How to get the most out of your phone and laptop while in areas with expensive, slow or unreliable internet and minimize the risk of losing your files.
Phone
Apps
Google Maps – Download the offline map for the cities you'll visit. Currently they expire after 30 days and it doesn't notify you of this, so remember to update them manually to avoid wasting mobile data.
Google Translate – Download the offline languages for your language and any other language in the countries you'll visit. You can also download the offline voice recognition and text to speech for each language (at least on Android). Then you can use the start conversation function offline. This allows you and speakers of the other language to speak into the phone and have it spoken in the other language. It can be a bit tricky to set up, so google it if you can't figure out how. It's worth it because the conversation mode in the app has improved a lot. It now let's people have a conversation while automatically detecting the language each time someone speaks.
Google+ Photos – Can automatically backup your pictures to the cloud, so you won't lose them if you lose your phone.
Google Camera – Great for automatically creating panoramas and photo spheres.
Instabridge – For sharing wifi locations and passwords. You can download the list of locations for offline use. Good for example, when you just want to check your messages and don't want to pay $5 for coffee.
FolderSync Lite – You can use it to automatically back up certain folders to a variety of cloud storage services. For example you can backup the whatsapp folder, if you don't want to lose your messages or pictures if the phone is lost.
Pocket – for saving articles or web pages for offline reading.
Security
Secure the lock screen with a method of your choice.
Keep sensitive files on the device, not the sd card (if your phone has one). That way if it's stolen, no one can access your sensitive files.
Have some kind of phone locator app. Android seems to have this built in – just google android device manager.
Laptop
Software
Kodi – one of the best media players, if not the best. Has a subtitle downloader built in, which is great for watching movies with girls who don't speak your language.
Portableapps.com – packages many popular programs into a self-contained folder. This way you can backup all your programs and settings. If something happens to your laptop you simply copy the folders from a backup device to a new laptop, rather than installing everything again.
Youtube-dl – downloads youtube videos. You can download your favorite videos or music for offline playback. If for example, you want to bring a girl to your place to watch some cool videos, you'll know it will work. Similar products exist but this is one of the best.
Security
Encrypt your drives. Use software such as Bitlocker on Windows or the equivalent on Mac.
Require a password to log in to the computer.
Backup your files. Use a cloud service such as Google Drive for your important files. Then even if all your stuff is stolen it's not that bad. It's good to have at least one backup on a separate physical device, such as an sd card. This way you can carry them in separate bags. One bag can be lost and you'll still have all your files.
A locator program wouldn't hurt, but I don't know how useful it would be. If your laptop is password protected and encrypted, it seems unlikely it will connect to the internet after it's lost or stolen. It would have to be turned on, not have its operating system reinstalled and be within range of an open wifi hotspot. Prey is a good, free option for this.
If you have more suggestions post them here (but let's not make a long list of apps, just if it's extremely useful, like in the top 1%).
Phone
Apps
Google Maps – Download the offline map for the cities you'll visit. Currently they expire after 30 days and it doesn't notify you of this, so remember to update them manually to avoid wasting mobile data.
Google Translate – Download the offline languages for your language and any other language in the countries you'll visit. You can also download the offline voice recognition and text to speech for each language (at least on Android). Then you can use the start conversation function offline. This allows you and speakers of the other language to speak into the phone and have it spoken in the other language. It can be a bit tricky to set up, so google it if you can't figure out how. It's worth it because the conversation mode in the app has improved a lot. It now let's people have a conversation while automatically detecting the language each time someone speaks.
Google+ Photos – Can automatically backup your pictures to the cloud, so you won't lose them if you lose your phone.
Google Camera – Great for automatically creating panoramas and photo spheres.
Instabridge – For sharing wifi locations and passwords. You can download the list of locations for offline use. Good for example, when you just want to check your messages and don't want to pay $5 for coffee.
FolderSync Lite – You can use it to automatically back up certain folders to a variety of cloud storage services. For example you can backup the whatsapp folder, if you don't want to lose your messages or pictures if the phone is lost.
Pocket – for saving articles or web pages for offline reading.
Security
Secure the lock screen with a method of your choice.
Keep sensitive files on the device, not the sd card (if your phone has one). That way if it's stolen, no one can access your sensitive files.
Have some kind of phone locator app. Android seems to have this built in – just google android device manager.
Laptop
Software
Kodi – one of the best media players, if not the best. Has a subtitle downloader built in, which is great for watching movies with girls who don't speak your language.
Portableapps.com – packages many popular programs into a self-contained folder. This way you can backup all your programs and settings. If something happens to your laptop you simply copy the folders from a backup device to a new laptop, rather than installing everything again.
Youtube-dl – downloads youtube videos. You can download your favorite videos or music for offline playback. If for example, you want to bring a girl to your place to watch some cool videos, you'll know it will work. Similar products exist but this is one of the best.
Security
Encrypt your drives. Use software such as Bitlocker on Windows or the equivalent on Mac.
Require a password to log in to the computer.
Backup your files. Use a cloud service such as Google Drive for your important files. Then even if all your stuff is stolen it's not that bad. It's good to have at least one backup on a separate physical device, such as an sd card. This way you can carry them in separate bags. One bag can be lost and you'll still have all your files.
A locator program wouldn't hurt, but I don't know how useful it would be. If your laptop is password protected and encrypted, it seems unlikely it will connect to the internet after it's lost or stolen. It would have to be turned on, not have its operating system reinstalled and be within range of an open wifi hotspot. Prey is a good, free option for this.
If you have more suggestions post them here (but let's not make a long list of apps, just if it's extremely useful, like in the top 1%).
