Well, I’ve made it through the first month with the iPhone, and so far we’re getting along. I’ve not been this deep into Fruit Territory in a long, long time. I’m a Windows geek, not an Apple devotee, but I’m willing to adapt. <grin>

Part of the reason for switching to the iPhone at this point was because I needed to use text messaging a lot for my consulting, and the old Windows Mobile phone was dying on me. The iPhone has a nice interface for text messaging, but I keep sending all kinds of odd messages because I “fat-finger” that tiny keyboard.

Computing Before There Were Mice

Yes, Virginia, there was a time when computers did NOT have a mouse driving the interface. In fact was a little over 20 years ago that Windows 3.1 came out, and I knew that computing would change forever. Yes, I know that both Microsoft and Apple had a mouse well before that, but because of the pervasiveness/market share of Windows, the arrival of a decent Windows mouse-driven interface, the culture shifted radically.

To this day, I’m a two-fisted computer user: I regularly use keyboard shortcuts with the mouse to write and move around the interface quickly. In fact I urge my clients to use these shortcuts because they’re concentrated where you type with your left hand. I’m taking about the usual Ctrl+S for Save, Ctrl+C for Copy, Ctrl+V for paste, and so on. You’d be surprised how many people do NOT use them!

With all of this background information I am leading up to the punch line: I bought a mini-keyboard for my iPhone. Now before you fall off your chair with laughter, hear me out.

I’m sitting at a desk a lot these days, so text messaging with colleagues and clients means picking up the phone and trying to aim at that tiny keyboard with hands that can easily play octaves on the piano. I was not blessed with dainty fingers, I was blessed with pianist’s fingers. So that frustration lead me to conclude that finding some kind of thumb keyboard would be a good idea for me.

I haven’t yet bought a hard, protective case for the phone, so the first keyboard I looked at was attached to a hard case. That would make the phone and keyboard function as one item instead of two. I ordered the TK-421 Bluetooth Keyboard/Case from www.ThinkGeek.com for iPhone 3GS.

Http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/e66e/images/8108/

This particular keyboard appealed to me because it had a thumb-style size and functionality. The problem was that the keyboard swiveled out from underneath instead of opening like a clamshell. The keyboard itself was lighter than the phone, so it kept falling forward out of my hands. I had a hard time turning the keyboard’s Bluetooth on, though pairing happened quite easily. After working with the keyboard for 24 hours or so, I went shopping again.

I found that the keyboard portion was available separately from several vendors, but I just didn’t like that keyboard at all, separate or attached. After exhausting all the possibilities in the $35 price range, I decide to move up in size and cost, and I ordered the Verbatim Bluetooth keyboard from www.Buy.com.

http://www.buy.com/prod/verbatim-wireless-bluetooth-mobile-keyboard-for-iphone-ipad-ipad-2-and/q/loc/101/220011486.html

This keyboard is bigger than the phone; in fact the keys are almost full-size with a few exceptions. It comes with its own case, but it’s small enough to fit in my purse on the go. What’s REALLY fun is that hidden in the keyboard’s case is a fold-out stand for the iPhone that holds it in a suitable position for viewing while typing.

Turning the keyboard on is quite easy, pairing with the iPhone is a no-brainer, and with a little concentration, I can type quite quickly for emails, text messages, and writing my book.

Writing My Book on the iPhone

Yes, I am writing a book. Will I write it entirely on the iPhone? Probably not. But, having the keyboard with the iPhone turns it from a text-messaging machine to a mini-computer capable of capturing my chapters without breaking a sweat. I visited the iTunes App Store and found a simple word processing application that cost me US$3.99.

http://www.bytesquared.com/products/doc/iphone/

Because I write for the Internet, I’m used to using a text-only word processor. I write more quickly that way anyway since I’m not fiddling with formatting, so having an iPhone word processor that lets me put in bulleted lists and bold text is just fine! It interoperates with Word 2003-2010, so I can sync with my desktop and use the files there.

Typing with the iPhone on an Airplane

If you think that first-class passengers have more room on their tray tables for their laptops, let me correct this notion immediately! Maybe it’s just me, but I always seem to end up behind the traveler who has decided to kick back. They recline all the way in celebration of their spacious seat, and whatever hope I had for opening my laptop quickly goes away. But there WOULD be room for my iPhone and this mini-keyboard, even in Coach. Just imagining this wonderful scenario gave me hope of recovering all those lost minutes we spend in transit, without having to boot up the laptop!

