This morning I came across a review on Gadling.com that talks about active noise canceling headphones and that this gadget would be something that is at the top of the list of things to take along on flight by most frequent fliers. As I have been raving about headphones as a great feature to have on a trip or otherwise, I think this would be an interesting read as they go in depth on how this headphones actually work to cancel out the outside noise
"Review: Denon AH-NC800 active noise canceling headphones"
Why good to have on trip:
- reduce the whoosh of airplanes' air-conditioning systems
- tune out snoring neighbors
- tune out kid noise
- just tune out
- no need to crank up the volume, leads to reduced ear fatigue
SeatGuru also has a pretty good review of headphones for traveling: Noise-Cancelling Headphones Review
Mar 28, 2011
Do Electronic Gadgets Really Affect an Airplane's Instruments?
An article by David Parker Brown on Aol Travel: "Do Electronic Gadgets Really Affect an Airplane's Instruments?"
"The official reason for the requirement that electronic devices need to be turned off is to make sure passengers listen to the safety instructions from the flight attendants, reduce the presence of loose objects getting in the way in case of an emergency and to eliminate the possibility of the devices interfering with the airline's avionics.
It is not just about putting away your electronic devices, but actually shutting them completely down
... Electronic devices must be kept off under 10,000 feet since take off and landing are two of the most critical parts of a flight, experts say. It's considered a matter of safety."
Did You Know?: Most cellphones today have an Airplane Mode. By turning this feature on before the take off, would allow you to use other features of the phone such as music players, games, calendars, and so forth while in flight.
Airplane mode is a setting on many cellphones which disables their wireless communication abilities, theoretically making them approved for use on aircraft. While in airplane mode, a phone cannot send or receive phone calls, text messages, picture messages, or video messages, and the user may not browse the Internet on the phone or use Bluetooth® devices with it.
"The official reason for the requirement that electronic devices need to be turned off is to make sure passengers listen to the safety instructions from the flight attendants, reduce the presence of loose objects getting in the way in case of an emergency and to eliminate the possibility of the devices interfering with the airline's avionics.
It is not just about putting away your electronic devices, but actually shutting them completely down
... Electronic devices must be kept off under 10,000 feet since take off and landing are two of the most critical parts of a flight, experts say. It's considered a matter of safety."
Did You Know?: Most cellphones today have an Airplane Mode. By turning this feature on before the take off, would allow you to use other features of the phone such as music players, games, calendars, and so forth while in flight.
Airplane mode is a setting on many cellphones which disables their wireless communication abilities, theoretically making them approved for use on aircraft. While in airplane mode, a phone cannot send or receive phone calls, text messages, picture messages, or video messages, and the user may not browse the Internet on the phone or use Bluetooth® devices with it.
Mar 24, 2011
For when you have 10 or more devices charging at once ... charging pad
Latest News: the newest entry into the charging pad market is Qi by Energizer
. With no magnets to line up or secret spot to find, you don't have to be precise about how or where you set your phone down on the two large areas on the charging station. The drawback, at least for now is that the phones have to have a correct Qi-enabled sleeveWhile checking in on my twitter feeds earlier today, I noticed a post, below, by @geekbabe, who I have been following for awhile and has some great posts.
- "Ok I have 10 devices charging, seriously 10, all with cords, there isn't a spare outlet anywhere"
What came to mind as soon as I read it was "charging pad." It is a relatively new cool gadget that lets you charge multiple electronics at once without having to plug all of them in an outlet. Only the charging pad
gets plugged in and all other gadgets are placed on top of it. The devices are charged using inductive charging. It is a wireless charging method used for mid-sized items such as cell phones, MP3 players and PDAs. Once the contact points come in contact with the conductive surface of the charging pad, a small current moves through the coils of the charging pad, creating a small magnetic field which is gathered by the contact points of the adapter and converted into energy. The energy gathered is transferred to the device's battery as efficiently as if the device were connected to a wall socket with its regular wired adapter.This method has already been utilized successfully in several household items such as electric toothbrushes and waterproof vibrating razors. It is in early stages of being used for charging phones and such but is showing promise in de-cluttering the desktops surfaces. These are also great for traveling as a lot of them fold up or roll up to fit into small space and keep your gadgets charging one space for easier pack up.
