WP8 x Google on a trip abroad

[giulianoreali]

Hey everyone

A little intro before I get to the point: I've always been an Android fan (still am), and at the moment I have a Moto X (since October) and a Lumia 925 (for the past week). I'm fully invested in Google's ecosystem, and I don't intend to give up on my Gmail, Drive and other services. But I saw the Lumia on display at a store, and it was just so beautiful, I had to have it!! It's one of the most beautiful phones out there, hands down. The way the WP OS (Metro?) looks also caught my eye. It's so sexy! This is the first time since the Motorola V60 I buy a phone for its looks. I don't know how long I'll go on using it as my daily driver, but at the moment that's what I'm doing, and the experience hasn't been half bad.

So here is my predicament: I live in Brazil, and I'm going to Europe on vacation in 2 weeks, and I'm debating which phone to take. I always travel with my Android phone. Google Maps and Google Now are truly lifesavers! As well as Google Translate and Google Goggles. I REALLY use my phone when I'm traveling. The first thing I do is get a local SIM card with internet. On more than one occasion I was coming home from a club and had to look for directions on which night bus to take and where, or Translate when I got lost in Berlin late at night (Maps didn't give me the right info that time, so I had to ask around). By reading that, the answer seems easy, just bring the Moto X with me on the trip. But I really want to bring the Lumia! I go to bars with my friends, and the low light capabilities of this phone are really amazing! I have a point-and-shoot, but I predict having a lot of fun with Nokia Camera and those features like Cinemagraph, remove moving objects, and best face. I really want to make good use of this phone, I don't want to leave it at home. But not having Google Now and Maps is scaring me a little. Has anyone here relied on their WP8 as their main (or only) device on a trip? If so, have you missed Google's services? I like Here Maps, but I noticed that it doesn't offer more than one route to your destination, and when you rely on public transportation I think it's an important feature, to have more options. Any suggestions or workarounds? Any apps I don't know that you could suggest using during the trip? I won't need a translator this time, as I'm going to Amsterdam (where everyone speaks English) and London, but I'm a little insecure about the rest.

Any help or input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
-Giuliano

 

[Coolaaron88]

Hey everyone

A little intro before I get to the point: I've always been an Android fan (still am), and at the moment I have a Moto X (since October) and a Lumia 925 (for the past week). I'm fully invested in Google's ecosystem, and I don't intend to give up on my Gmail, Drive and other services. But I saw the Lumia on display at a store, and it was just so beautiful, I had to have it!! It's one of the most beautiful phones out there, hands down. The way the WP OS (Metro?) looks also caught my eye. It's so sexy! This is the first time since the Motorola V60 I buy a phone for its looks. I don't know how long I'll go on using it as my daily driver, but at the moment that's what I'm doing, and the experience hasn't been half bad.

So here is my predicament: I live in Brazil, and I'm going to Europe on vacation in 2 weeks, and I'm debating which phone to take. I always travel with my Android phone. Google Maps and Google Now are truly lifesavers! As well as Google Translate and Google Goggles. I REALLY use my phone when I'm traveling. The first thing I do is get a local SIM card with internet. On more than one occasion I was coming home from a club and had to look for directions on which night bus to take and where, or Translate when I got lost in Berlin late at night (Maps didn't give me the right info that time, so I had to ask around). By reading that, the answer seems easy, just bring the Moto X with me on the trip. But I really want to bring the Lumia! I go to bars with my friends, and the low light capabilities of this phone are really amazing! I have a point-and-shoot, but I predict having a lot of fun with Nokia Camera and those features like Cinemagraph, remove moving objects, and best face. I really want to make good use of this phone, I don't want to leave it at home. But not having Google Now and Maps is scaring me a little. Has anyone here relied on their WP8 as their main (or only) device on a trip? If so, have you missed Google's services? I like Here Maps, but I noticed that it doesn't offer more than one route to your destination, and when you rely on public transportation I think it's an important feature, to have more options. Any suggestions or workarounds? Any apps I don't know that you could suggest using during the trip? I won't need a translator this time, as I'm going to Amsterdam (where everyone speaks English) and London, but I'm a little insecure about the rest.

Any help or input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
-Giuliano

Well thank you for asking this question in the forums, its a pleasure to hear from you, welcome to WpCentral!

Considering you are going in two weeks, by that time you will have access to the Windows Phone 8.1 dev preview which will give you access to Cortana who many have all the answers you need in regards to local stuff and translation.

Here is a screen shot from my Icon of my Travel section if that helps haha.

 

[juanitoriv]

Try out Nokia Transit for public transportation, I understand its great in major cities. Bing Translate is just awesome. Local Scout should help a lot as well to find the spots to hit. Oh, and Radar, you can set a GPS point so you can always get back to it. Great stuff!!

 

[tgp]

If you're going to have data access on your phone then the Moto X might be a better option. If you won't always have data, take the Lumia 925. But is there a reason you can't take both?

 

[Guytronic]

Take the 925.
I'm almost certain it will serve you much better especially if you are snapping a lot of photos.
Best of luck to you on your adventures.

 

[GhostITMG]

I live in NY and recently had a week long trip to Costa Rica. Like you, I had my WP8 (Lumia 920) unlocked and put a local sim in it. But knowing I wouldn't always have reliable data, I found my Nokia based apps to be essential to my survival. I downloaded the local maps in Here Maps, so I always had good map access. I used Here Transit when I need to rely on local transport. It always provides multiple ways to get to any destination, so you're covered there. I also relied heavily on my Translator app from Bing. I downloaded the Spanish language ahead of time so that was also always available off line. I can't point you towards anything that would replace Google Now, but I was covered for everything else. Incidentally, my wife had her iPhone with her, and we discovered that the Here maps were superior to both Apple Maps and Google Maps, at least for where we were in Manuel Antonio. I wish you good luck on your trip and hope you can give your new Lumia a good workout during your travels!

 

[Markham Ranja]

If you're in Amsterdam and London, then take the X. Both those places have great data and Wifi connectivity. If you were going somewhere with spotty data coverage, I'd recommend the L925.

More useful than mapping, in my opinion, is Google Now. Provides hotel/flight updates as needed, currency conversion, home time and many other features I find useful when traveling. I love this app to navigate the Tube in London: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.visualit.tubeLondonCity, provides offline guidance in a format that I find better than either Here or Google maps.

 

[giulianoreali]

I'm traveling today and, you know, you're absolutely right! I'm taking both! I don't want to upset either of them. Lol!