Posts tagged gmail

As far as software goes, this stuff is probably some of the coolest technology I use while traveling. This was especially important while I was traveling in the States back when free wifi wasn’t everywhere you went. While in the Philippines I’ve found that free wifi isn’t very common or reliable, even in wealthy, populated areas.

Maps
Probably the best kept secret of the web for travelers currently. If you have a smartphone, you must try this. Get google maps on your phone, go to settings, then Labs. Turn on “Pre-cache map area” and follow the instructions it gives (currently on my android, long press a spot on the map, select the location, hit “Pre-cache map area”). It will download all the map tiles for all the depths in a 10 mile radius. Here’s a post with more detailed instructions and photos.

This lets me walk around without a paper map. In the Philippines, cellphones are ubiquitous and smartphones are rather common. I find that I look like less of a tourist pulling out my phone than I do pulling out a paper map.

Currently on my android it won’t show my current location with just GPS - it wants a data connection. I generally know where I’m going before I go out though and so far I’ve never gotten lost. I usually just look for an intersection and then try to find it on the map.

I probably use this thing 10+ times per day.

Mail
Gmail has long been available offline, but the most recent version from the Chrome store is extra badass since it includes a nifty user interface.

On your phone, the setting is sort of hidden on Android:

From within the android gmail client:
Press menu
select more
select settings
scroll down and select labels
change the number of days from which you want messages kept on the phone
change individual labels (effectively folders) to none, this number of days, or all


Calendar
Google calendar is also available offline: hit the cog wheel thingie in the top right of your google calendar page and the option is in the dropdown. Also you can get the app button and such here.

On your phone, the setting is easy to find on Android under Settings -> Calendar Sync.