Greetings,
how practical do you think is travelling with a smartphones. I am including all types including tabs, tablets, phablets etc. The reason i ask is, phones/ smartphones can do tons of things now and they are not as rare or expensive as before.
Zillions of travellers live and die by them. Others couldn't care less. Your call.
Cheers,
Terry
They are the soul mate for you when you travel.LOL
I think they are indispensable, especially if you're used to using them every day even when not travelling. The biggest help my smartphone has been of is maps, airbnb and booking.com apps, airlines' apps.. You can use maps even when offline.
Oh, and also the camera on it is pretty useful for snapping quick photos.
I wouldn't travel without my smartphone, unless I needed to be forced into a tech detox
Smartphones are one of the best inventions ever. And especially useful for travelers.
Some things you have to bear in mind, though:
1. They are battery hogs. You could drain your battery in less than half a day! So you need to have a powerbank / battery charger ready always. That's an indispensable companion to a smartphone these days.
2. Sometimes it's better to avoid getting roaming for data. Since the 3G or 4G signals use up a lot of battery, not to mention are very expensive unless you have a data plan for roaming. So what you could do is get one of those little wireless hotspots and set your phone to airplane mode and just use the hotspot via Wifi. Your battery will last longer, you will avoid incoming charges for SMS and calls, and much more. Of course you won't be reachable the normal way, but if you have Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook messenger installed on your smartphone, you are still reachable.
3. Smartphone screen size is increasing to the point where many are already considered phablets. When this happens, there may not be a need anymore to bring a tablet provided you can ensure the battery life is extended. So that is one less gadget to bring. Which has its pros and cons.
4. GPS is a great tool within the smartphone, as are location services. Of course, they use up a lot of data but a lot of information is readily available at your fingertips. Especially if you're starting to lose your orientation around the places you visit.
Overall, smartphones are the one gadget I will always bring with me. We can live without them, but they also make our digital life much easier.
May as well tag onto this thread rather than starting another.
I have a Samsung Galaxy II but it has less than 2 gig of memory.........so I download a couple of maps and almost 3 quarters of the memory has already gone........
So I was thinking about buying another smart phone (if cheap enough) with more memory..........so I can at least use Mapswithme offline. Any recommendations?
I take it all smartphones have a crap battery life? Or are there some that are better than others?
Thanks.
May as well tag onto this thread rather than starting another.
I have a Samsung Galaxy II but it has less than 2 gig of memory.........so I download a couple of maps and almost 3 quarters of the memory has already gone........
So I was thinking about buying another smart phone (if cheap enough) with more memory..........so I can at least use Mapswithme offline. Any recommendations?
I take it all smartphones have a crap battery life? Or are there some that are better than others?
Thanks.
Please be more specific which Galaxy II you are referring to. Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Core II, Galaxy S2, etc.
When you say 2 GB of memory, are you referring to RAM or storage? 2GB RAM is very good, so that would mean you would have the latest in Samsung phones. But for storage space, that won't be enough. You will need to get an SD or micro-SD card to increase storage so you can add maps, assuming your phone has a card slot.
I have 64GB on my iPhone 5S and I am down to the last 8GB because I have Pocket Maps which uses 14GB for offline maps of the whole world. Of course, I have other map programs that allow for offline storage and they are useful because you don't need an active internet connection, especially when on the road.
Not all smartphones are equal with battery life. Unfortunately Apple has that problem even if their latest iPhone has a more powerful processor that uses less energy than the previous ones - it's the open apps that are causing the battery to drain.
Samsung has done great leaps with regard to their smartphone, as they constantly innovate. In the end the value of their phones drops faster than that of Apple. But if you're one to keep on updating to the latest phones, this would definitely be a fun ride.
[ 21-Jul-2014, at 19:14 by NT01 ]
Thanks for the response.
It's a Samsung galaxy II - GT-S6500D.
I doubt it's very up-to-date as I bought it over 18 months ago. Anyway, yeah the storage is just 2 gig, hence it says there is no memory when I record a couple of short videos on the camera phone. And like I said, more importantly........2 maps and over half the memory has gone.
I've noticed that it has a micro SD card slot. Would I be able to buy extra memory to put here - and use that to store the extra maps. I won't have an internet connection, so would need to use offline maps when on my travels at some stage.
As I said, my other option was going to be to buy another phone - but my funds are limited.
yes you can, best is to check online which microsSD's are best for your phone. Keep in mind that there is also a read write speed factor apart from the capacity, to be taken care. If the read write is too low it will be determinial for your phones performance. A class 4 should be considered basic r/w speed.
I believe you cannot travel without a smartphone nowadays. They are far more practical than cameras and they are also lighter. They will also allow you to keep in touch with the relatives and friends at home. So, whatever smartphone you have, just take it you.
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