iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Packing

Web: www.stevenfrischling.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

20/11/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Packing

Packing for a one day trip or a one-week trip is the same for me. I am slow, methodical and spent a considerable amount of time compiling what I need. Once I have assembled everything in front of me I spent an hour mumbling incoherently to myself as I remove items, add items and pack everything in my bag(s).

Departing is somewhat easy; it is the return that can be stressful. At the end of a short business trip, an assignment or a long vacation, travelers tend to pack at the last minute. Last minute packing often causes people to be forgetful and leave items behind.....this is where the iPhone 'App' Of The Week "Packing" comes in very handy.

Packing is simple to use. You set up a packing list for yourself. You add items to the list. As you pack those items you place a check mark next to them. Could it get any simpler?

Since downloading Packing I have used it to track a variety of packing situation. Since entering my 'Day Pack - Run Kit' I have chosen to permanently leave this packing list in my iPhone, as it is a fairly constant kit.

Packing allows you to view pre-created Sample Packing Lists, as well as create a list from a template, or creates lists from scratch. As a photographer, none of my packing set ups match any sample lists or templates, so I have been creating lists from scratch simply and quickly.

Using Packing is simple in practice. As I begin to put my gear and personal items away I take out my iPhone, open Packing, and scroll down my list checking off everything I have stowed away

Best of all for all travelers, the Packing 'App' is easy, functional, hard to lose (unless you lose your iPhone), not prone to bad handwriting, and can be easily edited.

Next time you sit down to print out your print-at-home boarding pass also take a moment to download Packing from the iTunes App Store.

Below are five screen shots of Packing (typos and all...)

Happy Flying!
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Backing Data Up On The Road 101 : Part 1

Web: www.thetravelstrategist.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

12/11/2008 – Backing Data Up On The Road 101 : Part 1

Working on the road has many challenges. One challenge is backing up your critical data as it is produced. When on the road the unexpected can happen and sometimes the unexpected can be devastating to your work and your data.

When on the road I generally employ two different back-ups to my work daily (or when the opportunity presents its self). In this entry of "Backing Up On the Road 101” I am only going to discuss the simplest, least expensive and most secure way to ensure your data survives disaster.

What is this "magic solution?" Simple, it is using solid-state USB Flash Drives. The capacity of the USB Flash Drives is increasing while the prices have been steadily dropping over the last few years. With 16gb USB Flash Drives now readily available for under US$50.00, and 32gb USB Flash Drives coming in at under US$100.00, backing up critical data on the road is pocket sized and cost effective.

So what makes USB Flash Drives ideal for secure data backup?

For starters the drive is sold-state. Unlike your laptop (well most laptops) and external hard drive, a USB Flash Drive has no moving parts. By using solid-state memory if your flash drives suffers an impact, there is a very minimal chance you'll lose any data. It is actually difficult to break most USB Flash-Drives through normal use (and even dropping them from two floors up while bored at 2:00am in an airport to see if the USB Flash-Drive can survive the impact).

USB Flash-Drives are sub-pocket sized. These drives are often called 'thumb drives' because they are about the same size an adult's thumb. When packing it is very easy to toss half-a-dozen USB Flash Drives in your bag without taking up any space. I toss mine in a small pouch that carries my CF Card reader, USB cords and some other travel-technology basics.

Since USB Flash-Drives are solid-state, and have no moving parts, they require no external power. When you want to transfer your data you can do it anywhere. You just plug the Flash-Drive in and transfer your data. As an added bonus, USB Flash-Drives also requires very little power from your computer to power them. This makes life easy when working in an area with limited electrical outlet access.

The real security of storing data in a USB Flash-Drive is noticed when working in potentially adverse conditions that involve equipment getting wet, such as sitting at the bar in the airport (I don't drink, but I do like buffalo wings & salad, which can usually be found at any airport bar)........or covering a hurricane. It is nice to know that it is virtually impossible to drown a USB Flash-Drive. I have accidentally dropped a USB Flash-Drive into water and fun my Compact Flash Cards through the washer and never lost any data. Should your hard drive get drenched, chances are you killed your hard drive. Should you get your USB Flash-Drive wet, you simply (carefully) dry it out. Once dried out, you insert it into the USB port and recover your data.

There is a downside to USB Flash-Drives. USB Flash-Drives are much slower than mechanical hard drives. You will experience this speed difference when uploading and downloading data. While the speed difference is significant, the positives significantly outweigh the negatives, and the security of using a USB Flash-Drive is ideal on the road.

Below is a photo of one of my USB Flash-Drives working with my Apple 13" MacBook

Happy Flying!
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iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

3/09/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook

With my enjoyment of Lonely Planet's Mandarin Audio Phrasebook (which I reviewed *HERE*) I set out to find other language translation 'Apps' for my iPhone. While looking at a variety of language options, for not only the iPhone but also ink-and-paper phrase books and instructional software, I found myself downloading Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook.

Much like Lonely Planet's audio phrase books, Coolgorilla's talking phrasebooks are equally easy to scroll through to find the phrase you're looking for and effective in practice while on the road. The phrase categories are broken down into sub-categories. Inside each sub-category you'll find the phrase you are looking for. I was easily able to find the bathroom and explain that my baggage had not arrived while quickly scrolling through the Coolgorilla Talking French Phrasebook.

For those not comfortable in attempting to speak a foreign language (or in my case butchering a language) you can both find your phrase and show someone your comment/question in their native language or you can click the audio icon and play and audio clip of your comment/question. I generally attempt to speak (butcher) the language, but sometimes the audio clip is extremely helpful!

There is some overlap between both the Lonely Planet Audio Phrasebook and the Coolgorilla Talking Phrasebook, however they each have their own strengths, and in some areas there is no overlap in languages. Having used the Coolgorilla Talking French Phrasebook I'm now off to download the Coolgorilla Talking German Phrasebook as I start looking at a possible flight through Frankfurt, Germany.

Below are five photos that walk you through the steps of using Coolgorilla's Talking French Phrasebook on your iPhone.

Happy Flying!

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iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Currency

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

28/08/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Currency

Not all useful iPhone 'Apps' have whiz-bang features and tons of options. Some very useful iPhone 'Apps' are straightforward, simple and singular in purpose, which is why this week I'll be discussing the simplistic nature of 'Currency.'

'Currency' is an exchange rate tool ideal for anyone who travels, or who needs to quickly review foreign currencies. The set-up of the Currency 'app' allows you to add and delete currencies and set a 'Master Currency' (mine is obviously set to US$)

The one function the iPhone Currency 'App' is missing is that of a rate calculator. I'd like to quickly be able to figure out a total cost, so I am still looking at other currency converter 'apps,' but for the total cost of FREE from the iTunes App Store, I'm quite happy with the Currency 'App.'

Below are two images of the Currency 'App' on my iPhone

Happy Flying!

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