August 25, 2009 Paper vs. touch screen
anglotopia.netIn the analog vs. digital debate, another test case: Paul Croughton of the Times of London pitted an app-rich iPhone against a lowly guidebook. A sneak preview of his conclusions:
In fact, none of the London guides on the iPhone beats having a guidebook with you. Yes, phones are smaller and lighter, and using them means that you don’t instantly look like a tourist (although you might still be a target for pickpockets if you’re waving an iPhone about). But the apps can be fiddly and time-consuming, and they drain your phone’s battery something rotten. Which means you’re then stuck in a new city with no guide and no phone. And not even Apple can save you then.
Some of the more specific apps, however, are worth having, especially those that use GPS technology to personalise the information you receive. So, next time I travel, I’ll pack a guidebook, but I’ll browse the iTunes store to see if there’s a nifty little app that tells me where the nearest cab rank is, which platform I need to find on the subway and how to ask “Can I recharge my phone in your restaurant, please?” in Cantonese.
Read the full account of his test here. And what have your experiences been?
Frank@OBOW
A list of 19 London iPhone apps from Anglotopia.
NO OBOW APP…YET
Reader Comments (4)
Thanks for the shout out! Most appreciated.
What was most notable in the Times of London article were the comments on the Lonely Planet Guide iPhone app for London and its shortcomings compared with having the real guidebook. This seems to be an implementation shortcoming. Read, for example, this post in the Lonely Planet travel forums by a user who was disappointed in their Paris iPhone guide app. His statement was that Frommer's did a good job with their iPhone guide app -- but he was looking for the content of the Lonely Planet Guides in an app -- not a Frommer's Guide
Depending on the city or country, there are some nice iPhone apps. Rick Steves has issued some specific tours (a few were initially free), There are also some free apps like the Amsterdam Mobile Guide.
What I found most useful (on an iPod Touch) was the ability to paste in selected web page information (including address and phone number) into notes, click on links and have these come up in maps and then snapshot these into my photos for future use when I had no Wi-Fi connection. Also, apps like Around Me worked very well to save addresses and phone numbers (and/or use with maps).
I say nothing beats an iPhone as a travel device - whether or not you're using it as a travel guide. You can do so friggin' much with it that's it's usefulness can be staggering. Whether its remembering passports and information home information for use at internet cafes, taking quick snapshots of the trailhead map so you can find your way back, checking up on friends on facebook, adding a quick blog update, keeping track of what wine you loved at that restaurant or the name of that great painting at the museum, the list goes on and on.
Here's a quick observation about the previous iPhone3G from a roadtrip last year (note, the 3GS is a substantial upgrade with video camera and compass for traveling):
The iPhone 3G is quite possibly the best piece of roadtrip gear ever. We used it to listen to music and audiobooks during the drive, and even streamed an NFL game from a NY radio station. We used the Maps app to calculate driving directions, find restaurants, and even used Street View to preview a site. We typed draft blog posts on its WordPress app, used the clock feature as our morning alarm clock, and updated friends and family using the Twitter and Facebook apps. The camera and a couple of camera apps allowed some quick shots when the camera wasn’t handy. I checked and replied to email, kept up to date on my Reader items, and checked wikipedia for additional information on some of the places we visited. We searched hotel listings and prices, checked photos, and reserved online hotel deals every night – and looked up rewards account numbers. I added tasks to my to do list, blog article ideas to Evernote, and checked the next day’s weather. We kept up to speed on bowl game scores and NFL stats. I even used an app to locate free wifi networks for my MacBook Pro and consulted an app on Texas speed traps. And of course, we used Safari to hit a bunch of other websites. We did all of this on a small, elegant device that fits into my pocket – wow, what a great roadtrip device.
"Times of London" recently published an "article (including) comments on the Lonely Planet Guide iPhone app for London and its shortcomings compared with having the real guidebook"
Well, next May I am taking my iPhone, though I'll leave it on Airplane mode, save for when I turn on the Wi-Fi, but I plan to do most of my navigating with teh ingenious and rather complete 5 oz., 4.8" x 6.8" x 0.25" London Knopf Mapguide, which its division of the City into eight major districts, each covered on a fold-out, 9.5" x 13" map, exclusive of the 6.8" x 9.5" Transport for London map. I do have an iPhone app which duplicates the Transport map, and which for planning routes at our hotel may very useful, but for when the sole hits the tarmac, likely the printed book will be better.
I do like and use the camera on my iPhone, but it's no substitute for a full-featured compact camera, like any of the various Canon models which we use, whose various relative merits are nicely covered at www.kenrockwell.com