11 minute read
Planning is key to a travelling home office
arch
n e!ot
:hough rc:casing This doesn't :-!cm in this
- a course to . v.here it is cn the journey. ThcketPC chimes. telling our s a "right turn r• 1:- . are seems to take into of road and speed tray, highway. it gives about 15 advanced warning before a fT-ramp. while on sur_'...as less advanced warn e things confusing. correct turn, the 7." ng our explorer - :a correct route and journey - each chime is like a L7.7. t : : done. Our explorer's mouth almost waters like one of
Pas lov's dogs.
However, for those that see in-car GPS as the solution to the unscheduled map checking stops. don't be too hasty. After finding out that one of the roads our explorer needed to get to the falls was closed because of spring flooding, a new course had to be plotted, detouring around the closed road. After looking at the map on -screen and deciding on another plan of attack, the PocketPC attached to the GPS unit keeps chastising our explorer for going 'off route." Once an alternate route was discovered. it was simply a matter of driving off course then pressing the action button on the PocketPC to re-route to the destination according to the current position.
On the train, the iSun Sport sat in the window to catch the sun and charge the batteries in the BattPak that connects to the back of the iSun solar panel. The batteries have been mostly charged in • the sun beforehand, and this is just the final step; iSun says the batteries, up to ten of them in the BattPak at a time, will be fully charged by the solar panel in seven hours of bright sunlight. The solar panels aren't practical for charging the devices that are along for the ride; they can't produce a strong enough or steady enough current for that. However, once the batteries have been charged up using the sun's power, users can connect to the BattPack and use the stored energy to charge devices.
In the car, the BattPak connects to the Stylus 300 to charge it on the way. The lighter socket is taken up to power the GPS receiver, which is stuck in the upper right hand side of the windshield, dangling wires across the interior of the car.
Carrying the BattPak and solar panels adds considerable weight to a backpack, and is impractical for true wilderness hiking or canoeing where every grant of pack weight is scrutinized. But for a short camping trip where gear weight isn't too big a consideration, the solar solution can work well; batteries can be charged during the day and devices charged up by night. The voltage is controlled by how many batteries arc present in the BattPak when the leads are hooked up for charging; each AA battery represents 1.5 volts, so if a camera requires six volts to charge, users can put four batteries in the unit, hook up with the included cables and charge any device using the stored energy of the sun.
The Stylus 300 turned out to be the right choice. as it is an all weather digital camera with everything sealed tightly inside a small and sturdy case; Olympus says the camera can deal with a bit of moisture without any negative effects. It's not waterproof by any means, but can deal with snapping pictures in the min or, in this case, at the base of a waterfall where the water hitting rocks leaves a heavy mist in the air. The Stylus 300 captured pictures where our explorer would have been very nervous taking most other digital cameras.
At the end of the day, our explorer, feeling much less Intrepid (after all, this was only an afternoon trip) is pleasantly surprised by how well all the devices worked in conjunction with each other. There were naturally a few snags along the way, mostly from poor planning; for instance, the camera didn't have time to fully charge along the way, as it was only hooked up to the BattPak for about an hour before being used. The camera ran out of juice about halfway through the trip, but was returned to the backpack to charge up for another hour, which allowed for about 15 more exposures. Also, the aforementioned road closure and just plain human error factored in to the trip. All things considered, our explorer and his compliment of high tech devices fared well In the carefully scripted, well maintained but still beautiful "wilderness."
Next time perhaps, a true wilderness trial by fire for the high-tech hiker. •
T:416-4921600 t ToRcerro 3 7.560 Victoria Park m .....„ 2000 COMPIUTF!=20 .WWVV.NOTEBOOKOUTLET.CA 4 3 0 0 Sloolos 1•118 AT. 1 coma M A o . R . K c i r i c A r a l t i -,-%:..t. 4Holm, Axe pacific, patE 211 111111_4vv OFFICE HOUR17 1D1A- ilY S g Finch Ave O"; SAY:1 2-6 T:905-4151182 X itiiiii-riv. P4 P4 P4 DESCNOTE!!
