HelpDesk - 5th May 2006

This week a reader asks about his VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) set-up and another about sending Potos via email.

Q) I’ve recently purchased a Linksys PAP2 VOIP adapter and intend using it with my ADSL connection to get cheaper calls and so that I can have separate UK and Spanish telephone numbers for our villa rentals business. How do I choose the best provider ?

From Jenny K - Sax

A) Well Jenny, the simple answer to this question is to go to our own VOIP service Wi-Call (www.wi-call.com), but of course I would say that wouldn’t I !!!

In truth, there are a multitude of VOIP providers out there that will enable you to use your ADSL internet connection to not only make very low cost telephone calls but also to receive incoming calls on “virtual” telephone numbers for almost any location worldwide.

The trick in choosing your provider is not just down to the per minute cost of a call, but MUST also involve issues such as Quality of Service, range of options and services and, last but definitely NOT least support and contactability.

One of the major issues I have found with VOIP providers, including the “biggest” or supposed “market leaders” is the fact that they have no “human” face and are mostly impossible to contact or actually talk to when you have a problem. Believe me when I say that to set up your PAP2 properly, using the proper “Codecs” and other settings to ensure quality of call requires either detailed knowledge or help and no amount of “standard configuration” settings published on websites are going to enable you to really get the best out of you set up.

When it comes to “Virtual” telephone numbers (numbers that are re-routed to your VOIP device when dialled), you are also entering a bit of a minefield.

There are not only commercial issues, with many operators NOT licensed to give out numbers (especially in Spain !!), but also technical issue that can stop your number working. On many occasions lately I have heard of people who have, for example, obtained a “free” incoming number from a provider, only to find that it works only intermittently and that there is nobody they can actually speak to about the problems. Again, the rule of thumb here is that the cheapest is often a long way from actually being the best option, especially if you are going to use the lines for business purposes. Imagine paying to print out all of your company letterheads etc only to find out two weeks later that the number you were given is and will never work properly !!

Q) I’ve just bought our first Digital Camera (a Canon PowerShot as recommended in TechTalk by the way !!) and want to send some pictures of our kids to their Grandparents in the UK via email. As the pics seem to be of a reasonable size, what is the best way of attaching them to ensure there are no problems.

From Mark G – Finestrat

A) Well Mark, this is not an unknown issue and I have often received in the past hoards of pics from friends and relatives that take ages to download and take up a big chunk of disk space.

The first thing you should do with all of your pics is check their size in your Picture Editor and change it, if necessary, to something manageable. In most editors you can actually set the size in CM. I recommend a setting of say, 10cm wide by say 7 or 8cm high. This is a reasonable size for both viewing and printing and will meant the file size is also acceptable.
The next thing is to save them in a format that supports a reasonable level of compression such as JPEG. Again, this is pretty simple to do and an integral part of any reasonable picture editor.

Finally, try using a File Compression utility such as WinZip to combine all the photos you wish to send in a single “Compressed” file. Compressed files are files or folders that have been made smaller using compression algorithms and I won’t bother going into this techno stuff here. Suffice to say they work and make files smaller and easier to handle and email.

Windows XP has one built in and you can get instructions on how to do it from the Windows XP Help and Support function (just search for “zip”).

If you don’t have Windows XP, use the industry standard program WinZip, which is free to download from www.winzip.com.

Gadeget of The Week - 5th May 2006 (Garmin Nuvi GPS)

Garmin nüvi 350 GPS Satellite Navigation – c€500.00 –(http://www.garmin.com/uk/automotive/nuvi/)

Although not the cheapest gadget I’ve reviewed, this fantastic piece of equipment makes touring effortless and enjoyable. No more arguing over how to read a map or not being quick enough with the directions!! After all, you’re going on holiday here, not rally driving or “yomping” with the Royal Marines !!

The nüvi is a portable GPS navigator, traveller’s reference, and digital entertainment system, all in one. Combined with detailed maps, the nüvi provides automatic routing, turn-by-turn voice directions, and finger-touchscreen control—making it easy to find your way anywhere.

