Datasheet

37
Chapter 1: Utilities and Security
Quick Convert
$$ US
Criminey, it’s too hot out there. It’s at least 32! You sit there nod-
ding your head as Dundee objects, wishing you could remember
the formula to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit. (It’s easy: multiply the
temperature times
9
⁄5 and add 32. Quickly.) The fact is that we still live
in a world where some people use inches and ounces and others mil-
limeters and grams. When I travel outside the United States, I have to
remember that 30 degrees is pretty hot, and 40 downright stifling if
the place where I am calculates the temperature in Celsius instead of
Fahrenheit. And smart as a I think I am, there is no way I can convert
from square feet to acres to square meters and on to hectares without
the assistance of an app like this one.
Quick Convert is another small tool for special needs: you can convert
temperature scales, speed, mass, length, area, and volume. Yes, if the
drink recipe calls for two U.S. fluid ounces, a few clicks will tell you
to use 147.8 milliliters and not a drop more. And you can speak about
hectares with someone who thinks in acres or square feet.
The app is simple and easy to use, although I found at least one minor
bug: I entered .5 acre and it came up with a black hole of –2.02 hect-
ares. Once they fix that, or show me how to bend the laws of physics,
I’ll consider this app a worthy companion for international travel.
The built-in calculator on the BlackBerry is prettier and can do a few
conversions, but not as easily.
How to get it
Available from third-party sites such as Crackberry and the developer.
Mobilitea. www.mobilitea.com. Price: $5.99.
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