Mobile technology is amazing. The phrase ‘There’s an app for that’ sums it up – whatever need you could possibly imagine, for whatever reason, purpose and place, someone will have developed a smartphone application to help you do it better, faster and easier.
Of course smartphones aren’t the only technology taking over the world but as the internet-connected, still and video camera-enabled mini computers in our pocket (that also make phone calls!) they have become the medium through which we capture, share, explore and even experience it as we travel.
In September the UK’s biggest ski holiday provider Crystal embraced this shift in customer behaviour, opting to equip all its overseas staff with iPads loaded with custom-built, in-resort customer service software (yes, presumably now there is an app for that).
Digitally connected customers can look forward to pre-holiday video conference calls to sort out details like childcare and equipment hire, online info packs with in-depth resort advice and tips, as well as up-to-date snow conditions and lift reports sent to their mobile devices.
There are already many ski apps available, with everything from self-coaching video apps, to ski run tracking and analysis tools, and piste guides. Several resorts, especially in North America, have their own apps too, such as Park City and Whistler Blackcomb with real-time updates on snow conditions, lift status, run conditions and weather, as well as run tracking and social media integration.
Indeed there are thousands of apps to shape and enhance your outdoor experiences and travel off the snow too, from guides which activate content based on where you actually are, to apps that navigate and track your journeys, translation apps, avalanche safety apps, to GPS logging and blogging apps, and bike mending apps.
Need the Japanese for ‘toilet’? Ask Jibbigo. Need to know if the ski slope in front of you is avalanche safe? Consult 3D ski mapping app FATMAP. Need to know the easiest climbing route up the rock face in front of you? Ask The Crag, and its database of over 300,000 rock climbing and bouldering routes from around the world. The possibilities are endless – and that’s even without the putting the power of the whole internet in your pocket where there’s a 3G signal…
Life through a lens
Apart from the ‘given’ of being able to make and receive phone calls, the next most important ‘phone’ feature now seems to be a camera – or two. If nothing else, it is the always-handy, all-pervasive nature of the camera phone that has changed the travel experience forever.
It’s as if we’ve all turned into the stereotypical Japanese tourist of the 80s – snapping everything that moves, putting a camera between us and our real-world experiences. Although it might feel we’re putting posterity ahead of the real-time experience itself, capturing the moment is an understandable urge, as instants are so quickly forgotten.
And then there’s the ‘selfie’… the picture that immortalises our own presence in any given location or event – often, let’s be honest – with the explicit purpose of bragging to mates on social media. No need for ‘Wish you were here’ postcards or family slide shows now – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, etc. will generate the envy automatically.
It’s actually the selfie that illustrates the worst aspect of travelling with (or should that be through?) your phone, as often it involves physically turning our backs on the precise thing that we’re so interested in capturing. We’re no longer even experiencing these moments with our own eyes…
It’s dangerous too, as this modern phenomenon has spurned a new generation of You’ve been framed style gaffs as people try to get themselves into a scene taking place behind them, without actually watching what they are doing.
Don’t get us wrong – mobile technology is great, and can help us find, understand, capture and share more as we travel the world, enriching our experiences. We just need to make sure that the technology doesn’t take over from the experience or place itself – to take our photos, then turn the phone off and put it in a pocket!
Stupid-phone?
If nothing else, it is the always-handy, all-pervasive nature of the smart phone’s camera that has changed the travel experience forever.
It’s as if we’ve all turned into the stereotypical Japanese tourist of the 80s – snapping everything that moves, putting a camera between us and our real-world experiences. Although it might feel we’re putting posterity ahead of the real-time experience itself, capturing the moment is an understandable urge, as instants are so quickly forgotten.
And then there’s the ‘selfie’… the picture that immortalises our presence in any given location or event – often, let’s be honest – with the purpose of bragging to mates on social media. No need for ‘Wish you were here’ postcards – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, etc. will generate the envy automatically.
It’s the selfie that illustrates the worst aspect of travelling with (or should that be through?) a phone, as often it involves physically turning our back on the thing that we’re so interested in capturing. We’re no longer even experiencing these moments with our own eyes…
It’s dangerous too, spurning a new wave of You’ve Been Framed style gaffs as people try to frame themselves in a scene behind them, without watching what they’re doing.
Don’t get us wrong – mobile technology is great, and can help us find, understand, capture and share more as we travel the world, enriching our experiences. We just need to make sure that the technology doesn’t take over from the experience or place itself!
What’s next? The age of the drone…
It’s bad enough that we’re all stood looking at amazing views and cultural encounters through our tiny phone camera screens, but beware – the day when we’re all stood there with flying cameras hovering over our heads might be closer than you think…
Move over hand-held selfie – here comes the ‘dronie’, where video and still photography of us doing our thing is captured by a remote-controlled helicopter.
Sounds futuristic but already these hovering cameras have been used in New Zealand’s resorts last summer, offering eight second aerial ‘dronies’ for skiers that could be shared via Twitter.
Infinitely cheaper, smaller, and let’s face it, easier to carry around than a full-size helicopter, remote-controlled camera drones are perfect for capturing extreme sports, and are being increasingly used not just for commercial footage but by amateurs too.
App it again...
Inevitably yes, there are now even apps for that, as innovating sport tech companies start to bring ‘follow-copters’ to the market, which can be controlled and programmed by your smartphone. The Air Dog (airdog.com) for example, will automatically fly close behind you at a set distance and altitude, filming you as you surf, skate, bike or run.
A rival product, the Hexo+ (Hexoplus.com) has been developed by champion snowboarder and action sport movie-maker Xavier De La Rue, which also uses your smartphone as a controller.
There’s no denying a drone would be an awesome ‘toy’. But if everyone had one, would the skies soon be filled with buzzing electric motors? How peaceful would our wild places be then?
