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Apps, websites, mobile sites: how should they be used outdoors?
Some services, such as weather and mapping, are available as a website, mobile site or downloadable app. What should I choose for outdoor sports?
Websites: unusable offline
Traditional websites are primarily designed for navigation via a computer equipped with a keyboard and mouse, which makes them less practical on a touch screen. What's more, a website cannot be accessed offline.
So any route planning carried out on Google Maps at home, for example, could be useless once you're away from home, unless you have a 4G connection along the way. However, there are ways of saving web content and using it offline (see details below).
Apps: indispensable for quality offline content
Unlike websites, an app is a local program designed for the ergonomics of your tablet or smartphone: it makes full use of the device's capabilities - touchscreen, camera, GPS, etc. - to offer services that are extremely easy to use. - to offer services that are extremely easy to use.
Memory-resident applications remain operational in the wild, even without a connection. At least in theory, as many of them actually require a connection to function, and some are nothing more than costly traps offering an almost non-existent service. So it's crucial to choose the applications that will accompany you.
Apart from this caveat, apps are unbeatable for those looking for quality content that's reliable and always accessible. Check out our guide to app recommendations.
Mobile sites: for smartphones only
Between these two options, there are mobile sites: their design is optimized for touch navigation, but as they are websites, they are not accessible offline.
What's more, mobile versions are often simplified and don't reflect the full content of the original site. Usually, because of the size of the screen, we'll opt for the classic web version on a tablet and the mobile version on a smartphone.
How to take web content with you
Many situations require you to access documentation or web content offline. For example, you might want to take along the PDF documentation for a piece of equipment, or a few pages from a tourist guide available free online. Several options are available.
On iPhone/iPad, for example:
- While consulting a PDF document, it's very easy to e-mail it to your tablet, then use the " Open in " option to keep a copy easily accessible in the free Apple Books application.
- Even simpler, when consulting a web page on your tablet, you can use the " Show Reader " option available in the URL input field. This function is also available on the Safari browser for Mac, as described in this blog.
- Finally, you can take a screenshot that will be saved as a photo in your iPhone/iPad album by pressing the "On/off" and "vol+" buttons simultaneously.
Bear in mind, however, that while you can take a topographical map with you in this form, it will not be possible to display a GPS point on it; it will simply be a photo.
In a nutshell
- To access reliable information (cartography, weather, geolocation, etc.) on the move, it's advisable to choose quality applications.
- This generally means avoiding the free options and referring to our app guide, or consulting specialized forums and blogs to find the best ones. Investing a few euros can avoid taking unnecessary risks.
- For certain types of content, however, it makes sense to create a document database that can be accessed from anywhere, using the features mentioned above.