Communicating When You Travel Abroad

Communicating When You Travel Abroad.

© 2013 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BOB SKIDMORE

CORRESPONDENT

In this wired world, communicating back to the USA via your smartphone, or laptop is relatively easy and affordable when you know how. Here are a few tips gleaned from a recent trip to France, Spain, Amsterdam and Sweden.

Many, but not all, smartphones now have the ability to work in other countries, something that was not possible just a few years ago. Most US carriers offer a temporary discounted add-on international option to your current plan. In my case Sprint offered a $5.00 monthly charge, pro-rated if less than a month, that links you with various European carriers at preset prices.

(TIP: You are not charged if you do not answer the incoming call. Since caller ID displays the caller’s number you can easily determine if and when to answer a call. You could also opt to call the caller back from a less expensive or FREE service or respond by email or text. Voice mail messages do not appear on your phone’s display, but are accessible by calling your mobile phone number and when answered pressing star followed by entering your pass code when asked. If you do not already have a pass code you need to set one up by visiting your carrier’s website. )

Most countries belong to an alliance that charges $1.99 a minute for incoming/outgoing calls and texting at 5¢ incoming and 50¢ per outgoing text. Non-alliance members, such as Sweden, charge the same texting rates, but a $2.99 per minute incoming/outgoing phone charge. Generally, when you cross the boarder from one country to another you will receive a FREE text indicating the rates in that country.

(TIP: European phone providers cover different areas of a particular region, so it’s not uncommon to see the provider’s name change while moving around in the same city or country.)

Data service is not included and such service should be avoided, as the cost is extremely high. This means your use of a GPS would not work unless you are willing to pay the high cost of data.

Data service can easily be turned off on your smartphone by accessing the system settings function. Turning this service off has no effect on your smartphone’s ability to connect with wi-fi. You simply go to your settings and select the wi-fi service that’s available. Your US carrier will walk you thru the settings process. Be sure not to turn off the CELL SERVICE feature, as doing so will eliminate phone call reception.

If you subscribe to the VOIP service for your home that’s offered by Vonage, you have a FREE iPhone App available to you known as EXTENSIONS. This app allows you to use the Internet connection on your phone to call worldwide, toll-free. I used this a lot in my European travels.

Another alternative is FACEBOOK MESSENGER. This feature permits you to send instant messages that can only be seen by the person that it’s intended for. Naturally, it does require Internet access and the recipient must be a Facebook member.

(TIP: There are many hotspots in Europe that are FREE. The problem I noticed is that most of them want some information about you before you can connect. The questions are generally in the language of the country you’re in, so, if you can’t read the language you could have a problem. Also, you may willingly be subscribing to their junk emails. Many airports offer FREE wi-fi, or a pay option that provides faster service. Charles de Gaul Airport, for example, allows you only 15 minutes of FREE service, after which you must pay. European smartphones also allow tethering, a feature US providers have banned since they don’t want you to not purchase their service for other devices such as iPads and laptops. Tethering allows one phone to act as a hotspot so other phones, iPads and laptops can connect to the Internet via that phones ability to access the Internet via their mobile provider. This proved to be a valuable feature while on the road with a relative, receiving an important text and needing to respond by calling the US. Apps by PDA and FoxFi are available for Android phones that allow tethering. Unfortunately, Apple removed them from the Apple store eliminating this capability. )

Bob Skidmore is a freelance writer, who may be contacted at bob.thegadgeteer.skidmore@gmail.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent, or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his points of view and not those of the manufacturer. The manufacturer generally supplies products at no cost for the articles and no other compensation is received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior ratings.

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GRIPGO, OR GRIPLESS, That is the question

GRIPGO, OR GRIPLESS,

That is the question….

© 2013 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BOB SKIDMORE

CORRESPONDENT

Taking your smartphone on the road sounds easy till you try to access it while driving. Many gadgets are brought to market as the ultimate solution to this problem. One such product is the heavily advertised, GRIPGO.

The GRIPGO is a sticky mount platform fitted on an arm that affixes to your windshield with a supplied suction cup, or to the dash with the aid of a self-stick plastic disc.

(TIP: Suction cup mounts offer limited holding power over time. Temperature, surface shape and texture all contribute to their over all reliability.)

The platform or holder designed to hold your smartphone in place consists of a very sticky surface. The sticky surface does not transfer to the device, however, removal of the phone can be extremely difficult. The platform is attached to a tiltable arm allowing a somewhat precise height adjustment. What’s missing to making this fully adjustable is a swivel base.

