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Best way of keeping touch with home? Best way of keeping touch with home?
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Travellers' questions that don't fit anywhere else This is an opportunity to ask any question, and post any notice you wish that doesn't fit into one of the other sections.
Photo by Lois Pryce, schoolkids in Algeria

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Photo of Lois Pryce, UK
and schoolkids in Algeria



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  #1  
Old 12 Jul 2012
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Best way of keeping touch with home?
Hi,

Just wondering how everyone keeps in contact with home while they're exploring our planet. I don't fancy lugging a full size laptop around the world but I would like to write a blog, include lots of pictures as well as the usual emails and phone/skype calls.
Has anyone tried this with just an iphone?

Thanks

Shay
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  #2  
Old 13 Jul 2012
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I've tried using an iphone. OK for short emails, but blogging is too much like hard work. Fat fingers, small screen, touch-screen - not a good combination.

Perhaps you could consider a netbook? I had an Acer D250 which worked well on the road. Fitted easily in the tankbag, and the only drawback were the small keyboard and the shallow screen. It was a bit like viewing the web through a letterbox, but I got used to it, and in fact it was my main computer for about a year. Neat little thing, 10" screen and total size not much bigger than a book. It cost a little over 200 UKP.

You can also use it to back up your camera and free up the memory cards if you are on a long trip.
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Old 13 Jul 2012
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What about power? Did you plug into your bike's electrics or have to find power sockets wherever you went?
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Old 13 Jul 2012
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what about this
take a look at this youtube vid, this guy's using a galaxy note as a pc, he uses a small external keyboard with a track pad and you can fit a mouse if you like. Internet accsses via wifi or 3g. It also has built in gps (i use my galaxy s2 for this and it works really well) you can use maps off line too, another thing is the built in camera takes nice images and the video capture at 1920x1080 compares very favorably with consumer type camcorder.The downside to all this functionality is all your eggs are in one basket and they are quite expensive

link - Using The Galaxy Note As A Computer (With Accessories) - YouTube
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  #5  
Old 13 Jul 2012
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I have a small net book. The make is not important as they are more or less all the same. A few bob on a mouse and she work's a treat. I did get an extra stand alone hard drive of 1 tr. Just load the book up with film and pictures from my two cameras. When it is full, down load on to the hard drive. On the understanding that if I lose the net book. It can be replaced, the film and pictures can't. Keep the hard drive tucked away safe if I can.
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  #6  
Old 13 Jul 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sennen View Post
What about power? Did you plug into your bike's electrics or have to find power sockets wherever you went?
Iphone - got a lead to connect to the bike's power outlet. Always on charge when on the move, because the battery life is abysmal.

Netbook - waited until I had mains power (hotels/guest houses) to recharge. I got the optional larger battery with the Acer, and it as good for 5-6 hours per charge, which I thought was pretty good. As long as I could borrow a mains socket every 2-3 days, I was fine.

+1 to John933 about backup storage. Eventually the netbook's HDD died and took about 12 months' worth of pictures with it. I treated the netbook as the backup, but failed to back up the backup. A 2.5" SATA drive in an enclosure is very compact, and I would take one next time, sealed in a water/dustproof bag and protected from vibration and impacts.
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Old 14 Jul 2012
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Pay phone and a card. Email from free or pay computers. I cary a small lap top much of the. Many places I ride do not work for cell phone so I stoped using them.
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  #8  
Old 14 Jul 2012
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I am using mainly Skype on my laptop.
I have also prepaid SIM card from TravelSIM.
This way I have one phone number where my friends and family can reach me.

Br,
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