With so many PDAs in the market currently, exactly how do you find the right one for yourself? We hope to have the solutions for your questions.

In this article, we will cover key components/features of today's PDA and hopefully after going through, you will be able to understand better and decide on what is a necessity and what is nice-to-have.

PDA has come a long way. Not too long ago, PDA was essentially called "Palm" by many. This was not surprising as Palm "was" the dominant player in the market. Back then, Palm PDA has built in of only 8MB (with no memory slot) and does not even come with color screen! Consumer has to organize mass gathering to upgrade their 8GB to 16GB and this usually also void their warranty.

Fast forward to today, how we are spoilt for choices and the PDA market changed significantly. We now have PDA with all kind of features one could ever dream of. Some PDA have built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3.5G, 5 MP camera, Bio-metric finger print scanner, 600++ Mhz and built in 16GB of memory! Recent range of PDA comes with accelerometer  and WVGA. 

In the world of tech, just how do you choose one which is suitable? Below are some questions which you should ask yourself first.

Which Operating System (OS) should I choose?

There are 6 major OS dominating the smartphone/PDA market; Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian, Blackberry, Apple and the new Android by Google. Each has its own strength and weakness and to say which is a better than another would be akin to comparing Mercedes Benz with BMW.

Since Apple, Android, Palm and Blackberry are very hardware specific, we shall not include in this tech tip. E.g., If you like the Apple iPhone, there is no other choice/alternative to it.

In Malaysia, the most popular OS for PDA (not smartphone) is Windows Mobile. For easy discussion sake, we shall just concentrate on the Windows Mobile 6.1.

Tech Tips: Windows Mobile and Palm has one of the most number of third-party software you can purchase from the Internet.

What are the different features/built-in?

Not all PDA are built equal to cater to different market. Hence, it is important for you to think carefully if you really need a particular feature before paying money for it. E.g., if you already have a GPS navigator in your vehicle, why pay extra to get one with built-in? Below are some of the key features found in today's PDA.

EDGE or HSPDA

This is essentially the speed of the data transfer rate between the network. Below shows a simple overview of all the different connection name with their speed.

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) - Max Speed of 80 kbits/second

EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM) - Max Speed of 236.8 kbit/second

UMTS aka 3G (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) - Max Speed of 384kbits/second

HPSDA aka 3.5G (High-Speed Download Packet Access) - Max 14.4Mbp/second

For those who access the Internet often, this is a very important point to consider. Although not all telco are currently ready to provide HSDPA and even if they do, usually are in limited locations only. Nevertheless, if possible, always choose 3.5G and above as your PDA can also act as a wireless modem for your laptop.

Tips: Always check with your local telco for a unlimited data package. Failure to do this might unknowingly cause you hundreds to thousand of ringgit on data charges alone. At the time of writing, Maxis offers RM99 (3.5G), U Mobile (3.5G) capped it at RM176 and Digi (EDGE) offers RM66 for unlimited data transfer. 

Some of the PDA currently that supports HSDPA are the HTC Touch 3G, HTC Touch HD, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, HTC Tytn II, HTC Touch Cruise, Samsung Omnia, Samsung i780

Global Positioning System (G.P.S)

GPS is relatively new in Malaysia. When GPS devices first started selling in our retail outlets some 4 to 5 years ago, we had a hard time educating the general consumers. Most of the people confused GPS with GPRS and hence the question we always get is "How much is the monthly access fee?". 

The built-in GPS in PDA is essentially a receiver which receives signal from multiple satellite orbiting the earth at a certain location. The receiver is able to calculate the exact distance based on the fixed interval of the signal and the location of the satellite info in the signal. With this information, the receiver will be able to triangulate and get the precise coordinates from a minimum of 3 satellites. Of course, the more satellite it detects, the more accurate the location.

number of satellite a receiver can "see" at any point in time

Coordinate is pretty much useless to ordinary folks. What you need then is a map software so tell you what road are you on, where you will be able to travel, how long is the distance, the estimated time of arrival. There are several mapping company in Malaysia you can get your maps from. One very useful website you start reading is Malsingmaps.com 

Tips: Some of the maps comes bundled free when you purchase the PDA. If not, you can always purchase it online. There are NO monthly charges, just yearly charges for the updates of maps if you want to keep your map updated. 

