# consolidation of technology for trip any suggestions



## Teddie2 (Sep 22, 2011)

ok rick steves says pack light pack light....well in these days of high tech  i have my droid phone, my kindle, my netbook, my gps my ipod ...and all the chargers oh right and of course my camera..all that alone can take up half of one small suitcase...how does one consolidate. Has anyone had success getting most of this in one or two gadgets that work successfully.. I was told you could use kindle to surf the web or a tablet to read books but neither does very well the other...
My phone can do gps but not as well as my gps... that sort of thing...just wondered what other techies have experienced.. for europe


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## DeniseM (Sep 22, 2011)

Teddie - do you have a typo in your title?  You can click on Edit and then Advance to correct it.


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## klpca (Sep 22, 2011)

Ipad = Ipod/netbook when we travel.

Cell (ours is a Nokia) - my husbands's phone is compatible in Europe and comes with GPS so we just used that for both. It worked very good for both functions and fits in his pocket. 

Cameras - used his cellphone in lieu of a point & shoot (Nokia does put awesome camera's on their phones). I lugged a dslr around by choice.

The kindle was left at home this time.

I use a large ziplock bag to carry all of the chargers/cables.


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## Pompey Family (Sep 23, 2011)

You could try some of the Archos range of tablets.  I have one which connects to the internet, has some useful apps, has GPS capability, acts as an e-reader and with the help of an additional bit of kit I can connect mine to a TV.  I store loads of films for the kids on it and then plug it into the TV either via HDMI or the more traditional composite/svideo.  It's not 3G compatible however you can tether it to your mobile phone and connect to the internet whilst you're out and about and through wi-fi when available.


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## x3 skier (Sep 23, 2011)

I take my iPad, unlocked Android smart phone and a point and shoot.

 There are these amazing things called maps and paperback books that one can buy anywhere.  

In fact all one really might need is a point and shoot since with the maps, books and Internet cafes, plus a couple of spare memory cards and a cheap PAYG cell phone ( or even a phone card) life could almost be like the 70's. 

Take what you only really need and leave the rest at home. 

Cheers


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## persia (Sep 23, 2011)

You need to keep the level of technology consistent with the level of travel you do. A jailbroken iPhone can be a map, a light, an MP3 player, a phone (buy a cheap local SIM card and turn off data), a quick shot camera and a book all in one.


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## Laurie (Sep 23, 2011)

x3 skier said:


> I take my iPad, unlocked Android smart phone and a point and shoot.


What exactly is an unlocked Android smart phone? 

Time for us to figure all this out for travel next month...


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## persia (Sep 23, 2011)

I think they mean carrier unlocked.  That means you can pop your mobile phone company's SIM card out and put a cheap local SIM card it.  If a phone is locked to your carrier it won't recognise other company's SIM cards and you'll be stuck with whatever roaming plan your company has...



Laurie said:


> What exactly is an unlocked Android smart phone?
> 
> Time for us to figure all this out for travel next month...


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## Laurie (Sep 24, 2011)

OK, thanks - so, we'll go speak to Verizon I guess, to see whether/how we can unlock our droids. Or, who should we ask?

Thanks to Carol C, looking at Cellular Abroad thru National Geo at their SIM cards for Italy. (This is all new to me, we struggled thru our last trip to Europe w/o phones, but we sure needed them time to time and don't want to do that again. We travel w/a netbook and used Skype periodically but that wasn't adequate.)

My question is: is there a way to use the Android for all 3 primary things we do here:

phone
internet everywhere thru PdaNet
GPS

Thanks again!


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## x3 skier (Sep 24, 2011)

Laurie said:


> OK, thanks - so, we'll go speak to Verizon I guess, to see whether/how we can unlock our droids. Or, who should we ask?
> 
> Thanks to Carol C, looking at Cellular Abroad thru National Geo at their SIM cards for Italy. (This is all new to me, we struggled thru our last trip to Europe w/o phones, but we sure needed them time to time and don't want to do that again. We travel w/a netbook and used Skype periodically but that wasn't adequate.)
> 
> ...



Ask Verizon. Most cell companies will unlock the phone for free if you have been on a phone contract for 6 months or more. You can also buy an unlock code on the internet or independent phone stores.

If you can get it unlocked and get a local SIM in Italy with a data plan, it will be fine and you will not have to deal with Verizon (after unlocking) or PDANet.

My unlocked Moto XT720 can be all the things you mention as well as Skype for calls back to the states if I want to use a free wifi location and I don't want a data plan.

The basic options for phone use in Europe is to a) buy a Pay as you go phone in the country you are in, b) get your phone unlocked or buy a quad band phone on eBay and get a local SIM (my primary choice and usually the cheapest route) c) buy or rent a "Global Phone" from from Nat Geo or Telestial or other vendors (usually the most expensive route).

