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Internet Online LapTop Warrior Discussion List
I - L-A-P-T-O-P W-A-R-R-I-O-R D-I-G-E-S-T

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October 29, 1998 Issue # 033
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.....IN THIS DIGEST.....


// -- MODERATOR COMMENT -- //

Bound for Barcelona


// -- CONTINUING -- //

Finding an international connection
~ David Ford

Re: The search for the perfect connection
~ Martin Lee

Re: Laptop for video editing
~ Nick Harkins



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// -- MODERATOR COMMENT -- //

Bound for Barcelona

I'm off today on a trip to Barcelona, southern France and on to
Switzerland, and I'm happy to report that on this trip I'm packing
my laptop.

As some of you may recall, on my last trip to Switzerland I decided
to use Web-based Email to keep myself connected to the world. I was
going to be in an office the whole time, so why not just use that
Internet connection? I did, and it worked, but I wasn't really
happy.

Now, despite the extra weight and all the paraphernalia, I'm
pleased
to be taking my laptop along. First and foremost, there's the hard
drive. Last time I spend hours printing out everything I would need
for my meetings. This trip I just copied everything - and I mean
everything - that I thought I might need onto the hard drive and
away I go. I'm talking 200 meg worth of files. I feel so good
having
it all along.

Plus I have a feeling of control, having my laptop with me. I can
work when I want and where I want. And I won't have to fight a
European keyboard and software that's all in German.

Oh…and of course now I can play video games in the airport.

~ Bob Lawson


// -- C-O-N-T-I-N-U-I-N-G -- //

From: David Ford <dford@gil.com.au>
Subject: Finding an international connection

A quick response to the search for an ISP with world-wide
connections ( I-Laptop #30) and to Advice for troublesome
connections (#31).

Like others who have responded, I have used CompuServe for contact
back to home (Brisbane, Australia) from a wide range of places,
including most Australian capital cities and various parts of the
US, UK, New Zealand, France and South Africa and while the sailing
has not always been smooth, the outcome has generally been
acceptable.

I don't use them as my normal ISP at home (far too dear), but for
international e-mail and limited web browsing, their PPP service
works well and allows access to my home ISP as well as C'serve. (I
agree with David Van Nuys - #31 - don't bother with the proprietary
software when travelling. Just use the PPP connection).

My real concern is the fact that AOL has taken over C'serve and it
is not clear what the future for this service is.

Kathleen Buckley (#31) asks about "foreigners" connecting in the
US.
Again, my connections have always been via CompuServe and have
therefore been very straightforward (no scripting or other
differences from Australian connections -- just change the phone
number and away you go). US phone jacks are very common in
Australia (I scarcely use anything else in hotels these days) so
there is no problem there either. If only you'd move to 240v power
and sensible shaped power plugs!!

US hotels seem better equipped for business travelers - dataports
seem very common and digital lines relatively uncommon (although I
must say my sample is not large). I just have to remember that an
outside line needs a "9", not the "0" which is usual here!

Probably the biggest problem for me is that my GSM digital phone
(which works fine in most of Europe, Asia and South Africa) is
useless in the US. This means dependence on fixed line phones,
which has not, to date been a huge problem.

I do agree though with your solution to adversity, Kathleen. I
might also add that you should always carry a corkscrew to open the
wine bottle (US hotels are much less generous in this regard than
Australian ones!).

David Ford
Brisbane, Australia


++++ next post ++++

From: "Martin Lee" <martinle@singnet.com.sg>
Subject: Re: The search for the perfect connection

Hi everyone,

I'm based in Singapore but find myself travelling all over
Southeast
Asia and beyond. Thankfully, both the ISP's I subscribe to carry
iPass and/or GRIC. I've heard iPass being brought up several times
but not GRIC.

To understand the difference between the two, you can check out a
section of ISP's web page:

http://www.singnet.com.sg/services/roam/index.html

Personally, I've always used GRIC since it works out to be cheaper
for me (see cost table on referenced web page). In Indonesia, where
I currently spend most of my time, I can't get an extremely fast
connection to the Internet due to poor local telecommunications and
perhaps the local ISP. In fact, I need to set my speed at 9,600 to
ensure than I get connected and subsequently disconnected. I had
some problems with the GRIC software, which could not reinstall
properly after being uninstalled (it still can't). But if I set my
connections manually, it still works fine.

Does anyone else use GRIC? I know that some Taiwanese ISP's do. If
some of you do, I would love to hear of your own experiences.

BTW, I think most of us have heard about the Iridium network that's
starting up pretty soon. What other avenues for mobile users would
that event open up? I do understand that cost would definitely be
higher than using the usual GSM network. What about speed? Would we
be able to get a *reliable* connection that's faster than 9,600?

Cheers,
Martin

<\\>< <\\>< <\\>< <\\>< <\\>< <\\>< <\\>< <\\>< <\\>< <\\><
| Martin Lee|
| Email: martinle@singnet.com.sg ICQ: 3652696 |


++++ next post - new topic ++++

From: "Nick Harkins" <nickh@sprynet.com>
Subject: Re: Laptop for video editing

>Finally, if you have any real life experience in this
>area, is there a particular laptop/software/peripheral
>combination you would recommend? (I-Laptop #32)

I use Pinnacle's Video Studio 400, (www.pinnaclesys.com). I
capture
the video with my Sony Handycam and store the video in avi format
on
my laptop using their "purple box" connected to the parallel port.
It is web quality and is perfectly portable.

Nicolaus R. Harkins
San Francisco
nickh@sprynet.com

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Subject: Funny phones in Switzerland and France

Last two times I was in Europe, I came across phones that puzzled
me. One was in Switzerland, the other in France. The phones were
of a modern variety. They were wired in to the wall with Swiss and
French modular phone line plugs, as one would expect. But on the
other end of the phone line that ran from the wall, there was a
US-style RJ11 plug.

Oh, boy, I thought, this should be easy to go online. Since these
were residential lines I wasn't worried about digital service, so I
took the line out of the phone and plugged it directly into my
modem.

Nothing. It didn't work.

So I got out my line tester and checked out what I was dealing
with. In both cases, I found the polarity reversed on the lines.
I was surprised. Has anyone found similar circumstances and can
anyone offer an explanation? It was my understanding that the
general rule that a phone was a phone the world over still applied
(with the exception of digital PBX systems, of course).

My immediate solution was to pull out my alligator clips and put
the polarity back as it should be.

Bob Lawson

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