Some of the PDA currently that comes with built-in GPS function are HTC Touch 3G, HTC Touch HD, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, HTC Tytn II, HTC Touch Cruise, HTC P3300, Asus P320, Samsung Omnia, Samsung i780 

Weight, Size and Form-Factor

PDA nowadays comes with all kind of shape and sizes. Lets briefly go through some of the more common ones.

Type 1 - Candy Bar

Type 2 - Candy bar with Sliding Keypad (Up)

Type 3 - Candy Bar with Keypad

Type 4 - Candy Bar with Full Keyboard

Type 5 - Candy Bar with Keypad and Slide out Keyboard

Type 6 - With Slide Out Keyboard

Type 7 - With Slide out Keyboard (Curved)

Type 8 - With Slide Out Tilting Keyboard

Type 9 - Clamshell with Keypad

Type 10 - Clamshell with Keyboard

Type 11 - Clamshell Keyboard with Rotating Screen

Type 12 - Detachable Keyboard

Type 13 - Dual Hinge with Keyboard

Tech Tips: Always try to go for a PDA with built-in keyboard as this makes input much easier. Also, one-handed operation is much more feasible on a PDA with keypad. PDA with keyboard normally do not look as nice as those without but sometimes a little compromise is good for the long run.

[To be continued]

The GPS time server receives its timing signal from the GPS network (Global Positioning System) and has revolutionised the way computers are able to keep track of time.

The GPS network is controlled by the US military and it was due to a military accident involving an airliner that the US government allowed the GPS network to be utilised by civilians around the globe.

The GPS system works by relaying precise time information which can be calculated by a GPS receiver to work out distances. This precise timing information is generated by an onboard atomic clock in the satellite and it is this atomic clock that a GPS time server receives the time from.

Without GPS the only other alternatives to receiving a time signal that relays UTC time (coordinated universal time) would be to use the national time and frequency radio broadcasts transmitted by several national physics laboratories, although these are not available everywhere. Alternatively the only other solution is to use the Internet which means using a device external to your firewall and also a time server that cannot be proven accurate.

CV. GUNAPRIS ELCOM adalah perusahaan yang bergerak dibidang penjualan GPS, Alat Survey, Alat Geologi dan Alat Telekomunikasi Radio. CV. GUNAPRIS ELCOM adalah Dealler resmi produk GPS GARMIN.

Produk yang kami antara lain:
1. GPS HANDHELD :GARMIN, TRIMBLE, MAGELLAN, LEICA
2. GPS NAVIGASI :GARMIN
3. GPS AVIASI :GARMIN
4. GPS GEODETIC / GEODESI :TRIMBLE, MAGELLAN, SPECTRA, LEICA
5. TOTAL STATION :NIKON, TOPCON, SOUTH, HORIZON, SOKKIA
6. TEODHOLITE :NIKON, TOPCON, SOUTH, HORIZON, SOKKIA
7. WATER PASS / AUTOMATIC LEVEL : NIKON, TOPCON, SOUTH, HORIZON, SOKKIA
8. KOMPAS / COMPASS : SUUNTO, BRUNTON
9. CLINOMETER : SUUNTO, BRUNTON
10. TANDEM (COMPASS + CLINOMETER) : SUUNTO
11. METERAN BAJA : YAMAYO
12. PALU GEOLOGI : ESTWING
13. BUKU GEOLOGI : Rite in The Rain
14.  RADIO HT : MOTOROLA, ALINCO, ICOM, SUICOM, KENWOOD
15. RADIO RIG : MOTOROLA, ALINCO, ICOM
16. RADIO SSB : MOTOROLA, ALINCO, ICOM, YAESU
17. TELEPON SATELIT : ERICSSON R190

