I originally saw this charger on Gadling a few months ago and have been using it exclusively ever since. I make a point of having only the most efficient gear in my pack, and this little thingy definitely meets my standards.

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// shawn

Edit: This baby is $36 at Amazon.

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Review: Macally iPhone Charger is a post from: Rerunaround

1. I can’t pre-purchase guide books without knowing where I’m going exactly.
2. I don’t want to carry all those guide books even if I found a way to buy them.
3. I can’t reliably rely on the internet for looking things up while on the road.
4. I can’t reliably purchase my next destination’s guidebook in my current destination.

With this list of guide book issues it became immediately obvious that traditional guide books aren’t going to cut it. I don’t want to ditch the guide books altogether though. A quick Amazon search showed me that I could get the guide books I like digitally on the Kindle. Lonely Planet seems to currently have 50 travel guides published on the Kindle.  There’s definitely a potential issue of some countries not being on the list. Indonesia for example isn’t there (yet?).

So will the Kindle actually work for me in this situation? On the road, buying guide books remotely as I go? Are they even useful on the Kindle? Do the maps display clearly? Does it take ages to find info that I would normally have a gum wrapper marking for me? I had a lot of concerns and so I did some research and found these points about the Kindle:

1. I can purchase and download content in 100+ countries with no fees. Uses a 3G network.
2. Up to 2 weeks of battery life.
3. I can read my content on my PC and iPhone also. The iPhone I was bringing along solely for the occasional app and some games suddenly became handier.
4. Search function allows me to find info anywhere in a particular guide or even anywhere in all my books.
5. Bookmarks let me quickly jump to the few handy pages that I really need. Gum wrapper issue solved.
6. Clipboard lets me save any section of a book. So for example, I could highlight the three good hostels in a city and put all their info on one page.
7. Kindle editions seem to be even cheaper than paperbacks. Lonely Planet Japan for example is $25 in paperback and $16 in Kindle.

So far this is sounding pretty good, and it does a load of other “nice to have” things also, such as Wikipedia search. There is a full page of sales pitch on the Amazon site here* if you want all the info. The items I listed were just what applied to my specific guide book concerns.

Now that I know the Kindle can technically work for guide books, I need to consider how and when I will use it. I like to use my small pocket notebook to jot down what I will want to know before leaving for a new place. So that I have the few pieces of information I need in hand, and I can save the guide book referencing for later. No one wants to be digging out a guide book, or a kindle, in the pouring rain while a hundred and one taxi drivers all yell at you about their driving prowess and reasonable rates. As a reference tool that can be used outside the heat of the moment, the Kindle seems quite good. The size and weight are definitely better than books, the content is more accessible, and the usability with search and clipboard functions are better.

I have gone ahead and purchased a Kindle instead of any guide books. I call this Part 1 of 2 because I intend to write an update once I have spent a month or two hands on with it while traveling. Tune in sometime in March to see how it worked out.

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// shawn

ps: I also got this rad little Timbuk2 sleeve for it!
* That link will give me some dodgy kickbacks if you purchase a Kindle. Us unemployed digital nomads gotta grab the pennies where we can you know.

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- Can a Kindle Replace Travel Guide Books? Part 1 of 2 is a post from: Rerunaround

So if you happen to be pondering the idea of dragging a computer with you everywhere you go, then read on you crazy diamond.

— Time

Will I be using the computer often enough to warrant the expense. For easy sake let’s average the daily internet rental cost down to $2/day. That should cover varying usage, availability, and a pretty decent price range. Plus it allows for those sad times where there is no free wifi. So my trip length should at least be long enough to warrant a decent percent of the computer price saved in internet usage fees. In my case, I could potentially save more than the price of the computer over the course of my trip by not having to rent computer usage time at internet cafes and the such.

— Geekery

A factor for me was whether said computer can actually do anything cooler than upload photos and send emails. If I literally just wanted a cheap and easy email machine then I could go with a low end netbook for like $200. Hell, I could even use my phone with wi-fi only just as easily in that case. However, I like to use my computer for various little projects, watching shows, playing games, etc. It’ my default tool for a lot of things. So I needed one that would do more than the netbook genre tends to be capable of. Plus I intend to manage this site while traveling.

— Operating System

Linux: It’s cool, but it’s too unfamiliar for me to mess with while traveling. Plus some programs I like may not work.

Windows: Yea. It runs everything and is easy and flexible.

Mac: I’m not familiar enough to think that a Mac can do everything I want it to do. They also seem too restrictive.

— Size & Weight

I drew the line at < 2 kg (about 5 lbs). There was plenty of choices under this weight and it felt like a reasonable limit. More than 2 kg and I don’t really want to haul it around the world anymore. The physical size wasn’t really an issue once I limited the weight. Although I wanted a screen larger than 10″ and ideally more like 12″. If you’re not good with weights and measurements, the other way to think of it is “will this laptop fit in my pants?”

— Ergonomics

The importance of the notebook keyboard is probably too often underestimated. I like to think that I can adapt to a smaller keyboard after prolonged use, but experience has told me that isn’t the case. I just type less and less as I become more annoyed. I was after as close to a 100% size keyboard as possible. I suppose I should learn to type properly too.

— Conclusion

I settled on the HP Pavilion dv2z as the perfect balance between netbook and legit notebook. It runs everything I have tried, and it fits in my pants. The keyboard is 92% of full size and easy to use. I’ve been using it at home for a few weeks now and I love it. I have Windows Vista on it currently, but I’ll upgrade to Windows 7 before I go because 7 is really quite nice. Here’s my nerd stats:

• AMD Turion(TM) Neo X2 Dual-Core L625 (1.6GHz, 1MB)
• 512MB ATI Radeon Graphics 3410
• 4GB DDR2 System Memory (1 Dimm)
• 500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 12.1″ diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
• Webcam and microphone
• 802.11a/b/g/n wireless and Bluetooth
• 5-in-1 card reader
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Dimensions: 29 cm (11.50 in) L x 24 cm (9.45 in) D x 2.4 cm (0.93 in) H
• Weight: 1.7 kg (3.95 lbs)(with 6-cell battery)
• Espresso Black

Well, that’s how my notebook choice turned out. There’s a ton of choices out there, many of which are quite good. So the key is to honestly factor in how you will be using the notebook. If you don’t have a clear understanding of your own requirements and expectations then you’re going to have a bitch of a time making a purchase decision. Let me know if you ever have any questions.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- The Proverbial Travel Computer Post is a post from: Rerunaround