Your favorite smart phone apps (travel related)

[cyndi]

Recently, I purchased my first smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S3, and GAWD do I miss my stupid phone!) I'm totally counting on Steve (sl1966) for lessons at the RTR. (YOU BETTER BE THERE!!!)<br /><br />I've googled the heck out of apps trying to find ones that will benefit me in my travels. what have you found? Bonus points and internet cookies if they are free.<br /><br />As a side note, Oddee published a list of the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oddee.com/item_98431.aspx"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">11 Best Apps Eve</span></a></span></strong></span>r, which included the&nbsp;<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/post/www.have2p.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">Have2P</span></a></span></strong></span> app that helps you find nearby bathrooms on the quick, and even rates them for cleanliness, etc; and the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.usa-links.com/911help/">911/HEL</a>P</strong></span> app (iphone).&nbsp; this app displays a big bold red 911 sign visible from dozens of feet away. It flashes to help others realize that you need assistance.<br /><br />

 

[bk2valve]

Hi Cyndi...I am not a big fan of my smartypants phone. I do use it to locate a a business once in a while but then I have to turn on all the locater things that I usually keep turned off to conserve power. I use the camera. I use gasbuddy, scanlife, calculator, email and dictionary....<br />That's about it and I use it as a hotspot when I am on the road. Another thing I have not used yet but will the next time I am in Mexico is the Skype app to use the phone over a wifi connection.<br /><br />Honestly I think it was as good when I had a Mifi and dumb phone....but OOOOOH NNNOOOO, I had to have a smartypants phone to see what everyone else had! <br /><br />If I was a single guy I think I would have a Net10 phone and if I spent a lot of time on the road, a mifi....if not just a Net10 phone....<br />B

 

[twokniveskatie]

I use the iMap weather radio app that sends notifications (text and audible) of nasty weather such as tornadoes, snow, ice, and can be customized for any sorts of conditions. It pulled me off the highway when I was in the path of a twister in April. Costs $10 but priceless in my estimation. I was heading out this morning when an alert came up for freezing rain. My regular weather app said nothing about it. It's nasty out there. Glad I wasn't out in it.

AAA roadside assistance app. Connects you to assistance. Informs them of your location with GPS. When I lost my brakes on the way to Texas in the middle of the night I didn't know where I was to tell dispatch. The truck found me in minutes. App was free.

My Pilot app gives you the locations of the pilots and flying J's on my route. Tells you what their gas prices are too.

GPS plus (Telenav) cost $10. Love the spoken directions, "search your route" function, many icon choices (mine is a Star Wars type fighter jet that cruises just above the interstate), and the choice between a female voice and a British male voice. The girl gives turn by turn directions, the boy simply states your location but doesn't give directions

Walmart app has a locator that I have found to be incorrect at times. Took me to the middle of a cornfield at 2 am in Waco Texas. Miles from the actual super center.

My new favorite is the Walgreens app. I switched my prescriptions to them because of this app, and the customer service. I have full access to all prescription info via the phone. Renewals are by tapping screen icons or by scanning your prescription bottles, and can be transferred anywhere in the country with the push of a button. It can be done ahead of time, so I can refill my scripts in a truck stop on Dallas Texas on Friday and pick them up in San Antonio when I arrive the next day. My rewards card can be scanned from my phone, and all current coupons available on my phone also. If I want photo prints, I send them ahead of time and the prints are waiting when I get there.

Netflix. I am grandfathered into Verizon's unlimited data plan and can watch movies all day. Subscription to Netflix $6.99.

Stores that I am likely to shop at (target, Joann's, etc) have apps with coupons so I don't miss out on the mailed coupons I used to get.

I have a folder of business apps that make doing work on the road easier. Apps for eBay, etsy, PayPal, USPS, fee and seller calculators make it so simple. I have a new app called PayPal Here. They sent me a small scanner the size of a quarter that plugs into the earphone jack. I can take debit and credit cards with that and have instant access to the money with my Paypal debit card. I can also take checks anywhere on the road and they are scanned in and processed with no need for a bank. I adore this app. I can use it on the side of the road, at flea markets or craft fairs.

Those are my main ones, mostly travel related. I use the kindle app for storing books and documents and patterns.