If you really need a GPS and remember, maps were good enough from the 1600's to the 1970's to navigate, then either take a dedicated GPS or get a data plan for your GPS equipped phone. 

Cheers


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## Teddie2 (Sep 25, 2011)

"buy a quad band phone on eBay and get a local SIM (my primary choice and usually the cheapest route"

What is a quad band phone?  Who becomes the carrier in this case?  Basically where would my bill be coming from and how would I know charges?

"If you really need a GPS and remember, maps were good enough from the 1600's to the 1970's to navigate, then either take a dedicated GPS or get a data plan for your GPS equipped phone."

The GPS has saved mmy H and Ifrom many an argument!  I know I can use a map but the GPS has so many advantages in a strange place... I have navigation on my android but was concerned about the roaming charges --I will have to inquire... I have verizon


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## Teddie2 (Sep 25, 2011)

"Archos range of tablets. I have one which connects to the internet, has some useful apps, has GPS capability, acts as an e-reader and with the help of an additional bit of kit I can connect mine to a TV"

I started to look at them  which one do you have as they seem pretty reasonable

Did you ever use it as a GPS?.


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## Pompey Family (Sep 25, 2011)

I have an Archos 5.  I haven't used it for GPS as the software was an additional expense.  As I have a GPS covering Europe then I didn't see the need.  I found the most useful aspect of it was the ability to store several GB's of films on it and play them through the TV and the kids can play Angry Birds!  If you have children then they're a good little investment.  For internet use however I prefer to take my little netbook but I do feel an insatiable need to keep on top of news and current affairs so if your internet usage is not going to be much then the Archos will do fine.


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## Teddie2 (Sep 25, 2011)

Pompey Family said:


> I have an Archos 5.  I haven't used it for GPS as the software was an additional expense.  As I have a GPS covering Europe then I didn't see the need.  I found the most useful aspect of it was the ability to store several GB's of films on it and play them through the TV and the kids can play Angry Birds!  If you have children then they're a good little investment.  For internet use however I prefer to take my little netbook but I do feel an insatiable need to keep on top of news and current affairs so if your internet usage is not going to be much then the Archos will do fine.



Sorry i don't understand why you would not just use the Archos for internet?
We do not have kids... we will use internet  --email and info on places--times for things etc..it will cut down on the guide books for some info
I have a droid and will check into getting it unlocked and look into sim cards
we have a gps and will have to buy maps for europe 99.00  
Just considering all of our options.. 
What about books did you download books on your archos and are they easy to read---I do not want to bring any books.. they add weight and space
Back to rick steves in pack light!!


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## x3 skier (Sep 25, 2011)

Teddie2 said:


> "buy a quad band phone on eBay and get a local SIM (my primary choice and usually the cheapest route"
> 
> What is a quad band phone?  Who becomes the carrier in this case?  Basically where would my bill be coming from and how would I know charges?



Trying to keep it simple, The phone systems in the USA operate on two types of transmissions, CDMA and Global System for Mobile or GSM. Europe operates on GSM but at two different frequencies than the USA. Version operates on CDMA so unless your phone works on GSM AND CDMA, it will be useless in Europe. You need to ask them.

A Quad Band Phone covers both the USA and Europe GSM Frequencies. If you get one from eBay or a local provider in Europe you can get a SIM on what is known as Pay As You Go or PAYG in Europe. Basically it is a prepaid phone so there is no billing and you can choose whoever you want as the carrier when you buy the phone. No bills and there is generally a free call to find out how much time you have left. You can also "top up" the phone with more minutes on the phone or via the internet.

If your phone is a GSM model and has GPS capability, you can also buy a SIM with both a calling and a data plan in Europe.


Cheers


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## loafingcactus (Sep 25, 2011)

I took my Verizon phone and just never turned it on.  If it were really an emergency, I can pay the crazy cost.  And then an iPad.  Not only does an iPad get rid of most of your other electronics, it gets rid of most of your other entertainment and reference poundage in the form of books.  Most of my travel didn't involve a car, but where it did I rented a car with a gps in it.


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## Pompey Family (Sep 26, 2011)

Teddie2 said:


> Sorry i don't understand why you would not just use the Archos for internet?
> We do not have kids... we will use internet  --email and info on places--times for things etc..it will cut down on the guide books for some info
> I have a droid and will check into getting it unlocked and look into sim cards
> we have a gps and will have to buy maps for europe 99.00
> ...



Typing mainly.  I find it difficult to type on a screen and the response is not particularly fast, you tend to press one button at a time whilst at least with a keyboard I can touch type relatively fast.  

As regards to use as an e-reader I found it to be fine.  The screen is smaller than a Kindle although the later Archos 7 models are larger and are probably equal in size to a Kindle.  The only issue would be reading around the pool, at least with a book you can put it down and go for a swim without worrying about anyone stealing it.


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