Technology and Apps

Cell phone service providers lose revenue when people use VoIP (voice over internet protocol) on their mobile phones to link to the Internet and make free phone calls with programs like Skype.

In March, the Egyptian government banned the use of services like Skype for cell phone calls made over Egypt’s three national mobile networks (Vodafone, Mobinil and Etisalat). The ban does not affect cell phones using international mobile phone providers. Also, the ban does not affect fixed-line Internet calls made using a computer/laptop.

A free application for smartphones running Windows Mobile, Blackberry and Google’s Android contains the locations, descriptions and contact information for hotels, restaurants and activities in Vancouver and can show these places on a map. Download the app at www.tourismvancouver.com/download or on your device’s application store.

The Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions has created a guide to Amsterdam optimized for mobile devices. For the iPhone and iPod Touch, there is the free Amsterdam Mobile Guide app, which contains the locations, descriptions and contact information for more than 200 attractions in the city, not to mention various itineraries and an interactive map with points of interest.

The app does not need a data connection to function; all information is stored in the application.

With the Jibbigo software application (or app), you can speak/record a sentence or two of either Spanish or English into your iPhone 3GS and it will respond with both an audible and written (on the screen) translation. It cannot be used to translate a conversation on the iPhone.

Jibbigo has a vocabulary of over 40,000 words that are particularly useful to travelers and medical doctors. The software runs on the phone, itself, so it does not need to be connected to the Internet. The app, dictionary included, costs $24.99 from Apple’s iPhone store or visit www.jibbigo.com.

The “Swiss Hike” app, from Switzerland Tourism, can be downloaded for free on Apple’s App Store. Covering each of 32 hikes all over the country, with info on duration and difficulty, the app shows topographical maps overlaid with restaurants and lodgings.

The app “Romantic Road,” from the German National Tourist Board, has info for anyone driving through 28 towns in Bavaria from Würzburg in the north to Füssen in the south. It covers 10 tourist highlights (such as the Pilgrimage Church of Wies), showing opening hours, GPS distances, admission prices and accessibility for the disabled. Visit the App Store or Google Play.

Those with iPhones, iPads, etc., can determine rates of currency exchange by going to the App Store and downloading “CurrencyGo” for $2. 

For about 158 currencies, this app allows you to see the rates of exchange (as of the close of business the day before) from 18 or 19 different sources, including MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, etc.

BOB MELDMAN

Milwaukee, WI

An “Ennis Walking Trails” app from the town of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland — which was granted a municipal charter in 1613 — shows a map with five walking routes along the town’s Heritage Trails and offers audio info on a total of 13 points of interest. Routes vary from a half mile to two miles and take from 35 to 80 minutes to walk. The app is free on Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

In the article “Ten Cities in 20 days — a Delightful Custom Tour of China,” the writer said that at a particular hotel, she and her husband “had to perch on a couple of benches by the front door” in order to use WiFi, which wasn’t available in the room (Feb. ’14, pg. 26). I have experienced this problem with WiFi several times, myself. 

For travelers using Eurail, the app “Rail Planner” offers a European trains timetable and trip planner that can be used without a data connection. City maps for all participating countries are included, as are details on each train’s amenities, such as first-class seats, bicycle transport and bar cars. The app is available free on the App Store and Google Play.