Me, My MiFi and My Bag Of Tricks To Stay Connected

Call me the rogue agent. The nomad. The wanderer. But do call me connected.

I'm holed up in Madrid, for all the right reasons. It's a great walking town, and I need to walk. It's not Paris, where I have spent far too many days and nights, so despite the allure of Le Web, and 2200 people, some of whom I may want to see, I have other things to do. Like running my business and staying in touch, while not having the day slamming me from both ends. Madrid is an old world city with charm, old world grace, and a very heady cafe society. It's got the wine and food quality of Paris, but seems to be even more hip on fusion inspired cooking. Over the last three days I've dined in Peruvian, Asian, local Spanish, Catalonian and Basque oriented spots, and now am in a cafe that's local and tasty.

The MiFi 2352 from Novatel Wireless, a local San Diego company, with a global footprint 11 months ago debuted this credit card size, playing card deck thick mobile hotspot, or as I like to call it, a "PocketSpot." The version of the MiFi I carry is an unlocked unit, purchased long before Novatel introduced the GSM version in the USA as an enhanced (read locked and built for the USA carrier market.) It came from an overseas supplier known for their early on selling. So it was pretty much a no brainer that this was the must have device for the global nomad, like me, who is also a rogue agent, roaming the globe, seeing clients, colleagues, friends and future friends.

I call it the must have because after Friday, when I was on a train at 280 km/h and participating in a Skype audio conference over HiDef conferencing, around the coverage holes using my pay as you go SIM from MasMovil, the Spanish upstart MVNO, I had a religious experience or as some say the eureka moment. As someone who screams, "Stay Connected" for the last 11 years or so, that really means a lot to me. Saying it is one thing. Living it. Well, that's another.

To me, now more than ever, connectivity is what matters, and out in the middle of nowhere, on the plains of Spain, I'm rambling along and taking part in a conference call, listening, talking, texting and file sharing. No office. No wires other than my FreeTalk Everyman headset aside and the power cord of course, as my Club car seat on the train between Barcelona and Madrid had power. Talk about global freedom and mobility. My office has really become portable. Party A on the call was in San Francisco (Marin to be precise) over cable modem. Party B was in an office in Girona, Spain, a wonderful hamlet full of ancient buildings and charming restaurants--with amazing food and wine and here's me and my PocketSpot, using my Mac Book Pro using the FreeTalk Everyman headset, an HD audio headset that costs less than 24 dollars, all the time being a part of the conversation.

Earlier I had called my wife. I didn't use Skype on the laptop, I used Truphone on my Apple iPod Touch. I also made a bunch of Truphone calls using my Nokia E71, but not over the WiFi as the train station wasn't wireless that I could find, but made calls with both over my own WiFi cloud, using the MiFi. I called Ken Rutkowski, of KenRadio.com fame using Skype. On the iPod Touch and even sent him Friday's report using the touch, a voice recording application, which then sends the recording by email. I pulled out my iPhone and using the camera, snapped some photos, then emailed them to Ken and a few friends. In Madrid on Saturday, I snapped off a few more photos for my wife, to show her an assortment of "bolsas", um bags at a shop on Calle Cava Baja. I then called her to "look" at the bags, using Truphone. Never once was Data Roaming turned on. Never once was a GSM call made. All the voice and data was going over my MiFi, at rates that are far more digestible than the roaming rates from AT&T on the iPhone.

This was HSUPA at it's finest. Connecting at theoretical speeds up to 7.2 megs but on networks that are built out right, MasMovil has roaming on both Vodafone and Orange here in Spain. Sure, I have Yoigo in my E71, but for data here I'm using the upstart, with an upstart product in the MiFi, or in the Mas Movil USB modem.

Last night, at dinner, as I dined solo, I took along my Mac Book Pro, took a big table and plopped the MiFi down, and immediately began writing and web searching. I was never alone. With Skype, Twitter and Yammer all my friends, colleagues and people I don't know but interact with were a click away. I was, have been, and now always am connected.

Sure, this is a bit of overkill. I do unplug, but my point is, with the MiFi tucked inside my coat pocket, a device like the iPod Touch, iphone, Nokia E71 or even my UMA enabled Blackberry, I have more connectivity than I did a year ago. Add in more and more WiFi hot spots that are up and running, and I'm connected. Oh, and one more thing. When I don't want to carry the MacBook Pro, I've got a 1.7 pound powerhouse in tow. It's the 7 inch Viliv S7. Pop on the Yamaha PSG-01S and you've got a multi-directional input mic and speakerphone that fills the room, yet is small enough to be in a small shoulder bag with the Viliv, the MiFi and their respective power cords/chargers.

So here's the net-net. Connectivity is getting more plentiful. A well built out network. A properly engineered device and a bit of planning means you can be so far away, and yet so near to those who are dear. I'm doing it more and more. So get out, and enjoy the world.

Note: For transparency sake Truphone is a client, as is In Store Solutions, makers of FreeTalk products and merchandisers of the Skype Shop.

Comments

[Curtis Carmack]

Andy,

Thanks for the evocative post. I'm about to go your route (virtually no GSM, only WiFi and 3G based communications) and am looking forward to ditching AT&T's network. Just want to put in a thank you for the early recommendation on the Free Talk Everyman. I cannot believe the quality of voice and music for $23! I like the eco-friendly and reusable packaging, too.

Keep up the great posts!

Curt

[Johnpeavoy]

Hi Andy,

Loving your post (and blog). I also have an unlocked 2352 from Novatel - on it here in my hyper-unconnected family home in the wilds of Ireland. The Pocketspot is out by the top-floor window and WiFi-ing me to the net from there. Love the product....

I'm only an "Andy-lite" in the connectivity respect, but really enjoying products and services like Blackberry, Netbook, MiFi, Contract Mobile Broadband, Skype, and particularly Rebtel - it's a life-saver for me for US & Asia calls from my BB 8900, at Skype-like rates.

Pity you're not in Paris this week - tripping over there for one day - looks like it'll be the best one yet...

John