KOMANDO COLUMN: Capture and share your trips with a travel blog

Kim Komando

Opinion

Q&A with Kim Komando

Text to speech on smartphones

Q. I'm partially blind. I'm about to buy a smartphone, but I don't know whether there are any apps that will help me. What are my text-to-speech options on a smartphone?

A. Both Android and iOS have built-in text-to-speech menus and other features. Android's menus come in the form of an app called Talkback. You can download it by going to Settings>>Accessibility on your Android Phone.

Apple's mobile devices have an equivalent of the Voiceover feature you may recognize if you use a Mac. You can turn it on by going to Settings>>Accessibility.

If you haven't decided which phone to buy, I would recommend picking up an iPhone. Not only does it have a much friendlier user interface, it has more apps made for people with vision problems than Android.

Share kids' photos privately

Q. I just took a bunch of photos of my daughter's ballet recital. I want to share them with other parents. Should I upload them to Facebook?

A. No! Sharing them on social media opens you up to a host of sketchy privacy concerns. The safest way to share would be to put them on a flash drive and pass it around to each parent. This isn't the most convenient way, though. Try zipping the folder of pictures with a program like 7-Zip to compress its size. Then, use a service like WikiSend to share the .zip file.

Once you upload the file, WikiSend will give you a link that you can email to all of the other parents.

Only people with the link will be able to access and download the photos. For additional security, create a password and set the file to expire after a few days.

You may have to make multiple uploads, because WikiSend allows only 100MB uploads. You can find WikiSend and 7-Zip at http://komando.com/news.

Breaking down Microsoft's new tablet

Q. I heard Microsoft released its own tablet called the Surface. What do you think of it?

A. I'm not too optimistic about the Surface. It has decent hardware, and Windows 8 should work OK. Microsoft designed it for tablets, after all.

Two Surface versions will confuse people. The lower-cost ARM version uses Windows RT, which isn't compatible with any of your current Windows software. The more expensive x86 Surface is basically an Ultrabook, and it will be priced like one.

Overall, I think people are going to pass it up.

Unlimited Internet?

Q. My cable provider just put a data limit on my Internet. Is there still a service out there that offers unlimited Internet?

A. Sorry, but the answer is “no,” or at least “not for long.” Every provider is moving to limit Internet data use. Still, most Internet data limits are reasonable for the average user.

You should be able to play games, surf the Internet and stream dozens of hours of online video. If you really want the closest thing to unlimited, however, check out Comcast. For a limited time, it is testing new data-limit policies that could allow you to buy more data after you reach the limit.

Until it figures out what methods to use, however, it has suspended its data limit for most users. If you want virtually unlimited Internet, it seems like your best shot for now.

Save money with a prepaid iPhone?

Q. Now that prepaid companies are offering iPhones, do you think I should go prepaid to save some cash?

A. It depends. You will save money in the long run; the long run being 2 years or more.

However, the phone you buy won't be subsidized like it would be with a two-year contract. A prepaid iPhone will run you $500 or more. Android isn't much better. And an unlocked Galaxy Nexus S straight from Google costs $400.

So, your up-front cost is going to be a lot more than it would be normally. If you're coming up to the end of a contract and still have a phone you love, you could switch it to prepaid. Otherwise, don't expect the savings to be immediate.

The annual rite of summer, the family vacation, hasn't changed much over the years, but the way we record and share our journeys sure has.

It used to be that families would drag out the projector and put on slide shows after their film came back from the lab. Even if Mom and Dad were good photographers, however, photos only told half the story of a trip.

Some families would go to the trouble of keeping a trip journal, too, but those often got left behind in hotel rooms or ruined during sudden downpours.

Today, free travel blogging websites give families a one-stop multimedia and social networking platform to share the best parts of their adventures with family and friends. Whether you're going around the world in 80 days or spending a week at the lake, these sites and their related apps are worthy travel companions.

TravelPod
This site not only gives you a travel blog, but a full-blown travel website. Post your itinerary and check in once you've reached your destination. TravelPod offers tracking features to help you brag about how many miles you've traveled or places you've visited.

In addition to hosting your travel information on the Web, the site will turn all of your blogs and photos into a book for a fee. This can become an impressive coffee-table book to commemorate your amazing trip.

TravelPod even has a donation feature, which is ideal for college students traveling on a shoestring. You'll never have to worry about your travel fund drying up when you're off in a foreign land. Simply set up your site to accept donations, or use TravelPod's iOS app, and you're good to go!

Everlater
Investment banking dropouts and best friends Nate Abbott and Natty Zola were inspired to start up Everlater (an anagram of e-Traveler) a few years ago while on a round-the-world trip.

With an Everlater account, families can upload journal entries, photos and videos. Participants can create maps that show where they've been, and can even track where they are now.

The online platform works smoothly with popular networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. With the free Everlater iOS app, you can create entries offline and sync later when you're able to make a network or Wi-Fi connection.

This site will turn your electronic travel journal into a premium hard-cover book, once again, for a fee.

Off Exploring
Off Exploring is another great travel site with an app that works on both iOS and Android. This site also offers a blog-to-book option.

Off Exploring gives you a free message board where people can post comments on your trip. Your loved ones can comment from their Facebook accounts, and you can cross-post your blogs to your social networking profiles with ease.

In addition to posting your itinerary, you can map it out and attach a detailed Google map to your page. Your family will have an easy way to follow along with your journey!

GetJealous
This site allows you to attach detailed maps to your blog, too. You can tag posts with locations, so they'll appear whenever users view your map. It will even tell visitors what the weather is like in your current location.

GetJealous won't turn your trip into a book, but you can purchase a CD of your trip. This compiles all of the posts on your blog, including video and message board posts. It's a nice alternative to passing around photos or sending out mass email.

The GetJealous Facebook app lets you post your current location, latest diary entries and photos to your profile.

Fellow travel bloggers on these sites can offer ideas for your next trip. Use them in conjunction with traditional online trip planners such as TripIt, Kayak, TripAdvisorand TripAdvisor-owned SeatGuru.

Kim Komando hosts the nation's largest talk radio show about consumer electronics, computers and the Internet. Hear it locally at 94.3 WSC News Radio from noon-3 p.m. Sundays. For more information, go to www.komando.com.

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