For Me It’s iPhone Productivity Anywhere

I have a consulting contract now that sometimes has me hanging around waiting for meetings. I didn’t dare bring my Toolie business laptop to the consulting location, but I could pull out my iPhone and keyboard and none would be the wiser! I also think about returning to my satellite office (the local Red Robin) to do my planning sessions because I can access my client management website with my iPhone and keyboard. This particular Red Robin doesn’t have wireless Internet (yet), but I do get a cell signal, so I can fire up the iPhone and get answers when I need them.

OK, Maybe One More Accessory

I admit that the iPhone screen is pretty small — not the best for writing, but if I could get the phone up to eye level, that would be really helpful. Apparently a few other people had the same idea, because I found this accessory online.

Http://www.goilevel.com/

This iLevel clamp-on stand wouldn’t fit in my purse, but it would fit in carry-on luggage quite nicely. And on the treadmill. And on my desk. I haven’t bought it yet — I still feel silly trying to use the iPhone as a mini-computer. But those feelings will probably change as I embrace my iPhone Productivity Project and the possibility of actually getting my book written!

Do you use a keyboard with your iPhone? Tell us about it in your comments below.

I’m not used to being late to the technology party: I just got my first iPhone this month. McAlister has giggled over his iPhone for the last 3 years (http://www.tooliethetravelguide.com/blog/2008/08/email-windows-mobile- and-the-iphone/ ) and that was OK with me. He’s a Mac guy, and while I might have been somewhat jealous, I had other priorities for my phone.

For someone who has relinquished the techie life for his art studio, and claims that he doesn’t want to be thought of as a tech guy, McAlister sure loves his iPhone. He keeps it with him ALL the time. Even when he’s in Sculpture Class or at the pub afterwards with his friends, if some subject comes up in conversation that requires fact- checking, all heads turn towards McAlister, who by then has his iPhone in hand and is looking up the facts on the Internet.

Good Old Windows Mobile — a Mainstay

My old Windows Mobile phone served me well for years. A couple of months ago, I thoughtlessly left it on the top of my car as I pulled out of the driveway. The phone hung on for dear life as I drove downhill, but when I hit the curve at the bottom, it went flying off the roof and skidded on the pavement. It horrible to see (out of the corner of your eye) your phone flying towards the asphalt when you’re powerless to stop it!

When I realized what happened, I stopped, turned around, and went back to find the phone. Miraculously, I found all of the pieces of the phone: the battery, the back cover, even the stylus, and put it all back together. The phone was working!! It was a little scuffed, but it survived.

A few months later I lost the stylus for the fourth time, and this time I decided not to try to replace it. The designers of the phone had, for some inexplicable reason, decided that it should fit in the lower right corner of the phone, upside down, and once the plastic holding it in place gave up, bye-bye stylus!

The next sign of imminent cell phone death was the difficulty in using the slide out keyboard. The left corner of the keyboard was the point of impact from its flight off the car. The little Function key that provided the numbers and alternate characters I needed for text input of any kind was in that very corner of the phone. The damage really became an issue when I took on a short-term, full-time consulting contract and text-messaging became our virtual team’s primary method of contact. Mobile communications were becoming the norm again in my life, and I had to act.

Cell Phone Waiting Game

I’ve been involved with Windows Mobile since the very beginning. Back when I was working at Microsoft on the Visual C++ team, I worked with the marketing guy who was preparing presentations on the Mobile portion of this development tool. We were teaching developers how to write applications for the first versions of Windows phones back in

1995. I got to play with some of those early devices, and I was hooked. For years afterwards, I tried to find a job on the Windows Mobile team, but never found one for which I was qualified.

When the iPhone first came out, I was interested, of course, but I wasn’t crazy about the usability (this is one of my specialties). Give me a keyboard, people! I need a stylus! As the iPhones improved, they got my further attention because it appeared that one really could manipulate the on-screen keyboard with sufficient dexterity.

My next objection was the fact that one HAD to sign with AT&T to get service. I specifically left AT&T for Sprint 12 years ago because AT&T insisted that I get a new phone! At that time, AT&T was tying specific service plans to specific phones, and apparently my phone at the time didn’t qualify. I got a phone call from AT&T when I was visiting my alma mater, Wheaton College. The operator asked for my EIN number, then informed me that I would have to change service plans or change phones. I told them that if I had to change phones, I would also change carriers. I did.

So now it’s May 2011, and I have a dying phone. The last straw was seeing the offer for $49 for an iPhone 3GS. No, it’s not the latest iPhone, but it’s a decent phone, and I had to make a choice. So, I went over to the Fruit Side.

