Belize Bite #1
I’m currently on Caye Caulker, a small bar of sand off the coast of Belize. Due to intermittent networking issues, my posts will be brief and to the point. Longer posts about my experiences in Central America will follow in a couple of weeks.
If you travel, you know that getting connected can be difficult. Whether it’s a Cyrillic keyboard or a sketchy connection, going online can be a royal pain in the arse.
An example of this is happening as I type this post. I have a tenuous WiFi connection and my MacBook will only recognize the connection when I boot it up in Windows XP. What is THAT about?
Luckily, I have a backup.
It’s a device I mentioned in an earlier post as a multi-purpose tool that helps lighten the load: The iPod Touch.
When I first saw the Touch, it was at the Apple store in Seattle. I was about to jet off to Ukraine and I was looking for something to replace my laptop as a way of getting online. Having learned my lesson the hard way, I can tell you that a roaming mobile phone is no option. I could have bought a half-dozen iPods with what I’d foolishly spent on outrageous (and often hidden) roaming fees.
When I first saw the Touch in the Apple showroom, I was impressed. Big screen. No moving parts. And lots of games with which to kill time in the airport. I was taken aback when I discovered it could connect, via WiFi, to the outside world. If an open network is nearby, the Touch gives you truly portable email and web browsing capabilities. And because it’s WiFi, it’s generally free (unless you pay to access someone’s network). No roaming fees. No surprises.
At the time, however, I was also in the market for a tool to back up memory cards from my digital camera. You could do this with earlier iPod iterations, but not very well. And, disappointingly, not with the Touch. My dream of having a media player, communicator and storage device all in one unit remained elusive. And, last spring, it was a deal breaker.
Fast forward to this Fall. I was about to embark on a journey to Central America, a place where I have no real desire to bring my laptop. Granted, I did bring it — but it will be staying in Belize as I chicken-bus it across Guatemala.
I decided to give the Touch another try. I ordered up the 16GB version from Apple’s website — and in the interest of saving a few bucks, I picked up a reconditioned unit. Same warranty, same product; lower price.
After several weeks on the road, I must say that iLove my iPod Touch. In one small and incredibly flat unit, I can carry with me thousands of music tracks, hours of films and television and some games. But most importantly, I can connect to the outside world. I can scan the web, check blogs, instant message and email to my hearts content. And it costs me NOTHING. NOTHING!!
And, it works very, very well. I can lie in bed in my Caye Caulker cabana and follow the pennant races, email my mom, post to my blog and then watch a TV show or listen to some music.
The only drawback is writing long-winded posts and emails is tiring with the touchscreen keyboard. Note to inventors: how about a wireless keyboard/cradle for the Touch?
With the exception of the aforementioned long-winded posts, my laptop has become redundant. With my Touch I can connect to the world for free. I can’t call anyone on it, but hell, that’s what my mobile phone is for. And who calls anymore, anyway?
[DCM]