A plethora of useful applications is available for mobile users to make their lives easier during the Bangkok shutdown and ongoing political unrest.
A screenshot of the TVIS app.
The National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Nectec) has developed the TVIS app for Android- and iOS-based smartphones to provide real-time access to traffic information.
Downloads have surpassed 200,000 in two years, said Nectec researcher Nattanun Thatphithakkul.
To access traffic information, users just say the name of a major road in Bangkok. TVIS can also retrieve an image from nearby areas to show the traffic situation.
Nectec and mobile operator Advanced Info Service Plc offer the FM 91 BKK app for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. The app reports accidents and shows live traffic video and information.
Nokweed means "whistle" in Thai. The app makes your device blow a whistle, so you don't have to.
Whistle for Thai (Nokweed) is an Android app that makes whistling sounds using a mobile phone. But if users are averse to the noise, there is also a map that shows where the sounds are being made and lets users avoid them.
The BMA Live Traffic app for iOS provides real-time access to information from Bangkok traffic cameras.
Easy Taxi and Grab Taxi are free and help users book a cab while others are trying to hail one on the streets.
For public transport such as the skytrain and subway, apps provide maps for all the mass transit systems.
Finally, Total Access Communication Plc's emergency assistant app lets users contact the non-profit responder Ruam Duay Chuay Kan's hotline (dial 1677 from within Thailand).