CV. GUNAPRIS ELCOM
Komp. Larangan Indah
Jl. Anggrek 2 No.31
Larangan Indah - Larangan
Tangerang 15154
Telp : (6221) 33854111
Fax : (6221) 5848470
Contact Person:
Amar : (6221)93029231 - 085 6868 4111

User have interest on this software, need to buy our cable to work with this software. You can buy at our online store http://store.igpsd.com/

More information can find in here

Bueno chicos Aquí estamos os presento A Martín, responsable técnico de la oficina W3C. Es ingeniero informático y trabaja en Gijón. En el video podréis saber más de él. fuimos a Gijón a visitarle a su casa, pero no le encontramos. estaba entrenando, claro. Es aficionado, bueno yo diría más bien profesional de las medias maratones y el medio fondo, ya que gana muchas de las carreras en las que compite. Dedica la mayor parte tiempo de su tiempo a entrenar, y claro ahí estaba: entrenado. Pero luego nos recibió en su casa y nos contó cosas muuuyyyy interesantes... ¡Gracias Martín!

My last post about new Cyber-shot. It's not Kate as many have speculated. If I am right, it's codename is Filippa. Kate on the other hand is another phone that feature 3G and 3.2 MP camera with LED Flash.

Filippa as well as Kate and Rika will be availble in Q1 of next year and will retail for about 300 EUR (Filippa) 170 EUR (Kate).

Last, You can also expect W350 successor and None Cyber-shot 8MP  in 2009.

Acabei de descobrir um programa de tagging de lozalização bem diferente. Ele cria um novo conceito, o tagging social.

Chama-se Tagggit (com três "g" mesmo). Ele permite criar tags e compartilhá-las de forma simples e rápida. Essas tags podem estar marcando qualquer coisa que você quiser. Pode ser aquele restaurante legal onde você almoçou, inclusive com seu cardápio, uma loja onde tem bons descontos, aquele mirante com vista para o mar, o local de um acidente, local onde estacionou o carro... enfim o que quiser. Basta abrir o programa, marcar o ponto onde está e digitar alguma informação sobre o local. Automáticamente ele envia esta informação para o servidor. Também dá para enviar fotos do local.

Essas localizações podem ser configuradas de forma aberta para todos, para apenas amigos, para você apenas... Dá até para configurar a que distância que será avisado quando procurar algum ponto. Também tem a opção de deixar comentários em pontos criados por outras pessoas.

Outro recurso legal é procurar por seus amigos utilizando este programa ou apenas locais marcados por cada um deles.

No site, está disponível também uma busca de locais com visualizaçào no mapa. Aqui no Brasil parece que ainda não tem nada marcado.

Ah! Tem também uma opção de criar seu perfil bem como comunidades. Com isso você cria tag que ficam compartilhadas para todo o seu grupo.

Está ai um programa que merece ser conhecido. Ele está disponível, para o N95 (Symbians em geral) e futuramente para o iPhone, no site www.tagggit.com.

View the c610's spec sheet.

Don't forget to leave a comment with your thoughts on the phone.

Zgodnie z rozkładem, pierwszy transport produktów IT przejechał ponad 10,000 km koleją z Chin do Niemiec i wjechał dzisiaj do Hamburga w stanie nienaruszonym! Dzięki DB Shenker jedna podróż umożliwiła zmniejszenie emisji CO2 o 2200 ton w porównaniu do transportu lotniczego.

Dzięki 20-sto letniemu doświadczeniu oraz implementacjom innowacyjnych rozwiązań ekologicznych, wiodący producent “zielonego” IT – firma Fujitsu Siemens Computers - wprowadził w życie wykorzystanie transeurazjatyckiego mostu kolejowego jako przyjaznej środowisku alternatywy dla transportu lotniczego.

