Internet access anywhere in Guatemala with a Tigo USB modem

Posted on February 11th, 2012 webmaster 4 comments          Print

I wanted to check my bank account one day but the Internet at the hostel I was staying at wasn’t working.  Then I saw a guy using his laptop in the dining area and I asked him if he was able to pick up a Wi-Fi signal.  He told me he’s using one of these Tigo USB modems to get Internet connection.

Tigo is a mobile phone service provider and appears to be the main provider here in Guatemala.  You’ll see their logo everywhere when you walk around any town.  You can purchase a USB modem for 175 quetzales ($22) and you’ll get free 15 days (8GB limit) after your first plan purchase.  The different plans are:

• Q10 ($1.28) for 1 hour with a 200MB limit
• Q25 ($3.20) for 1 day with a 1.5GB limit
• Q75 ($9.60) for 1 week with a 3GB limit
• Q145 ($18.59) for 1 month with a 1GB limit
• Q199 ($25.51) for 1 month with a 3GB limit
• Q299 ($38.33) for 1 month with an 8GB limit

I purchased mine in Panajachel at a Kodak store.  There are other places you can get them from, just look for the Tigo logo and ask at the store.

Installation is pretty straightforward.  The device has about 32MB of memory which stores the desktop software to configure/manage it.  Windows will automatically install the device drivers as soon as you plug it in, then the management software installation wizard will launch.

As far as speed is concerned, the fastest download speed I’ve gotten so far was just over 1.6 Mbps over an HSDPA data network, which is very good.  HSDPA is also known as 3.5G and Tigo’s network is supposed to be capped at 3.6 Mbps.

You won’t always be on HSDPA, though.  I’ve seen it switch among WCDMA, EDGE, and HSDPA networks.  HSDPA has the fastest bandwidth but EDGE or WCDMA aren’t bad either.  I’m able to stream Pandora just fine on HSDPA, lags once in a while on EDGE, and haven’t tried it on WCDMA yet.

You can buy prepaid cards with code to load into your account, which you can then use to purchase different plans.  You can also do it online and pay using your credit card.  Even if you have no more credit left in your account, Tigo will still let you connect to their website (and only their website) so you can purchase more credit.

It comes with a SIM card which you insert inside the USB device.  If you have an unlocked GSM mobile phone, you can use this SIM card with it as well.  You get your own phone number also.  My Dell Streak phone/tablet took the SIM card and showed Tigo as the carrier, but I haven’t tried making a phone call with it yet.

This is really handy to have when traveling as there’s a good chance you’ll end up in places without Internet connection when you need it the most.  It’s nice to have as well when you’re on long bus rides and need some entertainment or just want to get some work done that requires an Internet connection.

I really like how they give you so many prepay options so you only pay for what you use/need.  If AT&T or Verizon offered similar options back home I probably would’ve gotten one of theirs as well.

Here are some pictures of the device and the management software:

Choosing a Kindle for travel

Posted on November 14th, 2011 webmaster No comments          Print

I finally bought a Kindle!

I’ve been thinking about getting one for a while now.  My sister has one and I’ve been borrowing hers when I go hiking as my Dell Streak‘s screen is just not readable in bright sunlight due to glare.  I always question myself before I buy anything nowadays to make sure it’s something I will really be using.

I’ll be traveling long term out of the country in January and I’m expecting my new Kindle to get a lot of use from it.  I know I will be outside quite a bit and I’ll be doing a lot of reading, so the Kindle’s E Ink display is perfect for this.  I’m also planning on doing multi-day treks, long bus/train/plane/boat rides, and possibly end up in places with no electricity for days at a time.  The Kindle’s long battery life (up to 1 month for the model I have) will come very handy in these types of situations.

When I heard about the price drop after the Kindle Fire tablet was announced, that was really the time when I seriously considered getting one.  I actually thought they just dropped the price of the older Kindle model (now called Kindle Keyboard).  But it turned out they actually made 2 additional models.  Smaller, lighter models without the keyboard which I never really used to begin with.  This is just perfect as I try to pack as light as possible!

Read the rest of this entry »

How to recalibrate your Dell Streak’s touchscreen

Posted on February 21st, 2011 webmaster 28 comments          Print

A few days ago I was trying to unlock the screen on my Dell Streak and I was having a hard time dragging the lock icon, it wouldn’t go all the way through and not responding well.  I thought my Dell Streak was busy at first, maybe a process was using up a lot of resources in the background, but when I was finally able to drag it all the way and at the screen where to type in the password, I noticed that some sections of the touchscreen weren’t responding to my touch.  I figured I probably need to recalibrate.

A quick Google search led me to this post: http://www.streaksmart.com/2010/10/how-to-calibrate-dell-streak-touchscreen.html

I’m just gonna repost it here so I can just search my website next time I need to do this :

1. Power off your Dell Streak.
2. While holding both Volume Up and Volume Down buttons, press the Power button.  This will take you to the recovery mode screen.
3. Press the Volume Down button a couple of times to highlight option 3, Screen calibration, then press the Camera button to select it.
4. You will be prompted Are you sure you want to start calibration? Press the Volume Up button, then press the Volume Up button again on the next screen to start the calibration.  The screen will shut off temporarily, don’t touch the screen.
5. After a few seconds, you should see a message that it’s done, then press Volume Up again to start the calibration data check.  Screen will shut off temporarily again, don’t touch the screen.
6. After a few seconds, you should see another message message that it’s fully done and you’ll be brought back to the menu screen. You can then either power off your device and power it back on the normal way or just don’t do anything and wait for the device to reboot itself.

The screen calibration made a big difference, my Dell Streak now feels a lot more responsive .

Note: I tried this on my Dell Streak running Android 2.2 Froyo, I’m assuming it’s the same for Android 1.6 since the calibration happens before the OS loads.