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As phones get smarter, we can work them harder

TIME : 2016/2/27 11:09:43

Guide book, map, audio walking tour and coffee locater - travellers seen stroking the screens of their new mobiles are on to something. Here's why.

IS THAT a computer in your pocket? From the sights we see to what we have for breakfast, smartphones are revolutionising the way we travel.

Nearly half of Australian mobile phone users now have data included in their monthly plan, according to the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association, and travel-related content is among the biggest uses.

Maps and directions are some of the most popular applications, along with weather reports, restaurant and cafe information and event listings.

Global market research firm Euromonitor International says business travellers were the first to adopt mobile travel technology but leisure travellers are quickly catching up.

In Europe, smartphone penetration is expected to reach 92 per cent in three years' time, when nearly half of all European travellers are expected to be using smartphones to find travel information and/or make reservations. Many of these reservations will be made through social media platforms such as Facebook for iPhone, gradually diminishing the role of the traditional internet search.

"Mobile travel applications are expected to gain ground thanks to their superior convenience," the Euromonitor report says.

Location-based information is key to the uptake of smartphones, with global positioning system (GPS) technology allowing travellers to get time-sensitive information specific to a location - from what there is to see nearby to where to get the best coffee.

Many smartphone applications also have an opt-in for "push messaging", where you receive location-based marketing information such as accommodation offers or entertainment listings.

Lonely Planet's Asia Pacific travel editor, Shawn Low, says smartphone usage is "still in its infancy" in the travel sector and has infinite possibilities. Low is a big fan of mobile maps and navigation, along with other location-based applications such as Urbanspoon (guides to nearby restaurants) and Foursquare (travellers sharing their recommendations with others).

The limitations to travellers are high international roaming charges and the relatively short battery life of smartphones.

Working out what applications (or "apps" as they are more commonly known) to download can also be a challenge for those who are new to smartphones.

Lonely Planet has led the way and offers 140 apps across four mobile platforms, with iPhone app downloads alone totalling 8.5 million to date. Along with city guides and phrase books, the company is venturing into audio walking tours, with London the first offering.

If you're just getting started with travel apps, you can search the App Store (for iPhones, or similar sites for other types of smartphones) for the most popular travel apps or free travel apps.

Free apps include Webjet and Skyscanner (airfare comparisons), TripAdvisor (traveller reviews) and TripIt (a popular itinerary planner).

Many airlines offer apps that you can use to book and check in for a flight (receiving an electronic boarding pass that is scanned at the gate) and there are accommodation booking apps, along with travel health apps.

You can download apps specific to your destination, including city guides, shopping guides, phrase books and public transport timetables. You can even download a free language translator that can translate words, phrases or whole paragraphs of text from one language to another.

And for a different way of seeing things, the Google Goggles app - now available on both Android phones and iPhones - can cleverly identify images taken on your phone and search the internet for relevant information, such as linking to a Wikipedia page.

For those who are already smartphone-savvy, what's coming next? Google's product manager for Android, Yu-Kuan Lin, believes we may not see anything drastically different over the coming year but will see existing technology coming together more smoothly.

Lin says we can already do "a whole bunch of things" with our smartphones but they are all discrete activities, which means we have to juggle lots of different apps.

The aim is to integrate different capabilities to make smartphones more intuitive, so they can be working quietly in the background while you are enjoying your holiday.

As an example, your phone might "know" that you are heading to a particular museum because you looked up the directions; the phone may then search the internet and have a museum guide downloaded for you by the time you get there.

"We might find we are spending less time on the phone but it is doing more for us," Lin says.

Don't get stung

Many a traveller has suffered a severe case of Phone Bill Shock after using a smartphone overseas. One of the best ways to keep costs down is to use free Wi-Fi hotspots, which can be found at fast food restaurants and coffee shops, among other places.

However, you will need to check your settings to make sure you're not connecting to cellular networks.

If you're going to use global roaming, contact your mobile provider before you leave home to find out what the range of charges will be. An alternative is to source a local, pre-paid SIM card at your destination.

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