Words About Things

Previously I wrote about how Nike had lauched an iPhone App called True City. The application features recommendations from local ‘tastemakers’ and content added by users. It covers 6 European cities, listing interesting places to visit which might otherwise be overlooked. The idea is that the guide is written by those in the know and can be constantly updated unlike traditional guide books. There app features small restaurants, cool boutique shops, non-chain coffee shops and independant record stores.

At the time of writing the previous post I hadn’t had the opportunity to test out the App but I recently traveled to London and put it through its paces. I go to London quite often and thought that I had quite a good knowledge of places to visit. Using the App I found that there were interesting shops and restaurants hidden away where I would have never found them. Using the True City app was quite straight forward, you just click on the area of the city you are in and scroll (or flick) through the recommendations. If something captures your interest you can save it to your list of l0cations. The areas of interest can be organized by type or by location and you can of course add your own suggestions.

There are ways in which the Nike True City Application could be improved, for instance it could have setting which allow you to be notified if you went within a short distance of a location you might be interested in. For example you could set the app to notify you if you passed any of the recommended independent coffee shops. Another useful feature would be to include transport information which may be useful to visitors. For example Nike could partner with a travel site to include information about flights to London or train times out of the city.

Perhaps the app doesn’t need more features, I’m sure as it matures and new content is added it will improve. There are plenty of travel related iPhone apps but most are not as slick as True City. It also feels like it has been updated by those in the know rather than out of touch travel writers. If you have used this (or, in fact any other travel related) app please add your comments below.

[This post was also featured on wordsaboutthings.wordpress.com]

Unless you have been offline for the last month or so you are bound to have heard of Chatroulette. If not here is a quick lowdown: you go to the site and are connected to a chat with a random stranger on webcam (although there is a text only option). If you get bored with who you are talking to or they offend your sensibilities (this is quite likely) then you click ‘next’ and you are connected to somebody else. The possibilities are endless and you cannot control who you talk to or what they might say or do.

The video below was created by Casey Neistat and features a study he made of his experiences with Chatroulette. Other than a bit of bad language the video is safe to view at work whereas the actual Chatroulette site definitely is not. It is also worth checking out Casey’s other videos which are similarly entertaining.

chat roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

If you already have a 3G enabled mobile phone you never need to pay for calls again. Using Skype’s VOIP application you can make free unlimited calls to anybody else with the same set up without the need for phone credit. You can also use Windows Messenger Live Mobile to send instant messages in place of texts.  Surprisingly this is all legit and positively encouraged by 3 Mobile.

Here is how it works:

Step 1.

Sign up with 3 and they will send you two free SIM cards for use in unlocked (or 3 compatible) 3G phones.

Step 2.

Give the other free SIM to someone else i.e. whoever you call most often.

Step 3.

Top up every 90 days in order to keep receiving free stuff (Skype and WMM). You can still use these when your credit runs out.

Step 4.

Use Skype to make calls and Windows Messenger Mobile to IM.
If you top up £10 every 90 days you will be paying around £3.33 per month. This credit can be spent on calling people who don’t have Skype yet. You also get an allowance of free 3 to 3 calls, free voicemail, some free texts (I’m not sure how many) and a mobile internet each time you top up.

I haven’t actually used this service so I can’t vouch for how well it works (I have never used Skype for calls before) but £3.33 a month is a lot less than I pay at the moment. More details at Three’s free SIM cards page.

When I was younger there were only four television channels so you had to watch whatever rubbish was on if it was raining (which was about 6 out of every 7 days). That is how I found myself watching an old black and white film about a plant that roamed around a town at night eating people. I’m not sure what the underlying themes of the film were (nature always prevails?) but it put me off my Broccoli.

Somebody has now invented a giant plant that provides free, solar powered, Wifi. The flowers have a seating area and solar pannels in the petals. They provide a Wi-Fi network and a chanrging point for mobile phones and other devices. They were created by Patrick Shearn and Cynthia Washburn who are artists from Los Angeles who are part of Poetic Kinetics.

Perhaps I aught to try and get one of these for my garden? I know my girlfriend likes it when I get her flowers (although perhaps not giant plastic ones that attract people with laptops like bees).