Nokia is well known as one of the more eco-conscious consumer technology companies out there, so we were quite excited to get our hands on the free Tripsketch Green Traveller app for the Nokia C5-03. How does it get on? Join us after the break to find out.
Green Traveller is a uncomplicated little app with a single objective: to help environmentally conscious travellers find attractions, restaurants, hotels and the like on their travels that resonate with their sensibilities. Nothing wrong there.
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On launching the app you're first asked to select the city you're interested in from the list provided.
There are three main categories, Canada, Europe and the US, so there's clearly a strong North American flavour here.The European selection includes most of the major travel destinations, such as Paris, Venice, Barcelona and the like, while the UK is represented by London, Belfast, Edinburgh and – somewhat oddly – Newcastle.
Select a city and you're then given a list of five options: Attractions, Hotels, Dining, Transport and Tours. Choose from these and the matching results will be presented, again in list form.
Select an entry and you'll be given a brief description focused on its eco credentials, ballpark prices and (where appropriate) opening times. For each entry there's the option to go directly to its own website, to show its location on a map (where you can even get instant directions from your current location), or to call directly. While this is an inoffensive, albeit simple, formula, sadly there are some gaping holes. First off, the selection of cities is bordering on the bizarre. We opened up one of the other options at random – Avignon in France – and were greeted with... nothing at all. There's nothing to see but empty menus, raising the question of why such an off-the-beaten-track location was chosen in the first place. Furthermore, there's nothing at all to the Green Traveller app beyond the basic location-based info described above.
We would have loved to see some travel tips for a greener holiday, for example, or some more general suggestions of what green-friendly activities are available for an area that aren't tied to specific cities or businesses. There are certainly some plus points that will suit the mobile traveller already on the ground and looking for ideas, but otherwise there's nothing here that half an hour on Google couldn't unearth.
We wanted to like Green Traveller – as a concept it's a good one, after all – but sadly its lack of depth and any kind of extra features means we simply can't recommend it.
Size: 0.46MB Price: Free