who ... moi?

a social butterfly: scared of much, but not of many. never lets the truth get in the way of a good story. not a fan of acronyms, snakes and angelina jolie. a HUGE fan of Fathead.


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thanks for your understanding.
if it's too dark, put your glasses on old one.

Monday, June 14, 2010

i-travel

when Fathead (aka "gadget-boy") first announced he was buying an iphone, i rolled my eyes and wrote this off as him getting a fix for his EET (extremely expensive toy) habit.

however, and as much as it guts me to say this, "i was not entirely, 100% correct".

since our adventures began, we've used that EET to it's full capability.  most notably for it's GPS, subway maps and currency converters.  given that seoul is the most connected city in the world - we basically access the interwebs wherever we may be, for whatever we may need to know.

sometimes this is to find the quickest transport route from point a to b.  sometimes it's to settle a ridiculous debate with a kiwi about which country really has the highest bungee-jump.

whatever the reason, the point is that it has become a very useful, muchly-relied-upon travel buddy.

so, if you are heading out for a we adventure to a foreign land, if you own an iphone or if you're considering taking the financial plunge and purchasing one - herewith, a list of must-have apps to accessorise your phone with:



shazam
- this (amazing!) app will "listen" to any song that is playing, and then search the interwebs, returning (in 60 secs) with a result of the artist, song title, album name and album cover, song history and artist bio.


skype
- so you can chat and call your family and friends at the same reduced rate that you get off a PC.  it's useful to load skype credit to your account, so you can use your iphone as a normal phone and call to international cell phones and landlines.


facebook 
- for obvious reasons ... good for everything except viewing photo albums



tweetdeck
- if you're on twitter, this can also be downloaded to your pc desktop.  useful for seeing everything all at once.







currency by  jeffery grossman
- instantly convert and compare one amount of kazash in as many currencies as you want. very useful!








lonely planet
- includes a free spanish phrase app when you download









news24
- stay up-to-date with the headlines from home (and around the world)










errands ("ToDo list")
- there a plenty of apps like this out there, but this one is pretty rad.  helps to keep track of where you are on the list of things you need to get done before / during your travels.






hostelworld
- find backpackers and hostels in any area in the world.  gives rates, reviews, star-ratings, photos, maps and gps co-ords.  also supplies contact info and you can make a reservation directly through the app itself.



IMDb
- if you are traveling with a media player or external hard drive, and rely on a lot of good movies to see you through the monsoon season and those nights when the budget's run dry - this app allows you to research any movie you may have already downloaded, supplying you with reviews, synopsis and cast info.






fourfree
- free sanity-saving, boredom-reducing games: Connect Four, Othello, Solataire, Shipwreck ... i've just been informed (by the Fathead on my left) that you should also look for "doodle-jump".








whatsapp messenger
- allows you to communicate with all other iphone users in the world, kind of like an exclusive skype.  good for when you are looking for cool apps and the like.







accu weather
- download accurate weather forecasts for districts, cities across several countries - so can compare each with the flip of a finger.







then, you can also download phrase books (with audio pronunciations) for any language you may need to learn.

if there is a subway in the city you're visiting, you should also be able to get this, as well as bus routes and train schedules.  all are extremely useful when traveling, and make you look like less of the out-of-towner (with an enormous folded out map in front of them.)

hope these help!

good luck - and always remember: even though traveling with your iphone may be awesume, conversation with your girlfriend is always way better.

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