Data plundering apps and services
When you’re overseas and you’re using your home carrier to communicate, there are a few types of apps that you might want to avoid.
* Apps that use a lot of video content (Youtube, Vimeo, Netflix, online-TV etc.) will all consume data faster than you can imagine.
* Apps that use a lot of audio streaming (Pandora, Jango, Last.fm, etc.) will do less damage than video apps, but still enough to cause a serious “bill shock” when you get back home.
* Video/Audio chatting apps like Skype, Viber and Fring will all save you a lot of money on your communications expenses, but you will still need to pay for the data they consume overseas. These charges can easily add up to thousands of dollars.
* It obviously depends which content you consume online, but the types of websites you visit will influence your data usage. The more rich content there is on a website, (flash, video, high-resolution images etc.) the more you’ll data you’ll end up using = the more money it’ll cost you.
* When you’re navigating in a small area, your GPS navigation app (like Google maps, for example) won’t use a lot of data. But if you’re traveling far, your nav app will need to download lots of maps to continue navigating – and this can end up costing you a bit. If your app allows you to pre-download maps of a certain area and store it, we suggest using this option as it will save you the need to download this over 3G data.

Data monitoring apps
From apps that burn MB we’ll move to apps that track your MB. Because a wise person once said – awareness is key.
Data Usage – This little app tracks your data usage from the background, allowing you to get some control and see the big picture. Though this app is really useful overseas, its mostly built for people who are using this service with their home carrier.
Data Monitor – What the name says, that’s exactly what it does – it monitors your data. Available on iOS and Android devices.
My Data Manager –  What’s unique about this app is that besides tracking your data usage like all other tracking apps, it is also able to breakdown the usage to individual apps. So you can get a list of the apps that have been using data, and how much exactly they’ve been using. Really handy when you are looking for culprit that’s responsible for your data drainage. Available on iOS and Android devices.

Data saving apps
Besides being able to track your usage, we’re sure you’ll welcome the idea of saving data while preforming the same things you do anyway.
Onavo Extend-  This is one of our top 10 favorite apps (we’ve never actually compiled this list, we’re just sure that Onavo will be in it). Not only can it help you track your data usage like other data tracking apps, but it can reduce the amount of data you consume by almsot five fold, without changing your routine. Available on iOS and Android devices.
Opera Mini – Opera mini is a browser, and like Onavo it also compresses your data on it’s own servers before reaching you, as a result you’re able to do exactly the same things you’re used to, but with a much smaller data footprint.

Though we might be slightly impartial, we did build our company for the sole purpose of helping our customers save big on their data needs overseas.
If you’re looking to enjoy your vacation (rather than obsessively count megabytes), we’ve got truly amazing offers that will save you hundreds, and even thousands, of dollars on your communication needs overseas.
Check out our offers. We guarantee a 100% satisfaction, or your money back.

As always,

Enjoy 3Ging…

The post Data hungry apps – you’re not committing a crime, but you’ll still have to pay the price appeared first on Staying Connected with KeepGo.

It seems that this experience is one that almost every one in the civilized world has experienced. And how do you make sure you’re getting your money’s worth? You test your connection speed, of course.

The following services are offering to test your internet speed for a landline connection (on a desktop/laptop):

* Speedtest - Speedtest is by far the most known and respected name in the speed testing arena. Not only do they locate your current location and allow you to test your speed to their closest server, but they also allow you to effortlessly check the speed to an overseas server – giving you a better indication if you’re having trouble connecting to overseas websites.

* DSLreports - This website is unique in allowing you to test speed on a few service like flash, Java,
and mobile browser.

* Your provider – Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) will often provide you with the service to test your connection.

