Add TravelMate to your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android or BlackBerry device to get the two most useful tools you need when traveling in another country:

• Translating between different languages
• Converting between different currencies

Plus, you can save your translations and conversions to use later!

How to install TravelMate on an Apple device

On your mobile Apple device, open Safari and navigate to http://jag.gr/tm (or, if you have a suitable application on your device, scan the QR code to the right). Then:

1. Following the instructions on the screen, click on the "+" at the bottom of the Safari screen (or, on iPad, at the top)
2. Select Add to Home Screen
3. Click on the Add button

TravelMate can now be run from the Home Screen of your iPhone or iPod Touch, just like any other app.

How to install on Android (2.0+) or BlackBerry (5.0+) handsets and tablets

Simply go to http://jag.gr/tm on your Android-powered telephone or tablet (or scan th QR code to the right) and you can use it straight away - you probably want to add TravelMate to your bookmarks or home screen, however!

Questions & Answers

Why isn't this in App Store?

TravelMate is a "web application". It's actually a very specialized miniature website that uses web-based technologies in a clever way to give the experience of using a traditional app without much of the overhead associated with developing and maintaining one.

For greater performance, and the ability to exploit the multitasking capabaility of your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, however, you should check out TravelMate+, which is on the iTunes App Store, here and on also on the Android Market, here.

Where do the translations come from?

The translations are supplied by Microsoft using technology called the Microsoft Language AJAX API. It's the same technology that Microsoft uses to power its own online translation service, but TravelMate is designed to deliver a more elegant user experience to iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android and BlackBerry users than Google does

Where do the exchange rates come from?

The exchange rates are supplied by the European Central Bank, and are updated each weekday between at 15:00 CET (15:00 CEST in summer). Because these are ECB rates they may differ - sometimes dramatically - from actual rates you are offered while traveling. However, they do provide a reliable (and consistent) guide.

Can I use TravelMate when I'm offline?

Unfortunately not - TravelMate needs to go online to perform the translations and to download the latest currency data from the ECB. However, TravelMate does try to minimize the amount of data it uses, recognizing that data roaming can be an expensive business for the international traveler. So TravelMate:

• Stores as many of its files on your device as possible, only downloading copies from the Internet if they've been changed
• Downloads its currency data only once - at most - at the beginning of each usage session (and only then if it's the right time of day to update the data it stored on your device from the last visit)
• Stores your saved translations and currency conversions in a private database on your device, not on a web server

I've got some questions/ideas/complaints. Who do I get in touch with?

Please contact m@jag.gr.