This fortnight, the focus is on apps for students travelling and living abroad. As the number of students going abroad is on the rise, smartphones can become more powerful tools when it comes to adjusting to new places, figuring out the currency, and staying in touch with family. Students could also use some help with finding the best places for supping locally, meeting new people, etc. Here are three apps to help with this scenario.
Weatherbug
With features like Lifestyle Forecasts, Pin-point, and the ability to customise forecasts to your current location, Weatherbug is a handy tool for planning a picnic in advance, deciding when to take your off, or just planning for the weather in your new country.
Available for free for Android and iOS devices, Weatherbug is easy to use, and is quite visually interactive, making it usable at-a-glance. Mark your location, pick your layers, and you’ll receive on-the-go alerts and extended hourly forecasts. The app also comes with tablet support and syncing options.
Through Weatherbug, you can also share your local weather information with friends via Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms, easing your group-planning efforts.
Viber
Viber is a free app for iPhone 5 iOS6 devices. It works like Whatsapp, but takes it further by allowing you to text for free locally in the country you’re in, between you and your friend who must also have Viber installed.
The app ought to come in handy for students looking to save on the communication front. Another app like Viber is Vonage, which also lets users purchase calling credit via iTunes at fixed rates to make local calls, even to users who don’t have Vonage installed. Like Viber, both you and your friend will have to have Vonage installed.
Currency Banknotes
This is a big one. When you move to a new land, more than any other daily activity, you’re going to have a bad time sorting through your currency to figure out which denomination looks like what, and what the local conversion rates are.
Currency Banknotes is available for free for Android and iOS devices, although there is also a version that comes for $0.99 (Rs. 54) with a few extra features. The free version lets you look up the local exchange rates, gives you timely primers on tipping protocols in the region you’re in, and together with another app called BillPin, lets you keep track of your bills, too.
Where it really stands out from the crowd is that Currency Banknotes also contains images of what the local banknotes should look like. While this might seem unnecessary, it could come in handy if you’re worried about getting ripped off by an extinct design or by being handed a note that’s in your local currency. Additionally, the app contains information on past designs of local notes to satiate your curiosity.
