There are several books in print on teaching English in different countries where you don’t speak a word of the main local language, but the recently updated edition of “How to Teach English Overseas” by Matthew Kepnes is one that’s definitely worth downloading and reading on your mobile phone, tablet or laptop.

Expanded to nearly 200 pages, it explains everything you could possibly need to know about this popular activity for early retirees as well as the ‘travel brigade’. It’s also worth a lot more than the paltry $9.99 price.

This is a comprehensive guide that eases the way from knowing what preparation is needed, to actually finding a suitable teaching job in another country. It teaches you what to expect before you start.

The pages include not only the author’s considerable personal teaching experience, but also that of others. Chapters include  an introduction to teaching English, TEFL Certificates, Teacher Requirements and Suitability, Different Types of Teaching Jobs, Benefits and Salaries, Country-specific facts (and local contact links) for Thailand, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Central & South America, Western & Eastern Europe, Russia, the Gulf States – even Ghana in Africa. Most importantly there are in-depth Q&A interviews with 14 teachers who have taught English in those countries. Nothing matches real life experiences.

I would have appreciated being able to get my hands on this book before venturing into unknown territory myself some years ago. Buying “How to Teach English Overseas” would have been an instant decision – and at $9.99, a ‘no-brainer’ – but Matt kindly sent me a review copy!

More on on the R-A Teaching English pages.

While higher speeds and lower ping times will be achieved from relatively nearby Vientiane, Bangkok or Hanoi servers, what happens in the real world upstream (between Vientiane and servers in say London or New York) is another story and of course download speeds will be affected by many different factors.

Using the well-known SpeedTest.net, I was quite surprised with some of the results. I used the 21 Mbps USB modem from Beeline, a 7.2 Mbps dongle from Unitel and Planet’s 4G WiMax Indoor CPE modem. While having seen increased speeds from local servers, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see over 5 Mbps download speeds and very low latency from many thousands of miles or kilometers away from Southeast Asia. Here are the results:

Unitel Lao (Star Telecom) HSPA – London, UK server

Unitel Lao HSPA – New York City, USA server

Planet Online Laos WiMax – London, UK server

Planet Online Laos WiMax – New York City, USA server

Beeline Lao HSPA+ (ex Tigo Millicom) – London, UK server

Beeline Lao HSPA+ (ex Tigo Millicom) – New York City, USA server

This was by no means a definitive test which, in fairness, ought to be made at different times of the day, night and week, using different local and overseas locations and servers.

Currently, Beeline’s new HSPA+ service using a high speed USB modem such as the ZTE MF 668A wins hands down. Both the ping times and download speeds were impressive and unexpected. Let’s hope as the subscriber base expands that performance doesn’t deteriorate too rapidly as it has with Unitel.

Here’s a more recent Beeline test using a Los Angeles, CA (US West Coast) server, done at 6.30 pm Wednesday 18th.

Beeline is part of VimpelCom, a huge Russian-owned mobile provider. I found even less latency to Moscow – 48ms.

Strangely, I have since received much higher ping rates using Pingtest.net from these and other locations. I am looking further into why there should be such discrepancy.

See the Lao Communications page on our website for details of phone and internet services in the Lao PDR.

Depending on user location and traffic, Beeline 3G service is faster than the others if using a high-speed capable phone or USB modem. With a typical 3.6 Mbps phone or up to 7.2 Mbps modem will produce similar results to the 1-2 Mbps download speeds from LaoTel or ETL; sometimes higher than that with Unitel.

A fast 3G phone can produce at least 4.5 Mbps in Vientiane city as one reader has already reported and I have now downloaded at over 7 Mbps using their 21 Mbps modem late in the evening and several km from the city centre. With a fast 3G modem, Beeline is performing much better for me than Unitel.

Beeline sells a badged locked ZTE MF 656A (14.4 Mbps) and MF 668A (21 Mbps) USB dongle for 300,000 and 350,000 kips respectively. Data plans are suited to mobile phones with low daily, weekly or monthly internet requirements; plan prices are comparable with the others. See more below.

A Tigo or Beeline SIM (with phone number, so not data only) should automatically switch to 3G on a capable phone or device where service is available, so there’s no need to upgrade or change any settings. APNs are tigolaonet, tigolaowap or beelinenet.

For 4G, Beeline is developing an LTE network for Laos – not WiMax as employed by Lao Telecom and Planet. This is still in development and service is not yet available. LTE requires compatible phones and modems such as used for LTE systems deployed in the USA, Korea and Singapore.

Get more Lao mobile and internet information on the R-A Lao communications and Lao data plans pages.

There are quite a few types on the market from manufacturers such as Kingston and SanDisk, and they come in different capacities; several gigabytes are common on today’s new phones and tablets. For many, this extra memory functions as part of the system, without needing setting; they may not even be aware of the card or its features. But problems can arise when the card is nearly full and files need deleting, transferring to other storage, or replacing the current SD card with a higher capacity one.

Having had issues myself, I created a Micro SD page on the R-A website several years ago. Since then it has been consistently one of the most popular, receiving hundreds of hits every day – over 85,000 by 2010 and over 180,000 by 2012. There’s no doubt that many have problems and card failures; there are numerous forums where people post, including phone and card manufacturer support sites.

