On a recent trip to Canada, I made sure to stay in a hotel with free in-room WiFi. This meant that, in addition to the obvious things like being able to check email and news from my room, I could also save on the usual extortionate hotel long distance charges by using Skype, and listen to music via Rhapsody. The former worked like a charm. Unfortunately, when I tried logging in to my Rhapsody Unlimited account, I came up against one of the service’s limits: No access outside of the U.S. After some initial frustration, I decided to try the favored solution of government spooks and Chinese dissidents: Anonymizer. After downloading the latest version and signing up for a free seven-day trial, I rebooted, and activated anonymous surfing. I checked my IP address, and sure enough, the hotel’s Canadian address had been replaced with an American one supplied by Anonmyizer. I logged back into Rhapsody, and was streaming my library within minutes. Although Anonymizer slowed down my access slightly, the lag was minimal, and didn’t affect my ability to stream from Rhapsody. Overall, it was a very satisfying experience, and I’d be happy to pay Anonymizer’s annual fee just to avoid similar hassles in the future (though of course, it would be even better if Rhapsody Unlimited really lived up to its name).

I’ve bought a handful of iPods over the years, including a shuffle (which I lost) a nano and a mini (my focus, obviously, has been on mobility). But I’ve never had a lot of interest in a full-size iPod. Until now. The new touch-screen iPod finally takes the device and makes it good for more than just listening to music and going blind trying to watch movies on an infinitesimal screen. With its big screen, WiFi, iTunes and functional browser, the touchscreen iPod is actually something useful, and a credible competitor to the Nokia 800, a device I’ve been coveting ever since I picked up a 770 on the cheap a few months ago. Now, I’m glad I waited. Though the touch may not have the N800’s open-source underpinnings. expandable memory or built-in Skype support, it’s got almost everything else, including a very competitive price. When the iPhone was released, I recall thinking that, if Apple came out with a device that did everything the iPhone did, except the phone part, and priced it at about $300, I’d be first in line for it. Now Apple’s gone and done it, and I’m ready to order. Nokia, watch your back! (Note: As with all other posts on this blog, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own and are based solely on my own subjective perspective.)