Dla Fujitsu Siemens Computers przewiezienie systemów typu barebone oraz monitorów LCD z południowych Chin do europejskich centrów produkcji i następnie dystrybucja na terenie Niemiec to doskonałe rozwiązanie optymalizujące czas dostawy, koszty oraz troskę o środowisko. Emisja CO2 zaoszczędzona dzięki zastąpieniu samolotu pociągiem jest równoznaczna z 10,000,000 kilometrami prywatnych podróży samochodem.

Marzenie o ekologicznym pociągu zostało zrealizowane dzięki logistycznemu wsparciu firmy DB Shenker, która współpracowała z operatorami kolejowymi w Polsce, Białorusi, Rosji, Mongolii i Chinach w celu skoordynowania tej epickiej podróży. Pociąg wyruszył 19 września w Xiangtang w południowych Chinach obierając za cel Hamburg, przekraczając pięć granic. Postęp pociągu w trakcie podróży był śledzony dzięki technologii GPS, z nieustannym monitoringiem i rejestrowaniem temperatury oraz wstrząsów w 50 szczelnie zamkniętych kontenerach. Hans Erbe, Dyrektor ds zarządzania zapleczem logistycznych w Fujitsu Siemens Computers komentuje “Możemy obserwować dokładną pozycję pociągu, a nawet wykryć kiedy poszczególne kontenery przejeżdżają przez łączenia torów. Komponenty i monitory były dobrze zapakowane i bezpiecznie zniosły wszelkie wstrząsy.”
Pociąg w Hamburgu przywitał Bernd Bischoff, przewodniczący i CEO Fujitsu Siemens Computers oraz Norbert Bensel, Przewodniczący DB Shenker i członek zarządu DB Mobility Logistics AG. Fujitsu Siemens Computers planuje nawiązać współpracę z DB Shenker w celu organizowania regularnych dostaw na podobieństwo tej pierwszej. Firma byłaby wówczas pierwszym producentem, który wykorzysta trans-eurazjatyckie dostawy przy użyciu najbardziej ekologicznego środka transportu w celu zredukowania emisji CO2

Jeszcze dziś pociąg wyruszy do stacji docelowych - monitory mają trafić do europejskiego centrum dystrybucji FSC w Worms, a obudowy do fabryki Fujitsu Siemens Computers w Augsburgu, gdzie składane są PC i serwery. Około 60 procent produkcji Fujitsu Siemens Computers odbywa się w Niemczech.

Kluczowe wydarzenia w trakcie podróży pociągu, jak również zdjęcia oraz mapy są dostępne pod adresem www.transeurasiablog.com

1) Kunst mit GPS:

Der schwedische Künstler Nordenenkar packte einen GPS-Sender in einen Koffer und schickte in per DHL um die ganze Welt, um per Tracking-Software "das größte Bild der Welt" zu zeichnen.

Letztlich war es ein Fake, aber es geht wirklich - zumindest kleiner [Gallerie]

2) Welterklärung durch GPS:

Dieser etwas veraltete Artikel zeigt wie es wäre, wenn man mit GPS im Handy nie wieder Stadtführer oder einen Restaurantkenner bräuchte.

3) Mobiles Internet braucht GPS

Und das ist die Vorstufe zum wahren mobilen Internet. "wahres mobiles Internet" deswegen, weil das, was heute beworben wird für die meisten absolut unrelevant und unnötig ist: Niemand will die Webseiten, die er daheim besuchen kann unterwegs anschauen. Keiner will youTube videos auf Mini-Bildschirmen. Das "alte" Internet einfach mobil zu machen wird nicht zum Durchbruch helfen.

Al Ries hatte mal ein sehr geilen Beitrag wie dieser Durchbruch zu Stande kommen kann:
GPS-basierte Anwendungen. Er nennt es mobi-net
Das muss der Unterschied sein.
Daheim interessiere ich mich für dies und das.
Unterwegs will ich ziemlich konkrete Ortsbezogene Dinge wissen:
Ist das Restaurant vor dem ich stehe gut?
Wo ist die nächste Tanke?
Was ist heute nacht in meiner Stadt los?

