Useful droid device apps for world travel

[Woodsman]

or travel out and about.

Is there anything you all find useful on your smartphone while you travel?

[flipflop]

Is there anything you all find useful on your smartphone while you travel?

Cheers

[RYP]

I use the flighttracker app because online booking sites spend most of their time trying to keep you off direct flights and send you to Frankfurt or Pittsburgh for 8 hours. I have heard that Angry Birds can burn a few hours in the departure lounge.

[vagabond]

A way to charge it?

Also, probably want to check into your roaming fees and the like before even crossing to Canada. I hear they can be pretty bad.

No dice on apps, I have a 'dumb' phone.

[Woodsman]

I know there are apps out there that do not rely on the "data package" and maybe not even require wifi that could come in useful. The flight tracker app is a good idea.

Mostly I am considering one for using as a PDA/GPS and wifi web browser to get messages via text from voice.

[Woodsman]

A way to charge it?

Also, probably want to check into your roaming fees and the like before even crossing to Canada. I hear they can be pretty bad.

No dice on apps, I have a 'dumb' phone.

I also still have a dumb phone. I am considering purchasing one of these new fangled gadgets, but I have put it off for years because they continue to be dominated by silly ridiculous non-practical applications most of which require a wireless data service.

sending photos to facebook is cute, but uh, I don't value it. And that stupid bird game? Seriously? Where's the beef!?!

I want one gadget that can work as a phone, SMS device, camera (w/macro and point and shoot + video and decent w/low lux wok), GPS (real one not relying on cell tower triangulation), maybe GIS or pseudo GIS, and mini computer that I can use for moving data to and from my personal computer at the office (in a useful format, not text delimited or other format that is going to require manual modification to make the data useful).

I can see some endless true productivity increases if the technology would be designed for the end user instead of being designed for the cell companies to bilk the end user with overpriced and underpowered data packages.

The technology is out there. It's being used in an inefficient manner. WTF!

That being the case, I am still interested in how the latest model "smart" phones are being used to actually increase productivity - and by that I don't mean just replying to e-mails at traffic lights using Fansy-speak 1 liners.

[Osiris]

The real question you should be asking is what do you need from your phone when traveling?

Flashlight app - comes in handy a lot
Various apps from world news organizations
Apps for language learning - practice the basics in flight!
Youtube and netflix for entertainment
email apps for staying in touch

My phone keeps me from using my laptop all the time. I don't actually need a computer when I have my phone on me, as everything I do online I can do on my phone. It might take awhile and be on a 5" screen, but it can replace a computer if I need it to.

[Coldplaysonic]

Something for the Lonely Planet types:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2OfQdYrHRs
The app instantly translates text in real time from your phones camera

[rickshaw92]

A phone with a bottle opener would be nice.

[Ultra Swain]

The google translate app is damn handy. Angry Birds is crack, I rue the day I installed it.

[Woodsman]

The google translate app is damn handy. Angry Birds is crack, I rue the day I installed it.

There is not enough action in that game to keep my focus. I appreciate your suggestion on the translation app - I can see where that would be useful - particularly when every word sounds like "eye" or "guy" but means different things depending on how it is said. ;-)

[Woodsman]

The real question you should be asking is what do you need from your phone when traveling?

Flashlight app - comes in handy a lot
Various apps from world news organizations
Apps for language learning - practice the basics in flight!
Youtube and netflix for entertainment
email apps for staying in touch

My phone keeps me from using my laptop all the time. I don't actually need a computer when I have my phone on me, as everything I do online I can do on my phone. It might take awhile and be on a 5" screen, but it can replace a computer if I need it to.

Thanks for that info - see that is what I'm looking for. I mean, I really don't need a flashlight (edc a very bright one already) - but staying in touch is very important and language apps are of course useful. For me, the GPS and worldwide street & sat maps are one of the most useful things - but it's almost worthless if it requires cell or data service to allow it to work, since places I travel have a tendency to not have the service. I need a phone with a built in GPS receiver that works without conventional wireless service.

[ktrout]

I have just about all of the hotel/car/flight apps installed. Also I just bought a GoalZero AA/USB charger. Good for both your phone and your AA powered gadgets. 8Ah with the supplied batteries.

[ktrout]

The google translate app is damn handy. Angry Birds is crack, I rue the day I installed it.

There is not enough action in that game to keep my focus. I appreciate your suggestion on the translation app - I can see where that would be useful - particularly when every word sounds like "eye" or "guy" but means different things depending on how it is said. ;-)

I just had to give it a try to see what the fuss is about. Like bowling but actually fun. Dictionaries for the languages you don't understand (well) is useful.

[kilroy]

offline map apps (so your phone isn't guzzling data on international rates). the link below shows areas they have maps for.
http://www.mapdroyd.com/map-android-more

i'm trying to find an equivalent with topo maps that covers a decent amount of places.

google translate as swain said, of course.

other than that, really all the considerations are about the actual phone to buy and not the apps. depending on where you want to travel, if you want your phone to work it will have to support whatever cellular infrastructure that place works on (tdma, cdma, umts, gsm, etc), the frequency band, and so on. same with gear considerations (built in flashlight, camera, etc).

any useful app will be supported across multiple platforms or have a clone on another platform if it is platform specific. i'd say if you want to get the most of your phone on the road, the phone itself is probably way more important to look into than the apps. your carrier is probably a more important decision than the apps too.