Zello - Walkie Talkie App

**Trogdor** · 06-09-2013

Someone brought this app to my attention. I had a chance to mess around with it tonight as I was driving around town from place to place. I thought this might be a really useful tool for future cruises!

It's a mobile app called Zello. It basically turns your phone in to a walkie talkie, using VOIP. You can set up pass worded channels as well as some moderator options.

Some neat features:
- It's fairly easy to use. It took me about 2 minutes to figure out how to get in to the channel people were using, and get it set up.

- It's not super distracting if you're driving. No less distracting than an actual radio would be. If your phone has a lock function, it will place itself over top that lock screen. What I mean is this; in order to save battery, I turned the screen off. Normally you would need to unlock your phone to access anything. But with this app, all you do it press the power button again and the app is back up, no need to unlock your phone.

- The button is massive and easy to press so you won't be fumbling around with your phone looking for some tiny little button on the corner. The talk button takes up like 40% of the screen.

- Holds up to 100 people per channel. Channels can be pass worded.

- Works with paired bluetooth devices!!! I got it set up and noticed on the bottom there was a bluetooth option. Normally, you press the button, talk. Then you hear people talking out of the phone's speaker. But when you press the bluetooth option, it plays the audio and used the mic of any paired bluetooth devices. In my case, that's my car's FUSE system.

I'm able to run this app, while my phone is hooked up to bluetooth, set my phone down and turn the screen off. When someone talks over it, it plays through my speakers of my car. To respond I pick up my phone, press power, and press the big button in the middle to talk. It's super simple.

This could be a great way to communicate with each other on cruises.