Apple Tech - What I have learned in the last year...

The last 12 month's were big if you are an Apple fanatic like me.

First came the iPad

and then the new MacBook Air

and then the new MacBook Pro's

and finally word of a new iPad

and don't forget the iPhone 4 at Verizon.

iPhone 4 - I love my iPhone 4, I have the GSM model from AT&T and I don't plan on switching to Verizon, why?  Because the AT&T model operates on a GSM network I can use the phone outside of the USA in many of the places I travel.  The CDMA version that Verizon sells is much more limited.

iPad vs MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air - I have a late 2008 model 17" MacBook Pro, and while I love the performance of the computer, it's just too heavy for me to travel with as much as I'm getting on and off airplanes.  So I thought the iPad would be a great solution.  No heavy laptop to carry, full email and web functionality, and fun to use.

My 3g/WiFi 64GB iPad was delivered on the first day they were available.  And I have to say it's one the best pieces of technology I have ever owned.  Light enough to keep with me wherever I am, easy to connect via WiFi and 3G so I always have access to email and the web.  I though this was THE SOLUTION.

But my first "experiment" where I travelled to Europe without a laptop was a bit frustrating.  It was easy enough to connect to WiFi, and to pick up a 3G SIM for local data service.  But I did run into a few obstacles.  One time the iPad would not authenticate into my hotels WiFi service, I think this was an issue with 3.0 IOS system, so the upgrade to 4.0 should have fixed the issue.  The second problem was I couldn't access the configuration utility for an AirPort Express wireless router I travel with.  I hope Apple addresses this issue and releases an App for that.  And third was that I needed Windows and Internet Explorer to run a few work applications, so I had to hunt down a computer at my hotel to run those applications.

So while I was generally happy traveling with just the iPad it didn't quite meet all my needs.

And then along came the MacBook Air.  The moment I held it in my hands I was in love.  Light weight, yet still a fully powered laptop.  I bought the 13" "fully loaded" model, added Windows 7 in Boot Camp and Parallels so I could run the Windows applications I needed for work, and I had the perfect machine.

What I love about the MacBook Air:

Lightweight
Fully functioning Mac OS X operating system & Windows 7
Great battery life
Lighting fast start ups and shut down due to a SSD drive instead of a conventional hard drive
It runs very cool because of the SSD, no heat from a hard drive
Great design

So now I have my travel line-up:

iPhone 4.0 AT&T  - email, maps on the go, great camera, travel app's
iPad - games, email, movies on the plane, internet access, 3G data service
MacBook Air - fully functioning operating systems, Mac & Windows, light weight, very portable
AirPort Express - create my own secure network while traveling for all my devices to share


And it all fits nicely in this great travel bag from Tumi:

iPhone users - Free Lonely Planet Guides

Lonely Planet is giving away 13 of their European City Guides through Thursday the 22nd.

Lonely Planet Blog Posting

Stranded by a volcano?

In response to the widespread chaos caused by the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, Lonely Planet is offering 13 of its European iPhone guides free.

‘Travellers stuck in unfamiliar places need access to practical information as well as suggestions on what to do whilst stranded’, said Tom Hall, Lonely Planet Travel Editor. ‘That’s why we’re giving away iPhone city guides to major affected destinations.’

The 13 guides will be free until Thursday, 22 April from the iTunes app store. You can access them via the links below.

The cities included are:

* Amsterdam
* Barcelona
* Berlin
* Budapest
* Copenhagen
* Istanbul
* London
* Moscow
* Munich
* Paris
* Rome
* Stockholm
* Vienna

Travel Tech

Most of us have a pretty good grasp on technology while we are at home. We can call anyone from anyplace, email from home and work, navigate from point A to point B in familiar a surrounding with no effort, and even the act of plugging in and recharging all our electronic gadgets is effortless.  Now take yourself to another country where dialing is different, road systems are unfamiliar, electrical currents and plugs change from place to place and you have the recipe for confusion and frustration.  This is the last thing a traveler wants to experience when they are supposed to be relaxing by the beach or exploring a new city.  Over the next few postings I will provide you with a few tips to help make traveling with technology a little easier.

Cell Phones

Most of us are lost without our cell phones.  We have been conditioned to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and for some of us this isn’t by choice, but a necessity of our professions.  Staying connected with your cell phone while traveling shouldn’t be a problem if you follow a few of these suggestions.

Does your calling plan allow for international roaming?  Most cell phone carriers will add a monthly option for international roaming for a small monthly fee.  Check with your carrier to see if they will allow you to add the feature for only the month you are traveling.  And verify what the per minute charge for calls will be in the countries you are visiting.  Even with the international roaming plan added, you could be looking at very high per minute charges.  As an example, AT&T will add the international roaming plan for an iPhone but still charges $1.99 per minute for call in most European countries.

Will your cell phone work in the country you are visiting?  There are two main types of cell phone technology, CDMA and GSM.  A majority of the world uses GSM technology, but CDMA is very popular in North America and almost non-existent in Europe.  If your phone technology is not supported in the country you are going to visit I would recommend renting a cell phone from a company like Wireless Traveler (1-866-700-3883).  Rental phone rates are based on country and time, include a phone and a charger compatible with the areas you will be visiting plus a charge for usage depending on the plan you select.

GSM phones use SIM cards (subscriber identity modules), tiny electronic chips that hold a cell phone’s “brains”. GSM customers can avoid high roaming charges by replacing their American SIM cards with ones from other countries. For example, travelers to Britain can pick up a SIM card from the British carrier Vodafone; once inserted, it gives the phone a temporary British phone number. Calls within Britain and to the United States would be much cheaper.  Larger airports will have kiosks when you arrive selling SIM cards for the local area, or you can purchase one before leaving home through online services such as Telestial www.telestial.com.  In order to use a new SIM card in your GSM phone it must be “unlocked”.  Most US carriers lock their cell phones to their networks so you must contact your carrier to have them “unlock” your cell phone so it will accept a different SIM card.  Another option is to buy a cheap unlocked GSM cell phone and buy SIM cards when you travel.

When dialing a number outside of the US always add the plus (+) sign and the country code.  For some phones holding the “0” key down for a few seconds enters the (+) symbol.  The website www.countrycodes.com is a great place to find the codes for areas you will be visiting.

On your GSM phone, it helps to store your contacts on the phone itself rather than the SIM card.  If you do this all your numbers will be available if you swap out your SIM card.

For iPhones and other devices that have data and texting plans, be sure you have a data and/or texting plan that allows for use outside of the country.  Not including this can be a costly mistake to make, as data roaming charges are very expensive.  And make sure to monitor your data use so you do not go over you plan limit, a spendy mistake this author once made.  AT&T provides a very comprehensive document for iPhone users traveling outside of the US.