Two common problems:  microSD file transfer & Nokia phones with password-locked cards

1.  If a microSD cannot be recognised by a computer (read, write, format etc), it may not be the card itself but a microSD to SD adapter typically needed for it to fit in a standard size card reader slot. The adapter usually comes with it. This is the first thing to check for a fault. Try using a different adapter (Kingston seem to have dud ones); better still, get  a USB reader with a Micro SD slot for $3.50; in the UK for £1.40.

2.  Nokia phones with locked microSD cards that need a password for access (happens suddenly without user intervention). Retrieving or removing the password depends upon the model. Some Nokias have an “MMC store” folder; copy this to a computer and open with Notepad to find the password. Reformatting the card (losing all content) allows a new password e.g. 1234 to be set if needed.

Ways to copy/move files between SD cards or transfer to and from a computer

There are different options for working with files. One is with the USB cable supplied with the phone and used in conjunction with a software program also supplied by the manufacturer. e.g. Nokia Data Suite. Another is Bluetooth – a wireless link between the two, as also is WiFi. If you have a built in or USB card reader, removing the microSD card from the phone and connecting directly to a computer is easiest.

Some card readers now accept a micro SD card directly (see above); previously it needed a micro to standard size SD adapter often but not always supplied with a micro SD purchased separately and often the cause of problems, one of which is the write protect switch (on the adapter – the micro SD does not have this).

Whichever way you connect the card to a computer,  a file manager such as Windows Explorer should see an extra external hard drive . The drive letter (G in the image) depends on how many drives are already in the computer, including the CD or DVD drive.

The card’s folders and files (not always all of them) will be visible too and can be copied or moved by dragging and dropping them to a folder on another hard drive or perhaps burning a CD for archiving purposes.

Sometimes they are hidden or copyright-protected by the manufacturer and other means are needed to move or copy them. See our main MicroSD page for how to copy all SD card content to another location.

Due to the sheer scope of this topic, and the different problems that users experience, the web page  is long and rambling – even more so than this post – especially for someone looking for a ‘quick fix’. When I find the time, I will sort the information into categories and incorporate a summary on this blog, where issues will be easier to identify. Readers can also comment below and see answers which hopefully help others with similar problems.

NOTE: Before posting a problem with your SD card, PLEASE visit the MicroSD page at Retire-Asia.com. There are a lot of things you can try and tools you can download and use; most are free.

If you cannot find a solution there, (or you have found one and want to help others) you are welcome to post a comment. BUT you must provide the make and model of the phone, camera or other device, the card type (SD microSD, SDHC, SDXC etc), brand name and capacity (Gb) of the card. Describe the nature of the failure and the procedures you have already tried to fix it with the tools offered here or elsewhere.

Don’t comment “My card doesn’t work, I’ve tried everything; what can I do?” and expect an answer, but if you don’t see your problem listed here, below in comments, or on the R-A MicroSD page, then I am probably going to suggest you replace the card under warranty if possible, go to a phone service centre or ‘byte the bullet’ and just get a new SD card! They are pretty cheap now.

You can find all the information you need about Asia, part or full time retirement and how to earn extra income on the many pages of Retire-Asia.com.

We also have a compact R-A Mobile version as well as the associated RetireAsia App for Android which were launched in late December. There is limited content at the moment, but new pages are being added regularly and the App shows new topics immediately they are published on the website.

May we wish all our Retire Asia visitors and followers – young, mature, old or new – a happy and successful 2012!

Read reviews on our website or at Amazon – Retire to Southeast Asia! is on their US and UK sites.

Kindle publications can be also be read on computers, tablets and smartphones – but you knew that, didn’t you?

More Kindle Books on Asia

Details have yet to be released about a data-only SIM or USB modem service and data plans.

More information on the Retire-Asia.com website page for internet and mobile communications in Laos.

You may have seen the acronyms VPN and VPS, which stand for Virtual Private Network and Virtual Private Server. Don’t be put off by the technical, geeky terms; there are very good reasons to know a little about them, especially if you are using the internet from outside your home or base country.

These services are invaluable for both travelers and those living abroad or expats overseas. They affect the way you access the internet and are useful for several different reasons, such as watching your home country TV channels or Forex (currency trading) or getting access to websites blocked in some countries by the government. Examples are China, Myanmar (Burma), the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Conversely, there are national websites that will prohibit browser or download access from other countries; the country where the visitor is located can be identified by its local IP address – every device connection to the internet displays one. There are several ways to avoid access restrictions or ensure anonymity, but the VPN is the most popular and serves most internet users’ needs; it’s also much better and safer than using a ‘proxy server’. A VPS  has more capabilities, but is technically more advanced and expensive and not really needed for most internet users. See the relevant post.

Most countries now have reasonable mobile phone and internet services, adequate for local people’s needs. Residents and visitors can communicate and browse the web from a computer, laptop, tablet or phone, but there may be restrictions or limitations on access to certain websites. These vary country-by-country.

