Traveling with technology

I have been in a position where I have had to travel quite a bit for business over the past number of years, and on a recent trip to Hong Kong it really struck me how much easier that travel has become thanks to some great new software. Technology has always played a key role in helping to stay connected while traveling, but it has never been as easy (or as cheap) as it is today thanks to some great free software, a Windows Mobile device, and the rampant availability of Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere you go. Here is a quick tour through the free software that helped make my last trip feel like I was never really that far from home.

Emoze- www.emoze.com - the newest of the freeware applications I am going to discuss, Emoze helps you to stay connected to your inbox through your Windows Mobile device. Now there are many options for how you may configure your device to receive your email. If you have access to Microsoft Exchange server that is probably the preferable option, but there are many of us who do not. You could also configure your device to run your pop3 or imap account, although each of those options has their own issues and limitations as well. Emoze is a fantastic option for those looking to maintain a reliable, direct connection back to their inbox. The best part of emoze is that it provides true “push” email, which the other options do not. This means that you no longer have to keep “syncing” your email waiting for your important messages to show up. When the email hits your inbox it is automatically “pushed” to your device, so you know that at any given time your device is completely up to date. There are multiple options on how to configure emoze, and dependant on your situation your computer may have to be left on with the emoze software running. Also, you are able to configure all the settings on what exactly to download similar to what you are able to do directly in activesync. Some other great benefits are the ability to sync additional items such as tasks and notes, as well as specify any additional email folders you want synchronized. Having emoze running on my device while traveling had me connected to my desktop as if my device was sitting in its cradle back at home.

Orb- www.orb.com-  A real issue I have had when traveling overseas is the extremely limited access to English speaking television. I am never more current on world events as I am while traveling overseas, largely because I am usually only watching CNN.  All that has now changed thanks to Orb, a service that will stream your home TV to either your desktop PC, or your Windows Mobile device.
           

Some of you may be familiar with a device that performs a similar function called the Slingbox. While I have read many positive reviews on the Slingbox, the big difference with Orb is that no separate hardware is required. All you need is a TV tuner card with a TV feed into your PC, and you can access the content from that feed anywhere you have a high speed internet connection.
           

Now I am more than a bit of a sports fan, and usually while I am traveling the only highlights I get to see are the ones involving soccer or cricket. Not that there is anything wrong with those sports, but I like to stay up to speed with the more traditional North American sports as well. One morning I arrived at my convention a little early, and since it had not yet opened, I had some time to kill. Since there was free wi-fi available, I grabbed a coffee, took out my Ipaq 4700 and watched a live feed of Sportscenter while I waited for the convention to open. I also managed to watch a live hockey game while I was killing some time the next morning as well. To think that I was able to watch a live broadcast of an NHL hockey game while sitting in my hotel room in Hong Kong, is something that would have been completely unfathomable a couple of years ago.
           

In addition to the live TV feed that I mentioned above, Orb also gives you access to the other media on your home computer as well. You can access your photos, video and music from Orb, although I truly believe that live TV streaming is what makes this a killer application.

Skype- www.skype- by now everyone has heard of, and probably used Skype at some point. With good reason, as I believe this may very well be the best free software ever released. When I think back a couple of years ago, my communication home was entirely made up of expensive hotel long distance calls, with poor quality connections. It is amazing to me that this has been replaced with completely free Skype calling, with superior voice quality. In addition to the obvious benefits from Skype, it helped me out on this trip in a couple of other ways as well.
           

Anyone who has traveled overseas knows that unless you have the latest and greatest quad-band GSM phone it is highly unlikely that your cell phone will work while overseas. Of course there are people looking to capitalize on this, with hotels renting cell phones at unreal prices, or you could always buy a new phone and sim card at a fairly hefty price. Neither of these really seems worth it for me as I do not need it that often, although it is nice to have. Since the 2 places I was spending all my time on this trip were offering free wi-fi, I had the idea of trying to use my Ipaq 4700 running Skype as a mobile phone.  To do this you simply make sure that your device is on and running Skype while connected to the internet. You will also want to go into the Skype application and under tools/ options check the box marked “prevent device standby mode when online”. This will ensure your device stays on to receive or make your calls. In order to call landline numbers you will need to buy Skypeout credits, but they are ridiculously cheap. I believe for the four phone calls I made (one of which was back to North America) it cost a total of about .75 cents.  While obviously not a complete replacement for a mobile phone, it was a solution that worked well for me at a price that could not be beat.
           

The other addition with Skype 2.0 for desktop is the addition of video calling.  While not yet available on Windows Mobile devices, it was a lifesaver for me on this trip. For some reason my 3 yr old son Jordon is a little afraid of the telephone, but when he can see you he has no problem talking. I was able to pack my travel webcam, and have a conversation with Jordan over a Skype video call, which I know he also really enjoyed. It always makes it a little easier to travel when you can stay in touch with the family that way, and it helped to make the trip just a little bit shorter

The applications that I have run through above are some of the most useful applications available to anyone who is looking to stay connected while traveling either for business or for pleasure. The most amazing part of all these applications is the fact that each one of them is entirely free. If you are someone who travels regularly, and has a Windows Mobile device, be sure to check them out as they may be able to help you stay connected while on the move.