10 tips for using the internet whilst on the move

Cloud computing, smartphones and netbooks mean more of us than ever before are free from a desk-bound PC.To make the most of your mobile experience, check out these essential tips for computing on the move…

1. Tether your phone

If you aren't away from a wireless network often, then getting a broadband dongle might not be worthwhile. Instead, try tethering your mobile phone, provided your network supports it.

Essentially, your laptop uses the mobile's internet connection for its data. Most modern phones include tethering options, although you may need to activate it by contacting your mobile provider.

 2. Use MiFi

A MiFi dongle is a little gadget that’s about the size of a compact mobile phone. you can connect multiple laptops and other devices to the mobile internet via a 3G Wi-Fi connection

Mobile network '3' seem to be leading the way in the UK with MiFi although all the major mobile networks will be offering them in the near future 

The MiFi creates a mobile wi-fi hotspot that any wi-fi enabled device can connect to for access to the Internet

 

3. Call with Skype

Save money on expensive hotel phone bills by making your calls over Skype.

If you have a decent wireless connection and a laptop with a microphone, you can buy flat-rate calls to landlines using Skype for £2.24 per month, or use your Phone with the skype app to make and receive calls using 3G

4. Find Wi-Fi hotspots

Check out where you're travelling in advance to see if there are any free Wi-Fi hotspots about. To find them, simply browse to jiwire.com and enter a postcode or location. It will provide a list of nearby hotspots and connection details. They currently list 381,611 free and pay Wi-Fi locations in 144 countries

5. Get local SIMs

Call and data charges for roaming can be steep, even when you take EU caps into consideration. With an unlocked phone, it could be much cheaper to buy a local pay-as-you-go SIM. Check out the providers' websites before travelling to see which company offers the best data plans.

6. Buy a Skype number

A further way to save money on phone calls abroad is to invest in a Skype number. You can get one free if you buy a month's landline calls.

Give this to your contacts and they'll be able to call you at a normal UK landline rate. If you're not on Skype when they call, they'll be able to leave you a voice mail. When you call them back using Skype via Wi-Fi, you'll only pay the cost of a UK landline call.

7. Install Dropbox

Whether you're home or abroad, it helps to be able to get access, at any time, to the most recent version of whatever documents you're actively working on. Dropbox provides online storage and synchronisation with as many computers as you install it on.

The first 2GB of storage is free, which is enough for most people's active documents. When you make changes and save them to your Dropbox folder on your computer, these are uploaded to Dropbox and then replicated on your other machines as soon as you log on. there are also apps for your phone that allow you to get to any of your dropbox documents

 8. Use Portable Apps

If you're on the move and your laptop dies, then you need a way to access your data and most common programs. Install Portable Apps on a USB flash drive alongside your most useful files and you can enjoy your own virtual desktop on any public PC

 

9. Secure your passwords

Keepass is an open-source password management program that stores your passwords in an encrypted file.

Install the program on your laptop and then save the password database file in your Dropbox folder. Do the same on any other computers that are running Dropbox and you can access your most up-to-date passwords from any of your PCs. 

Ensure that Dropbox is secured with a strong password. If your laptop breaks, you'll still be able to get to your password database using the Portable Apps version of Keepass and web access to Dropbox.

  

10. Use the cloud

Dropbox is a good example of a cloud-based service that can be invaluable when you're on the move, but it's worth considering using other services to increase your storage. You can use a combination of photo services, such as Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket, along with Google Docs, Zoho and gOffice for documents.

Then you can get general storage at Humyo or Carbonite, which both offer a lots of space. Remember to select encrypted providers for sensitive information. Most of these services also provide sharing options that make sending someone else a document as simple as passing on a URL.

Ten Ways to Share Big Files

E-mail and IM suffice for small file transfers like Office documents or photos, but for anything more substantial (e.g., high def videos of your cat jumping into boxes) you're going to need to look somewhere else. Even our beloved Gmail chokes on anything over 25 MB, and refuses to transfer certain files like executables (.exe). Geekier types might set up an FTP server or create a torrent, but those methods can be a hassle for quick deliveries. There are, however, various P2P (peer-to-peer) and Web-based solutions that allow you to quickly and easily share files, often with just a few clicks. Read on for our favorite ways to pass around bulky bits that e-mail just can't handle. 

Our favorite file-syncing service is also a great way to share big files or collections. Adding an item to your public folder allows anyone to grab it, but you can right-click and get a shareable link for any file or folder you've stored in Dropbox. This works not just from the website, but also from the context menu in your file browser. You can even selectively share files or folders with people and allow them to add or modify files, as well -- as long as they also have Dropbox. The service puts no limits on the file's size, so long as you have the available storage. Theoretically, you can share up to 2GB for free. 