 

[offroad]

Make sure you review the support comments. Many apps are created one time, and never updated. &nbsp;The HAVE2P app is an example of that as it was never updated, thus is useless for many IPHONE users. &nbsp;<br /><br />I can highly recommend the app WAZE for real time traffic , speed trap, navigation alerts. Also recommend FRING for telephone calls over WIFI. And last of my three recommendations is RADIO PARADISE which is 3G or Wifi music radio that has the lowest bandwidth. Thus you can listen a long time without eating up you data minutes.&nbsp;

 

[peacetara]

I agree with Waze, and pretty much everything twokniveskatie said.&nbsp; I want to try out Walgreens app now, and same with the iMap weather radio, if it will be useful for deaf).<br /><br />I also have 'Gasbuddy' (but waze now will tell you the cheapest gas around AND how to get there).<br /><br />'AroundMe', is an app that lets you know what's close, by category or not, includes museums and stuff, great for when in cities.<br /><br />I am just playing with 'WildEdibles', (I got the free version) to help me with learning about yummy plants and stuff while I'm out in nature.<br /><br />'Mint.com', I use this to keep track of my finances, you can build a budget, and it shows you how you are doing.&nbsp; You tie it to your bank accounts, credit cards, etc so it magically is updated around all of your money.&nbsp; I've been using it for several years now, and love it.<br /><br />'Buzzcards' is an app I use to talk with hearing people, I can type, and they can type, and it has nice big text.&nbsp; It works well, it's the entire reason I even GOT an iPhone.&nbsp; I would be very very unhappy without this app.<br /><br />I want to check out iMap Weather Radio, right now I'm using 'Weather' by Weather Underground.&nbsp; Their website has a 'driving directions with weather info' piece on their new 'Wundermap' (the beta).&nbsp; I used it a LOT when I was traveling thru the PNW, Utah, Nevada and Montana, for road conditions along my route(s).<br /><br />'Overdrive' is an app that lets me download books from public libraries.&nbsp; (You have to be a public library patron at a member library).&nbsp; It works awesome. for hearing people you can download Audio books as well.&nbsp; (I'd recommend only doing this over Wifi, audio books are pretty big).<br /><br />With Love,<br />Tara

 

[bk2valve]

Gawd, I am so freeking archaic....like a dang dinosaur.....I can't even leave the location devices on without having to charge my phone several times a day...let alone use some data hog app.....my phone even tells me if it is a data hog....that is what you get for being talked into a phone that is on it's way out cuz you are a cheep turista.....and they said it was an LG "Revolution"......some revolution, Hah!<br /><br />Oh for the days when all I had was an abacus, and flags to send messages....<br />Bri

 

[twokniveskatie]

Haha Bri- you're such a cute dinosaur
Some of my Ishmael buds are into smoke signals and drumming. They at one point were working out a cross country relay system. I haven't heard any drums tho.

Speaking of abacus, there is an app for that! Alpaca abacus! For you old dinos!!!

I tried Waze and had to delete it (and a bunch of other apps) to download the last iPhone update. Gonna reload it again.

Wild edibles is excellent. I bought the paid version and used it a lot this summer.

I forgot Vlingo. It's an app that does a lot of what Siri does. You can tell it to send a text, call somebody, not as efficient as Siri but nice.

And VOX! It makes your phone into a walkie talkie.

I don't remember if imap weather vibrates or anything, or if the vibrate is enough to make you aware, Tara. It does superimpose a message on your screen. The information read by the weather service ( such as "the tornado is approaching mile marker 423 on I-30 east, and is expected to cross the interstate in 6 mins." is only audible, but you can access the app for weather service radar and printed info, including real time Doppler maps and live local tv broadcast. Something not as time sensitive, like blizzard or heavy thunderstorms, you have more time to take action.

How does your phone alert you to say, a text or email?

 

[minimotos95]

i have the weather channel app on my&nbsp;trusty old&nbsp;a855 droid.. i think it&nbsp;only updates hourly. but it has maps that show current conditions for most places... severe weather&nbsp;alerts are just up in the top bar you may be able to change some settings i haven't messed with it.<br /><br />TIKL(like a walky talky) might be useful if you're traveling in a convoy with someone else that has a smartphone. i deleted it.<br />&nbsp;<br />my phone runs on a rooted version of&nbsp;android 2.2.1 so i don't know how these apps work on newer or non-rooted phones<br /><br />my battery lasts 2-3 hours under heavy use, i should be upgrading to a droid razr maxx before i&nbsp;hit the road if i can keep my unlimited&nbsp;data.