Sehenswert:

4) Kontrolle

Und natürlich die schon vorgestellte Kontrolle von Wegen von Haustieren oder von sich selbst (z.B. im Skiurlaub)

Unit yang MOTOR besut kali ini adalah varian Lifestyle dengan imbuhan ultimate package atau varian berfitur terlengkap dari jajaran seri 3 ber-platform E90. Mobil ini mengusung paket M Aerodinamic, lampu depan Xenon, interface untuk iPod dan beberapa fitur mumpuni lainnya, yang sangat sejalan dengan karakter seri 3 yang kompak

Menilik kata Lifestyle sendiri, pihak BMW Indonesia, memberikan sisi pembeda dari pengaplikasian sistem navigasi, wood panel interior, multi function steering wheel dan shark fin di atap. Untuk varian standar Lifestyle-nya dihargai Rp 479,9 juta, sedangkan ada penambahan Rp 22 juta jika ingin varian Eksekutif, Rp 40,5 juta pada Sports dan pada varian Lifestyle Ultimate yang diuji coba ini, nilai penambahannya berkisar Rp 44 juta.

Sistem navigasi yang dibawa lini ini merupakan orisinal BMW, yang mampu menghadirkan peta pulau Jawa-Bali dengan akurat. Dengan dukungan layar sentuh 3,5 inci yang terpasang di dasbor, jelas memudahkan pengemudi melihat visulisasi peta untuk mencari restoran, hotel, pom bensin, dealer BMW ataupun lokasi lainnya dengan mudah.

Terbukti, ketika MOTOR mencoba dengan pilihan rute dari museum Fatahillah di kawasan Kota, sampai ke Mal Artha Gading di Kelapa Gading, sistem bawaan ini dengan akurat memberikan pilihan jarak terdekat, serta perkiraan waktu tiba di lokasi tujuan melewati jalur yang dijalani. Terlebih, sistem ini akan kalkulasi ulang jarak dan waktu tempuh, jika tiba-tiba kita mengubah arah tujuan ke lokasi lainnya secara otomatis. Tapi yang menarik, disepanjang perjalanan navigasi ini senantiasa tunjukkan lokasi pom bensin atau restoran yang dilalui.

Untuk pengoperasiannya pun cukup mudah, sebab kamu tinggal memasukkan nama lokasi yang hendak dituju ke sistem, dan sistem navigasi ini pun akan memberikan arah dan petunjuk menuju lokasi tersebut lewat transmisi satelit GPS. Lantas, sistem navigasi ini bisa dipadukan dengan ponsel yang memiliki fitur bluetooth, dan  mampu mengoperasikan fungsi hands-free saat pengendara tengah berkomunikasi via ponsel. Hal itu tentunya lebih menjamin aspek keamanan saat berkendara.

Oh ya, BMW Navigation System ini juga dapat memutar format MP3 agar kamu bisa mendengarkan musik favorit selama mengemudi. Nah, masih berpikir disupiri?

ຜູ້ບ່າວ 2 ຄົນນີ້ ພວມຝຶກຊ້ອມການນຳໃຊ້ ເຊິ່ງຈະເອົາໄປໃຊ້ຢູ່ຊຽງຂວາງ ກັບໂຄງການສາຍສົ່ງ ນ້ຳງື່ມ5 ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ ໄປພົບໂດຍບັງເອີນ ທີ່ສຳນັກງານໃຫຍ່ ລັດວິສາຫະກິດໄຟຟ້າລາວ

Alex Lee kam jetzt auf eine ganz neue Idee diese Technik zu nutzen:
Er spielt Big Brother und liefert die Antwort auf Fragen, die wohl jedem Katzenbesitzer öfters durch den Kopf schwirrt:

Wo war meine Katze die ganze Nacht?
Hat sie bei dem Regen einen Unterschlupf gefunden?
Kriegt sie von der Nachbarin immer noch Pastete und verschmäht deswegen das Katzenfutter?
Woher kommen die Federn und der Vogelkadaver im Vorgarten?
Und von wem sind eigentlich die kleinen Katzenbabys?

