Product Review

Which airlines have the best wine?

/ coreyroth / 1 Comment

WineMy wife and I have become quite the avid wine enthusiasts and we like to sample new offerings wherever we go.  Whether that’s a winery, a new restaurant, or an airplane, we want to try it and see how it compares with the rest.  With our love of travel, sampling wines falls naturally.  We’ve been to vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, Texas, Washington, Spain, and more.  It doesn’t matter how you get to the vineyards, one thing is always involved: travel.

What do you drink though when you are traveling?  Our first choice would be wine, but we find the experience can vary greatly on the airlines.  Some do really well while others only provide the worst of the mass-produced wines.  While, serving wine on airlines has certain logistical difficulties, there are some great wines out there even at the back of the plane.

This upcoming series of articles will feature the best and the worst of wines that you can find on domestic and International flights.  Whether you are looking for your next Merlot or Chardonnay in the skies, we’ll tell you where to find it.  Have you experienced a great wine at 30,000 feet?  Tell us where in the comments.  Are there wines we should avoid in economy class?  Tell us where!

Stay tuned for our series where we review wine available on long haul flights!

Using T-Mobile’s in-flight texting feature with Gogo Inflight WiFi

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I rarely fly on an airline that uses Gogo InFlight Wifi.  However, recently I had no choice to fly on one of those airlines so I sprung for the Internet.  First of all, Gogo Inflight is ridiculously over-priced.  At more than $22 for a day pass, I about had a heart attack on the plane.  This is nearly three times more than what Southwest charges.

That aside, @JohnLegere and his crew at @TMobile have managed to ink out a deal giving their customers free in-flight text messaging.  There are a few caveats though.  First, you need a phone that supports WiFi calling.  The newest ones from T-Mobile do.  However, the phone I unlocked and brought over from AT&T does not.  Second, you have to have configured WiFi calling when you are on the ground and have made a phone call over WiFi calling at least once.  You also need to have an E911 address on file (which you should have) with T-Mobile.

Once you are in-flight, you are ready to go.  Take your plane out of Airplane Mode once you have reached 10,000 feet.  This part threw me off because I just turned my WiFi off.  You actually want to fully turn your phone on.  Then connect to to the gogoinflight wireless network and choose T-Mobile Texting.  Once you connect, you should be good to go.  If it is taking a second, launch the WiFi calling app on your phone and it should connect.  This experience will vary of course depending on the type of phone you have.

Once connected, you can send and receive text messages, picture messages, and even listen to your Visual Voicemail.  The only thing you can’t do is make a phone call.  Since Visual Voicemail works on it, you know that they could technically support phone calls over the WiFi network.  However, I don’t blame them for blocking that.  The last thing you want is someone taking business calls in the seat next to you.

If you are on T-Mobile, try it out on your next flight with Gogo.

Is the Surface Pro 3 the ultimate travel device?

/ coreyroth / 2 Comments

I’ve had my Surface Pro 3 for a few weeks now which has given me the opportunity to go on a few trips with it.  Is this device your best bet right now for traveling?  I certainly think it is a contender.  Today, we’ll look at how the device stacks up while you are in the air, in the cab, or on-site.

I am writing this on my Southwest flight today on the way to Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference.  Looking around, it’s obvious that most of the people around me are carrying two devices: a laptop to do work and a tablet to goof off with.  For most people, their tablet has little to no business value.  Over the years, I have had people talk to me on the plane or the airport bar and ask me about the Surface device I am using.  They all tell me the same thing.  They can’t get any work done on their iPad.  Now, I won’t say that no one can get work done because plenty of business have created applications to take advantage of it.  However, I find that it’s the exception not the rule.  I chose the Surface Pro 3 because I can get my daily job done on it while at the same time being able to use it for recreational use when I am traveling or sit around the house.  It does all of these things quite well.

When I first threw the Surface Pro 3 in my bag to go on a trip, I immediately noticed how much lighter my bag was.  By removing my Surface 2 and laptop, My bag is 4 – 5 pounds lighter.  My bag is so light I find myself double checking to make sure I put the device in there.  As I get older, every ounce counts in my backpack.  This device makes a huge difference.  Be sure and take a look at my complete Surface Pro 3 review to read more about the difference in weight.

Let’s take a look at the Surface Pro 3 and how you can use it throughout your trip.

At the airport

When you are grabbing dinner at the airport bar, the device does quite well.  However, it can be a bit distracting.  That’s because, people are going to interrupt you to ask you what your Surface Pro 3 is.  It happens to me nearly every time I sit down.  It works well though from the bar though.  You can easily finish up that proposal or send out a few more e-mails before you get on the flight using the Type Keyboard 3.  The only thing I don’t like about this keyboard is that it’s not spill proof.  If you’re type that spills your glass of wine a lot, I recommend using one of your old Touch Keyboards.  You can wipe off just about anything from them.

