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Palm Blvd > Software Reviews > Software Review - Travel Essentials Roundup Software Review - Travel Essentials Roundup
By Troy Dreier You've packed extra underwear, a compact umbrella and a good book for your trip, but have you 'packed' your handheld? And we don't mean placing the device in a suitcase. Rather, we're asking whether you've loaded your PDA or smartphone with enough useful programs to turn it into an indispensable travel companion? Of course, not just any old travel application will do. That's why this article surveys the programs we wouldn't travel without. Peruse our list to help you decide what software to 'pack' for your upcoming excursion.
Camping Helper
Do camping and mobile computers go together? They do with Camping Helper, an inexpensive application that helps you plan your camping trip by ensuring that you pack all the essentials. Packing for a camping trip is more complicated than with a hotel vacation, since you need to bring equipment for sleeping, eating, and hiking.
Camping Helper will list all the possibilities for you, so that you can simply tick off the items you want to bring. This latest version includes trip summary screens and a notes screen, so that you can jot down anything you want to remember for your vacation.
CityTime
If you're a frequent traveler or if you simply do business with people around the globe, this program is an absolute must. Its full color display shows you which parts of the earth are light and which are dark in real time.
To find the time in a certain area, simply tap the screen; CityTime will give you the time and the name of the nearest city. The bottom part of the screen shows the current time in four cities of your choice. Plus, the program automatically keeps track of daylight saving time, so that you're always on schedule.
Continento Palm Travel Journal
Using this excellent electronic journal is way more fun that writing postcards. It lets you keep a travel diary of all the things you've been seeing, then post your entries to the continento.com Web site whenever you get a connection so your family and friends can follow along.
This journal also lets you use three levels of maps—world, continent, or detailed—to show where you've traveled. You can even attach pictures to your entries. By the time you're home, you'll have an illustrated scrapbook to enjoy, so that you can remember the good times all over again.
MetrO
This application has earned legions of fans over the years, and deservedly so. Not only does MetrO make it easy to use public transportation in over 300 cities worldwide, but it's absolutely free. Plug in the start and end points for your journey and MetrO will instantly give you the quickest way to get there.
You can load only the cities you want, to save memory. The program is frequently updated for route changes, so it won't let you down. Recent versions have added nifty new features, like the ability to automatically load the database onto a memory card so that it doesn't take up precious device RAM.
MobiLearn Talking Phrasebook
MobiLearn, Inc.
There are several phrasebooks out there for handhelds, but we like the MobiLearn system, which offers not only phrasebooks for several languages, but also add-on packs—such as cuisine or dating—so that you can learn more phrases in areas that interest you.
If there are words or phrases you'll be referring to often, you can bookmark them for quick access. You can also choose to play all the phrases in a given category one after another, to help you get used to the language, or take quizzes to measure how much you're learning.
MobiMate WorldMate
WorldMate is an amazing all-in-one travel application and it works on most every platform. Use it to check local time, perform currency conversions, and much more. You can check the weather for wherever you'll be, lookup the correct area code, and organize your packing list.
If you've ever shopped for clothes or shoes abroad and been frustrated by the different sizing systems, you'll appreciate the apparel size converter. Most users will opt for the standard edition, but business travels should opt for the professional edition, which includes flight information and travel itinerary tools, as well as real time flight status updates.
MxConverter Comprehensive Edition
Glancing at foreign price tags all day can be confusing if you aren't good at doing price conversions in your head. If all you really need is a currency converter and you don't want to pay extra for other features, look to MxConverter.
A fully featured converter, MxConverter can download current currency information online and then help you with conversions as needed. It doesn't stop at currency, though, and can also covert weights, measures, temperature, speed, and more. When you order, you'll get a free desktop version so that you can use it on your PC, as well.
My Luggage
Overpacking is easy. All you need to do is not plan what you should bring on a trip and instead throw things in your suitcase as you think of them. Before you know it you'll have twice as many shirts as there are days in your trip, and extra sweaters and swimsuits that you'll never wear.
Your suitcase will be so full, you'll have to buy a second bag to hold your souvenirs. The solution is to plan your packing with MyLuggage, a clever little program that helps you build a checklist of essentials. Even if you don't want My Luggage, take a visit to pdasoftnet.com to see the many freeware titles that the company offers.
PocketMap City Guide USA
No matter how many road maps you keep in your car, the one you need always seems to be missing. It would be so much easier to keep all the U.S. maps you could ever need in one convenient place-your Windows PDA or smartphone.
This incredibly comprehensive map app not only shows roads for wherever you roam, it also highlights whatever landmarks you want-such as ATMs or restaurants-and is searchable. Save space with the option to store PocketMap info on your memory card. If you buy the GPS version, you can set it so that your location is always in the center of the screen.
Trip Boss
This boss is more like a personal valet, since it keeps track of a variety of things for you. Use it to track your expenses and mileage, so you know exactly how much to put on your expense report when you get back.
You can make a detailed itinerary and budget so that you'll always be on track, and even keep a journal of your travels (each journal entry can be up to 32,000 characters long). Trip Boss also includes a ratings module, currency converter, and tip calculator. Related Links:
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