 

[dfh]

I don't have a smart phone, but I will be getting a tablet for Christmas that a lot of these will work great on. Thanks for passing on the info!

 

[peacetara]

twokniveskatie:<br /><br />The iPhone is awesome for accessibility.&nbsp; It vibrates and it uses the flash on the camera to alert me.&nbsp; I love it <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />I'm guessing the iMap app would do the same, I'll have to check into it when I'm feeling rich <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />

 

[caseyc]

Hi Cyndi,<br><br>Congrats on your new toy!&nbsp; I recently got the (Verizon) Samsung Galaxy Note 2 which is monstrously large!&nbsp; Sorry, must be a compensation thing, haha!&nbsp; <br><br>I have a bunch of apps on my smartphone, but here are 2 that I use that are really cool, one is free and the other paid.<br><br>3D Compass Pro (free from the Google Play store)<br>This app will tell you what location you are, and will provide an approximate street address, city, state, zip, compass info,&nbsp;plus latitude and longitude info (elevation too, I think).&nbsp;Plus it shows a street&nbsp;map of where you are located too.&nbsp; The cool thing is you can take a camera screenshot showing the map/compass/address information, and you can then share that information via email, text message, Facebook, etc.&nbsp; You can even use the camera icon&nbsp;to point at something to take a picture&nbsp;as part of the information you can forward.&nbsp; So let's say you want to let someone know where you are currently located at this time, simply open this app, take a picture of something nearby (optional), then share/foward that information.&nbsp; I've also used this app while driving around and I see something interesting, or if I want to know what city/location I'm in, I simply open this app and it tells me where I am currently.&nbsp; I then take a camera screenshot to record that location so I can drive back to it at another time.<br><br>Easy Tether Pro ($9.99 one time fee from Google Play store)<br>By far, this is probably the best $9.99 fee you can pay for an app!&nbsp; With this app, you can tether your phone via your USB cable to your laptop, which then gives your laptop internet access wherever you have cell phone reception!&nbsp; This means you can be surfing the web with your laptop at the beach, park, wherever you have cellular connection.&nbsp; Best part is that your cell phone carrier won't know you are tethering your phone to your laptop for internet access UNLESS you are doing this habitually and racking up noticeable data usage!&nbsp; Your cell phone carrier won't charge you additional fee for using Easy Tether Pro for data usage, but again, you just need to be careful not to do this "too much" which is a relative term.&nbsp; For myself, I have grandfathered unlimited 4G LTE internet access through Verizon, so it doesn't matter in my case.&nbsp; To use this app, simply go to the Google Play store to pay and download the app, then install the app on your laptop, configure the app on your phone, and follow the instructions provided.&nbsp; You can probably get this up and running within 15 minutes.<br><br>EDIT:&nbsp; I have an ever better app for wireless tethering, it is "FoxFi" that you can find in the Google Play store.&nbsp; FoxFi allows your phone to become a wireless hotspot to give internet access to other devices, such a laptop, iPad, etc.&nbsp; The big thing is that this is wire-LESS, as in no cords!&nbsp; You should first download the free limited version to make sure this app works on your phone.&nbsp; Assuming if the app works, you can then choose the one time $6.97 fee to upgrade to full version. Hopefully your phone has unlimited internet data plan, otherwise if not, your cell phone carrier might charge you overage fees.&nbsp; If you do have unlimited data which is ideal, this app is very useful.<br><br>Cheers!<br>Casey<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

 

[user 2252]