The Fruit Side?

If you’re a staunch Windows person, then using an Apple/Mac product MAY be referred to by your equally staunch Windows friends as “going to the dark side,” an oblique “Star Wars” reference. Mac people will say the same about using Windows products: no surprise there. Since I already own 2 iPods and live with 3 Macs on the network in my house AND live with a Mac Guy, I decided not to refer to my iPhone purchase as “going to the dark side.” Instead, I’ve simply gone to the Fruit Side. Hey, I’m even planning to install in my office the Mac Mini I got back from my Dad after he passed away in January. As a responsible web designer, I have to test my designs on as many platforms and browsers as I can. Now I won’t have to run upstairs to McAlister’s computer to check my sites on his Mac.

Mobile communications on cool devices like the iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and others have shifted the way business travelers operate. You can see now on your phone travel information similar to what I was preparing in my travel guides, only instantly and wirelessly from a vast repository of travel data. I’ve just begun to explore the available travel apps in the iTunes App Store, though I’ve spotted the TripIt app that goes with my subscription. Facebook and LinkedIn are already on my iPhone (I might get some social media marketing done after all), but since I have ONLY 8 gigabytes of space (hee hee), I’m being careful. More importantly, I’m being careful of my TIME and trying to not waste it on apps that won’t get me to my destination efficiently.

The App Store: it truly is a techie playground. I have a feeling I’ll be writing more about my iPhone adventures in the months to come.

Last month I talked about disaster planning for business travelers, in light of the tragic events in Japan. This month I want to address a wise practice that can be beneficial to international travelers.

Travel Registration for International Travelers

The US State Department has a special section in their website devoted to US residents who travel outside the country: http://travel.state.gov. There are many resources on this site, such as passport information, travel advisories, visa information, and the locations and addresses of embassies and consulates around the world.

I was going through their website today looking at information about what the US embassies and consulates can do in a crisis such as the earthquake in Japan when I noticed a link to something called the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. Formerly known as “Travel Registration” or “Registration with Embassies,” the STEP program the sends its registrants the most current information they compile about the country or countries where you may be traveling or living. They also send updates including Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts (where appropriate).

For nearly all of my international visits, I looked up the nearest embassy or consulate, but I was never gone long enough to feel like I needed to register my trips. Now that the Internet makes registration much easier, there’s no reason not to do so.

Registration in Under 5 Minutes

The registration process at the US State Department website took me less than 5 minutes, once I found my passport. The website requires your passport number, date of issuance, and date of expiration, along with your date of birth and address information.

Who Gets to Know?

Once you reach the summary screen, there’s a privacy notice which you must acknowledge. I copied it here for your convenience:

================================
Privacy Act Information

The U.S. Department of State is committed to ensuring that any personal information received by our overseas embassies and consulates pursuant to the STEP process, whether in person or otherwise, is safeguarded against unauthorized disclosure. The data that you provided the U.S. Department of State is subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act (5 USC 552a). This means that the U.S. Department of State will not disclose the information you provide us in your STEP application to any third parties unless you have given us written authorization to do so, or unless the disclosure is otherwise permitted by the Privacy Act.

AUTHORITY: 22 U.S.C. 2715 and 22 U.S.C. 4802(b).

PURPOSE: To notify U.S. citizens in the event of a disaster, emergency or other crisis, and for evacuation coordination, the information solicited on this form may be made available as a routine use to appropriate agencies whether federal, state, local, or foreign, to assist the Department in the evacuation or provision of emergency service to U.S. citizens, or for law enforcement purposes. The information is also made available to private U.S. citizens, known as wardens, designated by U.S. embassies to assist in communicating with the American community in an emergency.
================================

On that screen you can tell the government whether they are allowed to release this information to anyone. Choices included family members, friends, medical and legal representatives, among others. If I find myself in a disaster area while traveling, these are the people I would want to know where I was.

Add Trip Information to the Site

Once you have registered this basic information, you can later add specific travel information. The website says:

================================
This Wizard will guide you through the steps to add a new trip to your account. Please note that you will need the following information to complete the form:

• Itinerary/Residence Information

• Information about anyone who may be traveling with you (if you are adding a trip)

• Information about members of your household (if you are adding a foreign residence) ================================

Once the trip or residency is complete, you can log back into the site and delete the information.

Do Other Countries Have Traveler Registration?

