Page 6 - Travelore Spring 2016 Issue 33

Page 6 - DRVC Travelore
Cellular Technology:
Using Multiple Phones to Your Advantage
I have two cell phones that I am chained to (or so it seems) that I carry on a daily basis. The primary is an Apple iPhone 6, my work phone. I also carry a Samsung Note
5 as my personal phone. When I’m away from home I normally also carry a Garmin GPS. In
such as listening to music. I use the other to do something I’ll explain next. Finally, I use my other hardware for the other things. That, of course, is if I have all three devices with me while traveling.
addition, I sometimes (usually in the motorhome) have a dash cam avail- able for use.
The dash cam is a self-contained camera that has a memory card in
it. It allows me to shoot video out
my windshield. The video quality is very good and can be used to video highway activity while going down the road. The memory card installed allows for a full day of recording with- out erasing any data. What’s good about the dash cam, and why lots of them are sold, is that it can record a wreck in front of me or, in the worst case, record the wreck in which I may find myself. Another benefit is that tt also allows me to record people who intentionally hit my vehicle (“swoop and squat” as called by the police) and then falsely try to get money from me or my insurance company.
The GPS I carry can also access real- time traffic information. It can tell me how much delay is ahead of me (especially in large cities) and how to maneuver around any heavy traffic.
Waze is a community-based traffic and navigation app. Drivers in any area can share real-time traffic and road infor- mation. Users get road alerts along the route and can find the cheapest gas prices around shared by the community. Plus, you can add friends, send locations or keep others posted on your arrival time.
First, for those occasions when travel time is critical I use an app called “Waze.” It allows a smartphone to
act like a GPS on steroids. Naturally, it gives turn by turn directions to a destination. That isn’t so unusual, right? Well, it also provides “crowd- sourced conditions”. That means it is aware of other drivers around that are also using Waze and who are report- ing real-time road conditions ahead. It also allows me to update conditions myself; accidents, hazards, police traps, road closures, and more. In fact, I was using it about a month ago and it noted that I was in stop and go traffic and was then asked if I wanted to let everyone else know. While some will consider this a little like “big brother,” I found it very useful. Give it a try and see how you like it. It runs on iOS, Android, and Windows phones. In addition, it can provide you with the price of fuel at the sta- tions along your route. For additional information go to ...
http://www.waze.com
The second application is something that I’ve now tried several times and find useful. This is the app from IP Cam Soft called “Smart Dash Cam”.
How do I use all of this technology?
Read on as I explain about the two
apps I find to be quite handy when
running on separate devices. I could actually use both cellular phones and run both apps but it’s easier to do if I split the load between the two phones.
It allows me to use my phone as a dash camera, collecting video for personal use or for crazy driver documentation (and I’m not referring to myself).
It can record video in three different qualities – high, medium, and low – all based on the phone’s capabilities. When set to the highest quality both the iPhone 6 and the Samsung Note 5 can provide extremely high-quality
When I’m traveling I usually think in terms of doing three things. I connect one phone to my in-dash audio system via Bluetooth and use that phone for making and receiv- ing calls as well as doing other less process-intensive tasks