We travelled light. One 22-inch suitcase per person + 1 carry-on bag. But we were sufficiently equipped in terms of technology. There were a couple of things that really stood out as stars:
Nokia N8 – Navigation and Photography
I can’t imagine how travelers managed before the advent of GPS. Actually, I know: it involves lots of arguments and bickering between the folks in the front seat. Maps data is stored within the device in Nokia Maps on the N8. That saves you from AT&T’s fees for international data roaming that are so high they’re nearly criminal, as well as the problem that you might not always have coverage in the countryside. As long as you take care to download the regional maps over WiFi beforehand, you’ll have a detailed map in your pocket at all times, even for simple questions like which direction to walk when you emerge from a subway. N8’s navigation became indispensable on a nearly hourly basis.
Where the hell is that Metro station? My feet are tired.
The N8 has an excellent 12MP camera. Better than many dedicated snapshot cameras in borderline situations like low-light. When going out to dinner, I didn’t always want to carry a big DSLR camera and look like a tourist. N8 was better than simply being a backup camera–it might be my primary camera on my next trip.
I don’t advise using the Ovi PC software to synch and store photos on a laptop though. Ovi Desktop software is absolutely atrocious. It runs slowly, and brings a well spec’d Thinkpad X301 to it’s knees. Simply connect N8 via USB as a USB mass storage device to your PC or Mac, and use the built-in software to sync your photos.
Several of these blog entries were drafted on WordPress for Nokia on the N8. For a short entry, it’s not too difficult. But perhaps the most dramatic weak spot on the N8 is the virtual keyboard. The on-screen keyboard on the Nokia N8 is a nightmare to type on. In fact, in light of the competition, it is almost inexcusable that this virtual keyboard software was allowed to ship. I should note that I am using the original Symbian 3 software (that is, prior to the version called Anna). Anna has just been released in certain countries and I am anxiously awaiting its availability in the US so I can upgrade. I really hope that they’ve finally fixed the keyboard system. So much of the other software on the N8 is actually quite good. It’s too bad that the implementation of the keyboard ruins the overall experience of using this otherwise superb device.
Ford C-Max
It’s a sort of small mini-van, or, as they are called in Europe, a “people carrier.” But, even if it isn’t the most beautiful car on the outside, the detail and thought that went into the interior design made it a delight for travelling. It has a total of seven seats. Even the third row seats are full size, to handle an adult. The middle row can seat three, and has a clever mechanism to hide the middle seat under the right side seat. When the middle seat is deployed, there’s a large secret space under the right seat to secure and hide valuables. With 5 suitcases, 5 (large) carry-on bags, and all the various provisions you collect when you are staying in Gîtes (weekly rental houses) this car has an amazing amount of cargo capacity.
Cornering, at speed, through a traffic roundabout was not too impressive. The car leaned a bit too much through high speed turns and if the luggage wasn’t secured, might tumble onto the unsuspecting rear passenger. (Isn’t that right kids?). I suppose I could’ve slowed down more around turns and roundabouts, but, let’s be practical.
Mileage on the C-Max was unbelievable. We had many long days of driving, yet seemed to rarely need to fill up. The tech specs claim mileage 6.6 liters per 100Km in our 1.6 liter diesel model. That figure is totally meaningless to me, but I calculate it as 36 MPG which seems incredibly low compared to our experience. It felt more like 40-50 MPG, even fully loaded, doing day long drives at 75+ MPH.
I’ve read that Ford is bringing the C-Max to the USA, in a hybrid model next year. It should be a winner.
The only thing we struggled with was where to put the N8 so that the screen was visible while navigating. The N8 speaks out turn by turn directions, but that often isn’t enough information, and it’s helpful to see the screen to prepare for the next turn. I rigged up a way to hold the N8 in place with Blu-Tac and lids from applesauce containers:
Other gear
We could have used some more computing resources. We had one Lenovo Thinkpad X301 and one iPad to share between 5 people. Everyone also had their phones: 2 iPhone 4’s, 1 iPhone 3GS, the Nokia N8, two Nokia N900’s and a Nokia X3 Touch and Type. All of these devices were WiFi equipped, but, for practical purposes (or impractical ones, like accessing Facebook) the Nokia devices with their substandard browsers were just not well suited. And, the 3GS seems to run just a bit too slow to have a long, interactive session on Facebook chat without developing a stress headache.
Whenever we’d arrive at a hotel with WiFi, an argument would break out over who got to use the laptop next. The Thinkpad was still the preferred method of access for the kids (and Dad) over the iPad. We’re all fairly fast typists, and we all had a lot to say. iPads are nice for surfing and reading, but for more active communicating and writing–a real keyboard is essential.
- Windows Live Writer – a simple but sophisticated blog editing client that works nicely with wordpress.com. Much better and easier to work with than MarsEdit, which I am using right now. I’m still getting used to it.
- Two-stage corkscrew – with a typical lever-style corkscrew, the problem is to penetrate the cork deeply enough to avoid breaking it when pulling, but shallow enough so that the hinged-support end can land properly on the lip of the bottle. With two-stages, you can go all-the-way with the cork, get initial leverage, and when the cork is halfway out, go to the second stage on the “support” end.
- Lululemon Cruiser Backpack – a pocket for everything and everything in its color-coded pocket. The only pocket I didn’t use was the external yoga mat holder. We tried mat-less yoga one day, just on the carpeting, but that’s kinda painful. Traveling with a yoga mat violates my minimalist packing ethic. Still trying to think of a solution to that problem.
- Google Maps – unfortunately searching on Nokia Maps is, for all intents and purposes, non-functional. Search only seems to work if you have a precise address and the exact spelling, or the exact spelling of a well-known business. Google Maps on either iPhone or N8 came through pretty well when we needed to find something.
- Lenovo Thinkpad X301 – super lightweight, but still has a DVD drive and really good speakers. A good set of speakers is important when you’re not traveling alone. We could really crank up LMFAO or Loona’s Vamos a la Playa. (remember, I’m traveling with teenagers)
Next Time Next time around, all of the kids will likely have iPhones, and this will reduce the fighting over the laptop. Pretty much all the Facebooking, Skyping, browsing, blogging and picture editing can be done on an iPhone over WiFi. iPhone navigation with Google maps while travelling overseas would be totally infeasible. Maybe we’ll find some kind of locally stored mapping that runs on an iPad. That would be awesome. There’s no way I could go back to paper maps, but a bigger screen would be nice. Having GPS navigation, not just in the car, but, ready anytime, for walking or driving or boating really changes the dynamic of travelling. Having the confidence that I wasn’t getting too lost allowed me to focus more energy on the fun parts of the trip.
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