I am slightly obsessed with the fact that my tablet has GPS, and since living everywhere from the boat to the mountains, know just how valuable that can be. This got me thinking “gee, there must be something out there that can use the GPS system to make my tablet into the super-travel-tool, that does EVERYTHING.” With that, I downloaded bout 50 more apps and started to weed out the weak.

1. Swiss Army Knife (Digital & Dreams)

This may not open your can of beans by the fire, or pop the top to that beer, but it does have a number of handy tools. (As an Archaeologist, I cant help but get excited with a couple of these. To me this is the Jarvis to my Stark, the R2D2 to my Luke, the Hal to my Dave… well, maybe not Hal.)

Flashlight – Can use the flash if available. If not, then the screen will lighten, and you can choose from a variety of colours. (Tip: Red will preserve your night vision.)

Unit Converter – Just that. Can convert Miles to Km, Lbs to kg, and a number of other functions.

Timer – Counts down. If your timing a rocket launch, timing 15 minutes for a nap before your next bus, or simply cooking in the hostel kitchen, this could come in handy.

Stopwatch – Counts up. Time how long it took to get from the train station, so you can plan how long it may take to get back.

Compass – Great for when the reply to “how do I get there?” is “Go west”.  You have to “sinc” the Compass to north though, pointing your tablet to north when you start it, then it will be good to go.

Bubble Level – set your tablet on a surface and it will tell you if it slopes. It contains a circular level, and two bar levels.

Calculator – Sin, cos, and tan included. From addition to taking the log, it does it all.

Mirror – Uses the front facing camera.

Ruler – Can be calibrated for the most accurate scaling.

All in all, this is a fantastic tool. From camping to archaeological expiditions, you can find a use for any and all the apps.

2. Travel Altimiter lite (Orange Group apps)

Going hiking this weekend? Wondering the elevation? This app gives you the basics, your altitude and GPS coordinates. Nothing super fancy, but it can answer that question when climbing a mountain.

3. Simple translator pro: How Do You Say? (Translator) (DPs World)

Great for figuring out short words or phrases. With 35 different languages, You cant go wrong.

4. Suitcase (Around Pixels)

This app will eliminate those oversized baggage fees. You choose your bag and enter its weight (in grams) and will add them up as you “pack” the suitcase. It will generate a packing list for you when you are done too.

5. World Clock (Rouwan)

Forget counting off time zones on your fingers, this will store the different time zones you set, so you can see what time it is, anywhere, at a glance.

These 5 free apps are worth a look, and would be great for the outdoors men/women.

Bon Voyage!

Kiki