The European version contains full European mapping right off the shelf. The nüvi 350's unique "text-to-speech" feature calls out turns by street name. In addition, this text-to-speech interface, gives users the spoken pronunciation of each entry in the word bank—along with gender and part-of-speech information. It’s compatible with the GTM 10 FM TMC traffic receiver, which allows users to avoid traffic tie-ups by simply pushing a button that will calculate a new route.

The nüvi also offers a travel kit of useful travel tools to help keep any journey fun: MP3 player, audio book player from Audible.com, JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, and calculator. In addition, optional software packages such as the Language Guide and Travel Guide (sold separately on SD Data cards) can be added for language and content support.

Users can also access an optional Garmin Language Guide, with data provided by Oxford University Press. This software suite contains a multilingual word bank, phrase bank, and five bilingual dictionaries. The multilingual word bank and phrase bank supports nine languages and dialects, including American English, British English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, European Spanish, and Latin American Spanish. The Language Guide lets travelers look up and translate more than 17,000 words or 20,000 phrases per language. Through the unit’s text-to-speech interface, users can get a spoken pronunciation of each entry in the word bank—along with gender and part of speech information (nüvi 350 only).

Features

* High-sensitivity integrated GPS receiver by SiRF
* WAAS enabled; flip-up antenna—includes MCX-type connector for optional external GPS antenna connection
* Travel Kit includes Language Guide, MP3 player, audible book player, picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters, and calculator
* SD memory card expansion slot
* Powerful built-in speaker
* Traffic alerts with optional GTM 10 FM TMC traffic receiver*
* Audible and visual navigation instructions and warnings
* Offers a three dimensional mapping perspective, or 2-D overhead view
* Display: 2.8” W x 2.1” H (3.5” diag.), 320 x 240 pixels; bright, TFT display, 64K colors, with white backlight and touch screen
* Unit dimensions: 3.87" W x 2.91" H x 0.87" D (98.3 mm x 73.9 mm x 22.1 mm)—fits easily in a pocket or purse
* Weight: 5.1 ounces (144.6 grams)
* Built-in lithium ion battery
* Between 4-8 hours of battery life, depending on use
* Includes 12-volt power adapter cable for external power while in your vehicle
* Includes suction cup mount that allows for easy adjustment and quick release
* Simplified PC connectivity, similar to a digital camera, using USB Mass Storage with access to either the SD card slot or to the unit’s internal memory directly from your PC desktop.
* With the POI loader program (available for free from www.garmin.com), users can set up proximity alerts for school zones, safety cameras, and more.
*Traffic services available only in select cities where RDS-TMC coverage exists. Requires the GTM 10 FM TMC traffic receiver and subscription fee to enable traffic capability.

Surfer's Corner - 5th May 2006 (Travel on the Web)

The list of websites below will give you a good starting point for planning and building your next trip, whether it is a “holiday of a lifetime” or a weekend “city break”.

The World Travel Guide (www.worldtravelguide.net)

A superb starting point for any research into travel destinations. This site provides access to information on about ANY destination in the world, giving you all you need to know about every aspect of your holiday. You’ll be stuck here for ages !!

RealTravel (www.realtravel.com)

A real gem this site !! It is composed of “Travelogues” written by REAL travellers. Giving descriptions of their adventures, tips and tricks and much more. There is a range of forums where you can ask questions of fellow travellers and you can even set up your own Travel “Blog” (short for Web Log) about your own travel experiences.

Rough Guides (http://travel.roughguides.com/)

The website of the world famous Rough Guides. An absolute mine of travel information on pretty much any destination you can think of.

Fodors (www.fodors.com)

Fodors Travel guides are again amongst the best know. The website provides the level of information you would expect from one of the masters in travel guides.

ResponsibleTravel.com (www.responsibletravel.com)

This is the webste on which e found the holiday that involved looking after the elehants in Thailand. You can find advwenture and volunteer holidays here in almost any location.

UK Government Travel Advice

(www.direct.gov.uk/TravelAndTransport/TravellingAbroad/fs/en)

Sorry abouth the long link !! Travelling responsibly in this day and age is an absolute must. The UK Governments website is a must read and will give you all the info you need about dealing with emergencies, Consultate contacts, worldwide security alerts etc.