There are places where Skype or Torrent and popular websites are blocked. For those living abroad, there are restrictions imposed by the home country. For example you may be an American who wants to see US TV network programs or use Hulu and other viewing and video download services, or a Brit who wants to watch or use iPlayer for BBC, ITV, C4, C5 programmes. Simply put, you probably can’t, but there are solutions – not all of them legal or genuine.

You may have come across sites selling software that promises you access to every tv channel and show on the planet. Absolutely not true. They only offer you FTA (Free to Air) channels and video streams which can be found easily but these do not include most national network television or subscription services. There is only one real (and simple) solution: the VPN.

A Virtual Private Network  subscription is easy to set up and you can choose the country or city you wish to be ‘virtually’ located in. As far as anyone who may be interested in your online activities is aware, that’s where you are physically located.

The VPN provides a route or ‘tunnel’ between the US, UK or other country (many are available) internet server and your computer (or smartphone) which is physically located in a different country. The VPN gives you a local Internet Provider address (location identity) and therefore allows you to visit any site or use services available in that country.

Apart from a usually minute drop in speed (the data detours via the VPN server), there is no other difference in the way you browse the web or use web-based email services.

When your VPN is connected you can visit the websites direct and use their video streams and players, or watch as well as download shows from Hulu or videos from YouTube for future viewing with a program like TubeDigger. Download it and use it free for 14 days. Here is a screenshot:

One of the best-known of the VPN providers (and one I use myself) is Super VPN Services. A connection located in one of many different countries can cost less than 4 dollars per month for unlimited access. The connection can be set up on multiple devices e.g. your desktop, laptop, iPad, Android tablet or smartphone – but only one can be used at a time for numerous purposes like anonymous browsing, tv show, film and video downloads, Skype or other VoIP, Torrent, as well as circumventing government website blocking in some countries.

A mouse click on a shortcut to your connection manager changes your internet access from direct (showing your local IP address) to the VPN which will show you as using an internet provider located in your chosen country and unblocking any restrictions you have experienced. It’s as simple as that.

Visit the Super VPN Services website to learn more. There are plans available for different purposes and budgets costing as little as $4 per month.

See also the post on VPS. For forex traders needing to be continuously online, or a business that requires a more ‘acceptable’ online presence or location, a VPS may be the better option.

Except for Nokia which is now tied to Microsoft, virtually all popular phone brands like Google itself, Samsung, LG, HTC, Acer, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and tablets from Samsung, Acer, Asus, ViewSonic – and many more including Chinese copies – run on versions of the Android operating system.

The ‘apps’ (applications for Apple and Android are like computer programs, games and utilities for desktop and laptop PC operating systems like Windows, Linux or Mac) list is already huge and can be seen on the official Android Market, as well as several other websites which also cater for devices not ‘authorized’ by Google. Only those with a ‘legit’ phone or tablet can download apps direct from Google’s Android Market, but there are ways to get around these restrictions (some technical knowledge may be needed).

Android Apps are mostly free, such as the popular Angry Birds games or if charged for, around $1 -10. You choose the apps you want and have them sent to and installed on your phone, wherever you are, automatically via your Gmail account. It’s a very simple process. Storage memory is not a problem as all these devices have micro SD cards which hold gigabytes of data for apps, videos, photos and music files.

In these days of economic hardship for many, any way to save money shopping, eating out, hotels, local tourist attractions, servicing the car, or whatever, is very welcome and most people are aware of coupons which can be redeemed against purchases from a local outlet or a special limited time offer (often loss-making for the vendor) but which can save you a lot of money, up to 60% or more in some cases. Groupon is the best known of these services and operates in over 50 countries including a growing number in Asia, but there are more; this a rapidly growing market.

You can find these coupon sites on a computer, but what is really needed is to know of savings offers available in a particular location, or even better, near where you are right now. There are apps designed just for this purpose. They often work in conjunction with Groupon or other company, and then use the Android phone’s built-in GPS navigation and Google Maps features to locate particular offers or daily deals as they have become known.

With a good ‘deals app’, settings let you to choose an offer category (or see all) either in a particular city or town you want to visit; better yet, be able to search and notify you of coupons or daily deals near your present location – or you may even be looking to meet someone located near you!

This is great idea when you think about it, as you carry your phone (or tablet) wherever you go and you can be advised instantly when a new local savings offer comes up near you – in real time. Or you can plan activities with money-saving offers in advance.

There are several of these apps to choose from, but one I found does all it is supposed to, and works well. It’s available free on the Android Market and called Local Coupon Savings.

Apps are fun to use for anyone with an Android phone or tablet, so give this one a try – wherever you are.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money on an Android phone. I bought an LG Optimus Me P350 aka Pecan for about £100 or $155 and I am very happy with it, although one problem with touchscreen phones is clumsy fingers, but there are apps that can improve keying in text dramatically like SwiftKey which now costs just 10 cents or pence from the Android market. There are free keyboard apps too.

The phone costs less than I paid at Amazon.com (click photo); it’s also at Amazon UK.

The dispute began more than a month ago (see previous post). It is unlikely the details will be published or made available to the public.