Skip to main content

iPhone Apps for Expats, World Travellers and Writers


As much as I was fighting back and as much as I loved my little Samsung flip phone (it was smart enough for me)… it finally died.  After a brief grieving process, my husband returned from a trip to LA with a new iPhone 4 for me .  After I stopped sulking that I’d been “forced” into the Apple tribe (I recently blogged about the Steep Learning Curve of switching from a Toshiba laptop to a MacBook Pro), I started exploring the wonders of this device that was foisted upon me.

Finding Your Way
I admit, I am getting a little smitten with it but not addicted just yet.  However, my first favorite thing about this new little genius that I carry around in my purse is some of the cool apps that do truly help you get through the day.  Enter the Google Maps application.  Holy cow!  It actually shows exactly where in the entire world I’m standing at that very moment.  I can zoom in for detail or zoom out for orientation (to establish the direction I need to head in order to get where I want to go).  For the directionally challenged (my hand is up in the air), it’s a lifesaver!  I love watching the little blue dot (which is me) come closer to the little red dot (my destination).  This is quite often happening as I’m sitting on the back of our motorbike as my husband weaves his way through the busy traffic of Phuket, Thailand.  It’s best if I don’t look anyway so it gives me something else on which to focus.

Making Yourself Understood
The next amazing little nugget that we found was LingoPal.  For only 99 cents (US) you can carry around your very own translator (and you can choose whatever native language you speak and what language you want translated).  And, there's no need to worry if your pronunciation is crap (in Thailand there are many inflections that make the same word mean tons of different things… you think you’re saying ‘yes’ when you’re really saying ‘cow’ or something equally as ridiculous).  You can just hit the play button and a sweet little Thai lady’s voice melodically delivers the phrase you were innocently butchering so that your puzzled taxi driver/waiter/doctor or any Thai person (or whatever country you're living or traveling in) you’re desperately trying to communicate with, understands.

Global Communications
Of course, there are always Skype, Facebook and Twitter apps for iPhone too.  I always felt that I didn’t need to be connected 24/7 (and still feel that way) and I certainly won’t be typing obliviously away while in the company of others.  But, there are times that I’m sitting by myself in an airport, doctor’s office, restaurant, hairdressers and such that it comes in handy.

For Writers
I would be remiss if I didn’t include a couple for writers.  If I’m on the fly, doing a quick draft of a blog or article and I’m stumped for the right word, I’ve got Dictionary.com right there on my iPhone.  It has both a dictionary and thesaurus, gives synonyms and antonyms and even an audio option to give you the right pronunciation or for you to speak your word instead of typing it.  Cool, eh?  Then, for writing guidance and inspiration, there’s the Creativity Portal (it made Writer’s Digest Magazine’s 2011 list of best web sites for writers).  I also devour apps that offer ebooks like Wattpad and Good Reads.

I know these are pretty elementary but it’s probably because I’m such an iPhone newbie, but I just had to share!  What are your favorite apps?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks so much for heads up! I just booked a trip to Canada for this summer so some of these will definitely come in handy to help kill time. My favorite app is the TV everywhere app from DISH Network…as a DISH customer and employee I can kick back and watch live or recorded TV off my home receiver on my phone, tablet, or laptop from anywhere in the world that I can hook up the 3G
Wow...I wonder if there's a similar app for non-Dish customers? I'm so glad this was helpful. Have a great trip!

Popular posts from this blog

Adverbs & Cliches in a Nutshell - Guest Post by Jessica Bell

Too many adverbs and clichés in your writing? I've got just the fix for you. by Jessica Bell Writers constantly have rules thrown at them left, right, and center. Show, don’t tell! Stop using so many dialogue tags! More sensory detail! More tension! Speed up the pace! Yada yada yada ... it can become overwhelming, yes? I used to feel overwhelmed by it all too. In fact, I still do sometimes. It’s hard enough to get the words on the page, let alone consider how to put them there. In Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird , she says that in order not to be overwhelmed, a writer needs to focus on short assignments. She refers to the one-inch picture frame on her desk and how that little picture frame reminds her to focus on bite-sized pieces of the whole story. Basically, if you focus on one small thing at a time, the story will eventually come together to create a whole. I believe the same applies to learning the craft of writing. If writers focus on one aspect of the craft at a time, t

The Author-Preneur – Are you Ready for it? Book review: APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch

“Starting your book is only the first five miles of a twenty-six mile marathon that’s one-third of a triathlon.” APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur If you’re a self-published author or are contemplating taking the plunge (for whatever reason), be prepared for the demand of being an ‘Author-Preneur.’ Actually, it’s not a bad idea to do it even if you’re traditionally published. Start switching your mind-set from, ‘I’ve got to sit down and get a chapter done today’ to ‘I’ve got to sit down and write a chapter today AND post a tweet about my progress, share a sneak preview on Facebook, take that tutorial on how to convert to ebooks, and review the cover design proposals that are sitting in my in-box.’ There are plenty of books, blogs, websites, newsletters and videos out there on how to do it all... some helpful and others not so much. One that I would highly recommend is Guy Kawasaki’s and Shawn Welch’s APE: Author, Publisher,Entrepreneur . It takes you through the entire

Virtual Book Tour for The Healing Begins April 23

As we approach launch day for Lynda Faye Schmidt's novel, The Healing , a women's fiction/family drama based on the author's life, we're excited to announce the blog tour schedule and introduce you to the bloggers and book reviewers who have joined the tour. The tour begins on launch day, April 23rd. Take a look, follow these bloggers and make sure you visit on the tour dates indicated (check back regularly for updates): Pre-Tour - March 2 - Thrive Global - pre-launch announcement  April 16 - Fit for Joy - pre-launch podcast interview with Lynda April 23 - IndieView - author Q&A with Lynda April 24 -  Canadian Bookworm  - featuring a guest blog by Lynda, "What Inspired Me" April 26 - Dartmouth Book Exchange - author spotlight April 29 - Storybook Reviews - review May 4 -  Help Me Sara  - podcast interview May 13 -  My Question Life  - review and author interview June 30 - Reader's Favorite - review  As new bloggers come on board we will update our