Apps and Web access

By Miles Abernathy
This item appears on page 29 of the January 2014 issue.

I have not used a language-translating app overseas, but a very important question to ask about such apps for smartphones is ‘Does it need to be connected to the Internet to work?’

The best language-translating apps require Internet connectivity. Getting such connectivity for free (via WiFi) in the middle of a random street in a random nation is very, very unlikely. To use such apps, you need to have paid for 3G or 4G Internet access in that nation.

MILES ABERNATHY

Austin, TX