What Annoys Visitors To The U.S. And 5 Apps That Can Help
/EINPresswire.com/ The United States has been slow or reluctant to establish some of the standards of much of the developed world. Examples; the U.S. is one of three countries not to have changed to the metric system, it uses sales tax instead of VAT, and its food labeling system is not as stringent as those of other developed nations. In addition the United States has two competing mobile phone technologies which leads to poor coverage in some areas. Until now these differences have been constant annoyances to travelers to the states. Below are five apps which will mitigate some of these differences.
Convert is a free app that addresses the inconsistency in the measuring system in the U.S. Despite the fact the U.S. does not officially use the metric system, many measurements are marked in both metrics and the United States customary system. This practice is wide spread but inconsistent. Convert is particularly useful in restaurants and green grocers (produce stores) where the metric system is almost never used. Convert can convert length, weight, speed, volume and temperature. An added feature is the ability to calculate the tip amount. It is easy to use and no internet connection is needed.
Plus Tax - Sales Tax Calculator will help shoppers in the U.S. determine the net price or final price of an item. In the U.S., to the surprise of many tourists, an addition amount (sales tax) is added at the cash register. To further complicate matters, tax rates vary widely by state and city and range from less than 1% to as high as 13.7%. Plus Tax generates the sales tax by your location and adds it to the stated price on the price tags. The tax system is so complicated that no app can perfectly address the issue. Plus Tax gives the average tax for the state where you are located so it is not completely accurate but it does offer the options to enter the exact percentage of taxation if you know it. Any store you shop in should have this information or you can find it online in advance. Internet connection is required to determine location but is not required if the sales tax rate is known. The price of this app is $.99.
Don't Eat That will help tourists navigate the maze that is the food labeling system in the U.S. It has a searchable database of ingredients which informs users of the potential risk of food ingredients, such as ingredients that have been banned in any country, are harmful to kids and pregnant women, have drug interactions or may cause cancer. The U.S. does not require food producers to label GM products. Don't Eat That addresses this issue by having a category for ingredients that may potentially contain GM. Don't Eat That does not have scanning abilities but considering that electronic ingredient lists are not regulated and have problems with accuracy, this may be an unintended benefit. This also allows the app to be used with no need to connect to the internet. The price of this app is $1.99.
Skype is quite familiar to most travelers and many may already have it on their phone. In some remote areas of the U.S mobile coverage can be quite poor. This is particularly true if one plans on visiting the national parks. So it may be more prudent financially to rely on Skype's pay as you go credit and hotspots for communication than purchasing a calling plan that may or may not work when needed. The great advantage here is that Skype can turn your iphone into your own personal phone booth allowing you to reach people when you want while keeping interruptions from others to a minimum. Scheduling calls in advance could eliminate the need for pay as you go. However the pay as you go credit is so reasonable that it could well be worth the peace of mind. Skype can be downloaded for free.
Wi-Fi Finder is a worthy companion to the Skype download. Although the U.S. lags in mobile coverage area it has an extensive Wi-Fi network. In the United States 40% of Wi-Fi access points are unlocked (free) while in Europe only 25% are unlocked. If one does not wish to purchase a data plan it is much easier to get connected to the internet in the U.S. than in Europe. You will have to plan your access but this is fairly easy to do. Wi-Fi Finder is free and works with or without a Wi-Fi connection. When using Wi-Fi Finder off line it is best to have searched the area where you are traveling in advance while connected. This will store your search results under recent, which you can easily access when off line. Wi-Fi Finder can be downloaded for free.
Convert is a free app that addresses the inconsistency in the measuring system in the U.S. Despite the fact the U.S. does not officially use the metric system, many measurements are marked in both metrics and the United States customary system. This practice is wide spread but inconsistent. Convert is particularly useful in restaurants and green grocers (produce stores) where the metric system is almost never used. Convert can convert length, weight, speed, volume and temperature. An added feature is the ability to calculate the tip amount. It is easy to use and no internet connection is needed.
Plus Tax - Sales Tax Calculator will help shoppers in the U.S. determine the net price or final price of an item. In the U.S., to the surprise of many tourists, an addition amount (sales tax) is added at the cash register. To further complicate matters, tax rates vary widely by state and city and range from less than 1% to as high as 13.7%. Plus Tax generates the sales tax by your location and adds it to the stated price on the price tags. The tax system is so complicated that no app can perfectly address the issue. Plus Tax gives the average tax for the state where you are located so it is not completely accurate but it does offer the options to enter the exact percentage of taxation if you know it. Any store you shop in should have this information or you can find it online in advance. Internet connection is required to determine location but is not required if the sales tax rate is known. The price of this app is $.99.
Don't Eat That will help tourists navigate the maze that is the food labeling system in the U.S. It has a searchable database of ingredients which informs users of the potential risk of food ingredients, such as ingredients that have been banned in any country, are harmful to kids and pregnant women, have drug interactions or may cause cancer. The U.S. does not require food producers to label GM products. Don't Eat That addresses this issue by having a category for ingredients that may potentially contain GM. Don't Eat That does not have scanning abilities but considering that electronic ingredient lists are not regulated and have problems with accuracy, this may be an unintended benefit. This also allows the app to be used with no need to connect to the internet. The price of this app is $1.99.
Skype is quite familiar to most travelers and many may already have it on their phone. In some remote areas of the U.S mobile coverage can be quite poor. This is particularly true if one plans on visiting the national parks. So it may be more prudent financially to rely on Skype's pay as you go credit and hotspots for communication than purchasing a calling plan that may or may not work when needed. The great advantage here is that Skype can turn your iphone into your own personal phone booth allowing you to reach people when you want while keeping interruptions from others to a minimum. Scheduling calls in advance could eliminate the need for pay as you go. However the pay as you go credit is so reasonable that it could well be worth the peace of mind. Skype can be downloaded for free.
Wi-Fi Finder is a worthy companion to the Skype download. Although the U.S. lags in mobile coverage area it has an extensive Wi-Fi network. In the United States 40% of Wi-Fi access points are unlocked (free) while in Europe only 25% are unlocked. If one does not wish to purchase a data plan it is much easier to get connected to the internet in the U.S. than in Europe. You will have to plan your access but this is fairly easy to do. Wi-Fi Finder is free and works with or without a Wi-Fi connection. When using Wi-Fi Finder off line it is best to have searched the area where you are traveling in advance while connected. This will store your search results under recent, which you can easily access when off line. Wi-Fi Finder can be downloaded for free.
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