In this article, we’re looking at the top five Android apps for use in the great outdoors. Whether you’re hiking through a forest or camping on the coast, these apps will help you stay powered, capture those memories and find your way. Let’s get right into it!
1. Lapse It
Lapse It is one of my favourite apps because it makes it really easy to produce something beautiful. As the name suggests, it’s a time lapse photography app, taking a picture at a regular interval and then turning the result into a video. You can add soundtracks to the resultant video in the app, and then upload to YouTube in a clip. When I was staying in Hadrian’s Wall accommodation, I used this app to great effect – and that allows it to take home the number 1 spot this time around.
If you’re trying to use your phone outdoors for a long period, then it can be hard to keep it powered up and ticking. GO Power Master is a nice app that automatically suggests power settings for you, as well as having a host of different profiles that you can switch to with a tap of the widget. The app slots very nicely in the separate Go Launcher program too, as you’d expect.
If you’re in the outdoors with the stars above, then Google Sky Map is fantastic. It’s the easiest way to identify celestial bodies – just point it at the skies and it’ll automatically show you stars in that direction. It’s a really brilliant use of accelerometers that never fails to impress.
This app is essential for outdoor exploration, giving you offline access to GPS data and topographical maps. While the US is the focus of this app, the UK and other countries are adequately represented too – I used in when setting out from my Cumbria cottage and it didn’t let me down. Only the high price (£7) keeps this from peaking higher on this list.
If you don’t want the bulk and hassle of carrying a torch with you, then a Flashlight app can be an indispensable companion, particularly in an emergency. I like this particular one because it’s free and works quickly. It also has a host of different modes, including strobe lights, police lights, morse code and more. A very cool app that’ll always come in useful at night or in overgrown spaces.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading – I hope this proves helpful! Be sure to let us know in the comments below if you have any other apps you’d like to recommend.
June 15th, 2012 → 12:14 pm @ William Judd
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