* A few notes and tips – per our experience, your speeds will vary widely among different days, hours of day, different websites and services (HTTP vs. P2P, for example).
A few basic ideas on how your speed can effected:
1 – The more people who are at home, the slower your speed will be (evening, weekends, holidays, etc.).
2 – Overseas websites will be slower than local websites (since the internet connection costs within your country are cheaper and faster than cables running across Oceans and seas).
3 – A wire connection (Ethernet/USB) will be faster than connecting via WiFi (stronger and more stable connection, less interference).
4 – The more software you have on your computer running and using your CPU, the slower your connection will be (more power dedicated to your internet = faster internet). * You won’t believe how many times your slow internet connection can pick up speed if you restart your computer!
5 – Don’t be surprised if your file sharing or streaming will be much slower than your regular internet connection (internet providers use “traffic shaping” to manage their networks. Preferring to allocate less resources for heavy-usage services like P2P and streaming). This practice may not be legal in a lot of places (nor does illegal file sharing, for that matter), but that’s normal practice for many ISPs.

How to check your internet connection on Mobile networks (smartphones, tablets):

Speedtest - Same as before. Speedtest offers an app for both iOS and Android, giving you the ability to test your mobile connection on the go.

Cisco Global Internet Speed Test (GIST) – This little app from communications juggernaut Cisco, is available for iOS, Android and even Blackberry devices. It does the same thing as speedtest – allowing you to compare your results to other local or global users.

A few basic ideas to know about data speeds on mobile networks:
1 – Speed can greatly vary among various devices (iPhone 4S speed might very well differ from iPhone 4, for example).
2 – Every cellular point (site) has a maximum speed that varies according to the network technology used by it. For our example we’ll assume its 10MB per second. The first user that connects to this site will enjoy a maximum speed of 10MB. The 2nd user will share this maximum speed with the 1st user (so 25MB/2 = 5MB per user), the third user will bring down everyone’s speed to 10/3 and so on. What’s the moral? the more users are using a site at any given point, the slower the speed will be for everyone, as the site does not given “seniority” to any user.
3 – Reception is key. If you’re in an underground lab working on your “flux capacitor”, don’t expect to get the same speeds as your friends from overground. The more “stuff” cellular radio waves have to travel through (walls, mountains etc.) to get to your device, the slower your speed will be.
4 –  Slower is better. If you’re traveling on a bus, car, train etc. and your speed isn’t that slow, you will be moving between sites. Calls might get dropped rather often (as sites aren’t always quick enough to relay the call properly), your data speeds will be much slower (for the same reason).

At the end of the day, your internet connection will never be perfect, and promised internet speeds are optimistic “lab results” rather than real world conditions. Though we , the consumers, can’t do much to change things around – being more knowledgeable about this issue can at least lower the frustration levels, and in some cases even help us troubleshoot our way into a faster connection.

As always,

Enjoy 3Ging…

The post How to test your internet speed connection appeared first on Staying Connected with KeepGo.

iPass – The iPass mobile network is the world’s largest WiFi network with over 779,000 hotspots in over 120 countries and territories around the world. These hotspots are located in areas like airports, hotel, restaurants, cafe etc. iPass offers users the iPassConnect multi-platform client which manages the user’s connectivity on various platforms like Windows, Mac, Android, iOS etc. – enabling him to switch automatically between various connections (3G, WiFi, LAN etc.). The biggest disadvantage of the iPass service is that it only services businesses, so if you are a private consumer, you will not be able to user their services directly.
Update: Karen From iPass, has been kind enough to send us a link to iPass’s private consumer offer and correct our error. Please see Karen’s comment below. Thanks for letting us know, Karen!

Boingo –  In terms of market share and net worth, Boingo is the largest player in the WiFI hotspots game. Currently Boingo has more than 500,000 hotspots around the world. Like iPass, Boingo also has a multi-platform client that enables the user to use the Boingo service conveniently and without hassle. Unlike iPass, Boingo does offer it’s services to the private consumer. Boingo has a wide range of prices and offerings – from plans for mobile devices, regional plans and pay-as-you-go plans. Prices range from $7.95 per month for mobile plan and up to $59 per month for a global plan for your laptop that allows from 2000 minutes of use.

