If you’ve ever been stuck in heavy traffic, whether traveling alone by bus or driving with family and friends, you might have encountered needing and wanting a way to go online to pass the time or send an important document to your boss or thesis-mates. Our country is well-known for its traffic jams and if you’re a commuter, the wait can be unbearable at times. I used to commute from Taft to Batangas on a daily basis and the long bus trips can be annoying especially if you get caught during rush hour in SLEX.
Since I commuted, I didn’t have the luxury to lug around extra pounds of hardware with me. Getting handheld devices was my best bet and I got myself a Nokia e63 and an iPod Touch 3g. I know I could’ve gotten a netbook for the amount I spent for my phone and media player but I opted for light and portable gadgets that I can use discreetly; because I don’t want to catch any holdapper’s attention. Each device worked well on its own, but they worked even better with Joikuspot:
JoikuSpot is a software product that installs to your mobile phone allowing you to turn your mobile phone to a secured WiFi HotSpot! As your phone becomes the internet gateway, you do not need external USB modems or MiFi for internet connectivity. -JoikuShop.com
It turned my mobile phone (Nokia e63) into a secure WiFi HotSpot, enabling me to connect my iPod Touch to the internet. Since its WiFi, you can easily use it with several WiFi capable devices if you are in a car with friends or family. In my case, I easily connected my iPod Touch to the internet while I was on the bus so I was able to access my emails, write blog entries, check my social networking profiles, chat on YM and even call friends from Skype (of course I used an iPod headset that had mic support). You can even choose any network you want since JoikuSpot isn’t locked to any network unless you purchased the one that was bundled with Globe. I purchased mine online, before the Globe Tatoo WiFi version came, and paid with Paypal.
I chose to get the premium edition because I wanted to control who accessed my connection. Mobile internet can get sluggish if you have so many devices connected to it, so I chose to get the version that allowed me to make a password so I won’t get freeloaders. If you don’t care about who gets access to your connection, you can get the JoikuSpot Light version, which is the free one.
I find JoikuSpot very useful not only when I’m commuting but also when our dsl connection at home dies unexpectedly. Our household requires a wireless router because we have several WiFi capable devices. My brother has his NDS (and he likes trading Pokemon online), my Dad has his ancient office laptop (which uses a USB wireless adaptor when its LAN doesn’t work), my sister has her school/work netbook and I have my iPod Touch as well as my desktop PC. Using JoikuSpot at home is also a cheaper alternative for us because if we relied on USB sticks/dongles whenever our dsl dies, we’d end up spending at least P50 each laptop/pc.
In case you decide to change your mobile phone and its a unit supported by Joiku, you can get your license transferred to it so you can keep enjoying the application. It’s one of the best app purchases I’ve made and I’ve never regretted buying it. I have recommended it to my friends and so far they all love it.