Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The service offers top-quality security,
but if you're worried about hackers,
use your own laptop rather than a
cybercafe computer to access the
GoToMyPC system.
WITH YOUR OWN
COMPUTER
Wi-fi (wireless fidelity) is the buzz-
word in computer access, and more
and more hotels, cafes, and retailers
are signing on as wireless “hotspots”
from where you can get high-speed
connection without cable wires, net-
working hardware, or a phone line
(see below). You can get wi-fi connec-
tion one of several ways. Many laptops
sold in the last year have built-in wi-fi
capability (an 802.11b wireless Ether-
net connection). Mac owners have
their own networking technology,
Apple AirPort. For those with older
computers, an 802.11b/ wi-fi card
(around $50) can be plugged into
your laptop. You sign up for wireless
access service much as you do cell-
phone service, through a plan offered
by one of several commercial compa-
nies that have made wireless service
available in airports, hotel lobbies, and
coffee shops, primarily in the U.S.
(followed by the U.K. and Japan).
T-Mobile Hotspot (www.t-mobile.
com/hotspot) serves up wireless con-
nections at more than 1,000 Starbucks
coffee shops nationwide. Boingo
(www.boingo.com) and Wayport
(www.wayport.com) have set up net-
works in airports and high-class hotel
lobbies. IPass providers (see below)
also give you access to a few hundred
wireless hotel lobby setups. Best of all,
you don't need to be staying at the
Four Seasons to use the hotel's net-
work; just set yourself up on a nice
couch in the lobby. The companies'
pricing policies can be Byzantine, with
a variety of monthly, per-connection,
and per-minute plans, but in general
you pay around $30 a month for lim-
ited access—and as more and more
companies jump on the wireless band-
wagon, prices are likely to get even
more competitive.
There are also places that provide
free wireless networks in cities around
the world. To locate these free hotspots,
go to www.personaltelco.net/index.
cgi/WirelessCommunities .
Most business-class hotels through-
out the world offer dataports for lap-
Digital Photography on the Road
Many travelers are going digital these days when it comes to taking vaca-
tion photographs. Not only are digital cameras left relatively unscathed by
airport X-rays, but with digital equipment, you don't need to lug arm-
loads of film with you as you travel. In fact, nowadays you don't even
need to carry your laptop to download the day's images to make room for
more. With a media storage card, sold by all major camera dealers, you
can store hundreds of images in your camera. These “memory” cards
come in different configurations—from memory sticks to flash cards to
secure digital cards—and different storage capacities (the more
megabytes of memory, the more images a card can hold) and range in
price from $30 to over $200. ( Note: Each camera model works with a spe-
cific type of card, so you'll need to determine which storage card is com-
patible with your camera.) When you get home, you can print the images
out on your own color printer or take the storage card to a camera store,
drugstore, or chain retailer. Or have the images developed online with a
service like Snapfish (www.snapfish.com) for something like 25¢ a shot.
See “Flying with Film & Video,” on p. 47.
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