WeFi – As the previous two services were paid and belonged to giant companies, WeFi is different. First off, WeFi is free, you download it to your smartphone and there are no subscription costs of any kind. Second, WeFi claims to support over 130,000,000 hotspots (that’s not a typo, by the way) – more than 13o times than iPass. Third, WeFi doesn’t actually own these or has contracts with these locations like the other 2 companies before – it merely “documents” their presence and records them in it’s database. More than anything WeFi is like a giant database of available public and private hotspots – that’s why it’s free, handy and popular. But that’s also why it’s the least reliable of all 3. The biggest downside of WeFi? It doesn’t support iOS – only Android, Symbian and PC. Though we do not recommend using WeFi on it’s own – it is a great back up tool for when you travel overseas and stuck without internet.

Whenever you travel overseas, staying connected has become a must in recent years- whether it’s because of work, family, friends or just because you want to show off on Facebook that you’re abroad.
As always, we at KeepGo offer you the ability to stay connected with our 3G data SIM solution in more than 160 countries. But if you’ve run out of your allocated daily data plan, we’re now offering you a unique data solution that provides you with high-speed WiFi coverage in over 700,000 hotspots around the world – giving you the ability to seamlessly connect to a WiFi hotspot through an app running in the background.

To learn more - http://www.keepgo.com/wifi_3G_data_bundle/

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The post Imran Mughal’s Route 66 challenge – MISSION COMPLETE appeared first on Staying Connected with KeepGo.

The post A status update from Imran, after 11 straight days of riding from Chicago to Oklahoma appeared first on Staying Connected with KeepGo.

A few days back Imran landed in Chicago and we’ve provided him with our Unlimited data package across the US, so he can stay in touch with his followers (and the world) as he makes his way from Chicago to California in a 3200 mile journey.

You can check out and contribute to Imran journey here:
http://www.justgiving.com/Imran-Mughal0
and here
http://www.facebook.com/events/219812368116699/

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But first we need to understand what locking actually is.

A locked device is a cellular device that is able to accept only 1 type of SIM card; the SIM card that belongs to the cellular provider it was originally bought from.
For example, when you buy a cell from T-Mobile, you will not be able to use an At&t SIM card on that cell, it will not accept it as it does not belong to T-Mobile. And vice versa – you will not be able to use T-Mobile’s SIM cards inside cell bought from At&t.
Some people often confuse jailbreaking and unlocking, those are not one and the same – unlocking is a procedure that enables your phone to accept other SIM cards. While jailbreaking is a procedure of removing set operating system limitations, thus giving you full control of your device’s software (but not changing hardware limitations).

What does this mean for you? It means that you: A – will need to buy a different phone if you want to switch carriers. B –  will not be able to use KeepGo’s SIM card when going abroad. C – can’t sell/give your phone to people who are not using your carrier as well.

Why do carriers do that? In one word, money. The more you are confined to their network the more you are likely to stay, and as a result pay them more money over time.

What can be done about this? In two words, unlock it. Though the answer is simple, executions is often difficult when it comes to modern smartphones. The protections that exist will prevent you from easily unlocking your device. The much easier solution is to ask your carrier to unlock it – but as the rules and regulations change throughout the various countries of the world, not all carriers will agree to this request (often, the country’s law must require this from carriers – they do not do this voluntarily).

So what types of unlocking are there?
There are 4 types of unlocking:

Factory unlocked – This means the device was never meant to be sold by a carrier, and was already unlocked when it left the manufacturer’s factory.

Carrier unlocked – This means the device was previously locked as it was meant for a specific carrier, which later unlocked it for use with other carriers (usually, at the customer’s request).

Carrier unlocked (for overseas use) – some carriers will unlock your device for use overseas, enabling you to use any carrier, other than the ones who are competing with that carrier at your home country. *This is what Verizon and Sprint do with their iPhones, they claim their iPhone to be unlocked, but in reality, you are unable to use it with At&t SIM card or any other US operator.

User/software unlocked – This means the device was bought from a carrier, and later was unlocked by someone other than the carrier or manufacturer. This method is the most unstable one, as devices might become locked again if the user upgrades the phone firmware or installs updates (like with iPhone updates for iOS). *Due to Apple’s efforts to curb the unlocking phenomenon, there are currently no unlocking tools for iPhones with iOS 5, only iOS 4 and below.

