I have during the last year found some interesting and useful applications that I use in my mobile. Some of these are good when travelling and I thought to share them with you. All the applications are for free, but keep in mind that they are for mobile phones with the Android operating system. You can probably find similar programs for your mobile phone if you have another OS.
1) MapDroyd
This program gives you an offline map for whatever countries you choose, with street names and interesting points like gas- train- and bus stations, hospitals and more. Every country usually takes between 1-100 mb of space to download, and when you have it you don’t need an internet connection like Google Maps and similar map applications do. The only negative thing with MapDroyd is that it does not have navigation built in yet, which means you can only use it as a map instead of getting directions from point A to B.
2) Compass
It’s self explanatory that it is sometimes good to have a compass. The thing with this application is that you also can save positions and later on you will see in which direction the saved position is in and how many meters away it is. I prefer to find the way by myself or even getting lost, which makes you learn the neighborhood faster, but this application is a good backup when you are tired or in a hurry.
3) SlovoEd Compact dictionaries
I use different dictionaries for different languages but keep coming back to SlovoEd’s compact dictionary which I think works fine and have a lot of languages to choose from. It also have speech built in to hear pronunciations. On top of this I use Advanced English & Thesaurus to improve my English. This dictionary have more than 1.4 million words, synonyms, antonyms, related words and explanations.
4) GPSTracker Lite
This program is good for a lot of different things. The main idea is to track your movement and then get statistics over your speed and altitude and even to see on a map or satellite picture where you have been. This is for example good when working out (bicycling, running etc) or trekking.
5) AK Notepad
Ok most people use TripIt to save their travel information, but I think the service is not user friendly and usually doesn’t work with the airlines I travel with. That’s why I use AK Notepad instead to write down important travel information and other things that I have to remember. The program even have an optional setting to back up your notes online.
The applications above are all downloadable from the Android Market. On top of these applications I also use some of the already built-in applications in the Android OS, like the calendar (with Google Calendar synchronization), the email application, the web browser, alarm clock, WIFI analyzers and security programs.