Tag: USB

When you’re about to go on a holiday, do you make a list of things to pack? There are some obvious items which you’ll need – your passport, airline tickets, foreign currency – but you may want to give a little more thought to the hi-tech items which you’re putting in your luggage. These items can be the difference between an average holiday and one which will stay with you for a lifetime, but they also have a tendency to be fragile, heavy and expensive – all of which can be a problem when travelling from place to place. Here are some tips which will help you when packing your tech gear for your next vacation:

Camera
Of course, you need to document your travels. Bringing a camera is a must for any sort of vacation, but what sort of camera is best? A DSLR will give you the best quality and most features when taking photos or videos, but it’s a lot bulkier and heavier than point-and-shoot compact cameras, which can be an issue when packing your hand luggage. Portable HD video cameras are a good option for making home movies of your vacation, but their still-image quality usually isn’t especially stellar. A hybrid compact camera – which combines DSLR quality with a pocket-sized body – is probably the best option for most people. Check out cameras with Micro Four-Thirds or compact cameras like the Sony Nex5 or Lumix LX5 with interchangeable lenses. .

Laptop
No-one wants to bring work with them on a holiday, but a laptop is often an essential part of the modern traveller’s packing-list. The best laptops for travel are netbooks or other light-weight models which allow you to surf the -net and check email. Wi-Fi is a must (for connecting to free hotspots when you’re overseas), as is a reasonably large hard-drive and several USB ports so you can upload the photos you take during your trip. Laptop rental is one option which can keep you connected if you don’t own a laptop, or if you don’t want to risk carting your valuable office documents around the world. Tablet PCs or smartphones can also be portable, convenient replacements for a laptop.

Smartphone
Smaller than a laptop but powerful enough for most of your holiday needs, smartphones are rapidly becoming the technological Swiss Army Knife for travellers. When bringing your phone, however, make sure it’s compatible with the cellular network of your destination: Australian and US phones, for example, won’t usually work on the Japanese cell network. A tablet PC like the iPad 2 may provide a compromise between phone and laptop in terms of features and portability.

The most important thing when packing your tech gear is to plan ahead and be prepared: don’t bring anything too fragile, and insure the things which you do take along. Do so, and you’re set for a safe and happy holiday.

Traveling is always easier if you take as little with you as humanly possible. It’s always the intention while traveling to carry only to what is most necessary. This is not always an obtainable goal, especially when you are venturing into parts unknown. In addition to the usual essentials, a sizable map and navigational equipment become necessary.

With the unveiling of GPS technology, traveling with maps and huge navigational devices becomes unneeded; a traveler need only carry a GPS receiver. A GPS receiver determines one’s exact position on earth by deciphering the information it receives from GPS satellites. With the assistance of other electronic devices, the GPS receiver will precisely determine your correct location on a map.

For even more even more functions and ease of use, GPS receivers can be used with other mobile devices. The PDA is one of the most frequently used mobile products for this purpose. PDAs make the perfect partner to the GPS receiver because of their unique features, such as a colored screen to display maps and hard drive space for map storage. And PDAs are light compared to other mobile devices such as notebook computers.

There is a problem with using a PDA with a GPS device, however. They do not always integrate well. GPS receivers are normally connected to PDAs using a CompactFlash (CF) card or USB wires. Because some GPS receivers are quite large, attaching it to your PDA using CF can make it too large. Using the USB wires, however, can make your GPS receiver difficult to use and limit its usefulness.

So what could be the solution to this problem? A Bluetooth GPS reciver.

The Bluetooth Solution

Bluetooth wireless technology is the open standard for wireless communication. As long as the two electronic devices are with 10 meters of each other, Bluetooth technology will allow them to send and receive signals and transfer data. No wires are necessary.

Bluetooth GPS Recevier

The Bluetooth GPS receiver is simply a receiver that uses the Bluetooth technology and electronics to transmit GPS data to a mobile device. However, they must share the same technology. For example, if a Bluetooth GPS receiver will be used with a PDA, the PDA must have built-in Bluetooth technology.

The Bluetooth GPS receivers used with the Bluetooth capable PDAs offer many advantages over an ordinary GPS unit, which is connected to the PDA using CompactFlash or USB wires. These advantages include the ability to use wireless connections between the devices. Without wires to limit positioning between the Bluetooth GPS receiver and the PDA, you can place the two devices at their most advantageous locations. For example, if you are using your Bluetooth GPS receiver in your car, you can place the device where it has a clear view of the sky. Then you can place your PDA on your dashboard and have optimum screen visibility. Because the wires are not used to connect the two devices, their positioning will not hamper your driving. Also, because you won’t need to use Bluetooth’s CompactFlash slot, you can use it for other things, such as storing maps or software to optimize the GPS navigation.

Aside from these two advantages, the Bluetooth GPS receiver units have other features, although most of them are brand or unit specific. Generally, Bluetooth GPS receiver units now have pre-stored US maps, point-of-interest (POI databases and route recalculation functions.

For tips on four toed salamander and salamander habitat, visit the Pet Salamanders website.