Ireland: ipad and iPhone Apps

Michele Erdvig · Host

Ireland: ipad and iPhone Apps

gabbaroo · Veteran Member

Michele - thanks for posting those. I have an iPad 2 on order that I am planning to use on my trip.

Jackie

EngagingKate · Senior Member

We were very honored to hear from him that he included our Engaging Ireland iPhone app on his list... We're working to develop some more extras to put on the app. For now, we're excited that people can our podcasts with them wherever they go!

Kate

murphy · Guru

Thanks for the link to the information.

This week, I have upgraded from a bare bones cell phone to a Verizon iphone4! smile

Quite a leap for an old geezer like me! biggrin

At least that is the way it makes me feel while I'm struggling in the learning process. My middle school students make me look silly, the way they navigate around on theirs. confuse

I am about to down load a half dozen apps and podcasts off of Corey's list, for our trip next week. (Kate, yours is on my list!) Won't be able to use the cell phone portion-they say Verizon won't work in Ireland, so will get my old Nokia/02 Ireland phone going with a new sim card after arrival. Will let you know how I like the new iphone using the apps.

Oh, and I loaded up 130 of my favorite Irish Tunes on the i-pod feature on the iphone....so will have music for 2 long haul flights and a 4 hour layover!

Dan

-- Edited by murphy on Saturday 19th of March 2011 12:10:20 AM

Roy · Guru

Dan- be sure to place your iPhone in Airplane mode on under your settings so you don't end up with expensive updates. At least that1's what I have to do with my iTouch.

murphy · Guru

Roy,

Thanks for the advice. I have been reading on other forums that folks have come home to an unpleasant surprise of phone bills over $1000.00 in data roaming charges! I have already located "airplane mode" on mine, and that is where it will stay. I will have to rely on wifi hot spots for internet in Ireland. I believe there is an app to locate them too!

The only other thing I am concerned about is battery life. You can get a "juicer" which is a kind of battery back and iphone case that gives you an extra 4.5 hours of battery. It uses up the juicer first, then falls back on the regular phone battery. There are places to plug in at Portland and JFK, but not on the airplane. I think the regular battery would last thru 2 long haul flights & layover... on ipod only mode. The big question; I don't know if I can go thru 24 hours without "Irelandyes"!! smile

yesiree · Guru

Murphy,

Congrats on the phone upgrade. I wish there was an ActiveBoard App that would make it easy to follow this message board from our mobile... alas, not yet.

A few tips:

Airplane mode will turn off the 3G/phone, wifi, and GPS receivers, and in turn increase battery life.
If you want to access wifi hotspots, you'll need to get it out of Airplane mode, just make sure you turn DATA ROAMING OFF.
Many of the "juicer" packs have a reputation for working for a couple of uses and then dying out - be sure to read recent reviews on them (and not ones from bloggers who got free samples or people who have only used them for a week) before you invest in one.
I'd suggest a trip to the Verizon store or a call to their phone support and ask them to explain everything you need to do to avoid any International charges... doing that could be a big help if you need any charges reversed later... plus, it helps you get to know your device.
If you'll be visiting Wicklow or ecclesiastical sites in Carlow, there are some nice apps for those as well... I'll be adding them to the list next week.

Also, if you're buying apps, it would much appreciated if you clicked the links in the post. Apple "says" that if there are enough clicks, we'll get a few pennies from each sale... right now, we've got a whopping 14 cents built up. Maybe one day it will counter the cost of all the apps I paid for to write the article :)

Of course, there are a lot of free apps to enjoy as well.

Michele - thanks for mentioning the post... it was a fun one to research.

EngagingKate · Senior Member

Corey's right. I haven't found one of those extra-life contraptions for iPhone batteries that actually works. Wish I could tell you exactly which ones I've tried, but I have no idea... They got hucked out a long time ago! :(

When we travel to Ireland, I call AT&T and ask them to add an International calling and data plan for one of our phones, and when we get back home, I cancel it. We end up paying an extra $70 or so for a month, but it's better than getting surprise phone bill when you get home! I don't know if Verizon has the same type of plans available...

For our trip this year, we're going to pick up a netbook and then we'll buy a pay-as-you-go phone when we get there. That way, we'll have access to the Internet with the computer (and a place to upload our thousands of photos) and a phone to make and receive calls, and we won't have to worry about roaming, etc. The iPhones will be shut off and stowed as soon as we board the plane for Ireland.

That's the plan anyway...

Roy · Guru

Kate- I got a netbook for Christmas and am bringing it along, and for the first time, also planning on buying a pay-as-you-go phone.