Viber: The Free Solution To International Talk, Text And Picture Sharing

by Jessica Festa on

While traveling, the expenses of long-distance communication can be difficult to handle. Spending $20 for a call that is less than five minutes is absurd, but without the use of outside apps and tools, is often the case when abroad. Luckily there’s Viber, a 100% free mobile app that allows you to talk, text and share photos without spending a cent.

I learned about the mobile app during a backpacking trip in Argentina. Eating lunch in a Buenos Aires cafe, I noticed my travel companion sending texts and uploading photos without abandon, while my phone sat turned off and untouched in my bag. Unfortunately for me, calls from Argentina to the United States cost $5 per minute with texts being $1 each. When I asked her how she was able to communicate so freely without worrying about the costs, she told me about Viber. As long as you’re in a Wi-Fi zone and the person you’re communicating with uses Viber, the communications are completely free. Moreover, even when using 3G, you will only be charged the rate of your 3G plan and not for roaming.

“Viber-to-Viber mobile calls and texts will always be free and ad-free,” explains Daniel Twigg, PR Consultant for Viber. “We plan to offer premium services for even more customization, such as inexpensive calls to people who don’t yet have Viber, as well as ringtones and wallpapers.”
So how does Viber differ from the other free international calling services that exist? According to Twigg, their main competitors are What’s App, Skype and Tango. While What’s App has a great platform for texting, Viber places more of an emphasis on multiple communication platforms. In terms of Skype, Twigg believes the multiple changes in ownership and late jump on the mobile app scene have made it hard for them to stay ahead in the market. For example, most people still see Skype as a desktop product. Tango features an excellent video experience; however, Viber offers voice and text, which has helped their growth greatly.

Viber is available on iPhone and Android. Once downloaded, you will be able to immediately see who from your contacts is also using the app. According to Twigg, the app has over 60 million users and is growing by more than 200,000 new users each day. It’s completely free, so you have nothing to lose by trying it for yourself on your next trip. To learn more and download the app, click here.

20 Useful Online Travel Resources

by Elizabeth Seward on

We all do it. We hear about a new website that is supposed to be this or that and we sign up for it. At first we’re skeptical or excited, or both. We begin to fill out our profiles and then we get distracted. We never return to said site. Other times, the exact opposite is true and we find our lives turned inside out because of a website. Had it not been for Craigslist, my life would be very different today. I jotted down the URL in early 2003 when I began a search for a new apartment in New York City. Since then, Craigslist has helped to shape every aspect of my life. I’ve found jobs, furniture, pets, housing, gigs, bandmates and roommates on Craigslist. By extension of a roommate found on the site, I found my husband. It’s no stretch to say a website can change your entire life. And by the same token, a website can completely gut and renovate the way you travel.When I came across Golden Book Traveler’s list of 20 Best Travel Websites On The Internet (because the Internet is where websites live), I continued reading past the headline. Some sites listed are ones I stand behind fully. Others are sites I’m now eager to use, including Airbnb, Couch Surfing, Hostel World, Road Sharing and Sleeping In Airports. This list seems promising to me.

Read it in its entirety here.

In-Flight Connectivity To Improve, Be Just Like At Home

by Chris Owen on

Today, in-flight connectivity has its share of challenges. Technology companies are keenly aware that in the not too distant future, demand for in-flight connectivity will grow considerably. Travelers have become more reliant on a good connection than a good in-person relationship to conduct business and support social ties. A partnership announced this week promises passengers will have fast, reliable in-flight connectivity for their devices anywhere, even while crossing oceans.

As reported by MarketWatch, Honeywell recently acquired EMS Technologies, Inc., a company with broad technology offerings and will combine them with Honeywell’s global aerospace franchise to launch the Inmarsat Global Xpress aerospace network.

“With this new service, the flow of information will no longer stop when the door to the aircraft closes,” said Tim Mahoney, President and CEO, Honeywell Aerospace.

By the year 2016, there will be 10 billion mobile devices in the world serving a global population of over 7 billion people, many of which will take to the sky when traveling. Those travelers will be using tablets and smartphones for working on the go and watching video.

“We believe this new network will significantly expand the connectivity options of consumer, business, and government customers around the world,” added Mahoney.Promising land-like communication capabilities and connectivity in the air, travelers will be able to do real-time social media, video conferencing and multi-media presentation development while in flight virtually anywhere in the world.



[Flickr photo via Ehsan Khakbaz]

The Best iPhone Travel App Lists

by Elizabeth Seward on

iPhone travel apps were of no use to me just six months ago. Despite spending much of my time traveling across the globe, I held out on getting an iPhone for what seemed as long as possible. Once I finally did cave and walked into the Apple store with my wallet in hand, my undoing turned out to be much more fun and efficient than I had imagined it would be. So why did I hold out?

