While I enjoy visiting foreign countries, I don’t enjoy converting foreign currencies. Is that cup of coffee cheaper than it is at home – or a royal rip-off? Even when I can remember the exchange rate, I still worry. Because rates change constantly, how can I be sure I am not calculating prices with a tragically out-of-date rate?

Xchanger can help. It is a free mobile app, a currency calculator for Nokia advanced Symbian smartphones. According to publisher Titus Soft, Xchanger can calculate the latest exchange rates for more than 150 currencies, including nearly every country from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

At its most basic, Xchanger supplies straightforward, up-to-the-minute exchange rates: 1 euro equals how many U.S. dollars as of right now? But Xchanger can also convert any value you select. That lovely dress in a Tokyo boutique costs 58,000 Japanese yen — now how much is that in Australian dollars?

Xchanger also provides exchange rates for three precious metals: gold, silver, and platinum. Are you a big-time investor? Then just set the number of ounces you wish to purchase, select the currency you wish to use, and let Xchanger do the rest.

Xchanger doesn’t have a formal start screen. Launch the app, and you are presented with a list of exchange rates:

You may have noticed that all the currencies have been converted into U.S. dollars. That’s because I have set U.S. dollars as my default currency. But you can set any currency as your default. To do this, select Options from the lower left corner. Up pops the Options menu:

Next, select Settings > Conversion > Default currency. A scrolling list of currencies appears, in alphabetic order. Select your currency and press OK. That is done!

Once you are in a foreign country and shopping, you will probably want to enter specific prices in the local currency, then see how much that is in your own currency. For example, you come across a jacket in a Paris department store that costs 350 euros. Is that très cher or bon marché? To find out, fire up Xchanger, then tap on the euros entry.

Next, you need to change that 1 euro setting to 350. So tap Options > Conversion > Edit. That brings up the ‘enter amount’ form shown here:

As you can see, I have entered 350. Next, I tap OK. When I return to the main list, the exchange rate is automatically updated. At the current exchange rate, that 350 euros comes to $497.70 (USD):

Xchanger also has a series of icons. Double-tap and entry, and the icons will appear along the left edge of the screen. But the icons are nonstandard. That made them confusing, at least the first time I saw them:

But the icons are useful. For example, the single red X icon deletes an entry. The blue and green arrows pointing left and right interchange the currencies in a single entry. And the red and green triangles pointing up and down give you the history of a particular two-currency exchange rate. For example, over the last few days, has the dollar gained on the euro, or lost? Here’s a look at a sample history screen; the green triangles indicate days when the U.S. dollar gained on the euro:

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to figure out how the icons work, mainly because Xchanger lacks a Help screen. So you will have to experiment a bit, then remember what you discovered. But I did find this video, courtesy of NokiaN8Blog.info, which shows some of Xchanger’s icons in action:

Xchanger is available now on Ovi Store. The current release, v1.24, runs on Nokia advanced Symbian touchscreen smartphones. While Xchanger is free, it requires an open Internet connection, so local data charges could apply. Then again, you could use Xchanger to convert those charges into another currency…preferably one with fewer zeroes!