Feature: PDA Tools for Travelers

Ten years ago, I made my first trip to Italy. Soon after arriving, I walked into a Milan trattoria and wanted to peruse the menu before committing to a table. Turning to the hostess, I said, "Il conto, per favore."

When the imposing signora regarded me with confusion and then stifled amusement, I realized I had committed a linguistic gaffe. Shaking her head, she handed me a menu. Later I realized that I had asked her for the check.

If only I had had a PDA back then. Today there are several tools for Palm OS and Pocket PC devices, including foreign language translators, that can help make a vacation or business trip easier. Here are four I recommend.

PalmPak Language Translator Card

This expansion card for Palm OS devices came in handy many times during my recent trip to Italy this spring. With the card inserted into my Palm M515, I could quickly translate English words and phrases into Italian, and vice versa, thereby reducing (but not eliminating; that's impossible) the number of my linguistic gaffes.

Toting a Palm with a postage-stamp-size translator card was far easier than walking around with an Italian dictionary and phrasebook in my backpack. The software lets you translate words and phrases in French, German, and Spanish, too, allowing polyglots to convert Spanish into German, French into Italian, and so on. You'll need some experience with the language, though, as pronunciation help isn't offered. Shop for the PalmPak card's best prices (around $30) at PC World's Product Finder.

Travel Guide E-Books

When I visit a new city I often carry around at least one guidebook. Now my backpack is lighter, because I download an e-book onto a Palm or Pocket PC instead whenever possible. Because a PDA is much smaller, I'm more willing to take it places (such as a restaurant) I might not have wanted to lug the guidebook. Also, e-books often cost less than $10, compared to their $15 to $20 and up print counterparts.

A recent check of Amazon.com shows Fodor's and Rough Guides as the only major guidebook publishers offering e-books. Fodor's listed 56 titles for domestic and international destinations, followed by Rough Guides with 21. Of the two, I prefer Fodor's guides because they typically offer more details on accommodations and restaurants.

But the travel guide category in e-books has plenty of room for improvement. My favorite guidebook publisher, Frommer's, doesn't offer e-books. And overall, selection is fairly slim--I've found several e-books on Rome, for instance, but none on Italy's popular Amalfi Coast. The current e-books I've seen don't include the print version's maps and color photos. And because of competing formats, some titles are available for Palm OS devices but not Pocket PCs--and vice versa. Nonetheless, an e-book and a PDA beat a bulging backpack any day.

To shop for Palm OS device travel guides, go to the Palm Digital Media site. For Pocket PC-compatible titles, try Barnes and Noble.

PalmPak Travel Card: Rand McNally Road Atlas

This expansion card for Palm-compatible devices puts interactive maps of 640,000-some miles of U.S. road on your PDA. You can calculate driving directions with mileage and time estimates between two destinations and get information about the availability of gas stations, restaurants, lodgings, and ATM machines at specific highway exits. The software works with selected GPS devices, too. But the interface could be more straightforward. To start using the program, for instance, you have to select a state from a map, then choose a city to display, even though you might simply want to get highway exit info or calculate driving directions. You can't save driving directions directly to your Palm. And inner-city maps aren't included. But for anyone who travels often by car, this interactive atlas is reasonably handy.

Check for the lowest prices (about $30) at the PC World Product Finder.

WorldMate

I've written about this Palm utility before, but it bears repeating: This $19.95 shareware program is a must-have if you're traveling abroad. With every HotSync, WorldMate automatically updates weather forecasts for dozens of cities worldwide. In one screen, you can see what time it is in five cities; in another, you can convert one currency into two (currency rates are also updated during HotSyncs). WorldMate converts foreign measurements, such as kilometers and Celsius, into units you and I will understand. And WorldMate translates European, U.K., and Japanese clothing sizes to U.S. sizes so you can stock up on Gucci loafers in Florence without worry. Try WorldMate for free by downloading it from MobiMate.

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