The RAC Route Planner (http://rp.rac.co.uk/rp/routeplanner)

For travelling by car, this is an excellent site to plan your route. Just put in the start and end destinations and any places you want to visit along the way and the “routeplanner” will provide you with detailed instructions and maps for you to print off and take with you.

Weather (www.bbc.co.uk/weather)

The BBC site will provide you with up to date weather info on any location.

Booking travel (see below)

In addition to the Airline websites listed last week, probably the best three starting points for booking holiday items (i.e. Flights, hotels, packages etc.) are LastMinute.com (www.lastminute.com), Expedia (www.expedia.com) and E-Bookers (www.ebookers.es – Click on the Union Jack in top left for English).

TechnoBabble - 5th May 2006 (Travel on The Web)

Last week’s article prompted a whole raft of conversation amongst colleagues and friends. However, in amongst the positives and negatives of on-line commerce, one question that was asked continuously was prompted by the fact that I had listed some of the Airline’s websites in Surfer’s corner - When was I going to write a about travel resources on the web ?

Well, always one to listen to the requests of my readers and realising that, like many of my fellow ex-pats living in Spain, I haven’t had a proper holiday since I came to live here !! Here we go.

My angle here is not geared towards where you can go to on the web to buy a holiday but where you can go to choose your destination in the first place !! So many of us who have come here to live seem to have forgotten that there are so many other places out there to visit. It’s a huge world and I believe it would be an equally huge shame for any of us to depart from it having not tried to see as much of it as possible.

The myriad of cultures, the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a world of experience seems to pass most of us by. We know that we should but, for many of us, we do not know where to start to choose a holiday destination that will excite, challenge and reward. Traditionally, we have just popped down the road to the local Travel Agent, stated “sun, sea and sand please” and that was about the limit of the adventure.

So, time to throw off the cobwebs and get out and experience what our wonderful world has to offer. Whether you want to walk, climb, cycle, travel by car boat or plane, lay on the beach all day or absail down a mountain, you have to start by making a choice of destination and type of holiday.

For example, one of the really interesting things I noticed whilst conducting my research this week was that there were many opportunities to visit a place and get involved in an activity that benefited either the local nature or the people. How many of you have thought of combining your holiday with an opportunity to bring benefit to others ?? I can assure you that this is next on the Reed-Forrester family list with a trip to Thailand to help look after the elephants high on the kids agenda at the moment !!

Another option is to actually get out and see Spain properly. Why is it that so many of us come here and end up seeing not much more than our little corner of Javea or Benidorm or Torrevieja ?? How awful is that !!??

A couple of years ago we drove back to the UK to pick up some bits and pieces we had left there and managed to take a wrong turn on the way to San Sebastian. What a stroke of luck !! We ended up driving through some of the most stunning scenery I have ever scene. Medieval castles, beautiful valleys, rivers, towns and all with the stunning Pyranees in the background. Max, my son, made what I believe was the definitive statement of the trip when he said “Dad, if we had to get lost, what a place to get lost in”. Out of the mouths of babes etc. eh ??

So how do you choose where to go and what to do ??

Yet again, the internet lends itself superbly to this task and offers you the opportunity to research your next holiday quickly and easily. You can find information about just about any location in the world on the net. What weather to expect, what clothes to wear, what food you will be tempted with, local customs, national or local holidays, the list just goes on and on.

Whether you are on a budget or are looking to splash out, there is something out there for all of us, you just have to look.

Apart from the obvious starting points of the major search engines such as Google and Yahoo etc., there are a huge number of travel related sites out there. From the big corporates, to individuals looking to share their travel experiences. The amount of information is staggering.

As usual, to help you start, this week’s Surfer’s Corner gives a list of relevant sites for you to get started with.

Bon Voyage !! (and don’t forget to send us your own “travelogue” of any adventures you have as a result of reading this !!).

Peter Reed-Forrester

inspírese (www.inpsirese.com)