Essential apps for business travellers

From apps capable of translating foreign signage to those that can make your data plan go further, Clement Huang presents 10 of the best travel apps for business travellers

When Steve Jobs delivered his keynote speech to introduce the Apple App Store back in 2008, developers relished the possibility of having their work “published” and available to download by the public. However, nobody – perhaps even Jobs himself – could have realised what a lucrative game changer had just been unleashed to the world.

Fast-forward five years, and the App Store has recently celebrated its 60 billionth app download. Other competitors have found similar success in the field, with Google Play reporting 40 billion downloaded apps.

Indeed, the app industry is booming, with global revenue from mobile apps expected to hit US$25 billion by the end of 2013 according to a report by US information technology research firm Gartner Inc. The move toward a lifestyle where everybody is constantly on the move has accentuated the functional importance of mobile apps, and the average smartphone user has installed 26 apps according to recent research conducted by Google’s “Our Mobile Planet” study.

Business travellers in particular benefit greatly from the use of apps, with many of these applications offering features designed to make travel smarter, from finding a free wifi spot nearby to compressing data to increase the power of your mobile phone data plan. Below are our picks of the best apps for business travellers.

XE Currency

COST Free (paid version available for US$1.99)

PLATFORM iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry

INFO One of the most popular apps globally, this currency converter tool offers live and accurate exchange rates of world currencies.

While the basic app is free, there is also a paid version called XE Currency Pro. Available solely for the Android and iOS platforms, ‘Pro’ does not feature any annoying advertisements, and enables users to monitor up to 20 different currencies. The free version has a limit of only 10.

Flighttrack Pro

COST US$9.99 (there is a free version and a cheaper paid version aimed at casual travellers for US$4.99)

PLATFORM iOS, Android (Blackberry and Windows Phone support available for US$4.99 version)

INFO At a price of US$9.99, Flighttrack Pro is one of the pricier apps available in any app store. However, it finds its way into our list, as we believe that its functionality justifies the cost.

The app enables you to track flights no matter where they are. It covers more than 1,400 different airlines and more than 300 airports. Baggage and gate information is provided for most flights too. In addition, it provides weather updates and flight delay forecast charts.

For the aviation enthusiast, Flighttrack Pro provides useful information about aircraft types and seat plans. The “Pro” version provides push alerts for flight updates and up-to-date terminal maps for both arrival and departure airports.

Wi-Fi Finder

COST Free

PLATFORM iOS, Android INFO Overseas data charges can be truly painful, and using free public wifi keeps costs down. Wi-Fi Finder delivers just that, as it provides locations for more than 550,000 wifi hotspots across 144 countries worldwide.

A nifty added bonus is that users can download an offline database of all the public wifi hotspots prior to going overseas, meaning that they don’t need to have an internet connection when using the app during their travels.

It should be noted that not all the wifi hotspots listed on the app are free. Developers JiWire Inc have however created an iOS app,“Free Wi-Fi Finder”, which lists more than 145,000 free wifi locations worldwide. This app is also free.

Help Call

COST US$2.99

PLATFORM iOS INFO This useful little app enables users to contact emergency services at the touch of a button. With support for 126 countries, the app contains up-to-date contacts for the police, fire department and ambulance services. Your location is automatically detected, so don’t worry that you’ll be calling the Bangkok police from Singapore.

In addition, you can also select a friend or relative to be your emergency contact. Just touch the “friend” panel and the app will automatically place a call to the individual chosen.

Travel App Box

COST US$1.99

PLATFORM iOS INFO Dubbed “the Swiss army knife of travel apps”, Travel App Box features an integrated currency converter, flight status tool, phrase dictionary for five languages, and offline street and public transport maps among other features.

Our favourite feature, however, is the “emergency hotline” function attached to the app, which contains emergency numbers for the police, fire service and doctors in 146 countries. Now, that’s what we call being responsible and prepared for any situation.

Onavo Extend

COST Free

PLATFORM iOS, Android INFO Considering the rise in data browsing on mobile devices, along with the ever-increasing speeds provided by 3G and 4G LTE services, an increasing number of users are eating into their monthly data plan.

By compressing your mobile data, Onavo Extend claims it can “increase the power of [your] data plan by up to 500 per cent.”While this is a bold claim, my test of the app resulted

in a data saving of more than 100MB. Given that my monthly data allowance is 1GB, 100MB (10 per cent) represents a significant and welcome saving indeed. The app also equips users with monthly data reports so you can understand and plan data consumption.

Openrice

COST Free

PLATFORM iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone

INFO One of Asia’s top online dining guides, Openrice has a growing footprint and is currently available in nine destinations (Hong Kong, Macau, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand).

The app itself is easy to use due to the flexibility it provides. Users who are looking to find out more on a restaurant that they are already knowledgeable of can use the app’s search function.

For those who have no idea where to go, the app breaks down each dining option into categories. Diners can locate restaurants that fit a number of variables, including the type of cuisine served, the average price per head and the location of the restaurant. The address and a map for each restaurant is also featured.

Tripadvisor

COST Free PLATFORM iOS, Android, Windows Phone

INFO With millions of reviews and opinions online, this online portal features worthy content contributed by in-the-know travellers globally.

Similar to travel search engines such as Expedia and Zuji, Tripadvisor enables users to search for competitive airfares, hotels or packages available. However, the differentiating factor is the personalised experience that it offers you.

Capable of integrating directly into Facebook, Tripadvisor allows users to create their own travel map that indicates the places they have previously visited. In addition, being able to share your opinions and write reviews through the app gives you the sense of being a part of the travel community.

Wechat

COST Free

PLATFORM iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry

INFO Similar to Whatsapp and Viber, Wechat is a mobile text and voice-messaging app. Developed by Tencent Holdings in China, which is best known for its instant messaging service QQ, the app has accumulated a loyal following of more than 300 million users worldwide. As most users are based in China, the company now has its eye on international markets, and celebrities including football star Lionel Messi, Bollywood stars Parineeti Chopra and Varun Dhawan act as product ambassadors for the app.

Along with the typical instant text messaging capabilities, Wechat enables users to send media content; tag their location; attach name cards; conduct voice and video calls; and even use the app as a walkie-talkie. In addition, a fun feature is the “push-to-talk” function, which enables users who don’t want to type their messages to instead record what they want to say, and send the audio file to the person they’re talking to. Respondents can also reply in the same way.

Wechat also offers a wide range of fun unique “emotes”, which are visual and animated versions of emoticons. Unlike Whatsapp, the emotes are part of the app, so users don’t need to install other external apps such as Emoji.

Word Lens

COST Free but language packs cost US$4.99 each

PLATFORM iOS, Android INFO Using the in-built camera on any iOS or Android device, the app detects foreign words and automatically translate them to English, or vice versa.

With English as the standard language, the app supports the translation of five different foreign languages: French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and German.

How effective or accurate is the app? simple phrases and signage (which is what the app is designed for) are usually translated accurately by the app. Translating the entire page of a book, however, will simply be too much for it to handle. Perfect for travellers who wish to negotiate their way around a foreign city without fumbling for the phrase book.