Hello Everyone, I own a Nexus smartphone on the Verizon Network, and only use it for&nbsp;phone calls, the camera, with an app called SnapToMe, which allows me to email my photo to myself if I want to save it in the cloud and delete the photo from my phone to save space. <br /><br />I also own a Nexus 7 Tablet that I do most of my work on. I have a BlueTooth Keyboard connected to it. I use Google Maps and Navigator to get around (has a cool distance and elevation thingy built right in ) GasBuddy to find cheap gasoline, FuelLog to keep track of my gasoline usage, Skype to stay in touch visual with friends and family, ALLStays Rest Stops Plus app, which will locate rest stops with reviews, ALLStays Camp and Tent app, ALLStays Walmart ONP ( Overnight No Parking ) app, which helps find nearby Walmarts with reviews as to parking overnight or not, My Pilot app to find gasoline and showers, TruckSmart app to find TA and Petro Truck Stops for showers, Facebook App, Gmail and Outlook email accounts, HD Widgets app for up to date weather information and time, a couple of other campsite locator apps and many National Forest and Parks as well as Public land location bookmarks. I use Netflix and&nbsp;Crackle Apps to watch Movies or TV shows.&nbsp;<br /><br />I connect my tablet with a Verizon Jetpack Hotspot when no wifi is&nbsp;available.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;

 

[Rollin]

Hands down " Voice Talk ". &nbsp;Not sure if this is an app or just part of the android phone system but I love using this for&nbsp;searching.&nbsp;

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Just got my first smartphone christmas eve.&nbsp; Its small and outdated, but it was the only unlimited prepaid (net10) smartphone that ive found that works in this area.&nbsp;&nbsp; I also got tired of making a 5 minute call on my regular tracfone and tracfone deducting 30 units.&nbsp; <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/mad.gif" class="bbc_img"><br><br>Even tho it is an older phone it has only ever balked at one app i tried, and it did run it a little slow, and that was a diablo like rpg game <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="bbc_img">&nbsp; Google play is awesome.&nbsp; I bought some offbrand tablets on the super cheap for my nephews and they didnt come with the google app store, and I've had to go through some crazy hoops to get anything on the tablets for them.<br><br>Ive only downloaded games so far, but i plan to get a geocaching app and maybe try some of the nav apps mentioned here.

 

[yesican]

I've not graduated to the Smart Phone.&nbsp; I can barely handle the Idiot phone.&nbsp; I did get an IPOD 4th gen used but can't seem to get in the swing of using it.&nbsp; Figured if I got training on the IPOD, when it comes time to hit the road, it won't be such a learning curve with a smart phone.&nbsp; I have no idea&nbsp;about apps, but some sound like they would be good on an IPOD.&nbsp; Are these apps also applicable to an IPOD?<br><br>Rae

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

I downloaded jeannie, which is a siri knockoff for android, and it is pretty cool.&nbsp; Just dont ask her how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood, unless you have about 10 minutes to spare listening to the answer (tho hilarious, i think she got to "as much wood as chuck norris would allow a woodchuck.." or something before i had to stop her ) <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" class="bbc_img"><br><br><br>I like it cause i can use it to operate the phone without touching it, i had her open up google navigate on the way home, just spoke the destination.

 

[vagari]

I use Google Voice and Groove IP to have free voice calls and text messaging. I don't pay any monthly service fees for phone access. I can only make and receive calls/texts when connected to free WiFi. When I am not connected to WiFi it takes voice mail and saves any texts. I can then get them the next time I connect to WiFi. This works well for me. If at a campground, Wal-mart, rest stop, etc. they usually have free WiFi. If boondocking inn wilderness there usually is no cell service anyway.<br><br>I do plan to get a cheap phone to keep in my vehicle for emergencies. I am researching which plans have minutes with the longest expiration date.<br><br><br>

 

[caseyc]

Hi Vagari,<br><br>That Groove IP app looks cool!&nbsp; Can you make international calls with it say to Asia or Europe?&nbsp; I believe you must use Groove IP along with Google Voice, so does that mean the person you call only sees your Google Voice phone number, instead of your "real" cellular phone number?<br><br>As for text messages, do you need to create a new user name for that, how does that work?<br><br>Thanks,<br>Casey

 

[cyndi]

Thanks, everyone! These are great! Keep 'em coming!

 

[sl1966]

Voxer is a great app for voice or texting. It allows you to use your smart phone like the old nextel phones. The benefit is you can send short voice messages instead of trying to type it all out in a text. I use it a lot for keeping in touch with family and friends. It uses your existing data plan and/or wifi making it possible to use it with anyone anywhere in the world.<br><br>