For the last three weeks, I've been lucky enough to have been indulging in a life-long dream; that of travelling around Europe by car on the 'ultimate driving trip' and taking in the sights and sounds of the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Monte Carlo.

One thing was a standout however, and that was the usage of technology and how greatly it assisted! In Europe, the Mercedes 280GLK 'soft roader' we hired came complete with the mother of all GPS systems - called SatNav over there - and it saved our bacon a number of times. There's no other way we could have easily or probably successfully navigated our way through the maze that's Paris or the chaos that's Milan. It also made finding hotels, cafes, service stations and even a laundromat was a doddle.

In the UK, our Vauxhall Astra had no such luxury, so we relied on Google maps and my 3G phone to get us around, and this too, with little exception, was easy - if not a little slow.

For communications back to base, we had a full blast 3G signal (via Telstra roaming) just about all the time, and indeed, my wife Sharon rang her Dad in Perth while at the very top of our journey (literally) from the peak of the Davos-Stelio pass in Switzerland, while I filmed her! Much of the footage I shot was from a DV Canon video camera mounted on a special bracket and clamp arrangement on the windscreen (as seen in Top Gear - you can buy them for about 80 Euros). The footage was edited on the run on my laptop and when time allowed, burned to DVD, also on the laptop.

Another highlight was using a combination of data from the 'net and Google maps, finding my family's old ancestral home in Lancashire - a 600-year-old cottage that's still inhabited and bears the name "Ashgrove House". Using the 3G phone, I could send images back to my 83-year-old mother in Perth as the new owner invited me inside. Amazing stuff, and certainly not in the realms of 'hard to learn' I assure you.

So next time you take a holiday, I strongly commend you to have a look at what technology you have, and how it can be used to enhance the trip, and not simply add weight to the baggage!

It's Christmas again, and to help with those who like gadgets as pressies, we asked a number of vendors if they would like to give us a rundown of what they suggest and you can see the results inside. Additionally, this month has a large cross section of other material including reviews, tutorials, and a bunch of member's contributions - thanks for those! Keep them coming!

Have a very merry Christmas and safe and prosperous New Year. Thanks for the support and encouragement throughout 2008 - we greatly appreciate it - and we'll see you bright and fresh in February 2009!

Happy computing!

Reprinted from the December 2008 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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