebook, it works offline and allows you to choose a phrase from several categories and then it displays in the foreign language. The great thing about this is it then allows your new foreign friend to find a reply in their native language and translates that back for you.
Apps for money matters:
Currency – it’s free and really easy to use. You literally just pick your currencies, from over 100, and then simply key in the amount.
City Guide Apps:
Wallpaper* – for the design conscious traveller there are now 10 Wallpaper* city guides that can be downloaded as Apps. The ‘Insider’s Guide’ section, written by a resident, adds a bit of personality and, whilst they’re not the most detailed, they have plenty of unusual and rather cool places to see.
Dorling Kindersley – Their range of ‘Top 10′ guides might seem limited – surely there’s more than 10 great things to do in New York? But actually they put several Top 10 lists into each guide. With a Top 10 restaurants, museums, shops, kids activities, etc they cover all the main sites. They also include maps and a currency converter.
on July 6, 2010 at 9:08 pm
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