Cars.com’s David Thomas speculates that the iPad could prove to be a serious problem for automakers that charge a ransom for rear entertainment systems. Continue Reading →
All posts in mobility
A Wireless Hotspot For Your Car. Why Not?
Want your very own wireless hotspot to follow you everywhere you drive? Plan a long trip and want to keep your kids busy and quiet updating their online social networks? Well, you’re lucky because UK mobile operator 3 has unveiled its in-car Wi-Fi to offer just that. Continue Reading →
iPad Review
On April 6, 2010
In Featured, Headline, mobility, Product review, technology
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If like millions of connected people you’ve been wondering whether you should buy (or not) the Apple iPad, this thorough review by Gizmodo of Apple’s latest cool device will definitely remove the last doubts you had (or not yet had) and will make you feel comfortable buying (or definitely not) one of those tablets. Continue Reading →
Picture of the week – iPhone vs Others: The Mobile OS Market
On March 30, 2010
In Featured, Headline, investigation/survey, mobility, picture of the week, trend
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Need a secondary display for that laptop? Got you covered.
On March 24, 2010
In Featured, mobility, Product review, technology, telework
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When I’m working from home, I have a dual-monitor setup for my PC. Very useful on busy days or for keeping an eye on RSS feeds while watching a movie. The truth is, it makes me feel like being some kind of a successful trader who monitors the financial markets… “buy, buy” or “Oh my God! Sell, sell!!”. Really??!
No. But some fellows do that, I’m almost sure.
On the road I take my MSI Wind netbook, and while multiple desktops are handy, I sometimes wish I had a second screen for that thing, too – all the more so as netbooks have such a tiny screen that you get your eyes burnt after 30 minutes of browsing the Internet. Yeah, it’d though be pretty weird to set up a 13-inch LED-backlit secondary screen at a coffee shop but anything to get the job done, right? Right.
Made by MEDL Technologies, it’s called simply “The Panel” and it’s exactly what it says it is: a secondary screen that uses USB as its display link. There are smaller solutions, of course, but this is the biggest standalone monitor I’ve seen that just runs off USB. It’s also battery-powered, and will run for five hours, which… is good, I guess, but it isn’t clear whether it’s charged by the USB or not. If not… why not?
It weighs just over 2 pounds, and at a 1280×800 resolution, it’s just big enough for HD stuff. One really handy use I can think of is if you have kids, you just hook this sucker up, put a few cartoons into a playlist, and put the screen facing away from you so the kids can watch while you work. Handy for airports and vacations.
Unfortunately it’s not a touchscreen. That would have been a really nice feature, but I guess we’ll have to wait for “The Touch Panel.”
How Blogging Can Save Your Expat Life
An expat myself, I couln’t but identify myself to Alison, a very cool expat blogger based in Brussels, when I read her post “How Blogging Saved My Expat Life”.
I guess we all somehow experience the same feelings when we move for good to a new place we don’t know, a place we don’t speak the language and are not familiar yet with the culture. A place we feel like a foreigner, though we now leave there. In her post Alison explains how to turn this, at first challenging, change into a wonderful adventure.
I’d like to dedicate this post to my friend Tanya, a wonderful Mexican expat who lives in Paris and meets with the same issues as Alison did when she started her new life in Brussels.
Hold on and keep faith amiga!
When I started blogging, I wasn’t trying to make money on-line or become famous. In fact, I never expected anyone other than my friends and family would read it. But now, I’m pretty sure that blogging saved my expat life.
I moved to Belgium five years ago as a trailing spouse. My husband and I decided together that we wanted to try living in Europe. The opportunity came up sooner than we expected, when his company offered to move us to Brussels. Legalities being what they are in Belgium, I was unable to get a work-permit as the trailing spouse, so my days were filled with getting our new life settled.
Back then, blogging wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is now, and I didn’t know much about it, but I got tired of writing the same things and answering the same questions in a dozen e-mails. I had learned basic web design and HTML in school so I decided to start a website to share stories and photos with my friends and family back home.
My blog posts were basically extended letters. I didn’t think much about grammar or structure. My posts didn’t have a topic other than what I had been up to since the last time I wrote. I never expected anyone that didn’t know me would bother much with my blog.
In those first few months, I wrote only about happy things – new places we travelled to, new discoveries we made, etc.
The shiny newness of expat life wore off pretty quickly though. The reality was I was mired in mountains of Belgian bureaucracy and red-tape. We had no support from my husband’s company; we didn’t speak the language; we knew no one and we lived in a small community with limited public transportation. I spent most of my days feeling isolated and depressed and wondering what the hell I had done.
I didn’t want to burden my family and friends with my woes. Honestly, I felt like a failure for being depressed in the first place. I mean, I was living in Europe after all. Something that is a dream for most people was my reality. Except most days it felt more like a nightmare.
I turned to the blogosphere for help. Although there weren’t many expat blogs based in Belgium at that time, I found some blogs written by expat women in other countries who were writing about the exact feelings I was having. Suddenly I didn’t feel so alone and it gave me the courage to write about what I was really experiencing.
It was scary to put my stress, struggles and depression out there, but instead of scorn for my whining, I started to get email and comments from other women in my situation. Some were already in Belgium, some were planning an expat move and all of them had similar fears and worries as me.
I was contacted by an expat news website in Belgium and asked to do a weekly column about my experiences in Belgium. Through that column, even more trailing spouses contacted me and encouraged me to keep writing and sharing.
It didn’t happen overnight, but gradually things got better. Because of my blog, I met people, I had an outlet for my stress and worry and I had a sense of purpose. Blogging and the support of my readers gave me the courage to pursue my career as a photographer.
