Traveler 2.0

Kindle 2 -- Reorienting the Screen, Yes. Reading Books, No.

Amazon has released a free software update to the Kindle 2. It adds native support for PDF files. But even better, it lets Kindle 2 owners adjust the e-book reader's display orientation (a feature Amazon gave to the Kindle DX).

Switching to landscape mode somehow makes the text on screen seem as if it has a bit more room to romp around in. The reality is actually the opposite, however. In a typical e-book or publication (such as the Kindle version of The New York Times), you'll actually get more text on screen in the original portrait mode than in the new landscape orientation. Amazon touts the abilities to see more of a Web page and to magnify pages in PDF files as reasons to use the landscape mode. Whatever. I just like the fact I now have a choice.

In other Kindle musings, I've realized in the months I've owned my Kindle 2 that I don't particularly like reading books on it--especially fiction. When I read a novel in print form, I tend to develop a 'connection' to it, especially if it's a great book. A well-written novel is one of the most intimate forms of entertainment there is--it's just you and the author.

But on a Kindle, I've yet to feel a bond with a novel. In fact, it's quite the opposite. If I hit a tedious patch, I start thinking about all the other books I could download to the Kindle and start reading within a few minutes. Ultimately, reading a novel on a Kindle feels like speed dating, vs. a long-term relationship.

That said, I love using my Kindle to read newspapers.

I gave up my New York Times print subscription several months back to cut costs and reduce all the paper flowing into our home. And yet, I missed the Times. So I'm now subscribing to it on my Kindle. It's $14 a month for the 7-day-a-week subscription vs. $14.80 a week (at the non-discounted price) to have it dropped outside our door every day.

I did the math, folks: That's $168 a year for the Kindle Times, compared to $769.60 per year for the print version, a savings of $601.60. Not to mention the reduction in paper, ink, gas used to deliver the paper, etc.

So if you're thinking of giving someone a Kindle 2 for the holidays, and that person is a newspaper fan, you'll actually be saving them money. What better gift to give during a recessionary holiday season?

 

Consumer Reports Best Electronics Guide -- A Few Quibbles

The December 2009 Consumer Reports is out, with the magazine's guide to the best new gadgets and places to buy them. Some reactions:

* Best online stores to shop for electronics: JR.com only ranked no. 7. I think it deserves higher. The online retailer offers competitive prices. And in most cases (unlike some other e-tailers), it doesn't charge a restocking fee if you don't like what you bought.

* Best netbook: The Samsung N120 is no. 1 on the list. Couldn't agree more. I looked at lots of netbooks before I bought this one. Love its comfortable keyboard and long battery life.

* Digital cameras: The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS only earned the no. 7 slot among superzoom cameras. Totally disagree. This is an excellent camera that takes fabulous pictures. Its low light mode works so well, I rarely use the flash.

BTW: The magazine also includes reviews of paper towels and AA batteries and recommends chardonnay in a box, which brings Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to mind. In the movie, Smith plays a flamboyant teacher with little use for practicality. One of her students was going on and on about something tedious and pratical she loved. Smith, struggling to say something encouraging, replied: "For those who like that sort of thing...that is the sort of thing that they like." Let's put Dame Maggie's face on the box of wine, shall we?

Free Google Maps Turn-by-Turn Directions

Google just announced a free navigation system on Android 2.0 phones that will offer turn-by-turn voice directions and automatic rerouting--two things Google Maps on mobile phones currently don't do.

You can get the gist of the beta product from a Google YouTube video, below. Looks pretty cool--and yet another reason why buying a dedicated, portable GPS device isn't usually worth the money.

Phone Calls in Flight over Wi-Fi -- Just Say No?

USA Today reports that some airline travelers in the U.S. are making phone calls in flight.

Case in point: Roger Flessing, who says he talked to his son recently on his iPhone while in the skies. Flessing told USA Today he used Truphone, an iPhone VoIP app, which was connected to the Internet over the American Airlines aircraft's wireless broadband service.

If that weren't enough, Flessing fired up his laptop and had a video chat with his brother over Skype during the flight.

I'm all for using your tech toys in the clouds. But the thought of sitting next to a chatterbox on a packed plane during a cross-country flight gives me a sinking feeling. There's only so much noise you can block out with noise-canceling headphones. And I don't think a 'talking' zone on an airplane is the answer, either, just as no-smoking zones in restaurants don't keep the smoke from drifting.

Already some airlines outside the U.S. are allowing cell phone conversations. My hope is that the U.S. carriers will continue to ban cell phone chats in the sky, and that VoIP conversations will be verboten as well. Do you agree?

 

USA Today Article -- Most Bizarre Places to Sleep

I've spent the night in the schoolhouse that was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, a lighthouse in San Francisco Bay, and a few other offbeat places I'd rather not mention.

But spending the night inside a wooden replica of a beagle? Can't say I've been there, done that.

But you can, if you venture to Cottonwood, Idaho. That's where you'll find the Dog Bark Park Inn, a 33-foot high B&B resembling a beagle. The inn is one of 10 great places for a bizarre night's sleep featured in USA Today. The article also includes places where you can sleep in a gypsy van, a coffin, and a jail.

Shockingly, the article fails to mention if you can get Wi-Fi access in the coffin.

My final Mobile Computing blog post ran today. http://ping.fm/Cx2Ox Focusing now on social media, SEO.

Spending all next week in a training workshop on search engine optimization. I hope to emerge by week's end as a search guru. But do gurus have to wear sandals?

Never too early to buy something from Amazon. Book I've co-authored now for sale but won't ship until 3.16.10! http://ping.fm/WQBTf

Today's Post Has Nothing to Do With Tech or Travel

My mother, Ruth Martin, has never used a computer. She's never even set foot on a plane (she claims it's because of claustrophobia).

But I'm putting her in my blog today because, well, because she turns 90 years old on July 22. And because I can.

Also, I needed a place to park this file: Download Ruth Martin 5.27.99. It's a PDF of a Greensboro, N.C. newspaper article about my mother that appeared 10 years ago, on the occasion of her first public art showing.

My mother has Alzheimer's now. On the positive side, she also has a boyfriend. He's 95 and recently got his North Carolina driver's license. And the motto of that story? Never count someone out just because of his or her age. It ain't over til it's over.

Happy birthday, Ruth. Your children still love your spunk, your sass, your beautiful eyes, and your pageboy haircut, the way you tuck your hands in your back pockets. As is often said, but is certainly true in your case, they just don't make them like you anymore. (See picture below for photographic evidence.)

USA Today reports that Google Voice invites are being auctioned on eBay for up to $100! http://ping.fm/LSoJi