I've been reading threads on using Bluetooth enabled phone to connect an N800 to the net. I just got personal cell phone again after none for three years (prior employer had provided one). Went with the Verizon Treo 700p, voice and data plan. Bidding on an N800 right now. Anyone using this combination? Any tips? I'm going to be crossing the country by bicycle this summer and want to do web updates along the way. I'm considering using a bluetooth GPS and Maemo Mapper, too. I have about three weeks to return the 700p without penalty for another phone if there is a better phone to go with... Any and all comments and help are well appreciated. As space and weight are limited while traveling by bike, all my 'electronics' need to fit in a rather smallish tupperware type waterproof container. Obviously that ruled out even a small laptop, but the N800 looks like a reasonable choice. Of course other tablets could be considered if any one here has suggestions (not bucking the N800 bias in a forum like this, just unaware of all that is out there!).
Thanks in advance,
-pigwot
Can't answer your question directly, but something to consider with maemo-mapper is the speed of your connection and whether you want to have it automatically download maps. First, the maps are somewhat large compared to download speeds over some wireless networks. Second, you could easily use a large portion of your bandwidth cap on your plan if you have one just by downloading images. So, better bet might be to plan your route, download the maps along your route ahead of time, and turn off the auto-download feature. It's very easy to do that way, just takes a little planning ahead. As far as bluetooth GPS gooes, there's a thread on the forums talking about which models work, there are plenty that do, I personally have a Holux GPSSlim 236 that does a great job.
Sorry I can't answer the phone question directly.
Yes, the GPS can be very handy. Take a look at Winmapper (http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5928&highlight=winmapper) by ioan, to download the maps to a PC, then transfer to an SD card. Or, personally, I just set the map repository in maemo-mapper to put them on the internal SD card, grabbed a big map of the world, and then zoomed in from there to the places I typically need and grabbed more detail over my home wifi. Either works well, just personal preference. Just be sure to get a zoom level that gives you major roads if you're going cross country.
there's a blog covering the same thing you doing, only with a UMPC - it's at:
http://www.solar-umpc.com/
might spark some ideas for your trip..
good luck!
-matt
Heh.
Having lived in Rhine country from '95 to '06 all I can say is that I hope he has a way to waterproof everything.
And with the cloud coverage there he's going to run into trouble getting everything charged up. Especially the higher up you go into the hills down south. Sometimes it takes until noon for the "fog" (read: clouds) to burn off, cutting down on the time you can charge your kit.
But for the OP's needs it looks like that solar power panel might do the trick for just a phone and an N800. UMPCs are power hungry compared to the N800.
As far as GPS devices go, the best to use in this situation is the GPSlim240 from Holux. I have one and used it extensively on a recent trip back to the states paired with my Nokia N80ie and using TomTom. The phone was plugged into vehicle power, the GPS was not. I got about 5 hours of constant use out of the Holux before the red light came on. Once the red light comes on, get ready for the connection to drop QUICK if not instantly. Recharge time on the Holux was pretty quick though with about 45 minutes to an hour to recharge up fully off USB power plugged into my Macbook Pro.
Also, the Holux has been "battle-tested" in the Middle East if you get my drift.
It was a component in a bizarre test I undertook in individual GPS tracking using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware. Recharged it off any dome-light in any military vehicle.
I would recommend getting a bike-powered charger in addtion to the solar panels. Solar panels to recharge while you rest, and the power-charger for while you bike.
Personally I would use my Nokia N80ie w/GPSLim240 mounted to the handlebars and conncected to the bike charger and use the N800 just for email/web while stopped.
I'm looking at taking a motorcycle trip cross-country this summer and plan to mount the N80ie and Holux on the bike and charge them - along with the N800 - off the bike itself.
YoDude,
Sounds like quite the trip. I guess I wasn't clear: I am "Bi-cycling" across the country and won't always be near wifi access points. Cell coverage is a little better and at times that is what we'll rely on. Or so I'd thought?!
For instance now a days I would POI up these addy's in Maemo mapper or just save them in a text file before I start out... all free and pretty good food too!