TOSHBA FORME 32XT Smiler 1914/ 3E99 ACERIRAVELMATE7704C 1 2 0 1 4 9 MN TH1NKPAD A31 F u y a NNW [ , 2 . . . . . , . . . , ,Th.i. F 4 u i sgmEZIA3ncosOvOCCOTri C01430FLOPPorax NTEL 1,1 1 SCHDIZEMROGIATC0154KAAW14 1' T P R O
$899
INTEL P4 1.8GHZ -.6..o446 Dar RAU ."
PadElt.
1.1..:12.!: s-a ex- . :709;s was 14.1' - $ 1 2 9 9
1-61./DDi A929 , 5 1 8 9 , 3 IBII THINKPAD 723 3YW MG XPIO:c. TOSHBASATEUTTE2250 w o r m NI 1 13DIVITSXU1/30CAW0/56FAX/IMARELESS LAR/14$281LIFT" Inas Lop izau -:/3 i--a-:-.-a, to= Pa ocoa....Z.SaFA,,,-,o-OPPr&a/A/12$ ,1.439.rFTPSC*12.-04VAI9,,R5°5GC.E.M5W.4"MELE"'"T"'$239`Pl IBM NINKAAD 931 .....,,, k:,7.,E, . : J., •A •• Tr . SONY GR2530 F 1 ON 6GHZ0561A0130VCOMN56KAAW15. TFT NAN XP PRO 4c....Se 29 -..., c .- ,../191 RRE WRE T°Sligtikh-Es p„.„..,PaRTEGEz,m6716::ma.,,10,,,,,,„ov,,,,,.3,15e9rn Pa 2 4yalvvoth TIP.W3fleuv200 49CCRWCCMBOWA/Nt15. ITT ven FUJITSU UFEBOOK S2010 $ 1 0 9 9 TOSHBASAT13111E 1300 $ 1 0 9 3 Pa itaimosiscosoammoBIJATIERDCAUWIS• AVOW 000 25010,30GOVDCORN COMOWAINI13$71Frill" ..,- Pa r634-Zra•r-ap,.FLOP7W,cl.e44 V 'Mr SONY MO GRX500 1617E1 $2999 FUJITSU UFEBOOK P1032 TOUCHSCREEN $1399 1.. INTEL P4 2.4GHZ TDS213A WELLMAN PRO s i m er2r4u I EGOS1216432KROCCPWSIVANin6 f 7FTNAI /PRO CURSOETOOLIHZ/12/341120GISOLLAN/9 911MXGA TFT .7- Pi, MP ZA21415171671.141.AAAAS• DT COMPAQ EVO K200C $ 1 7 9 9 FUJITSU LIFE BOOK P2040...c' 512...e coo RAN ir.r.,, nre. Os 7094-0192143203/3594/4612111FINM1X CRUSOE aD01410123,148/20GOVOCDRW/USB EXT FLOPPY 825" TOSHEIA TECRA Ilia V W m e g SOLLAILFIREWIRE 1394/10 611/SXGA WIMIN XP HOME - OW-CDPMCC44M0/ LI. T 7, XAI E., .7, pa Atucimarzol.fialArArT,1 View COMPAQ EVO NECOC V W ,MILPSE43801251.6t1W812MCDELCPPY150,AIJIA4 1' TFI FUJITSU C2210 1 U M W , ' SCF4AIA ,XCED II 1 ":„..rxr . " ',, ....: GC .AC.St /' . . x : CCM 2..E.SAt CAIT,1-1 394 r %_I::= TELMA TECRATeGC03 3119 S 3 8 9 COPPAO EVO NCO T/7.4-.4413A SATELLITE MOO a m FP 01,1KBOOK 013500 m g ...-vose 231.7,StIiMMN.C....ESINr.4 r7FT PT TIANI11-0.M581971A11112 1. TFUNNW. $1699 P4 2 OG/256MBOOG/DVOCDRW/5610LAN/151TFT $2199 P4 141 &NZ/ Z.DADOCGAXIIICCPW GOIABOF.CA1AR/WWIFT" FUJITSU UFEBOOK E2010 .7.ftp, $1499 - --_ rmx 1 i 10.2,Erympapa calowannrin TC:HIBA SATELLITE PPD AITO 0 9 9 NTEL PJ falAILDWEAOGEACK 'LW HP OMMBOOK 6100 T M 12 VDU/1112X FUJITSU UFEBOOK P21209 CORW/USBEXT FLOPPY $ 1 0 g 9 CRUSOE 913611INSCM13/3064)V0%MAWR REW RE 1399106' WSXGA TFT -'r.