The sticky surface is made up of a proprietary material that definitely holds the phone in place, but also sticks to hair, paper and other things that come in contact with it. Thus, keeping it clean can be a real challenge. Removing the phone can be an even bigger one. I tested several different phones and several with Mophie battery packs and all proved very difficult to remove. If you were in a hurry to exit your vehicle this would be a definite deterrent.

(TIP: Save the original plastic covering used to cover the sticky surface in shipping. This can be used when you remove the GRIPGO for storage. It will aid in preventing unwanted items from sticking to it.)

My overall opinion is don’t believe everything you see in an infomercial. It certainly seems to work there, but than how many retakes did it take to achieve perfect results? So, don’t waste your money! This is a product that looks good in the informercial, but does not make it in the real world.

MSRP: $14.95 - $24.99

For more information go to: http://bit.ly/15FRRWx

GADGETEER’S RATING: *

Bob Skidmore is a freelance writer, who may be contacted at bob.thegadgeteer.skidmore@gmail.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent, or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his points of view and not those of the manufacturer. The manufacturer generally supplies products at no cost for the articles and no other compensation is received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior ratings.

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GRIPGO, OR GRIPLESS, That is the question

GRIPGO, OR GRIPLESS,

That is the question….

© 2013 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BOB SKIDMORE

CORRESPONDENT

Taking your smartphone on the road sounds easy till you try to access it while driving. Many gadgets are brought to market as the ultimate solution to this problem. One such product is the heavily advertised, GRIPGO.

The GRIPGO is a sticky mount platform fitted on an arm that affixes to your windshield with a supplied suction cup, or to the dash with the aid of a self-stick plastic disc.

(TIP: Suction cup mounts offer limited holding power over time. Temperature, surface shape and texture all contribute to their over all reliability.)

The platform or holder designed to hold your smartphone in place consists of a very sticky surface. The sticky surface does not transfer to the device, however, removal of the phone can be extremely difficult. The platform is attached to a tiltable arm allowing a somewhat precise height adjustment. What’s missing to making this fully adjustable is a swivel base.

The sticky surface is made up of a proprietary material that definitely holds the phone in place, but also sticks to hair, paper and other things that come in contact with it. Thus, keeping it clean can be a real challenge. Removing the phone can be an even bigger one. I tested several different phones and several with Mophie battery packs and all proved very difficult to remove. If you were in a hurry to exit your vehicle this would be a definite deterrent.

(TIP: Save the original plastic covering used to cover the sticky surface in shipping. This can be used when you remove the GRIPGO for storage. It will aid in preventing unwanted items from sticking to it.)

My overall opinion is don’t believe everything you see in an infomercial. It certainly seems to work there, but than how many retakes did it take to achieve perfect results? So, don’t waste your money! This is a product that looks good in the informercial, but does not make it in the real world.

MSRP: $14.95 - $24.99

For more information go to: http://bit.ly/15FRRWx

GADGETEER’S RATING: *

Bob Skidmore is a freelance writer, who may be contacted at bob.thegadgeteer.skidmore@gmail.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent, or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his points of view and not those of the manufacturer. The manufacturer generally supplies products at no cost for the articles and no other compensation is received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior ratings.

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MOPHIE ~ Juice Pack Helium For The iPhone 5

 
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MOPHIE ~ Juice Pack Helium

iPhone 5 On-Board Battery Pack

© 2013 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BOB SKIDMORE

CORRESPONDENT

Many months ago I reviewed the Mophie Juice Pack, an external power source for the iPhone 3 series. In the months that followed an iPhone 4 version was introduced. It too was a great power source, but poor molding resulted in connection and lens port issues. Factory revisions offered little or no improvement. So, let’s revisit Mophie and its latest product, Juice Pack Helium for the iPhone 5.

One of the biggest downfalls of any smartphone is battery time. iPhone is certainly no exception. Yes, there are many tricks to conserving power, but the fact is, it’s hardly possible to operate one for a twelve-hour day without a recharge. So, the Mophie Juice Pack Helium offers a solution, in he form of an attached, on-board, battery pack that looks and feels like part of the phone.

(TIP: To conserve power turn off your apps when they’re not is use. Just double click on HOME button  > A set of apps appear at the bottom of the screen > Hold finger on any one till apps wiggle > Tap each red dot and they will disappear. You’ll not loose anything. You’ve turned off the app’s thus eliminating non-essential power drain.)

The Juice Pack Helium easily attaches to your iPhone 5. Its built-in lightning plug automatically connects when the Juice Pack is mounted, thus connecting and supplying power from the Juice Pack when needed. A cutout for the camera’s lens, unlike the previous model, allows for non-reflective picture taking. A pass-through audio connector slot allows access to the accessory jack. Since this slot is considerably recessed, a short extender cable is supplied. If there’s a negative, this is it, as it’s just another item to loose and certain external microphones dangle from the phone. Operation is like any other Mophie product. When your phone shows a battery time remaining percentage of around 25% you switch over to Juice Pack mode. The Juice Pack now begins charging the phone’s internal battery without service interruption. This takes about an hour and generally results in a 100% charge. You’ve now almost doubled your battery time. Charging of the combined unit is accomplished with a supplied special USB cable.

