Reviews — Category

Reviews of products or books relating to traveling with technology.

Here was my mission: I was looking for something so I could go hiking or walking along the beach. But I want to have my camera with me, but when I go swimming (or something where I need to put my back down) I don’t want to leave my stuff unattended.

So what I had in mind was a smaller version of a military duffle bag (that really thick/tough canvas material) that you could somehow clasp at the top and lock it to a tree. Yeah, someone could cut through it, but they couldn’t just grab it and run (and they’d have to work at it).

What I found was the PacSafe DaySafe 100 Security Backpack, it’s way better than what I was looking for, it’s two (2) things in one.
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So I’ve always liked Skype it’s a great backup for my cell phone and it’s great for calling home when I’m on vacation but you’ve got to have a computer of some sort to use it. At 2.1 cents per minute, it’s hard to beat the price to call the US (as long as you’ve got a semi-decent internet connection). Although, some internet cafes have it all set up already, one internet cafe in Egypt had it installed with a microphone, I just stopped to check my mail but I got on Skype, made a call or two (for 2.1 cents a minute) and I was done!

Not that I always talk a lot when I travel (I do when I travel alone) but I always feel like I’m being initiated when trying to figure out long distance calling when in a foreign country. They only charge 2.1 cents to US phones, other countries have different rates. Note that the charges are just to phones, if you call someone else’s computer who us using Skype it’s free!

Now if you’re paying for the internet it’s costing you a little more, but it’s still probably cheaper than using a phone. If you’ve got free internet in your room or somewhere, you’re all set. If you’ve got to haul your laptop down to a cafe or something it gets inconvenient, you’ll probably want a headset with microphone for some privacy. Keep in mind some places might not like you using up their bandwidth for a phone call, so be discrete.The goofy^* thing is that it’s 2.1 cents to call the US wherever I am, from next door, Egypt or Costa Rica it’s all 2.1 cents! But with the same reasoning it’s 6.4 cents to call Costa Rica, that’s if I’m here in Michigan or down there. Of course if I’m calling someone else’s Skype computer it’s free from anywhere to anywhere.It’s always confusing to use the pay phones, and they really get you when you use a hotel room for long distance (sometimes even if you use a calling card).
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