Where does he get those wonderful toys?

[ehowton]

Unlimited access. Its freeing, really. No more RJ45 wired networks, no being tethered to infrequent wi-fi hotspots. No sir, all that's behind me now. Sprint's new Broadband Mobile Aircards provide DSL speeds anywhere there's a cell phone tower. These cards come in PCMCIA for last-millenia technology such as laptops (even my ultra-sleek X1 seems outdated now) to CF cards for truncated operating systems such as found on Palm & PocketPC devices. Mating the Novatel Ovation U720 USB modem with the Sony Vaio UX280P, however, provided me limitless connectivity wherever I happened to find myself adjacent photogoot this past weekend. A full-version O/S with Broadband, anywhere. Of course his most extraordinary home was equipped with wireless throughout, mitigating the necessity of such a device indoors, I was able to check emails, blogs, whatever no matter where we were. In the car, in the country, in the store, or even on Solomon Island, where the majority of our picture-taking took place this visit. Freedom isn't by any means free, but if you have the ways and means, I highly suggest this combination if your inner technogeek is screaming for release from the ties which bind you.





Limitations: As I've mentioned here before lack of solid tactile response on the keyboard is unsettling. It includes a stylus & touch-screen functionality if you're into that sort of thing, but for hard-core, several-hour-long-blogging sessions (such as this one done entirely on the UX280P) becomes tedious, and I found that lengthy responses weren't really comfortable. Certain framed sites (such as Yahoo! Mail Beta) lack full functionality in framed view (as the widescreen display is only 1024x600) but the video quality & widescreen layout more than makes up for this inconvenience.

I threw it in my backpack, brought only it, the USB modem and power supply, and was able to access web-versions of my business Outlook & Lotus Notes, and compete work-capable environment without carrying a laptop bag or anything else. In a word, ideal.

More pictures of our Solomon Island visit can be found here:
http://darkvoyager.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=8269

Comments

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

How fascinating technology is!!!

Great pics from the island!!!

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. photogoot isn't called photogoot for nothing!

[photogoot.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed photogoot is called photogoot for something.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

We're still attempting to denote the classification.

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

Quit showing off your avatar. It isn't National Cleavage Day anymore.

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

May be you'll like this one better!!!

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

nice. Do you have an AIM handle? I'd love to chat with you from time to time.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

Every day should be National Cleavage Day!

[photogoot.livejournal.com]

"It includes a stylus & touch-screen functionality if you're into that sort of thing"

photogoot is a huge fan of the stylus, huge! photogoot is styl'in with the stylus. photogoot is also a fan of referring to himself in the third person.

That photogoot he cracks me up!

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

The stylus is perfect for those photogoot types.

[snapper521.livejournal.com]

You know Goot, I wouldn't mind commenting your latest post (chivalry) but... I cant since I am not in your friends list. This is an annoyance to both myself and Tomas since he too wishes to comment you.

I realize the necessity of friends only... but couldn't you make an exception??

Just wondering. :-)

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

That's because he doesn't want Tommy posting!!!

Things that make you go, "Hmmmmm?"

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

He did make an exception for Tomas...then revoked it. I wonder why?

[photogoot.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I just fixed it. Comment away. :-)

[snapper521.livejournal.com]

You know Eric, it is lucky your married to a woman who understands that you are a man who loves his gadgets...

If my dad were to pull some of the "stunts" you do with all the new equipment my mother would skin him alive and make him sleep with the dog for like months... :-P but then again thats also a differance in salary etc... :-)

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

Shortly after the birth of our first child, my wife called me at work. I was working 12-hour overnight shifts at the time. She screamed into the phone (with the sound of the baby crying in the background), "I'm sick and tired of being the primary caretaker around here!"

"And I'm sick and tired of being the primary breadwinner, what do you propose we do about that?"

...silence.

It's been pretty good ever since.

[schpydurx.livejournal.com]

I enjoy your personal stories.

breadwinner

[snapper521.livejournal.com]

Hehe. Yes I suppose that could be a good way to get her to stop complaining...

But I think I would think of a middle ground or something.

Or course... by the same token, as I recall, you told me you adore your children, so perhaps the time you spend with them makes up for the time you're at work? I don't know
:-P I have all these high-fa-lootin' ideas about how I want things, but I know when I actually am IN that situation everything will be completely differant.

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

There are some gadgets he has she absolutely loves!!!

Gadgets

[snapper521.livejournal.com]

Aye. I suppose there probably are... like the cell phones or something... But since I don't know what a lot of the gadgets are... keeping it clean...

[celtmanx.livejournal.com]

And not all of them require batteries!!!

[snapper521.livejournal.com]

Perhaps not David, but many of them cost a pretty penny to purchase in the first place. :-P

[drax0r.livejournal.com]

Freedom isn't by any means free.

No, there's a hefty fuckin' fee.
And if you don't throw in your buck 'o five
Who will?


I've been doing some thinking about the road-warrior/neo-bedouin thing lately. I've come to the conclusion that the Sprint data card is probably the best option. I'm particularly fond of Ernest's new gadget that lets him plug his Sprint card directly into a wireless access point and become a localized ISP for 802.11g clients.

Until I join the ranks of the uber-cool, I'll stick with cataloguing free WAP's in my stomping grounds. This effort has recently been aided by the acquisition of a ZyXEL hotspot finder that also allows my laptop to become a WAP for others. I'm also bolstered by the fact that I found it at a CompUSA going out of business sale for $7 as opposed to the sticker price of $69.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

Yes, those broadcast cards are awesome!

Congratulations on your recent steal. What a deal! Let me ask you this, sir - does the ZyXEL hotspot finder (http://www.amazon.com/ZyXel-AG-225H-Wi-Fi-Finder-Adapter/dp/B000BJUP00/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3590851-7312662?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1175349228&sr=8-1) automatically filter those access points which don't broadcast SSID or otherwise lock down the connection with WEP/WPA? Because otherwise...I fail to see the point.

[drax0r.livejournal.com]

It has an LCD display that tells you the SSID, the channel, the protocol (a/b/g), and the security method. WEP/WPA/Open/etc.