The short answer is YES, they do. Finding the exact websites for other countries was a bit of a challenge, even with my multiple language skills. Thank goodness my Google toolbar includes an amazingly good translation feature. I was in most cases able to find basic information about traveler registration. In some cases, I found the actual registration portal. Some of these URLs are pretty long, so if you click them and they don’t work, copy the entire URL into your browser’s address bar and press Enter or Return to go to the site.

USA:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_4789.html

Canada:
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/register/

France:
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs_909/index.html http://www.mfe.org/index.php/Annuaires/Ambassades-et-consulats-francais-a-l-etranger

Germany:
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Laenderinformationen/DtAuslandsvertretungenA-Z-Laenderauswahlseite_node.html

http://www.konsularinfo.diplo.de/__Zentrale_20Komponenten/Ganze__
Seiten/de/Krisenvorsorgeliste/__Krisenvorsorgeliste.html?site=361719

Italy:
http://www.consboston.esteri.it/Consolato_Boston/Templates/Pagina_Interna.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7b68015AF9-140D-4927-A7F5-ECBCD087AE78%7d
&NRORIGINALURL=%2fConsolato_Boston%2fMenu%2fI_Servizi%2fPer_i_cittadini%2fAnagrafe

UK:
https://www.locate.fco.gov.uk/locateportal/

Australia:
https://www.orao.dfat.gov.au/orao/weborao.nsf/homepage?Openpage

New Zealand:
http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/register.shtml

Hong Kong:
http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immigration/outsidehk/roti.htm

Have you registered with your government’s traveler registry? Have you needed the help of a consulate or embassy on one of your travels? Reply with a comment about your experience.

The international events of the last month have been extraordinary. The upheaval in multiple nations in major oil-producing regions of the world mean that prices have increased across the board. I’m not going to get into a discussion of the political events or the world’s current dependence on fossil fuels. Instead I’d like to focus on how business travelers can cope with increased costs by using mass transit wherever possible.

Fast Track from the Airport

Much of what determines the use of mass transit from the airport to your chosen destination has to do with timing and proximity. As a business traveler, we’re not always able to use mass transit because our business takes us to multiple locations at our destinations. Rental cars become necessary, and we’re hit not only with the price of gasoline but also parking fees.

For business travels where we’re operating in one location, using the light rail or bus system should be a consideration. Below is a list of cities in the USA and elsewhere that have mass transit and light rail connections directly from the airport to the center of town. This is just a sample of the places with good coverage, most of which I have personally used. I’ve included links to their mass transit system websites.

USA

Atlanta  http://www.itsmarta.com/airport.aspx

Boston www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/lines/?route=SILVER

Chicago http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/airports.aspx

Minneapolis http://www.metrotransit.org/airport.aspx

New York http://www.panynj.gov/airports/jfk-to-from.html,
http://www.panynj.gov/airports/ewr-to-from.html

Oakland http://www.flyoakland.com/bart_airbart.shtml

San Francisco http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/tofrom/transp-serv/pubtrans/

Seattle http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/ground/rail.shtml

San Diego http://www.san.org/sdia/transportation/public.aspx

Washington DC http://www.metwashairports.com/dulles/809.htm,

http://www.metwashairports.com/reagan/1303.htm

International

Amsterdam (English page) http://www.schiphol.nl/Travellers/ToFromSchiphol/PublicTransport/ByTrainDomestic.htm

Frankfurt (English page) http://www.rmv.de/coremedia/generator/RMV/AutoCo/Flugzeug/FlughafenFrankfurt/inhalt_3Den.html

Hong Kong http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/transport/to-from-airport/airport-express.html

London http://www.heathrowexpress.com, http://www.gatwickairport.com/transport/trains/

Paris (English page) http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/en-gb/passagers/home/

Singapore http://www.changiairport.com/getting-around/to-and-from-airport/trains-mrt

Sydney http://www.airportlink.com.au/

These links were not difficult to find; all I had to do was to search on Google for the airport, then look for Ground Transportation. Most of the websites whose cities had direct links from the airport had pages devoted to those services. From there, a few clicks led to the descriptions of the pages, and links to the pages with timetables and maps.

Using Transit Passes

When business has kept me in a particular city for 5 days or more, I also look into getting a weekly pass. Most cities have some kind of multi-day, multi-service pass that you can use to move around. It takes a little bit of planning, but in less than an hour you can figure out which stations you need to use, how much walking time is required, and how often the services run. I’ve saved a lot of money this way, and truly enjoyed the experience of being “a local.”