Lee hängte seiner Katze ein GPS-Gerät und einen Foto, der regelmäßig Schnappschüße macht, um den Hals. Dadurch erfuhr er, wo die Katze so rumstreunert (was deutlich weiter war als erwartet) und bekam zudem noch tolle Fotos (von den Abhäng-Kumpels und den Verstecken der Katze)

Lustige Sache. Kann man auch kaufen.

via Neunetz.com

Live GPS Vehicle Tracking enables you to  view your vehicles’ locations in real-time, 24 hours a day. Each fleet vehicle is represented on the map and in a vehicle list showing vehicle status (start-up, position, or shut-down), location, and speed. The map updates automatically so you have the live gps vehicle fleet tracking information as it happens. You can even zoom all the way down to street level with complete accuracy so you can even help your drivers with directions to their next job. This saves you money on time and fuel. See we do break the laws and don't even get a ticket or warning.

[acabtp] has already started hacking on his Dell Mini 9. He wanted to add GPS functionality, but didn't want a dongle or anything external. After ordering the smallest GPS unit he could find, he found a place to wire it in internally.  The end result had no bearing on the external looks of the computer. I wonder if he used the modification guide dell released?

Marketed as direct competition for the EEEPC, we'll probably start seeing a lot more hacks for these. We've already seen the EEEPC taken hacked more than we ever expected.

[thanks strider_mt2k]

Pamācība kā uzlikt GPS navigāciju  Nokia 6120 telefonā.

Faz um tempo que eu havia visto a chamada para o Njornadas na TV, mas não consegui acompanhar nada. Agora descobri, na verdade ha alguns dias, o site oficial. Gostei muito da campanha, essa sim ficou excelente.

Para quem não sabe, o Njornadas é uma campanha publicitária com uma série de 10 capítulos. Ela foi criada pela JWT para divulgar o aparelho Nokia N95 8G de uma forma diferente.

A campanha é feita para mostrar, além das principais funcionalidades deste brinquedinho, alguns desafios trocados entre pessoas famosas utilizando o N95 8GB em jornadas por São Paulo. São eles: o músico Simoninha, a chef de cozinha Flavia Quaresma, a cineasta Laís Bodanski, a apresentadora Chris Nicklas e o tenista Fernando Meligeni.

Toda semana, uma missão diferente vai criar experiências inusitadas pela cidade. Todas as experiências são feitas usando fusões de tecnologias que este smartphone proporciona.

Os episódios podem ser acompanhados na TV e alguns conteúdos exclusivos pelo site da campanha. Depois dos cinco primeiros capítulos, serão exibidas as “Njornadas” vencedoras de concurso cultural, no qual o público sugere roteiros pelo site.

É muito legal acompanhar estas jornadas. Elas estão dispostas em vídeo no site, com direito a roteiro no mapa de cada uma delas, fotos e vídeos extras.

Para acompanhar as jornadas é só acessar o endereço http://www.nokia.com.br/njornadas.

1.- GPS.- seguro que ya muchos sabéis lo que es, y aún así os resistís a utilizarlo... pues allá vosostros... lo que sé es que tengo un copiloto a mi entera disposición en el coche. Tardo tan sólo 1 minuto en configurarlo antes de salir, eso sí, no os pongáis a configurarlo mientras vais conduciendo, y me olvido. Escucho lo que me va diciendo, y a correr, bueno, a viajar quiero decir...

2.- Ordenador portátil.- Pues eso. No se me ocurre nada más útil que esto. De verdad. En cualqueir lugar puedo escribir mis emails, navegar, escribir, gestionar.... todo... Con su batería, pantalla plegable antireflejos... en fin... no sabéis la vidilla que me da....