When you are sitting in one of the seats waiting for a flight, the Type Keyboard 3 works great with it’s new magnetic stabilizing feature.  Simply snap it to the bottom of your Surface Pro 3 and you’ll be able to type with the keyboard in your lap without any problems.

When I am standing in line waiting to board my flight, I usually detach the keyboard and grab the Surface Pen.  Holding the Surface in my left hand and the pen in my right, I can easily use the device while standing up.  I find using the pen is easier than just touching the screen with your fingers here.  It gives you the stability you need to click small links on a web page and just makes it easier to tap button in general.  It’s convenient for pulling up your mobile boarding pass too.  Oftentimes, I’ll hold the device like this even as I board the plane.

In flight

During boarding, I usually keep using the device as a tablet with my Surface Pen in hand.  I won’t get the keyboard out in case someone needs to get in the seat by the window.  After everyone has boarded, sometimes I will get the keyboard out if I need to respond to an e-mail or keep working on a document.  The device sits well on my lap and you can adjust the kick stand to any angle to find one that works for you.

Surface Pro 3 sitting on a tray table

Surface Pro 3 sitting on a tray table

One you are in flight and can put your tray table down, the device takes up a good portion of it.  If I want to use the keyboard, you will need to keep the kickstand at it’s shortest angle.  Otherwise you don’t have room for the keyboard or the device falls off the back.  The keyboard will hang off the front of the tray a little bit, but it’s still quite usable.

If you are just planning on playing a game or watching a movie then you can remove the keyboard and adjust the kickstand to any angle.  This makes it great to get the device at the perfect angle for you.  This is much better than those cheesy covers on iPads with the make-shift kickstand.  There really is no comparison.

Surface Pro 3 sitting on a tray table without keyboard attached

Surface Pro 3 sitting on a tray table without keyboard attached

When I am landing, I usually hold the device and use the Surface Pen again.  It just works well in that manner and I am usually tired of working by then any ways.  I’ll keep the device out of my bag and just carry it too if I have another flight to catch.

In the cab

As you may have seen in the commercial, the Surface Pro 3 works great in the cab as a tablet.  Just detach the keyboard and grab your Surface Pen.  This is great if you are looking up hotel information or reviewing last minute notes about your upcoming meeting.  I think the Surface Pro 3 commercial does an excellent job showing this.

On-site

Once you are on-site, you’ll have no trouble getting work done with your Surface Pro 3.  In the conference room, while your colleague is checking Facebook on his or her iPad.  You’ll be taking notes with OneNote, referencing documents, and conducting a whiteboarding session over Lync.  You’ll have all of the files you need with you too thanks to plenty of storage capacity and OneDrive.

After the meeting, you can go back to your desk and get your job done.  Whether you need to connect to the VPN or run Visual Studio 2013, the Surface Pro 3 gets it done.  If you have an external monitor,  you can connect it using the Mini DisplayPort too.  When the Surface Pro 3 Docking Station comes out, it will make connecting external devices even better too.  I got some hands on experience with one while I was at WPC.

Surface Pro 3 sitting in the docking station

It features a magnet to hold your Surface Pen on the left.  On the back it features two USB 3.0 ports and 2 USB 2.0 ports.  There is one more USB 3.0 port on the side too.

Back of Surface Pro 3 docking station

Back of Surface Pro 3 docking station

The docking station is a bit large though so you may want to leave it at the office.  It’s not out yet anyways, so in the meantime until it comes out, you can use a generic USB 3.0 docking station.  They work well with the Surface Pro 3 to connect additional peripherals.  They are usually a bit smaller too.  Although, the device only has one USB port, I find that it is more than enough for me most of the time.

At a conference

The Surface Pro 3 makes a great device at a conference.  You usually don’t have a table so that means you need something that can work while sitting in your lap or while you are holding it.  Luckily, you can use it to do both.  Using handwriting to take notes is a great option when you are sitting in a session.  If you are at WPC this week and took advantage of the Surface Pro 3 discount, I think you are going to be pleased with the device.

Conclusion

Is the Surface Pro 3, the best device for travel?  It’s the best one I have used to date.  I am happy to carry it around with me and I don’t miss my laptop for a second.  Is it the best device for you?  Only you can decide.  What are your experiences with the device?  If you want to know more about the Surface Pro 3, be sure and check out my product review.

Follow me on twitter: @coreyroth