As more and more people around the world join the middle class, and the spread of the internet and smartphones is increasing by millions every day. So does international travel with advanced and data consuming smartphones becomes a necessity for a growing number of modern travelers.
Since your carrier’s roaming rates is one of the fastest ways to spend your parents retirement savings. We highly recommend unlocking your device to enable it to accept our SIM card (for instance). Which can bring about savings up to 85% on international roaming rates, compared to those your carrier will charge you for using the same network abroad. Combine that with our global coverage of over 200 countries and you have yourself a real tailored solution for all your global data needs.

Enjoy 3Ging…

The post Locked devices vs. Unlocked devices appeared first on Staying Connected with KeepGo.

KeepGo

We, at KeepGo, work very hard to make sure travelers are able to enjoy a seamless internet connection while going abroad. That’s why we honestly think that from all the helpful accessories above, the one you will benefit the most is our international SIM card. The ability to use it to upload photos, send emails, surf the web as if you never left home (and not get hit with an enormous roaming bill in the process) is one that  any traveler can embrace.

Solar charger

When one uses his smartphone, he/she might often forget that they’re using a pretty advanced piece of electronic equipment. These devices are essentially computers, and like all computer they use a lot of power. Since the iPhone does not have a removable battery, you end up charging it often. During travels, you will usually need to charge your phone even more, as you’re taking pictures, using the web, using the GPS etc. – these activities will drain your iPhone’s battery even faster. As you’ll often be outside when traveling, charging your phone through solar means just makes sense, and while this is in’t the quickest way to charge your phone, it’s definitely the most environmentally friendly one. BTW, sometimes solar chargers come in a backpack form- which will provide you with even more charging power while on the go (and you need some backpack, anyway).

External battery chargers

As we mentioned before, iPhone’s battery can not be replaced without special equipment. So what do you do when you don’t have an outlet nearby? You can use a solar charger or you can use an external battery. External batteries come in two form factors: bulky and bulkier- since the external battery takes quite a bit of space. But the idea is that you will only use it when you’re really running out of juice, giving you at least a few extra hours of use (depends on the model). But they do offer a much quicker charge compared to solar chargers.

Hard cases

Your iPhone is a fairly expensive piece of equipment, so when you travel abroad you’ll be using it quite a lot, which does increases the chances of something going wrong. As the iPhone is quite slippery, one bad grip and it could be flying mid air – on it’s way to meet its maker. Hard cases, and especially hard impact cases might make your iPhone look visually less appealing, but will texturize its surface (which makes for a better grip) and protect it when it falls to the ground. Highly recommended if plan on doing quite a lot of walking or even hiking.

Car charging

We’ve written in length before about the overseas charging conundrums that you might expect. But the car’s electrical system is much simpler. Unlike the different electrical systems (not to mention the wide range of outlets) in the world, a car’s electrical system is always standard, so you’ll always be able to charge your iPhone if you have a 12v charger. We recommend getting the USB version, as it will allow you to charge any device that can get its power from a USB port.

Windshield mount

Windshield mounts are necessary if you plan on car-navigating while traveling, or using your phone any other way while driving (music, hands-free calls etc.). Windshield mounts come in a few form factors – some are fully adjustable, some are partially adjustable and some allow for almost no adjusting. Though each type has it’s own advantages and disadvantages, based on our experience we’d recommend going with something less adjustable, as these mounts are much better at keeping the phone stable and relatively shake-free while driving.

Enjoy 3Ging…

The post KeepGo iPhone/iPad Tips and Tricks – Travel accessories for the masses appeared first on Staying Connected with KeepGo.

How to turn off 3G Internet on the iPhone

If you still want to use the 3G network but turn off the internet, this is how you do it:

* Note that turning “Cellular data” off, you’re turning Roaming data off as a result.

“Settings” – > “General” – > “Network” – > “Cellular Data” – > Done, no internet!