Best for: Collaborating and sharing several files over a long period of time.

RapidShare is known for its shady side (primarily trading pirated media, software and porn), but it's still a top-tier choice for sharing large files. A recent update did away with the irritating wait times, and has upped the website's file-size limit to 500MB. If you sign up for a Pro account and use the RapidShare Manager 2 app, you can share files as big as 2GB at a time. Free users are limited to ten downloads or 30 days (whichever comes first), while Pro accounts have unlimited downloads and 10,000 uploads, or a theoretical max of 20TB (but we're pretty sure you'll have trouble crossing that threshold). The big downside is that payments on a RapidPro account are handled through a confusing system of virtual currency called "rapids" to avoid foreign exchanges. On the plus side, non-members can receive your link and download files without any hassle. 

Best for: Sharing large archives with several people who have degrees in math

Similar to RapidShare, MegaUpload is a simple place to dump files online so others can download them. You can upload 500MB of files without even signing up for an account, and each file will be stored until it has gone over 21 days without being downloaded. By registering with the site, you lengthen that period to 90 days. Registering with the site also ups your limit to 2GB, but be aware that non-premium members can only download 1GB at a time. Premium users, who cough up $9.99 per month, lose all restrictions on the number of downloads, file size and their length of storage. For non-premium members, daily caps are placed on the bandwidth. 

Best for: Sharing albums and videos with members of your favorite forum.

DuShare is a slick-looking, if slightly confusing, P2P file-sharing site. Unlike previous entries on this list, the site doesn't ask you to upload a file that other users can then download. Instead, it generates a link that, when clicked, connects the other person directly to your PC to download the file. DuShare offers a few welcome features, including the ability to chat while downloading and password protection. Plus, you must keep the site open until the file is finished transferring.

Best for: Sharing things you'd rather not upload to some shady-looking website.

FileDropper is impressive in its simplicity; upload a file up to 5GB in size, get a link, and then send it to a friend. There are no other restrictions, and registration isn't required. Signing up for one of the premium plans (starting at a measly $0.99 a month) adds direct linking for images, bumps up the file size (to a whopping 250GB on a $10-a-month plan), and allows you to track what you upload. All of this with no spam, no wait times and no advertisements. The downside? FileDropper has some serious issues with stability and speed. The site often failed to load, and transfers varied in rate from abysmal to surprisingly fast.

Best for: Sharing movies and discographies with patient people

This full-featured, file-sharing service limits file sizes to 200MB on free accounts, but a $10 monthly fee ups that limit to 2GB. However, a free account still entitles you to unlimited uploads, downloads, and storage. MediaFire can handle multiple uploads at once, lets you share entire folders, protect files with passwords, and view images in gallery view. It even has rudimentary integration with Facebook, Twitter and other social services. Perhaps most intriguing is the "dropbox," which lets you embed a widget in a website that then allows others to upload files to your MediaFire account.

Best for: Chronic sharers and collectors.

If your file-sending needs are a little more modest (but still outside of the realm of an e-mail attachment),WikiSend offers a simple solution. Upload a file, give it a name, decide how long it will be available (one day to 90 days), and choose whether or not to password-protect the download. Uploads are limited to 100MB, and signing up for an account nets you no new features or advantages. But it does its thing quickly, easily and reliably. 

Best for: Quick and dirty sharing of mid-sized files.

Similar to WikiSend, if a little prettier, Senduit provides only 100MB for each file, and offers only the most basic of options. But Senduit does present a more fine-grained control of a file's lifespan. Possibilities top out at one week, but, if you want to restrict access, you can make files available for only 30 minutes to an hour.

Best for: Limited time engagements.

YouSendIt seems to be many companies' preferred method of sharing large files. Free users can only upload files less than 100MB in size, and the files are deleted once they've been downloaded 100 times. Free users don't get any permanent online storage. With a Pro or Pro Plus account, users can share files up to 2GB in size, send multiple files and folders to recipients, select how long a download is available, track downloads and benefit from DropBox integration. A Pro account runs $9.99 a month. Yet for $14.99 a month, a Pro Plus account offers more advanced tracking and security features, and increases the total storage from 2GB to 6GB.

Best for: Businesses that can afford the premium features.

Certainly the most stylized of the file-sharing sites,WeTransfer has that bubbly Web 2.0 vibe about it that you either love or hate. You can upload as many files as you want, provided they amount to less than 2GB, and share them with up to 20 people via an e-mailed link. Files are available for 14 days. WeTransfer doesn't offer any other advanced features, but the background does rotate nicely through a series of (sometimes painfully self-conscious) images in order to keep you entertained while your files upload.

Best for: Sharing several files for a brief period of time... or for the vain

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