Multiple Computers - One Internet Connection

Even though I'm the one who relies on a computer to earn our living, my wife spends her fair share of time online as well. In the past, we've shared a laptop. It's been less than convenient, but we've worked out our schedules so that we both get enough time at the keyboard. But this year we bought a second laptop so we could both do what we needed, when we wanted.

One problem with having multiple computers when on the road is that both computers need internet connectivity. If you're lucky enough to be in a campground that offers (and delivers) free Wifi, you're in good shape. But I can't count on that. Most of the time I end up paying a fee for access, or using a cellular connection. Both of those options mean that I'm only going to have a single connection to the internet.

Synet's Windy31 fixes that problem. It's just exactly what I need to let both of us connect through a single internet connection. The unit connects to the USB port on the laptop that's connected to the internet (actually, you can connect it to a desktop just as easily), and becomes a Wifi access point and router... just like the one I have at home. The difference is that it's small and routes through the laptop to create a private wireless network.

I plugged the Windy31 into my laptop and the software loaded from the USB device... no CD was needed. I'm guessing the software is stored in memory in the USB unit. When I turned on my wife's laptop, it scanned for Wifi networks. It found the Windy31, connected to it, and was online in a few seconds.

I'm sure there are plenty of other uses for the Windy31, but this will do for me. Sorry, but it only runs on Windows XP and Vista computers, but of course any Wifi device (Apple, Wifi phone, etc.) can connect through it. Retail price is around $60.

Printing on the Go - Without a Printer

I take a lot of photos when we're on the road. I store them on my laptop, back them up to my desktop at home, and upload them to Flickr.com where I can share them easily. I also carry a small Epson photo printer so I can make prints and give them to fellow travelers. But sometimes I want prints that are larger, better quality, or just plain different.

I've used a variety of print services ranging from local pharmacies to specialty print services offered by the likes of Kodak's EasyShare service. But I recently tried RocketLife as a way to create both a calendar and a coffee-table photo book, and the results are stunning.

RocketLife offers to help you create a variety of print products including the calendar and photo book I made, but also including greeting cards, posters, photo collages, mousepads, puzzles, and more. But this isn't just your standard "print this picture on a calendar for me" kind of service.

RocketLife makes your finished products different by automatically arranging your photos on pages in interesting ways, combining photos and backgrounds. What's more, if you don't like what RocketLife produced automatically, you can ask the system to try again, producing different results, or you can take control and manually rearrange (as well as add or remove) photos on the page.

What makes RocketLife great for us folks on the move, is that it lets us create our designs wherever we are, then ships the finished product to our selected location. That means we can create gifts for delivery elsewhere, or ship to our current, or even next location.

I got great results from my projects. The photos were printed on high quality, heavy paper and looked like professional print products you would buy in a book store. My 12-month, 8.5 x 11 calendar cost $20, and my 20 page hard bound 8.5 x 11 book was $40.

I enjoy using RocketLife for these printed products because it delivers high quality, and does something I can't do on my own.

Phone numbers for where you are

There are times when we are traveling and would like to have the folks we are visiting be able to reach us via a local phone call. There are also those times we want to give out our phone number, but really don't want to receive calls from the folks (most usually a sales operation) after a certain period of time.

For those situations and more, I've been using a service called Vumber. When you sign up for a Vumber phone number, you can select pretty much any area code in the US, and a number is assigned to you. That number is then redirected to your existing cell phone or land line number.

So far, that's not all that unusual since there are lots of services that can do that.

What sets Vumber apart is its range of features.

• For one thing, you can request your number be changed at any time, making it convenient to use for those "temporary contacts."
• You can also set up your preference for how caller ID is shown, both on inbound and outbound calls, so that your calls appear to be originating from your Vumber.
• There is, of course, a voicemail account for each Vumber, and messages can be sent to your email account.
• But one of my favorite features is the ability to have multiple Vumbers. This means that I can have a Vumber in multiple area codes, and call from and receive calls to all of them at any time.

Of course, there are costs to using Vumber. The basic charge is $9.99 per month for one Vumber. You can change your Vumber twice at no charge, but there is a charge thereafter, as well as for additional Vumbers.