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Trippin with my Treo 700w


Tue Aug 8, 2006 - 1:59 PM EDT - By Tim Hillebrand

Packing made easy. Well... easier

For my packing chores, I used ListPro, in which I created a checklist for computer peripherals and another list for suitcase type items.

ListPro, $29.95, [Info|Buy]

If you decide to acquire what I consider a must-have program, please be sure to download the Pocket PC version, not the Smartphone version of ListPro.

Then I made sure that I had installed the latest version of Co-Pilot Live for Pocket PCs and that it was working properly and connected to the satellites with the Bluetooth antenna that comes with it. I highly recommend Co-Pilot Live because it will alert you to road conditions ahead on a real-time basis through an Internet phone connection.

I also like this program since it comes with map data for the United States and Canada on a single 1 gb SD card. I was surprised to see that the SD card contains a mini-SD card that I can slip out and use in my i-mate Smartphone as well. With all the data on a single card, you don't have to hassle downloading map segments from a PC for each portion of your trip, which is a huge convenience.

Co-Pilot Live, Pocket PC 6 Software 1 GB SD, $299, [Info]

On this trip, I used the occasion to evaluate Co-Pilot as a nominee for Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine's software of the year awards, and I chose my 700w as the testing device. I needed a mounting system for convenient viewing in my car. When I placed the 700w in a window mount I had used previously for a Dell Axim, it worked fineuntil I hit a bump. The jaws of the mount were not deep enough to grasp the rounded, thicker body of the Treo 700w. I didn't have time to order a special mount from TreoCentral, but I certainly intend to do so before my next trip. The one I have my eye on is a Seidio Window Mount.

Seidio Window Mount, $99.95, [Info]

I needed to engineer a solution in the meantime. Co-Pilot comes with an air conditioner vent mount, but I didn't like it because it blocked the flow of air and puts the screen too far away. My solution was to use a universal magnetic window mount from Proporta and to slip a magnet inside an S700 skin case. Now my little Treo buddy was in easy reach, readily viewable, and superglued to the mount.

Proporta universal magnetic mount, $39.95, [Info]

S700 Skin Case, 19.95, [Buy]

Hittin' the road.

The drive from my home in Moscow, Idaho, to Boise, Idaho traverses rolling hill farm country and wilderness of scenic forests, rivers, and lakes. In this landscape, cell phone towers are few and far between, with long stretches of no connectivity. Sometimes the steep canyon walls block out communication with satellites, which cripple GPS navigation systems and satellite radio reception just like driving in the manmade canyons of New York City. When the satellite radio was interrupted, I just connected my Treo 700w to a VRFM9, MP3/WMA FM modulator and continued playing music over the car stereo system.

VRFM9, FM Modulator $69.95, [Info]

Because there is little space remaining on the Co-Pilot SD card for music, I slipped another SD card that I normally use in the 700w into the SD slot of the FM Modulator. I could have just as easily slipped the convertible SD/USB card into the USB port on the Modulator or alternatively connected the PPC by cable.

SanDisk Ultra II Plus USB SD Card, $79.95, [Buy]

By noon we were in Riggins, arguably the river-rafting capital of the world, situated on the Salmon RiverThe River of No Return. I thought it would be nice to have lunch at the new Best Western Hotel beautifully situated on the confluence of the Big and Little Salmon Rivers. To my shock and amazement they had free high-speed Internet in this remote outpost, but, alas, no restaurant.

The manager invited us to bring our own food to enjoy along with Internet access on the terrace overlooking the rivers. We took advantage of the free Internet connection to make some VoIP calls because there was no cell phone reception and had not been any since leaving Lewiston a couple of hours back.

Next Page: VoIP >>

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