Overlanding Phone Apps

[esh]

What's the name of the app that translates foreign language street signs viewed in camera mode?

Google Translate + Google Goggles?

I know also Translate + Docs allows you to do basic OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for documents. Your 007 James Bond app.

 

[Lost Canadian]

The Photoraphers Ephemeris by far the highest quality and IMO best app for landscape photographers out there.

 

[cnynrat]

Also, is there an app that easily attaches text to images captured by the camera? I find I use the camera more and more for documentation, but I don't what those photos just thrown into the camera roll.

You might take a look at Place Memo for Android.

 

[dzzz]

Google Translate + Google Goggles?

I know also Translate + Docs allows you to do basic OCR (Optical Character Recognition) for documents. Your 007 James Bond app.

Found it. I was thinking of Word Lens

 

[DaveM]

I've stumped for this app on the forum before, but I'll add it here as well. The PDF Maps app from Avenza is free for iOS devices (and will eventually be ported to Android I believe). It features an in app map store that connects the user to a large database of free and pay maps. Free maps include all USGS topos and a growing supply of National Parks and BLM maps as well as some NOAA charts. There is also a library of other 3rd party created maps, some free and some for a fee.

The real power of the app comes form its ability to display the users location on any loaded GeoTIFF or GeoPDF which means any of you map hackers out there can generate your own specific route or destination maps and load them up. It's also a great place for digital cartographers to offer their professionally produced static maps in a digital format that allows for GPS overlay and waypoint plotting and export. It's not really a navigation app in the sense of some of the others, it's a digital map display with GPS overlay, but its ability to allow import of non proprietary maps makes it a great add on tool.

http://www.avenza.com/pdf-maps

 

[Ray Hyland]

I use one obvious app, and maybe a less obvious one, when I travel:

The Obvious one is Google Maps for Blackberry. Yes, I am the last person in the world still carrying a blackberrry... the app is not as good as the iphone version, but still usually gets me to my meetings on time.

The less obvious one is the Facebook for Blackberry app. I find that almost all of my friends and family are on Fb now. So with one simple status update I can tell anyone who wants to know (mom, wife, kids), where I am and that I am ok. It is not a well written app, as it doesn't access a lot of the functionality of FB, but when I am on the road, the simple status update is usually all I need anyway.

 

[Ray Hyland]

It's not really a navigation app in the sense of some of the others, it's a digital map display with GPS overlay, but its ability to allow import of non proprietary maps makes it a great add on tool.

For anyone who doesn't know, David does the cartography in the Overland Journal, among many other places, so when it comes to maps he knows what he is talking about.

 

[Hill Bill E.]

Question on the 'Back country Navigator' app when used on the Droid (Motorola)

When I had the basic 'free' app, it would lock up my phone, a lot! Many force closes, and messed with other apps, even when the BCN wasn't in use.

Once I removed the BCN app, everything was OK on the phone.


Anyone else run into this?

Is it only with the 'free' app?

I liked the app, but I'm hesitant to buy it, it if it corrupts my phone like it has.

Thanks for any insight.

 

[sandalscout]

Bill, I have run both the free and the pay version of BCN on 3 phones with no ill effects. When I upgraded my phone via Amazon, I got a store credit, so I bought the pay version for my newer Inspire. Seems to play nice, maybe a software/hardware issue, or perhaps a particular version that was causing the issues.

 

[mog]

Question on the 'Back country Navigator' app when used on the Droid (Motorola)
Anyone else run into this?
Is it only with the 'free' app?
I liked the app, but I'm hesitant to buy it, it if it corrupts my phone like it has.
Thanks for any insight.

I've used the free version and now use the paid version on my Motorola Xoom (tablet) running Android 3.2.1 with no problems. The only issue I have had is trying to download too large of map tiles to use off line. The downloads work fine if I select smaller sections at a time.
I'm very happy with the program.

 

[cnynrat]

Question on the 'Back country Navigator' app when used on the Droid (Motorola)

When I had the basic 'free' app, it would lock up my phone, a lot! Many force closes, and messed with other apps, even when the BCN wasn't in use.

Once I removed the BCN app, everything was OK on the phone.


Anyone else run into this?

Is it only with the 'free' app?

I liked the app, but I'm hesitant to buy it, it if it corrupts my phone like it has.

Thanks for any insight.

Bill - I've run both the free and paid versions on my Moto Droid without any issues.

 

[Hill Bill E.]

Thanks for the info guys. I may clean out my phone of apps I no longer use (and the ones my kid has installed) and try it again.

Could be something else was interfering with the BCN. I liked the app, so I really want to try it again, and purchase it.

 

[clcoyle]

Star Walk is one of my all time favorites.

View attachment 76758

 

[Lostmanifesto]

This is more designed for highway desnitations but I loved iExit on my road trip from Detroit to SoCal. Saved all my favorite places and it alerted me when any of them were coming. Also tells you what's coming at the next 5 exits ahead of time. You can even select what type of fuel stations you require (diesel).

More here: http://www.jordanmay.com/2011/07/road-trip/

Here is the entire trip with the latest post being the summary: http://www.jordanmay.com/category/road-trips/

 

[cactusjk]

is Backcountry Nav recommended for the iPhone?