Apps for Hong Kong Part 2

Continued from Apps for Hong Kong Part 1

Ulmon Hong Kong

City maps are a double-edged sword if you've never visited a locale before. Unless you're really good at using maps while walking, digital maps on your smartphone and tablet can be distracting and can detract much from enjoying a city. You don't need Indiana Jones' sense of direction to actually get around Hong Kong. Just taking the time out before your trip to figure out which bus stops or MTR stations you're going to use is always a good idea. Any basic map, even the kitschy maps you can get at the airport or at your hotel can get you around fine.

However, if you are that frightened of getting lost in "big bad" Hong Kong, then install the well-reviewed Ulmon Hong Kong maps and guide. I didn't use the map very often since it didn't really include the places I wanted to visit, but they're great if it's your first time in Hong Kong. Usage is straightforward and the interface is clutter free with minimal landmarks to distract you. It works well on a 7" tablet too. I'm a bit hesitant about recommending it on a full-sized tablet like an iPad 2 because the size and weight of full size tablets make it somewhat awkward if you're loaded with shopping bags. If you're looking for a map with more descriptions and photos, however, try other iOS and Android maps available in Google Play or iTunes Store or just stick to Bing or Google Maps. For those who just don't want to get lost, Ulmon Hong Kong app and an MTR app (see part 1 of Hong Kong Apps) is more than enough.

Hong Kong Disneyland Magic To Go App

I keenly remember Disneyland,California in 1988 - many of the rides in Hong Kong Disneyland triggered memories of just spending the day as a kid at a theme park. Yes, Disneyland is as expensive as ever and yes the Hong Kong version is only a fraction of Tokyo Disneyland, but it was great fun nonetheless. This generation is so critical of special effects, technology, resolution, displays, and interactivity that I'm not sure the kids today would appreciate the old-school fun of Mystic Manor and the excellent 3D Donald Duck show. Frankly, I would recommend a single day in Disneyland than 3 weeks of playing Batman: Arkham Asylum or the new Halo, just to get young people off the sofa and walk around a bit.

Disney is often accused of milking past successes but the truth of the matter is that HK Disneyland doesn't really take advantage of other characters from the huge library of Disney films, preferring instead to stick to Mickey and the classic Disney Princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, Tinkerbell, and Belle in particular). We get annoying Stitch stuffed toys rather than shirts and toys of Genie, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Jasmine, Scar, and Ariel (who is the mermaid of everyone's wet dreams including as it turned out Donald Duck's). I'm a 60s to early 90s Marvel fan but I rue the day when instead of a Haunted Mansion we get the Avengers Mansion (complete with a mechanical Jarvis). They'd probably have a Quinjet ride rather than an Autopia area. It's a Small World will probably converted to Reed Richards' Microverse Tour. Space Mountain would be filled with characters from Gardens of the Galaxy and Adventure Land would be Savage Land guarded not by Tarzan but a guy named Ka-Zar. Worst, there would probably be a Jedi Academy in one corner of the theme park with the Dark Side in the other.

This extended digression leads me to the Disney Magic To Go app for Hong Kong, which I don't really recommend. One, it requires an Internet connection to use the features fully and there aren't any strong Wi-Fi signals at the park. The Locate Me only works briefly (I reckon it uses a basic crowdsourcing system to determine where you are). The map and navigation is also somewhat clunky - you're better off with the paper brochure they hand out when you get your ticket. The app is really only useful for those with Magic Access or an Annual Pass because it provides current offers and promos. As previously mentioned, the HK version of Walt's dreamland really isn't all that big so just stroll around and enjoy.

The best tip I can give is visit Toy Story Land and Tomorrow Land first since they have the most popular rides. Grizzly Gulch is also worth a visit but if you want value for your money, make sure you catch the shows. Finally, have fun!

Note: There's also an official Ocean Park Hong Kong app available if a visit is part of your itinerary (it's pretty good if it's your first time in HK). The app is a bit more useful than Disney Magic to Go primarily because Ocean Park is much larger though I didn't get to test the Ocean Park app myself.

Wi-Fi and the PCCW App

PCCW is the Verizon of Hong Kong and their app is only useful if you have or plan to purchase a PCCW SIM card when you get to HK. The PCCW app assists you in locating available Wi-Fi hotspots you can latch on to for free while providing other services and promotions. If you see a PCCW store or PCCW phone booth, chances are it's already transmitting free Wi-Fi for use (though I would wonder why you would stick around in a phone booth during an afternoon or evening in awesome Kowloon). Unless you're planning to get a PCCW SIM card, skip the PCCW app. Powering on your wireless device in places like the Peak or Tsim Sha Tsui can often get you online even without using a Wi-Fi sniffer.

Hong Kong used to be one of the prominent tourist-friendly cities in Asia and it can be seen in the number of free Internet kiosks strategically located all over the city. The fastest free wireless areas are the ones placed in the underground, particularly in Admiralty and Central. McDonald's also provides 20 minutes of free Wi-Fi while most malls have several high-speed wireless Internet hotspots running across their stores (Hint: They use a basic WPA-PSK with Radius Server authentication scheme).

For visitors or expatriates spending some time in Hong Kong International Airport, there's free Wi-Fi all over Kai Tak airport's successor. For Linux users (like me), the wireless signals in Hong Kong International Airport are strongest in the departure area, not in the arrivals Terminals 1 and 2. If you're using openSUSE, Fedora, or even Ubuntu-based distributions, you may not be able to pull up the HKIA login page - the wireless service is actually optimized for Android and iOS (there are even brochures teaching new arrivals how to set up wireless on their Android and iOS devices). Just take the escalator up to the departure area and login from there. Wi-Fi access is even stronger in the departure waiting areas if you're off to your flight.

Continued in Hong Kong Apps Part 3