(TIP: The Juice Pack Helium is rechargeable for over 500 cycles. A full cycle means charging is from 0% - 100%. Partial cycles do not count as full cycles. Some days you may never need to engage the pack, so the usable lifespan could be several years.)

The MOPHIE Juice Pack Helium works very well. The improvements made add much to its usefulness and the slight additional weight of 2.44 Oz gives it a better feel. I did, however, notice that a slight bit of case pealing took place on the left side of the silver metallic model I tested. This happened only days after receiving the unit and with very careful usage. Since then, no further peeling has taken place.

(TIP: Rocketfish mobile makes the perfect hip-mount case for this combination. For further details go to http://bit.ly/15XGjKl.)

MSRP: $79.75 • Rockfish hip case $24.95

For more information go to: http://bit.ly/WCAHv

GADGETEER’S RATING: *****

Bob Skidmore is a freelance writer, who may be contacted at bob.thegadgeteer.skidmore@gmail.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent, or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his points of view and not those of the manufacturer. The manufacturer generally supplies products at no cost for the articles and no other compensation is received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior ratings.

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REGENERATING NON-RECHARGABLE BATTERIES

REGENERATING NON-RECHARGABLE BATTERIES….

© 2013 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BOB SKIDMORE

CORRESPONDENT

There was a time the only way you could save on battery replacement was to purchase special chargers and expensive rechargeable batteries. VIATEK has solved that problem with the RENU-IT PRO charger. Unlike the previously mentioned charging system and some other new designs now available, this one accepts Alkaline, Ni-Cad and Ni-MH, in five sizes: AAA, AA, C, D and the 9 volt block.

How does it work? Chemical reactions within the battery cause electrons to be stripped away from the carbon electrode. Electrons will try to flow from a battery’s negative terminal to its positive one, if allowed. As a battery discharges this cell gets “disorganized” as electrons get jumbled trying to make their way to the positive terminal. The RENU-IT PRO “reorganizes” the internal structure of the battery cell allowing it to be reused as much as 70 times.

(TIP: Batteries that show evidence of corrosion, as in sticky to the touch or a white powdery substance being visible, should not be recharged, but rather properly disposed of.)

The operation is very simple. Plug in the supplied electrical cord between the wall outlet and the charger. Since this is a 12-volt, 1 amp device, European use is possible with the proper line cord adapter. The unit should not be on at this stage. If it is, lift the clear plastic cover and press the ON/OFF button so that the display and various indicator lights are not lit. Insert up to 5 batteries you wish to charge with the positive (+) contact facing the control panel. You may mix any of the 5 sizes, but not the three chemistry types. For example, if you wish to charge alkaline type batteries all the batteries you wish to charge must be Alkaline, but they can be of different sizes.

(TIP: The battery holders use a movable L shaped arm. Since this arm is spring-loaded it requires some pressure to push back to accommodate the battery. The larger the battery, the more difficult this becomes, so be very careful not to force the arm as it could break. If that happens, that particular slot will be permanently unusable.)

 

Once all batteries are mounted in the charger, select the battery type by sliding the selector switch to the proper battery type.

(TIP: 9-volt battery status will not show up on the display, but will be indicated by the RED LED above the 9V port.)

Now, press the ON/OFF button. Indicator lights will now be lit in RED for charging, or GREEN for fully charged. A display panel shows the condition and charging stage of each of up to four batteries. Since Ni-CAD batteries have a memory that can adversely affect battery capacity when not fully discharged, the charger will automatically go into a discharge mode first and when full discharged, will start the charging cycle. The entire charging process can take between 1 and 10 hours, or more depending on the type and size, so be patient!

(TIP: The charging process should never be left unattended. Fires and explosions, while not common, are always a possibility.)

The RENU-IT PRO is a great money saving device. You probably have not heard about it before, as the battery companies want you to replace, not recharge batteries. Since all our gadgets use so many batteries this is a very practical device. Construction is reasonably good, but take heed to my tip regarding the L shaped loading arms. They could be the weak link in this device. Also, some batteries may not charge 100%, a nature of the battery and not the device.

(TIP: When possible always use the same brand and chemistry type of battery in a device. Mixing them can shorten the useful length of a charge.)