When I know that I will be returning to a particular city multiple times, I’ll even buy a reloadable transit card where available. In addition to my local Seattle “ORCA” card, I have one each for Singapore and Hong Kong. In some countries (like Singapore), reloadable transit cards are used not only for trains and busses, but also as payment cards at grocery and convenience stores.

Keep in mind that by using mass transit, you’re not only taking your rental car off the road, you’re also reducing your company liability, avoiding fuel charges and parking fees, and recapturing time you can use to practice your presentation, make phone calls, and read the paper. You’ll also save time because you won’t have to try to find a parking space or wait in line to pay at the parking garage exit.

Other Considerations for Using Mass Transit

If your business destination has a choice of hotels, look for the hotel closest to both a mass transit station and your meeting place. The time you save by being within walking distance of both is considerable. You’ll need to bring or plan to wear a comfortable pair of shoes, and suitable outwear for inclement weather. These days you can print area (walking) maps from Google Maps or other services, so you don’t even need to visit the map store, unless you want a laminated map. Having local currency in small bills is a good idea, even if you buy a transit pass, in case yours gets lost.

Using mass transit is a good investment in time and effort, and a money-saver any way you look at it.

This month’s newsletter is going to be uncharacteristically short for an appropriate reason: I have only 1 hour before boarding time. I’m in Chicago O’Hare Airport, on my way home from my father’s memorial service. Dad passed away January 8th, and we waited to schedule a service when the greatest number of relatives could join us for the celebration of Dad’s life.

Travel Then and Travel Now

The first time I remember meeting my father’s mother was when I was about 5 years old. My youngest brother was just a baby, and Grandma Frida was pretty old by then. It was a seemingly unending trip in the car; first navigating our way from Rockford IL through Chicago, then across Indiana where our toll card was punched at each end of the state. Next was the trip across Ohio and my version of “are we there yet?” Followed by the twists and turns on the road to Ashtabula. The trip was 10 hours by car, and we made it all in one long stretch because we couldn’t afford to stay overnight in motels.

The trip to see Grandma Victoria and Grandpa Anton was similar, though not as long. We took old Route 20 across Illinois and most of the way across Iowa. It only took 7 hours, but again, we made it all in one day.

All of our family trips were made by car; I didn’t get on an airplane for the first time until I was 19 years old. It was spring, and the Wheaton College Choir was going on a bus tour of the mid-Atlantic states, but first we had to fly to Washington DC to get to the bus. I remember being both nervous and excited on that first trip. I didn’t want to confess that I was such a travel-late-bloomer, but I also didn’t know the correct protocols, and was afraid I might embarrass myself.

I didn’t travel very much until I started working for Microsoft. Then within any 10 hour period in the air, I could reach most destinations in Europe or Asia. Tack on another 3 hours and I could reach Australia or New Zealand. Not only did my travel horizons increase, so did my world view. Going to Wheaton College gave me the opportunity to meet people from all over the world; traveling for business gave me the opportunity to see where they lived.

What does this have to do with my father’s passing? What I am contemplating in this newsletter is how quickly the world moves now compared to when I was a kid. It’s neither all bad or all good; it’s just fast. Things have changed a lot in my lifetime; they have changed even more during Dad’s lifetime.

Technology Overcoming Obstacles

Despite being almost 94, Dad had been busy and active right up until the last week of his life. When illness overtook him, he slipped away in just 6 days. He never wanted to linger, so despite our sorrow, we were OK with that. My sister who lived nearby was there, and my youngest brother was able to break away and join her as they kept vigil. My other brother and I connected with my sister and brother via Skype’s video conferencing service, so even though we couldn’t be together, we had regular updates.

After Dad had gone, my siblings and I met every few days for an hour or two to handle preparations for this past weekend. We got a room block for the relatives, organized the service, arranged for a family dinner afterwards, and even began sorting through the precious heirlooms handed down from previous generations. Using webcams, we could see the photographs we wanted to put into the slide show of Dad’s life, and we laughed and cried together in a way that wasn’t affordable or even barely possible 10 years ago.

Keeping Families Together via Technology

It’s hard enough to stay close to your immediate family when you’re a business traveler; staying in touch with your own siblings and parents can be even more challenging. I’m glad that my family is tech-enabled enough to stay in touch via email, Skype, and now on Facebook. I hope you’ll encourage your siblings to stay in touch as well. Life is precious, and time flies. Make the most of the opportunities you have to reach out to those closest to your heart.