3.- Y mi ordenador portátil no sería nada, bueno casi nada sin la conexión a internet 3G. En cualquier lugar, eso sí, siempre que haya cobertura, tengo acceso a mi correo electrónico, a internet, y con ello puedo editar mi blog en cualquier lugar. en fin os dejo algunos enlaces donde os cuentan más sobre esta tecnología wikipedia

]]> http://lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com/?p=238 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:24:52 +0000 lovingthebigisland http://lovingthebigisland.da.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/franks-travel-hints-8-mysterious-puna-2/
Exploring Mysterious Puna...

For your next day of driving, let’s go south on Highway 11 headed for the Puna District. Leave early and expect to get back just after dark because this area is furthest from Kona and contains some of the most beautiful, yet hidden, wonders on the Big Island. It is from Puna that, currently, the only up-close viewing of flowing lava is possible. You may want to pack a cooler for this day trip.

As you’re passing through Kainaliu, just south of Kona, a quick stop at Kona Joe’s Coffee Plantation, for some great Kona Coffee, will jump start your day. See their ad in the sponsors section in your Tour Guide. If you are driving straight to Puna, plan on about 3½ hrs drive time to get to the first sights in this discussion. If you have missed any sights that you wanted to see on the southern route, refer to Frank’s Travel Hints #1 and #2 and catch them on the way...just don't forget to allow for extra time.

Along the way you will pass Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. This is a fascinating place and not to be missed, but we will reserve it for a full day later.

The first turn is about 20 minutes past the park entrance at the town of Kea’au. Look for the stop light on the highway and the Highway 130 sign. The Kea’au Shopping Center has some great places to eat, like Paradise Bar and Grill, and is a good restroom break.

The first stop, in the Puna district, is the town of Pahoa. You will think you have just stepped back into the Wild West as Pahoa has a unique atmosphere like nowhere else on the island. Cute shops, and a great farmer’s market on Sundays, lends to picture taking and shopping. Tour Guide will suggest that parking is easiest at the Community Pool just a block from downtown, and there are public restrooms here.

Continue driving further into Puna on Highway 132 through the lovely tree tunnels to a magical stop at Lava Trees State Park. This gorgeous rainforest park is filled with birds and tropical plants and flowers. What makes this park so intriguing is the lava trees. Tour Guide will tell you how old lava flows surrounded the trees, leaving spires of hardened lava, giving it an eerie look. There are trails for hiking and bird watching is spectacular. This is also a good place for a restroom break as it will be a good while before the next restrooms are available. Highway 132 leads you to Highway 137, the Kapoho-Kalapana Road--the only road in America that is named for two towns buried by a volcano.

Turning toward Kapoho on Highway 137, the next stop is the Kapoho Tide Pools where you can experience great shoreline shell collecting and fantastic snorkeling amongst vibrant corals and tropical fish in protected tidepools. Though hard to find on your own, Tour Guide again knows the way to this secluded sanctuary and ancient village. Port-a-potties and showers are the only facilities here.

Just a few miles down Highway 137 is Ahalanui Hot Pond. This tropical park is centered around a hot spring that mixes with ocean water to create one of the most relaxing and soul recharging oases anywhere. Tour Guide gives you the history of what this area meant to the ancient Hawaiians. Picnicking, hiking, swimming and “expert only” surfing are some of the things to do here. There are restrooms, showers and water available also.

As you continue along the coast road, you will next encounter McKenzie State Park. Here the Ironwood trees create an unusual ambience of a pine tree forest. The sheer cliffs and majesty of the ocean beg for photographing. Swimming would be near impossible here, but the hiking is spectacular. Tour Guide will give more information about this other- worldly park. A permit is required for camping and the facilities are a bit run down.

Not far away is Kahena Beach. This beautiful black sand beach involves a bit of a scamper to get down the cliff, but is well worth the effort. Tour Guide will give you the easiest path to take. You may notice that this beach is “clothing optional”, thus it’s popularity. Swimming here is good, but currents can be strong if you get too far from shore.