MSRP: $49.99

Available in stores, on-line and TV shopping networks. For more information go to: http://bit.ly/19iG3rL

GADGETEER’S RATING: *****

Bob Skidmore is a freelance writer, who may be contacted at bob.thegadgeteer.skidmore@gmail.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent, or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his points of view and not those of the manufacturer. The manufacturer generally supplies products at no cost for the articles and no other compensation is received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior ratings.

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ARTISAN 50, A Printer That Prints On Discs

THE ARTISAN 50….

A Printer That Prints On Discs

© 2013 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BOB SKIDMORE

CORRESPONDENT

Recently I wrote about DISCUS, a software program designed for printing directly on CD’s & DVD’s. The question remaining is what printer works best for this process?

Several years ago DYMO introduced the DiscPainter, a compact printer whose sole purpose was printing on printable discs. This printer was even supplied with Discus as the recommended creation software. When I tested this printer at that time I found it to be best-in-class. In fact, it had little competition for small-run printing. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and such was the case with the DiscPainter. RIP!

Today, many printers are available with the disc printing capability. They started appearing shortly after DiscPainter’s introduction and range from all-in-one to stand-alone models. The good news is that over time they’ve improved greatly! Gone are the jams and smeared ink issues that plagued these early models. The bad news, they’re still very clumsy, but, still the only game in town.

I’ve tested several stand-alone models from various manufacturers and settled on the Epson Artisan 50 for this article. I chose this stand-alone model over the all-in-one versions since generally the latter offers many multiple purpose features that are unneeded when the ultimate goal is to print on discs.

(TIP: Never attempt printing on discs that are not specifically intended to be printed on as the result will be smeared and the smeared ink will gum up the interior of the printer and could damage the print head as well. Also, avoid the use of generic ink as most printers are designed to reject them anyway and opened ink tanks can’t be returned. Exterior ink tanks exist, but use with caution as they, too can cause problems.)

The Artisan 50 prints on paper and on printable discs using 6 ink tanks, Black, Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta and Yellow. The use of individual ink tanks is a big plus as it reproduces truer colors and saves on ink replacement costs. The computer, software-to-printer, set up is a bit tricky. It’s not as simple as just selecting the printer set up menu and selecting common sense selections. Instead, certain substitutions are required to complete the task. This is an issue due to the lack of an industry standard.

(TIP: DISCUS, details the setup settings on their web site. http://bit.ly/ZVKPX Manufacturer supplied software leaves a bit to be desired concerning these settings and in many cases instructions are poor.)

Another issue you will face with most printers is that the tray used to insert the disc into the printer is a bit clumsy in operation. I found that the Artisan 50 uses a dual-purpose tray system. The first tray is either positioned for paper or repositioned for disc use. My test revealed that this tray should not be in either position prior to turning on the printer. Once powered up the printer will make noise and a green light flashes on the power button indicating it’s cycling up for some undetermined task. This can take as long as a minute or so. When this stage is completed the green light stops flashing, the noise ceases and you may attach the tray to the top slots as indicated for disc printing. Once again you will hear some noise until the printer has made all the necessary adjustments for accepting discs. As long as you do not switch printers in the computer menu, or power down either device you will remain good to go. Inserting a printable disc into the second tray and then inserting that tray into the first tray and matching the arrows on both trays, completes actual disc insertion. Printing multiple discs requires you to remove the second tray each time and reload a new disc. This entire process is tedious and time consuming and certainly needs to be addressed in future stand-alone models. It is my understanding that the all-in-one models from Epson do have a more user-friendly loading process. Why this was not incorporated in the Artisan 50 is a mystery. Printing is somewhat slow, but the results are spectacular! Always print on a disc after its been burned. If you print prior to burning you should wait 24 hours for the ink to properly cure to avoid smearing or scratching of the printed material.

(TIP: Test prints can be very useful. Save printable discs that were not recordable and use them for a test print. The same can be done with printed discs that were not to your satisfaction as you can use them for test burns.)

The print quality of the Artisan 50 is outstanding. Once you get passed the initial clumsy set-up, the print quality outweighs this negative since no better alternative exists unless you revert to costly professional printers by other manufacturers.

(TIP: Most manufacturers offer refirb models available from their on-line stores. Often times these units were returned for minor problems or operator error issues. The benefit to you would be a much lower price, possible free shipping, a detailed factory inspection and full warranty.)

MSRP: $149.99 NEW • $99.95 REFIRB when available

For more information go to: http://bit.ly/9z6Ufm

GADGETEER’S RATING: ****

Bob Skidmore is a freelance writer, who may be contacted at bob.thegadgeteer.skidmore@gmail.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent, or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his points of view and not those of the manufacturer. The manufacturer generally supplies products at no cost for the articles and no other compensation is received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior ratings.

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