I’ve been working online for quite some time now. My first online article was published in 2000. Life has been a series of HTML adjusting and Internet comment treading for me since then. Until fall 2011, I avoided the iPhone and all other smart phones like the plague. I was convinced, for some reason, that having access to my email and all other sorts of toys in my pocket would distract me. I was sure this kind of access would lead to no other conclusion than me being constantly “at work.” The result of not having an iPhone was actually the very thing I feared, I realize now in retrospect. Without portable and constant access to my inbox, I spent a large chunk of my free time tethered to my laptop, hoping to catch emails from editors and clients as they rolled in. It was with great satisfaction that I learned the true benefit of the iPhone: the ability to readily respond to emails without having to be attached at the hip to my MacBook.Instant and continual access to my emails was just the beginning. While sitting in the Apple store for over 3 hours, eager to leave with my new iPhone, time passed remarkably quickly. The representative I was buying the phone from seemed concerned. He brought me an ice cream sandwich from the back. He apologized that the initialization process through Sprint was taking so long; he said it’s not usually so bad. Little did I care; I had already downloaded several free apps while waiting for the paperwork to go through.

Admittedly, I spend a lot of time on my phone these days. I’m sure I’m in good company when I say it’s a great device to have around during times of restless boredom. Long lines don’t bother me so much anymore.

“Have it your way, long line. I have Instagram.”

But the iPhone has also been a remedy for many other now-retired daily pains beyond sheer boredom. When I went on tour prior to the iPhone, I actually printed off step-by-step directions from Google Maps. Embarrassing? Perhaps. Efficient? No way. I used to do things like ask strangers for directions, fruitlessly hunt down public restrooms and show up at restaurants that were already closed because I didn’t know their hours. I no longer carry any of these burdens.

Travel has been made easier because of the iPhone and its apps and everyone seems to know it. In fact, everyone seems to be blogging about it – including us. Rather than peruse a never-ending list of isolated iPhone apps that are good for travel, why not peruse a shorter list of roundups wherein the most useful iPhone travel apps are suggested?

Here are some lists I like, containing apps I have found useful in my own travel:

Top 20 iPhone Travel Apps from National Geographic
The Best iPhone Apps For Travel from Travel + Leisure
6 Great iPhone Travel Apps from PC Mag
Most Popular iPhone Travel Apps from Businessweek
Top 5 iPhone Apps For Traveling from Huffington Post
Best iPhone Travel Apps from Frommers
Top 25 iPhone Travel Apps from Main Street
The Best Travel Apps For iPhone from Lifehacker
80 Terrific Travel Apps For Summer Vacation from AppStorm
Best iPhone Apps For Traveling With Kids from Travel Mamas
7 Awesome Backpacking Travel iPhone Apps
10 Free Travel Apps from USA TODAY
11 Best Travel Apps from Aol Travel
The Best iPhone Apps For A Road Trip from Techlicious
10 Apps To Turn iPhone Into Your Best Travel Companion

And from Gadling:

10 Best Travel Apps For Frequent Fliers from Gadling
Travel Smarter 2012: User Your Mobile Apps Better from Gadling
6 Useful iPhone Apps for Road Trips from Gadling

National Geographic Magazine For iPad Brings Innovative Everest Coverage

by Kraig Becker on

There is no doubt that the iPad is changing our perceptions of traditional media in profound ways. Apple’s innovative tablet has put news, information and entertainment quite literally at our fingertips. As a result, organizations that have been in the publishing and broadcasting business for a long time are now adapting to take advantage of this still relatively new technology. One of those organizations is National Geographic, which has just added a new feature to the digital version of its magazine that could very well be a glimpse into the future of interactive journalism.

Nat Geo was one of the first magazines to appear in digital form on the iPad and since its inception the electronic version has always offered unique features that set it apart from its print counterpart. Some of those features include embedded audio and video, interactive maps and enhanced photo galleries. But the latest digital issue of the magazine, which was released on Monday, introduced a new element know as “Field Test,” which will provide real time updates from various expeditions as they unfold. The first of those expeditions is an Everest climb that is underway now.

Seeing the Field Test in action is quite a revelation on the direction that digital magazines could be headed in the future. In addition to a series of traditional articles about the climbers and their attempt to summit Everest along the seldom-visited West Ridge, this interactive section includes daily expedition dispatches, a photo album that is automatically updated with new images as they are released and an indicator of current weather conditions in Base Camp. There is even a map of the route that shows the team’s location as they proceed up the mountain.

The entire package is very impressive and is definitely a unique way to keep a “magazine” current even after its release. The Field Test is a bit slow to update at times, but when it does complete its sync it provides fresh content that readers will enjoy coming back to on a regular basis, particularly if the expedition happens to be one of special interest to them. Apparently this technology isn’t just being used for the Everest expedition and it will become a monthly staple of the iPad version of National Geographic. Find out more by clicking here. [iTunes Link]

[Photo courtesy National Geographic]