-1 1"Vi-4LEar;"'"M""""" ;:;,U ,P' ?Allif:Surffi4M.FLcmffjAAW141""! FUJITSU UFEBOOKC2210A DVD BURNER 92699 12619 L A P T O P REPAIR & SERVICE TOSHIBA SATELLITE 19:65301 $ 2 5 9 9 HP 0112680011XEI203 3 Y W u m INTEL P4 IA I 7GRZ/256 DOR/3000VORWCORWCO61BOI •.-E.. F4 20-P2021.4.447. stc.coPA9.,AANns • DT 'GEL P4111 6D0259.1150MEADVAUJI141•TFTAYNP F00 FLOPPY/WON/14 1' TFT/FIREW RE/VAN XP HORENS82 0 KM VMJAMT C31I) $ 2 3 9 9 PJ Mb, 211ZAPJ172.7.1:::,g-if,Y./1.1:.,13?" TFT ;17,I44AVV613"8"r4"'"7"PWC°"8°V*4 11n9 UP PA111931135170BATTERY HD MEMORY UPGRADE 44. FUJITSU UFEBOOK S6110 "UA 511-n 'WEE ES6 1AI VFIREVIIRE/1 3 2' TFT/ VON 3P 1100/$26E99 P111 1.1 1 2GHZ/256MEV30C4030-CORW5OVUU1 ----se ADVANCEFlee BEST BUY SPECIAL DEAL SCl/8/11 Flee SUPEn FAST Flee 21 CENTURY .4 2 4GHZ Prr•er ezt Intel P4 2.53GHZ Intel P4 1.8GHZ (nor CELF_ROM 2.11,70 GDR PAM K.,-21w $3909 PgwirinterAIVID vela 256MB XP 2200+ PC-2100 DDRRAM Printer Intel P4 2.66GHZ (5 33MHZ,4XUSB 2.01 im6....112,.x.,E,Sac,35pTIZP 4 /AM11;t221000, 122311B r.OPRAM PC133 BOO HD 7200RPM 5 12MB DDR RAM V/IP E E,S KEYBOARD21,08 HD i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 !A/C0 ROM 40X10X48 CDR-WRITER gramm" 1 2 0 0 ND ATA133 VC: HD ATA1 33 ATI /1,6)USE 2.214 Ex AO P 2 4 0 0 d p 1 10XDVD ROM PLAYER 240041 52X12X08CDR•WRITER 40,413,(48 CDR-WR1TF-R VIDEOCAPD I 1 . 4 4 FLOPPY 10X DVD ROMPLAYER
16ZDVD ROM PLAYER 11011111TER0RAIED O E F O R C E $4999'") 21 CRT 4 MX440 17" 1.41 FLOPPY
1 44 FLOPP 144 FLOPPY 6 4 1 4 0 /10111 OR VIDEOCARD LCD All RADEON 9100 120010 43122900 4:( AOP VIDEO TAY. MODEM 1 8 1 3 1 7 417! 1 51011/.1 CAMERA 1 620 1 110 3D PCI SOUND DISPLAY DDR VIDEO CARD/TV OUT 104311' 20 PCi -moo LAN 5 0 K Fla..3 RAM V.00 MODEM HIBIT 30 PCI SOUND Included SAY V.90 MODEM 101100 PCI ETHERNET P 4 ATX CALE/306 h 1BB1T SOUND PIKER CASE/300W WINDOWS KB I n c l u d e d Ekx14-In fA0/0.0 $3999 10/100 PCI ETHERNET ATX 300W CASE WINDOWS KW .111112L. Included 5 0 K V.D0 MODEM loilooPCI ETHERNET P4 ATX 300W CASE
V1140011: V EIIIAStr..E 60171/ :-.1J0WOOF Er, 499 01 nniff Wndovosn' 211 (MR t, gfiN') WHEEL MOUSE 000W SUBWOOFER INTERNET KB/ MOUSE icsoow SUESWOOF Eli499
10 MO 1110 COMPUlTS1 10111 11101 ,,,,..1.tompulet.com
I4y MARA GULENS your ramblings? If you plan to take the global citizen
London? (long Kong? Sydney? thing one step further, and will set up heading overseas used to be so easy. All your actual home office in a foreign you needed was a passport, travellers' locale, read on. There's loads of precheques and a map. Everything else lay departure prep involved in making a in the thrill of Just being there. hassle-free transition from home
