Review: Psiloc World Traveler
Score:
83%
Ewan takes a tour round Psiloc's World Traveler, competing with Worldmate in the travel utility stakes. It's fair to say that most things it can do could be replicated with built-in software and a few judicious Web bookmarks, but it seems that what you're paying for here is convenience.
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Unaccustomed as I am to travelling around the world to various conferences and events (ahem - Ed) Steve and Rafe suggested I look at Psiloc's World Traveler as I headed out to Paris to attend both Le Web and Travelling Geeks. A quick dip into the Ovi Store (see, it does work!) and the app was installed on my 5800.
Psiloc have, over time, managed to make some great user interfaces and World Traveler is no exception. From a nice splash screen as you open the application for the first time - where you are asked for your home city and country (United Kingdom was available, but not Scotland...) - and then into the main home screen.
World Traveler is built around the concept of modules. Along the bottom of the screen (or down the right side if you're in landscape mode) is a strip of icons which you can flick around, giving you quick access to all the features. On starting the app, you'll be presented with the World Map screen and a spinning globe - there's at least four minutes of fun here with your stylus or finger as you can spin the globe yourself.
Beyond eye candy, the globe just spins. Double tapping doesn't open up a map or a list of destinations - this seems a missed opportunity. As some of the modules in the strip aren't available just yet (the Travel Plan module suggests you check for updates as it is 'coming soon'), perhaps this will be updated in time.
Flight Assistant is where the frequent traveller is going to initially head. By adding in the date of travel and your flight number, World Traveler can go online and interrogate the master databases of the travel industry to find out how your flight is getting on. Is it going to be on time? Has it been delayed by weather? Or even cancelled? World Traveller will let you know and can alert you when there are any changes.
An example from my previous travels as to why this is such a useful feature. I once stepped off a flight from LA after it landed at Heathrow. As my phone turned back on, the alert came on that my connecting flight to Edinburgh had been cancelled due to weather. As had the flight after it – I know because I was checking as I power-strolled to Passport Control. This was some three hours before departure; so I knew I had to head straight to the flight desk and get on one of the few seats left on an earlier flight. Which I did.
Had I waited till I got through the whole Heathrow system and to the departure gate, that earlier flight would not have been available to me. So yes, flight updates are a part of my travel experience.
Rather more British is the weather option. We've always got to know how miserable the skies are going to be – what else can we moan about, apart the lack of wifi at Parisian venues (where I am right now)? World Traveler gives you a nice five day forecast for your home city – which means when you land, don't forget to change this. I wonder if Psiloc could use GPS data to automate this?
Assuming you don't restrict your travel to only changing your latitude, the World Clock module will let you list four cities from anywhere in the world and the current time there. Good for checking the local time; the time in San Francisco (because so much of the web world works in that time zone, no matter where they are in the world); and the time at home so you can do a long distance bed time story.
Currency Converter pretty much is exactly what you expect. The difference in UK Sterling and Euros is such that mentally 1 euro is 1 pound, so no mental arithmetic or phone needs coming to my rescue but once you start going further afield to currencies where the numbers aren't the same order of magnitude (I'm looking at you, Russia!) this is invaluable – especially late at night and you're trying to work out if you can afford one more round.
Finally, there is Travel Safe, a password protected and encrypted database for storing information and numbers. It's geared towards travellers as opposed to being a general data safe app (naturally) so things like your passport number, visa information and insurance details can be added in here. A personal category is also included so anything specific to your trip can be added. Like other modules, it's ultimately nothing new, but bringing it into one application with the other features means you have a single home to look for everything when running around the globe.
Not all the functions are in the free version – Travel Safe and Flight Assistant will require you to pay for access to the external database and live updates of your flights, and to store your own personal information, but you are afforded a few trial enquiries on Flight Assistant if you want to see how this all works out.
The catch, like many applications that provide live data and push updates, is mobile data. World Traveler was great while heading out to Turnhouse for my flight to France, but would I risk my wallet by letting my 5800 go on-line via roaming data in Paris as I sprint towards Charles De Gaulle? Very very unlikely. I'll let it do a final check via wifi at the hotel, but that's it. Which negates the live updates a little. It's the only real negative in the whole package.
Psiloc's World Traveler, like many travel applications before it, has taken a number of features that are useful on the road and put them together in a solid interface with just enough slick UI and smart thinking to make a useful tool. By being sensible on the demo front and giving people enough of the app to test out, I think they'll get a lot of people upgrading.
The section that does cost them (the flight database) can be tested out but requires some cash from the user for long term use... a sensible strategy that continues to work.
In a world of apps that promise the earth, Psiloc keeps your stress levels down as you travel just that. It's targeted at a certain group of people, but then niche is good, because I (and others) should find this a valuable addition to my smartphone.
– Ewan Spence, Dec 2010.
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at