How to turn 3G off (switch to 2G) on the iPhone

If you prefer to downgrade from a 3G network to a 2G network (maybe because of better coverage), this is how you do it.

*Note that some carriers might not have a 3G network. So by turning 3G off, you are basically shutting all communications down, as the phone is unable to switch to the carrier’s 2G network (as one doesn’t exist!).

“Settings” – > “General” – > “Network” – > “Enable 3G” – > Done, no 3G!

(small circle indicated iPhone has switched to EDGE network, which is a 2.75G network with speeds up to 236 kpbs)

How to turn roaming off on the iPhone

When you are overseas (or maybe live in a border area) and you want to turn roaming off, this is how you do it:

* Note that there is no indicator on the status bar to show that you have roaming off.

“Settings” – > “General” – > “Network” – > “Data Roaming” – > Done, no roaming!

Enjoy 3Ging…

The post iPhone Trips and Tricks – How to change iPhone internet connection settings appeared first on Staying Connected with KeepGo.

First, lets roll back the clock to the last few years of the 20th century – cellphones are spreading like wildfire. Their popularity is growing, and simultaneously so does the spread of the internet. Carriers are beginning to realize that this nifty device can be used for other ways than just for calls and texts.

Through time, data speeds grew more and more with the emergence of protocols like GPRS (2.5G) and EDGE (2.75G), which began offering speeds of up to 115kbps and 236kbps, respectively. As these cellular networks were mostly aimed at voice services, and data was only a welcomed (but not necessary) solution, the need for networks that could accommodate high-speed data services became a natural way forward. Though it took some time for handset manufacturers to catch up (namely, after the launch of the iPhone), the deployment of 3G (UMTS) networks enabled carriers to offer services and devices which are internet-centric and bring the WWW to the user. That, combined with the absorption of mp3 players, cameras and computers into the mobile phone has created the need for super-fast data networks.

Building on top of existing 3G infrastructure, carriers began offering higher and higher speeds with networks being upgraded to support more bandwidth – these networks are the 3.5G (HSPA, with speeds up to 14 mbps) and 3.75G (HSPA+ with speeds up to 84 mbps).

So this is now, but what’s next? The next step for cellular networks is 4G, and while most American would say “but T-Mobile already has a 4G network” – we beg to differ. T-Mobile’s “4G” network is actually 3.75G (HSPA+), offering users a speeds of up to 84 mbps (with future upgrades), but no faster than that. While to fall under the 4G umbrella networks must be able to offer end users with speeds of 100+ mbps. So in this case, even Verizon’s LTE network shouldn’t be able to call itself 4G, at the moment. So what can you expect from 4G networks? like we mentioned, 100+ mbps internet connections. This you the option to connect your phone to your TV and use it like VOD box. With today’s HD video technology you can use your phone to have conference calls at 1080p quality – anything that is today constrained by your carrier, will be able realize with 4G networks.

What are the advantages or disadvantages to these high-speed networks? Obviously, speed – 3G networks are a lot faster in terms of data than 2G could ever be. Voice – since 3G is able to carry a lot more data, this opens up bandwidth that can be used to carry higher quality voice calls (though most carriers have not implemented this possibility). Battery – an interesting thing about 2G networks is that they were much more battery-friendly. One of the reasons lies in the frequency they used – 2G networks worked mostly on the 900 range. At this frequency the radio waves are able to penetrate much deeper than higher frequencies - so if you live in a steel building or are in a basement, your chances of getting reception are much higher with 2G networks, making your phone work a lot less to maintain a signal, resulting in a better battery performance. To tackle this problem carriers needed to deploy a lot more antennas, to compensate for the reduced range.

As cellular devices and smartphones became an expected feature in our lives, so did the assumption that we can use them anywhere we please. But as roaming data costs have remained sky high, the ability to enjoy high-speed cellular services abroad became an expensive indulgence. We at KeepGo work very to hard to make that experience common and accessible. Next time you venture out and take your smartphone with you, give us a go – you will be able to enjoy the fastest network your destination has to offer, at a fraction of the cost your carrier will charge you.

Enjoy 3Ging…

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