These days travel, Just office to home like being at home, has office-away-fromgotten a hit more com- home. Follow these plex. Besides dealing basic guidelines. with exit and entrance worries In a post gill, Computer • SARS world, the least Since you have .1 you'll want is access to limited baggage your e-mall. And you allowance, you'll may require a cell most likely decide to phone. Oh, and how travel with a lapabout an electronic r Jtop. If you usudevice to record ally use a desktop, make sure all those important files and applications are transferred and have a trial run before you go to make sure everything is working properly. To minimize the calamity in case your laptop is stolen, install encryption software to protect its contentsBack-up regularly so that if you do lose your laptop, you still have access
I What's packed
Fur home adwfr,' the lollowrz:: • , • • .the success of her overseas conneavti later issue
Computer: Apple book Printer. HP Deskjet 450 mobile printer In(ernrrt Cornedion: DSL account web' • rr r.: 'e Sympatico &met er,7 F rlo's Sorry Encsson 7 - • — -
Canon Po,serS!--.!
I Fetching calls overseas
to your intellectual property. One option
is to bring along a bard drive backup. that you can store safely at a friend's place or consider automatic file back-
ups. offered by the likes of www.backup.com and vemvunacconL
Make sure you have all the right cables and plugs. Better yet. consider going wireless (stringing wires through a temporary office space in r. country could prose a bit Many cen:Fl!ers are 71:1,1
OEP PR-) V - v-v- pia c. 10
Mete is SOver on black • Contrast Ratio 400:1 20 degree Viewing angle
axtor
40 Gb ( 7200 rpm 12M $.8 80 Gb ( 7200 rpm ) 2M $
WD 8N1 Cache
40 Gb ( 7200 rpm )8M S 80 Gb 17200 rpm IBM -"$
9
Wireless Router • & PCMCIA Comb
• 802.116 compliant • 11Mbps • 1000 toot
Bu(11-in Print Sonar
1V1011101'y 512Mb CDR 333 PC.2700 78 ' 256Mb DDR 333 PC.2700 $ 39 5I2Mb SCR PC•133 $ 89 256Mb SCR PC-133 $ 49 Notobool. 256Mb 1 144 pin 1 $ 89 NolobooS 121381b 1 144-pin 1 $ 69 0 0 06GHZ Hyper-Threadinq
THE New Mini
Perms 4 CPU=ppm • beg 1145GE Clopset • Swim 13011333 up ft 264 '1.687_11 Pot • isi • 1394 EEE 43.14194 • See-11•440 Sole Pa, Custom Build Your Mimi Today .! Starting from -$599
ECS Desiomat /13417
Powered by