Panera Bread Wi-Fi locations by state
Alabama
Auburn, AL - 1550 Opelika Road
Birmingham, AL - 143 Summit Boulevard
Birmingham, AL - 200 Doug Baker Boulevard
Hoover, AL - 161 Main Street
Mobile, AL - 3691 Airport Boulevard
Mobile, AL - 750 Schillinger Road South
Montgomery, AL - 2775 Eastern Boulevard
Montgomery, AL - 7224 Eastchase Parkway
Spanish Fort, AL - 10200 Eastern Shore Boulevard
Vestavia, AL - 700 Montgomery Highway
Arkansas
Bentonville, AR - 107 West 14th Street
Fayetteville, AR - 3638 North Front Street
Fort Smith, AR - 2917 South 74th Street
California
Antioch, CA - 5897 Lone Tree Way
Campbell, CA - 501 East Hamilton Avenue
Carlsbad, CA - 1935 Calle Barcelona
Concord, CA - 1975 Diamond Boulevard
Corona, CA - 2570 Tuscany Street
Coronado, CA - 980 Orange Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA - 235 East 17th Street
Cupertino, CA - 20807 Stevens Creek Boulevard
East Chula Vista, CA - 2015 Birch Road
Elk Grove, CA - 8519 Bond Road
Escondido, CA - 1286 Auto Park Way
Fontana, CA - 15258 Summit Avenue
Fremont, CA - 2650 Mowry Avenue
Fremont, CA - 43317 Christy Street
Fullerton, CA - 2415 East Chapman Avenue
Gilroy, CA - 6865 Camino Arroyo
Hayward, CA - 24133 Southland Drive
Irvine, CA - 3988 Barranca Parkway
Irvine, CA - 6372 Irvine Boulevard
La Mesa, CA - 5500 Grossmont Center Drive
Lake Forest, CA - 23592 Rockfield Boulevard
Lakewood, CA - 135 Lakewood Center
LaMirada, CA - 15224 Rosecrans Avenue
Lincoln, CA - 890 Groveland Lane
Lodi, CA - 2533 West Kettleman Lane
Los Angeles, CA - 8647 South Sepulveda Boulevard
Marina Del Rey, CA - 4720 Lincoln Boulevard
Millbrae, CA - 320 Adrian Road
Newport Beach, CA - 1348 Bison Avenue
Orange, CA - 2214 North Tustin Street
Palmdale, CA - 39403 10th Street West
Rancho Cucamonga, CA - 8055 Haven Avenue
Riverside, CA - 3560 Riverside Plaza Drive
Roseville, CA - 916 Pleasant Grove Boulevard
Sacramento, CA - 2731 Del Paso Road
Sacramento, CA - 3571 North Freeway Boulevard
Sacramento, CA - 901 Howe Avenue
San Diego, CA - 10430 Craftsman Way
San Diego, CA - 10751 Westview Parkway
San Diego, CA - 12156 Carmel Mountain Boulevard
San Francisco, CA - 301 King Street
San Jose, CA - 503 Coleman Avenue
San Marcos, CA - 575 Grand Avenue
Santa Clarita, CA - 24133 Baywood Lane
Santa Monica, CA - 501 Wilshire Boulevard
Solana Beach, CA - 667 San Rodolfo Drive
Stockton, CA - 10718 Trinity Parkway
Studio City, CA - 12131 Ventura Boulevard
Torrance, CA - 2733 Pacific Coast Highway
Turlock, CA - 3050 Hotel Drive
Vacaville, CA - 1637 East Monte Vista Avenue
Visalia, CA - 4103 South Mooney Boulevard
Vista, CA - 401 Vista Village Drive
West Covina, CA - 1036 West Covina Parkway
Whittier, CA - 15620 East Whittwood Lane
Colorado
Arvada, CO - 7739 Wadsworth Boulevard
Aurora, CO - 12293 East Iliff Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO - 1832 Southgate Road
Colorado Springs, CO - 1845 Briargate Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO - 3120 New Center Point
Colorado Springs, CO - 7344 North Academy Shops
Denver, CO - 1330 Grant Street
Denver, CO - 240 Milwaukee Street
Denver, CO - 3700 Quebec Street
Fort Collins, CO - 3700 South College Avenue
Greenwood Village, CO - 4955 South Ulster Street
Greenwood Village, CO - 5910 South Holly Street
Highlands Ranch, CO - 9579 University Boulevard
Littleton, CO - 7301 South Santa Fe Drive
Littleton, CO - 8501 West Bowles Avenue
Lone Tree, CO - 9233 Park Meadows Drive
Longmont, CO - 425 Ken Pratt Boulevard
Superior, CO - 302 Center Drive
Westminster, CO - 10450 Town Center Drive
Connecticut
Bristol, CT - 1214 Farmington Avenue
Brookfield, CT - 143 Federal Road
Canton, CT - 110 Albany Turnpike
Enfield, CT - 90 Elm Street
Glastonbury, CT - 2450 Main Street
Hamden, CT - 2100 Dixwell Avenue
Manchester, CT - 179 Deming Street
Mashantucket, CT - 39 Norwich Westerly Road
Meriden, CT - 533 South Broad Street
Milford, CT - 1201 Boston Post Road
Newington, CT - 3120 Berlin Turnpike
Newtown, CT - 228 South Main Street
