Most sophisticated tchnology...

Thanks to the use of the most sophisticated satellite communication technologies (Iridium system is back on the stage now), and to the revolutionary Compaq iPAQ computer (see here under), Alain Hubert and Dixie Dansercoer will be in permanent contact (morning and evening) with the Expedition Headquarters in Brussels (Michel Brent).

The site www.antarctica.org will follow the day to day progression of the two adventurers, thus keeping the public informed, on-line about the progress of the Expedition.

Meteorogical and technical conditions permitting, the pait Hubert-Dansercoer will be able to send also pictures taken on the ice. The site will publish these photos in the "Gallery - During the expedition" section

Using satellite telephones just as the one one can see on the photo (on the left), the pair will also be able to call HQ once or twice a day. These short conversations will be published by Michel Brent on our site.

Since it was launched in November 1997, the Trans Antarctic Crossing undertaken during the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1998, the site www.antarctica.org has experienced quite a significant and popular success ; culminating this winter (2000-2001) with more than a million hits per month during the Queen Maud Land Expedition - The Wall.
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Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC : bien plus qu’un ordinateur !

The Compaq iPAQ H3630 Pocket PC features a bright, clear, colour screen measuring approximately 2 ?by 3 inches, with a unique new screen technology which gives excellent viewing indoors or out. Able to display thousands of colours, the thin film transistor screen (TFT) is as good as the screens found on most notebook computers, enabling clear viewing of all the built-in applications like Word and Excel file attachments as well as digital photography. An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display quality by detecting the amount and intensity of light of the surroundings.

A 206MHz Intel StrongARM 32-bit RISC processor powers the iPAQ H3630 Pocket PC for extremely quick response. With 32MB of standard memory, the iPAQ Pocket PC can hold thousands of contact names and addresses, while still having enough memory to view emails with attachments and listen to a collection of MP3 music titles.

The unique Navigator button provides access to any application with a single click. It allows up, down, left, and right navigation, and pressing down the centre of the Navigator button is just like clicking a mouse or tapping the screen. The audio speaker is placed under the Navigator button for better sound quality. A standard 3.5mm audio jack with stereo output provides high fidelity when listening to audio books or MP3 titles.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is the standard method of connectivity from the iPAQ Pocket PC to the desktop for faster throughput. Serial adapters may be purchased separately.

Standard Microsoft Windows for Pocket PC applications loaded on the device include Microsoft Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Reader and Windows Media Player. Compaq has also added three useful applications to assist in managing the iPAQ Pocket PC: QStart organizes applications into categories so any application may be launched with a single tap, while QMenu and QUtilities provide a host of diagnostic and system management tools.