App Review: Currency Converter (PlayStation Mobile)

Zhang Bo is no stranger to PlayStation Mobile. He’s taken the top spot when it comes to releasing games and apps for PSM and somehow manages to release a new title every week on the PSN Store. After the quality of some of his more recent PSM apps that have failed to impress me, I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I purchased Currency Converter, especially as he released a total of SIX titles on the same day including this one, but I decided to try to be as impartial as I could and gave it a try…

As the name suggests, Currency Converter is an app designed to calculate exchange rates between different global currencies making this an ideal potential app for travellers and would-be travellers everywhere. Giving access to a massive 55 currencies from all over the world, it enables you to quickly and easily convert amounts between any of the currencies listed at the current exchange rates for all of them ensuring the most accurate information possible rather than needing you to make educated guesses when working out currency for any trips you might take overseas.

The screen is presented neatly with an easy-to-use interface. The left hand side features the currency you want to covert from and the right is the currency you want to convert your money into. There are two panels on each, the top detailing the currency itself and underneath is the amount. The currency is listed by name in terms of its full name, it’s generally recognised abbreviation plus the national flag to make identification as easy as possible for each. Changing currency is simplicity in itself and once clicking on either currency, this brings up a full list which can be scrolled through.

Selecting the amount brings up a small window where you can enter the amount itself and clicking on this brings up the Vita’s familiar on-screen keyboard. Once you’re happy with everything, click Convert and the app connects to the internet briefly to access its reference sources and presents the exchange results in a few seconds.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this app. While it’s not the slickest in terms of presentation, it’s certainly functional and gives you all the information you need on screen clearly enough to be able to use it without any need for instructions and it’s quick and easy to use by anyone and I couldn’t fault it in use. Despite not stating the source used for the currency data, it seemed quite accurate based on the current exchange rates I checked on the BBC’s website so that bodes well for the app’s long-term reliability.

It also performed well in terms of speed and managed to handle any currency thrown at it in just a few seconds using my home wi-fi connection although I’ve yet to try it on a PlayStation Certified device over a 3G connection to see if that is just as effective while on the move but I’m hopeful of equally impressive results and if it can manage to accomplish this then this could be an ideal companion app to take with you anywhere on the go on whatever PlayStation Certified device you might own.

While there are free apps out there for mobile phones and tablets that do a similar job, they are frequently plagued with intrusive adverts and considering how well this performs and the low price, this is well worth buying for anyone travelling with their Vita. Even if you’re only likely to use this once or twice it will have paid for itself in the stress and time it will save. One of the surprise must-have apps for the Vita.

Simon Plumbe

At A Glance