North Haven, CT - 132 Universal Drive North
Shelton, CT - 850 Bridgeport Avenue
Waterbury, CT - 920 Wolcott Street
Waterford, CT - 903 Hartford Turnpike
Delaware
Newark, DE - 140 East Main Street
Wilmington, DE - 3650 Kirkwood Highway
Wilmington, DE - 5619 Concord Pike
Florida
Boca Raton, FL - 20437 State Road 7
Boca Raton, FL - 222 Yamato Boulevard
Boynton Beach, FL - 701 North Congress Avenue
Clermont, FL - 2260 East Highway 50
Coral Springs, FL - 2015 North University Drive
Del Ray Beach, FL - 1701 South Federal Highway
Destin, FL - 4220 Legendary Drive
Estero, FL - 8072 Mediterranean Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL - 1762 North Federal Highway
Hallandale, FL - 1729 East Hallandale Beach Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL - 11111 San Jose Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL - 12959 Atlantic Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL - 13271 City Station Drive
Jacksonville, FL - 13820 St. Augustine Road
Jacksonville, FL - 1615 Hendricks Avenue
Jacksonville, FL - 4403 Roosevelt Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL - 4720 Town Crossing Drive
Jacksonville, FL - 8635 Blanding Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL - 9301 Atlantic Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL - 9810 Baymeadows Road
Jacksonville Beach, FL - 2104 South 3rd Street
Lake Mary, FL - 1210 South International Parkway
Lakeland, FL - 4159 US Highway 98 North
Lakeland, FL - 4208 South Florida Avenue
Miami, FL - 13617 South Dixie Highway
Miami, FL - 5701 Sunset Drive
Miami, FL - 9717 Northwest 41st Street
Naples, FL - 6424 Naples Boulevard
New Port Richey, FL - 3234 Little Road
North Miami, FL - 12205 Biscayne Boulevard
Palm Beach Gardens, FL - 3186 Northlake Boulevard
Palm Beach Gardens, FL - 4540 PGA Boulevard
Pensacola, FL - 5100 North 9th Avenue
Plant City, FL - 2909 James L. Redman Parkway
Pompano Beach, FL - 2101 North Federal Highway
Port Charlotte, FL - 1808 Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL - 2821 University Parkway
Sarasota, FL - 6589 South Tamiami Trail
Sunrise, FL - 13815 West Sunrise Boulevard
Tallahassee, FL - 101 North Blairstone Road
Tampa, FL - 709 South Howard Avenue
Wellington, FL - 10540 Forest Hills Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL - 7771 Village Boulevard
Weston, FL - 4547 Weston Road
Winter Springs, FL - 5637 Red Bug Lake Road
Georgia
Athens, GA - 3151 Atlanta Highway
Atlanta, GA - 1545 North Decatur Road
Atlanta, GA - 2100 Henderson Mill Road
Atlanta, GA - 2274 Peachtree Road NW
Atlanta, GA - 3393 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA - 4531 Olde Perimeter Way
Columbus, GA - 6301 Whitesville Road
Duluth, GA - 11715 Medlock Bridge Road
... and so on.
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They are pretty much anywhere in populated america.
>> http://www.panerabread.com/cafes/wifi.php
I've been off the forum for a bit; thanks for your replies, advice, and concerns. I am installing maemo mapper right now. As far as waterproofing concerns, we'll be using one of the snap lid tupperware-like containers, with each device in its own zip-lock bag. I envision mainly using the N800 for wifi and email and updates to our website each evening.
The map software is a backup in case we need a location fix to verify our dead-reckoning. I have biked for years without more than a paper map. I bookmarked the panera site locator link, thanks for that.
Recharging isn't an issue as we are mainly motel'ing it this trip, with occasional nights under the stars (or TarpTent, as the weather dictates). I have yet to get a Holux GPS; - that is my eBay search du jour, although I have to get on the road soon...meeting my daughter in NYC today and riding the Montauk Century tomorrow.
What other utilities and programs are you tablet-travelers finding it is nice to have on the N800?
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