Five years later, my blog and my life have changed dramatically. First of all, we have both moved out of isolation – me to the centre of Brussels and my blog to its own domain.
CheeseWeb is now much less focused on my day to day life and more on expat life in general. It covers a range of topics about life and travel in Belgium. I have guest posters on different topics from art to technology and I write about many different travel destinations around Europe.
Blogging opened so many doors for me in the early months of my expat life and continues to today. I honestly believe that blogging saved my expat life.
About the author:
Alison Cornford-Matheson is a garden and travel lifestyle photographer based in Brussels. Her website, CheeseWeb has grown into a resource for expats in Belgium as well as a guide for interesting places to visit, eat and shop, but first and foremost it remains personal journal of one expat wife, making her way in a foreign land.
Maemo and Moblin merge
Today, Intel and Nokia announced the merger of their respective Linux platforms for mobile devices. Maemo (Nokia) and Moblin (Intel) will form the new MeeGo. Continue Reading →
The ultimate mobile office ?
Well … looks like a science fiction device … but it’s rather convicing I must say.
iPhone + laser keyboard + wireless mouse = a perfect mobile desktop !
Ok, the iPhone definitely seems too small to work correctly, and the laser keyboard is really not the best typing device ever … but I really like the idea 
Plus, the technical work is pretty impressive …
Maybe someday …
Ten Most Viewed Posts on 52nd & West in 2009
We’ve had a great year at 52nd & West, and saw tremendous growth on our blog month after month. As we head into a new year, here’s a look back at the most popular posts on our site in 2009. Enjoy! Continue Reading →
5 rules of mobility learned in 2009
Any mobile worker would have to travel and work with its own environment but would also be able to adapt to any environment. Here are the 5 golden rules to keep in mind before going to a travel I learned in 2009. It’s probably a reminder to most of the reader of this blog … but also a good way to go back to the basic.
Size matters
Being mobile implies to deal with the size and the weight of objects the mobile worker would have to carry. And sometimes, being a mobile worker could be just really painful for your back (or your bag … or your pocket). For example, a cool and ultra new smartphone could be really a fantastic tool, yet not easy to fit in your pocket. Sometime, the latest gizmo isn’t the best solution.
Of course, laptops are probably the biggest concern regarding the size. Since the rise of netbooks, they now are a good answer with very compact size. If laptops and netbooks become really small these days, it’s not always the case for the charger, though … Something to keep in mind before packing your bag
- The Ultimate Computer Case (made in Switzerland)
- Lifehacker laptop bags
- Travel light with one bag
- Your laptop on a USB key!
- The ultimate vertical bag
- The laptop bag group on Flickr
Energy management
Being mobile with all the gizmos modern worker have could be just a nightmare if you don’t have an energy source. We previously discussed the issue of the charger – a universal charger could be a good solution, avoiding dealing with plenty of them.
Once again, the latest gizmo could be really cool, but on the road, it’s important to go back to your basic needs. Sometimes, the previous gadget generation has the benefit of being optimized (latest firmware, etc – leading to better battery management). Or they simply consumes less energy (for example, smartphones are just burning battery so rapidly, while normal phones will be with you for the week.
Thin and light charger are definitely something to look for. Another solution that might be to consider at some point : solar charger.
Hopefully, the move of the European commission for universal charger will help at some point.
Useful reading :
Internet connection
We’re getting more and more used to unlimited and permanent internet connection – wifi access, 3G networks are getting always more popular and are weapons of choice for mobile workers. Learn to plan and map your trip with the closest wifi hotspots available (McDonalds, airports, cities, hotels, etc – for France, a Neuf, Fon or FreeWifi access is a big plus). A small wifi detector can also really help. But sometimes, there is just no internet, and you’ll have to deal with that.
Working offline can also be great opportunity to work differently, to focus on what matters and being more productive.
With a decent email client (ie. thunderbird), you can still read your email you’ve previously downloaded, answer to them offline (they’ll be sent next time you’ll connect). Also think to download your important documents (or the one you currently work on).
Offline period are also great moment for reading … tools such as readitlater allow you to mark internet page for later, and download them for an offline visualization.
Useful reading :
Adapt to your working environment
Finding a nice, quiet place to work is always the better option. And if the view or the place inspires you, you’re work will be more productive and creative. But sometimes, it’s just not possible to pick the perfect spot. Noise is often the no1 enemy – earplugs will be lifesaver in these situations. If you like working with music, a good headset will also be very helpful (Noise cancelling technology can be a plus).
Useful reading :
Working mindset
Working is all about routine. Working outside the office or on the road could be sometime disturbing or distracting. To be able to focus on what matters, it’s important to recreate a routine that will help you find your focus point. Drinks, lights, working space, specific music will help you to find standpoints and go back to work.
Useful reading
Bonus : the 6th rule – with you wherever you go/are
Inspired by Nicolas who thought it could be a good idea to make reminder about the remote access solutions. Technology indeed offers us plenty of options for accessing our work capacities remotely. Drop.box remains definitely a strong asset, but during this year, a few other tools also came to help us.
One of the first one that will probably be pretty huge in the coming month : Mozilla Weave (disclaimer – I do work with Mozilla) will allow any firefox user to synchronize its data (bookmarks, navigation history, tabs opened, password, login, etc) between 2 firefox (for example, “home computer”, “work computer”, “laptop”) with the required level of security. Go and adopt it !
If you need to remotely (and simply) access to your computer, logmein also improved its offer during the year with a mobile edition. Yummy.
Useful reading
