[Gocamino] Communications technology?

[Sil]

Richard, I used the same means of communication when I walked in 2002,
2004, 2007 and 2009.
Now I have a Blackberry.  I can phone home, send messages, go on the
internet, receive emails, send emails - including messages and photographs
to my blog, use wifi, and if I needed to, I could activate the GPS
facility.  The camera isn't that great so I still carry a camera.
Last year I started in St Jean but waited until I got to Spain to insert
the Spanish Sim as the service didn't work in France.  It can be very
costly to use a data enabled smart phone abroad and the servuce providers
recommend you take the data service off before you go.  I bought a
Blackberry Data SIM from SpainSim for €90 which included full internet
service, emails, free local calls and a few cheap calls home.  This was
much cheaper than using the phone for all of the above with a SIM from
home.
I still carry a notebook but use it mainly for jotting down prices,
telephone numbers etc.
Sil

On 8 March 2012 03:18, Richard Ferguson <richard at fergusonsculpture.com>wrote:

> As part of planning my upcoming Fall pilgrimage, I am thinking about
> communications technology.
>
> When I went on pilgrimage in 2002, I carried a Moleskin notebook as my
> diary.  I used phone cards in pay phones to call home, or occasionally to
> call a hotel.  I had a film camera.   I used internet cafes to send emails
> to my family and friends, when I could find one.  All sounds obsolete right
> now.
>
> At this point, I am going back and wondering if I should change
> everything.   I suspect that pay phones are not as common as 10 years ago,
> so carrying a mobile phone may make sense, especially in France, where I
> understand you need to call ahead and book places to stay.  A smartphone
> could potentially replace the camera, the diary, phone cards, pay phones,
> internet cafes, you name it.  Maybe a smartphone is all I would need to
> carry.   A blog could potentially replace the email list that I used last
> time.
>
> No, I don't plan to be in constant touch while on pilgrimage.  If I have a
> phone it will probably be turned off most of the time.
>
> I already have a couple of quad band GSM unlocked cell phones, and would
> just buy a local SIM card to get a local phone number.   I even have a Treo
> 650, a first generation smartphone, with a very limited camera and no WIFI.
>   But I wonder if I would not be better off with a modern smartphone.   In
> the US, I use an old flip phone; my friends love to show me cool aps on
> iPhones, but I am not enthused about the additional cost per month..
>
> If I use the Treo 650 I would need to carry a real camera, and buy a data
> plan for my phone.  This plan has the advantage that I would not need to
> buy a phone.
>
> If I buy a modern smartphone, I perhaps could use it as my camera, and
> avoid a data plan by using WIFI.
>
> I will probably go with a blog rather than an email list, in any event.
>
> How easy is it to find WIFI hotspots?  In my case, I plan to start in
> France on the GR65, cross the Pyrenees, and most likely end in Pamplona.
>
> What are people doing these days?   Are people carrying a phone and a
> camera?   Are there Luddites who are still using film?   How do you keep in
> contact with folks back home?  Still using handwritten journals?
>
> Richard
>
>
>
> Sculptures in copper and other metals
> www.fergusonsculpture.com
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Sil
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