We've all worked in areas where mobile phone coverage is spotty at best. MOGO Wireless has a wireless signal booster for mobile phones that claims to reduce dropped calls and boost signal strength. There is a home version that plugs into the USB port of your laptop and also a mobile version that plugs into the power port in your car. The only down side is it seems they only do 800/1900MHz so globe trotting aid workers might want to wait until other antennas are available.

I've been experimenting with geotagging lately. Its very useful for keeping track of where you took your facility security, post-incident , and other photos. Most systems are still a little kludgey but a friend pointed me to the GPS Photo Finder. Simply carry it around while you take your pictures. Later, put your camera's memory card into the GPS Photo Finder and all the location data is merged with the digital photos. Your photos can then be used GPS compatible photo software or sites such as Google Maps and Flickr.

Better Energy Systems has introduced a couple of new models of their universal solar battery charger known as the Solio. I've used the original model for a couple of years. It comes in really handy for keeping your mobile phone and gadgets charged when you are working in areas without reliable electricity. All of the models are small enough to fit into your field bag. It only takes about four hours of tropical sun to charge fully... longer at more temperate latitudes.

The only thing I don't like about the Solio is having to carry all the little adaptors needed to support my various phones, iPods and other gadgets. Of course that's really not Solio's problem. I pray for the day when gadgets come with standardized ports.

Tags: Mobile Phones, GPS, Tools, Technology, Communications