Virtuoso Life - March/April 2018 - 34

Passport
TECH SUPPORT

Go in the Know
Earbuds, apps, and hacks that make ﬁnding your
way in the world easier than ever.

Google's Pixel Buds are
the most exciting translation gizmo to come
along in a while. Pop
them in like any other
earbud and open the
Google Translate app
on your phone. Locals
can then speak into your
phone in their native
tongue, and you'll hear
it in your preferred language. Reply, and your
phone translates and
"speaks" your response.
The earbuds also
streamline the process
of working with Google
Assistant: Tap the right
earpiece, request information, such as "Directions to the Louvre,"
and you can read the
results on your phone or
hear them through the
earbuds. The catch: For
now, live translation only
works with Pixel phones.
$159; store.google.com.
Detour takes
the museum
audio-tour
model outdoors, with
some 150 audio walks
in 17 cities worldwide.
The app uses a phone's

STYLISH TRAVELER

Coat of Armor
No other single garment can cover so many vacation needs like a
great travel sports coat. We asked personal stylist Lisa Powers of
Houston's River Oaks District shops for her pick for this spring
and summer. "There's no better option on the market than
Theory's partially lined Semi Tech Blazer," she says. Its slim,
modern cut and clean lines make it versatile enough to go as well
with a T-shirt, jeans, and loafers as it does with slacks and a tie,
and its cotton-polyester blend has a subtle wool texture that
won't need pressing after a red-eye. "I have balled this blazer
up and released it, and not one wrinkle," Powers says. $595 at
Theory, River Oaks District and at theory.com.

34

V I RT U O S O L I F E

GPS location data to
"know" the highlight
you're standing near, so
the narration dovetails
with your pace and
progress. Ken Burns,
chef Marcus Samuelsson, and other famous
personalities narrate
many of the tours, which
include a map (to guide
you directly to the tour's
starting point from your
hotel), a total time for
each tour, and useful
footnotes. Android/iOS;
free, individual tours $8.
Chances are
you have
Google Maps
on your phone. Here's a
hack that can save you a
pile in roaming charges
abroad. While connected
to Wi-Fi, search for the
area you're about to
explore, click on the
three horizontal bars
in the upper left of the
screen, tap on "Ofﬂine
Maps," then tap "Custom," and download a
map of the area. From
that point on, whenever
you open the app at the
destination, you'll be

able to plot routes with
live navigation while in
airplane mode. Since
phone GPS chips don't
require cell signals,
you're good to go even
without cell coverage.
Tip: Google Maps also
includes hundreds of
indoor locations, ranging from department
stores and malls in
Japan to Copenhagen's
National Museum of Art.
Android/iOS; free.
Casual adventurers and
backcountry
enthusiasts will love
Gaia GPS for their next
outing. Users can select
their preferred topo
maps, such as those of
the U.S. Forest Service
and numerous others
in North America and
around the world, and
apply layers for satellite
views, trails, campsites,
and more. A bonus: In
the event of trouble, if
you have a cell signal,
you can text your exact
latitude and longitude to
rescuers. Android/iOS;
from $9.99.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Virtuoso Life - March/April 2018