Highway 137 used to become the Chain of Craters Road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, but it has been cut by several miles of intervening lava flows. Today, it ultimately ends at Highway 130, the road back to Kea'au and the Hawaii Belt Highway. At the intersections of Highways 137 and 130 are the remnants of the town of Kalapana, buried in the 1960 eruption of Kilauea. Tour Guide will tell you all about the eruption, the heroic recovery efforts, and lead you on a brief hike to Kaimu Black Sand Beach, the newest beach on the Island of Hawaii. From the end of the road you can frequently see the both the eruption cloud over Pu'u O'o Vent and the steam plume where lava is entering the ocean, both several miles distant. At night, the glow from streams of lava pouring down the pali can sometimes be seen from here. Although hiking to the lava can be an experience to cherish, it is dangerous and hard work. The best, and most consistent, viewing is by taking an air tour, such as Big Island Air or Paradise Helicopter Tours.

Heading back from Kalapana, you will want to take Highway 130 toward Pahoa and Kea'au, you pass the famous "Painted Church". Tour Guide can tell you the history of this fascinating place. Just a little farther north is the intersection of Highway 130 with the road to Royal Gardens Estates, which currently leads to the Hawaii County-maintained lava viewing area. Call the Lava Hotline at 808.961.8093 for current eruption updates, lava viewing information and times of road openings and closures. As you continue towards Kea'au you will pass the Steam Rooms--a field of steam vents in small craters where locals go to take steam baths. Tour Guide has information on finding these craters and how to safely enjoy the wonders of natural, volcanic steam baths.

Upon returning to the Hawaii Belt Highway at Kea'au, one can proceed in either direction back to Kona, north through Hilo, a bit shorter and faster, or west through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which, though longer, is much more scenic. If time permits, you may want to stop in Volcano Village, just off the highway, for some food, gasoline, shopping or maybe even some wine tasting. This may be the last gasoline available until you get back to Kona as it is many times hard to find an open gas station in the rural part of Hawaii Island after dark. Find your hotel in your Tour Guide and get turn-by-turn directions right to the door.

For more information on visiting Hawaii in general and touring the Big Island in particular, go here.

]]> http://asturiasterritoriotic.wordpress.com/?p=86 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:16:35 +0000 asturiasterritoriotic http://asturiasterritoriotic.da.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/entrenamiento-de-martin-tic/ Él, como usuario nos enseñó lo que os muestro a continuación. Atended porque no tiene desperdicio. Son cosas que para los que hacéis deporte, os va a servir de gran ayuda.

TRACKING GPS

Martín lleva en su brazo un GPS con un programa instalado que le permite ir registrando los datos por los que discurre almacenando la velocidad puntual, media, perfil geográfico del entrenamiento para conocer los desniveles salvados etc... Todos esos datos que registra su GPS, los descarga en una aplicación on line Aquí podéis ver un ejemplo del entrenamiento que hizó Martín el día que estuvimos con él. Y aquí otra variante más detallada de lo mismo.

Aquí tenéis parte del historial de los entrenamientos que ha realizado y subido a la página. De esta forma, otros corredores pueden saber qué tipo de entrenamiento hace y compararlos con los suyos propios, al igual que Martín se beneficia de otros entrenamientos...

CHIP

Durante algunas de las carreras que Martín realiza, la organización les coloca un chip en las zapatillas. Ese chip envía la señal a un receptor que identifica al corredor y guarda y compara los tiempos exactos que después sube a una página web donde se pueden consultar en tiempo real. De esta forma se puede seguir la carrera a distancia y puedes consultar tu evolución tras la misma y compararte con otros corredores.´

Aquí os dejo los resultados de la media maratón de londres obtenidos mediante este chip.

PULSÓMETRO

Pero no acaba ahí todo, si algún día no le apetece correr, Martín entrena en su casa con una bicicleta estática. Y por supuesto hace uso de su portátil para ver películas o televisiones on line. Y claro, de alguna manera tiene que medir su evolución, y lo hace con un pulsómetro que se coloca en el pecho. Luego lo conecta a su ordenador y guarda su evolución en una página que puede consultar desde cualquier sitio ya que está colgada en internet