Monday 18 May 2009

mobile blogging

I’ve been following the progress of various people on the Challenge and LEJOG. There are various options available to do this so it’s interesting to see how successful they’ve been up to date. Especially as I’m still in the market for a system myself wanting to blog whilst on the Pennine Way.

Brendan started well, blogging daily as he tackled the hard opener of the LEJOG by going along the South West Coast Path. He was using an iPhone with a wordpress app and disaster struck when the app started to delete the posts that he was working on. Not that impressive and deeply frustrating for him.

Over on the Challenge Weird Darren managed three days blogging before his iPhone carked with charging problems. Not helped by the fact that the Freeloader charger he’s carrying doesn’t work. But that could of course be down to the weather that they’ve been enjoying up in Scotland.

More successfully Geoff has been using the Pocket Mail system to chart his progress on his LEJOG. This system does have it’s shortcomings though; you cant embed photos and the one he uses requires a call box to upload the text. Whereas some where in the Highlands Mick and Gayle are posting regularly with their Pocket Mail which they are able to use with a mobile. Go figure on that one.

There is one system that’s standing out above all others (at the moment) and that’s the one that Martin and Sue are using; a Blackberry on the Orange network. Martin has been able to post to his blog several times a day including photos taken at lunch stops on the tops of the various Munro’s that they’ve been bagging.

Mobile signal can be a bit hit and miss particularly in mountainous areas so we’ll see how those dependent upon one fair. And I must ask Martin how he’s managed to keep his Blackberry charged. Has he been using hamster technology or stashing spare batteries in Sue’s bag without her knowledge? I think we should be told!

11 comments:

Lighthiker said...

I'm using a Blackberry on my own for business and their batteries are long lasting and spare ones do not weigh much so I guess he could easily get around with a charged phone and two spare batteries.. Wait, I've just seen that he takes no spares but a charger for it. Obviously it is not all wild camping for him an Sue... ;-)And Sue carries her own phone plus charger, too.

baz carter said...

Scottish wild camps come with power now it seems ;0)

Londonbackpacker said...

Baz; Darren isn't using his iPhone, it when belly up the week before the challenge. He is using his old PDA phone.

So I think M&G are using a normal mobile phone (the LG KS360) for blogging the challenge.

Geo

Marcus said...

Hey baz,

I think I've found a really good contender for the hills. The Nokia E71 on the 3 network. Has a qwerty keyboard, GPS and camera so you can mobile blog to your hearts content. Apparently battery life is great too (as opposed to my N82) and Three have anunlimited internet package with calls and texts for £25 a month. I'm well tempted by my contract doesn't run out until Jan 2010!

baz carter said...

George, So the iPhone didnt even get on the starting blocks then...

I had a chat with Gayle at the AGM and I'm sure she said she was going to use the Pocket Mail but I guess they must have changed their minds.

Dude, I saw that deal and am very tempted by it.

GeoffC said...

Is there any system available for a bog standard Pay-As-You-Go mobile phone like my Nokia 1100? (!).

baz carter said...

Geoff, I've been looking around as most of the 'deals' are based on 18 or 24 month contracts, so not actual that cheap.

Gayle said...

I did blog the TGOC on the LG KS360 (much as I like the Pocketmail, it wasn't worth taking out a subscription for a 2-week trip, but I will be using it again next year).

Bonus of the KS360 was that I could send photos (although it took me a few days to even consider that was a possibility). Downside is that it's faulty. If I manage to return it for a refund rather than a replacement, then I'm going down the Blackberry route.

baz carter said...

Seems that the blackberry offers the most reliable route in practice thus far.

Although the pocketmail has an edge on connectivity but not on sending a pic enhanced blogx. Still early days then...

Londonbackpacker said...

I found the pocketmail to be way to expensive for the average backpacker/hiker who only gets out on a handful of trips a year.

I'm on a Virgin Liberty SIM with costs my £10 a month (monthly rolling contract) for 200 minutes & 200 txts (they do, do other plans too).

On the recent Pubeck trip I used my SE 810i to mobile blog, Virgin only charge 30p a day for emails. So I can send as many emails+pictures to the blog for 30p and this is only charged when I use the service.

baz carter said...

That really useful to know George.