Long past the days of paper maps and phrasebooks, mobiles are now an indispensable part of the travel experience. They’re far more accurate and user-friendly than older solutions to travel problems, but they’re also not without their weaknesses. Taking a look at how these weaknesses relate to a typical use case, we want to explore methods by which they can be mitigated, and what the effect on usability can be. Whether you’re a constant traveler or just planning a one-off trip, here’s what you need to know.
Testing our System
For a measure of our mobile system and the changes that various elements can have, we’re going to need to select a use that covers the type of demands placed on a travel device. To this end, we’ve selected online blackjack at Paddy Power as a baseline. The games on this website like Live and Vegas Blackjack all illustrate the typical strain that travel uses will place on mobile systems. For reference, these games have been developed to offer the same experience as their desktop counterpart.
Years of evolution and effort from developers have achieved total consistency here, so if you know the desktop games already, you know what to expect. From power drain to the need for consistent internet access, we can then use these online casinos to determine how each travel concern can come into play.
Battery Power
The biggest issue that most travelers will see with using their mobiles on holiday comes from the threat of a dead battery. This will drain the fastest in active use, though passive use can also cause problems if left unaddressed. From the casino example, this would be like the difference between using an app and letting the app run in the background without putting the device into sleep mode. The easiest way to address the power issue is to invest in a power bank.
These can be charged alongside your phone and can give you several full additional charges past a regular depletion point. Going a step further, it’s also possible to purchase banks with solar panels like those reviewed at Aquion Energy. These can help if you’re outdoors for long periods, or in instances of unexpected high use.
More directly, users can also go into the power options of their mobiles and turn on battery saver modes. This can imply slower performance, but since travel apps share the same low hardware demands as casino games do, this shouldn’t be a problem. Also, remember to put the phone into sleep mode and close down apps when not in use, and the life of a charge can drastically improve.
Mobile Antenna
This is a far less common option, but it can be a great help in remote areas. Even low data cost uses like online casino games will struggle without a reliable signal, and if you’re in the wilderness, 4G and even 3G signals can be spotty at best. Additional antennas like those on PC Mag can help reduce this problem, though they do tend to be tied to vehicles rather than mobile outdoor uses.
The best solution to counter power or connectivity issues when out and about is to plan ahead. Fixing these problems on the fly can be a non-starter, leaving you in a situation where you become lost and stressed. Whether you want to navigate, browse, or actually play online casino games on the go, take the above steps, and you’ll be far better prepared for whatever happens.
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