Up here in the Great White North, things can get a little frustrating in the winter, tied down as we are in the snow and ice, completely Airstream free. I'm happy that our pride and joy is all winterized and sitting in the dealer's compound but I can't help getting a little sad when I see pictures and read stories of people on their travels in more southern climes.
Still, onwards and upwards, I am still able to prepare for the coming season and, in this case, preparation comes in the form of testing out a heap of new gadgets that will aid my blogging and connectedness when out on the road. Now, I fully appreciate that some people will say that going camping is suppsoed to be a getaway from all that stuff, and to an extent they're right. But for me, all this technology is a means of aiding my camping experience and allowing me share my experiences as a sort of really impressive postcard.
Today's preparation is playing with our brand new Samsung Galaxy Tablet, a rather whizzy hand held computer that is a worthy rival to it's slightly more flashy cousin, the iPad. We actually bought the tablet for Mrs T as an early birthday present but, as the gods of fortune often dictate, she was issued with a iPad at work the very next day. So I have taken over the Galaxy (Mwahahaha, where next?) and I'm getting to grips with it at as a tool for "being connected" when we're out and about. This Samsung is also very handy because it's pretty much a large version of my new Samsung Galaxy II S phone, so the learning curve has partly been dealt with. Mrs T, by the way, has full permission to use her iPad for personal stuff so she's undergoing a similar process in the world of Apple, what with her iPhone and all.
I already know that when in Canada I can tether the tablet to my phone to maintain Internet access when I'm away from the WiFi - I can do it in the US, too, but I'd need a second mortgage to do that; I have other methods when "down south". I also know that this tablet can do all my PC can, only in a lot less space. So when I need maps, or shops or bars or whatever, I'm always able to check these things in an instant. I can also connect to write this blog in real time, too, as the profusion of Apps available give me a nice interface to Blogger, and much more besides. Today's new discovery, though, has been the ability to hook up a full sized keyboard to the tablet and type without having to rely on the one on the tablet's screen. Fortunately, I happened to have an old USB keyboard lying around (a British one, so I'm re-learning the £ sign) which has plugged straight into the tablet, albeit with the aid of an otional extra adapter that we bought with the device. Actually I have no problem with the on-screen keyboard but for more than a paragraph it can be a little wearing. So, here I am typing away on an old £10 keyboard and the only hindrance is my inability to type. And spell! I've just realised that I don't have a mouse connected but, as one brought up on pre-mouse computers I think I can manage without one.
I've also tried connecting the camera, both directly and by using the SD card adapter. I'm happy to report that both work well and all I have to do now is find the photographs on the tablet! Still, there's an App that will help me so I know I'll be fine.
Now, of course, I'm going to have to test all this stuff when in the Airstream but, as I said at the top, it's deep mid-winter, so I can't. Waaaaah!
The photo attached is, by the way, a pictorial description of why we're not camping, was downloaded straight onto the tablet and is published herewith. I hope.....
Still, onwards and upwards, I am still able to prepare for the coming season and, in this case, preparation comes in the form of testing out a heap of new gadgets that will aid my blogging and connectedness when out on the road. Now, I fully appreciate that some people will say that going camping is suppsoed to be a getaway from all that stuff, and to an extent they're right. But for me, all this technology is a means of aiding my camping experience and allowing me share my experiences as a sort of really impressive postcard.
Today's preparation is playing with our brand new Samsung Galaxy Tablet, a rather whizzy hand held computer that is a worthy rival to it's slightly more flashy cousin, the iPad. We actually bought the tablet for Mrs T as an early birthday present but, as the gods of fortune often dictate, she was issued with a iPad at work the very next day. So I have taken over the Galaxy (Mwahahaha, where next?) and I'm getting to grips with it at as a tool for "being connected" when we're out and about. This Samsung is also very handy because it's pretty much a large version of my new Samsung Galaxy II S phone, so the learning curve has partly been dealt with. Mrs T, by the way, has full permission to use her iPad for personal stuff so she's undergoing a similar process in the world of Apple, what with her iPhone and all.
I already know that when in Canada I can tether the tablet to my phone to maintain Internet access when I'm away from the WiFi - I can do it in the US, too, but I'd need a second mortgage to do that; I have other methods when "down south". I also know that this tablet can do all my PC can, only in a lot less space. So when I need maps, or shops or bars or whatever, I'm always able to check these things in an instant. I can also connect to write this blog in real time, too, as the profusion of Apps available give me a nice interface to Blogger, and much more besides. Today's new discovery, though, has been the ability to hook up a full sized keyboard to the tablet and type without having to rely on the one on the tablet's screen. Fortunately, I happened to have an old USB keyboard lying around (a British one, so I'm re-learning the £ sign) which has plugged straight into the tablet, albeit with the aid of an otional extra adapter that we bought with the device. Actually I have no problem with the on-screen keyboard but for more than a paragraph it can be a little wearing. So, here I am typing away on an old £10 keyboard and the only hindrance is my inability to type. And spell! I've just realised that I don't have a mouse connected but, as one brought up on pre-mouse computers I think I can manage without one.
I've also tried connecting the camera, both directly and by using the SD card adapter. I'm happy to report that both work well and all I have to do now is find the photographs on the tablet! Still, there's an App that will help me so I know I'll be fine.
Now, of course, I'm going to have to test all this stuff when in the Airstream but, as I said at the top, it's deep mid-winter, so I can't. Waaaaah!
The photo attached is, by the way, a pictorial description of why we're not camping, was downloaded straight onto the tablet and is published herewith. I hope.....