Here is what others are saying about the charging mats:
CNET - Powermat Review:
"Though we reviewed the Powermat Home and Office Mat, the Portable Mat serves the same purpose but with a compact, foldable design. We updated this review on April 2, 2010, to reflect further testing.
If you had told us five years ago that innovation was coming in cell phone chargers, we wouldn't have believed you. Our response would have been, "What's the point?" We're perfectly happy with the wall charger that came in the box."
PC Mag - Duracell MyGrid Review:
"Pros - Can charge up to four devices at once. Long list of compatible devices. Little extra weight on phone.
Cons - Expensive. Finicky connections.
Bottom Line - The Duracell MyGrid Charging Pad
is a convenient way to charge all your gadgets without a mess of wires, but it can be frustratingly finicky."UPDATE:
I have been looking more into these. And after reading quite a few reviews, articles, and see video demonstrations I think that while that is a great gadget and just tossing the phone on a charging pad seems like a dream come true, it still has quite of bit of development to undergo. Charging pads have very useful features and great potential for making it easier to charge multiple gadgets, clean up desktop, and decrease amount of wires. Though it is still has quite a way to go before it becomes something that anyone would use. Currently, with the multitude of adapters needed and the time and effort of setting these up, I think that a few of the earlier adopters would consider buying these and using them.
Here are some reviews of various charging pads for you to decide:
What do you think, are these ready for mainstream or need more development?
Mar 18, 2011
Packing your essential travel gadgets
Interesting article on CodeFrenzy.com
"Traveling with your tech gadgets"
It provided tips and information on what to take a long and how to pack your tech gadgets for the trip as well as other accessories that are good to have along with your gadgets on prolonged trip.
"Traveling with your tech gadgets"
It provided tips and information on what to take a long and how to pack your tech gadgets for the trip as well as other accessories that are good to have along with your gadgets on prolonged trip.
Mar 15, 2011
Spring Break Gadgets and Gear Under $200
Spring Break is here or just about here for a lot of the folks in school. Just in time Yahoo! Shopping has published a list of gadgets that are cool to take along on the break.
Spring Break Gadgets and Gear Under $200
There is a T&TG favorite that are also on the list:
A digital travel scale - It is almost unthinkable at this point to show up at the airport and not know the weight of the luggage. The sitting around on the floor trying to re-sort all your belongings into an additional bag, which you hopefully brought along, or even having to toss some stuff out because the bag is a few pounds over. The other choice is to put up a huge fee that airlines levy these days on overweight bags. Though it does not have to be this way. That is why there are more and more cool travel scales out there and why I have wrote about them in several postings (see below) and also purchased one for myself at long last.
Travel tech blogger without a gadget, til now
Travel Gadgets: Handy Gizmos for Stress-Free Travelling
Digital Luggage Weighing Scales Review on TechyZone
Spring Break Gadgets and Gear Under $200
There is a T&TG favorite that are also on the list:
A digital travel scale - It is almost unthinkable at this point to show up at the airport and not know the weight of the luggage. The sitting around on the floor trying to re-sort all your belongings into an additional bag, which you hopefully brought along, or even having to toss some stuff out because the bag is a few pounds over. The other choice is to put up a huge fee that airlines levy these days on overweight bags. Though it does not have to be this way. That is why there are more and more cool travel scales out there and why I have wrote about them in several postings (see below) and also purchased one for myself at long last.
Travel tech blogger without a gadget, til now
Travel Gadgets: Handy Gizmos for Stress-Free Travelling
Digital Luggage Weighing Scales Review on TechyZone
Mar 2, 2011
USB Universal Charger: No More Dead Devices
"About the size of a stick of gum, the Powerstick USB Charger
is a self-contained charger that fits most mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads, Kindles, digital cameras and MP3 players. In fact, if your device has a micro- or mini-USB port, Powerstick can charge it." ..
Full article:
USB Universal Charger: No More Dead Devices
is a self-contained charger that fits most mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads, Kindles, digital cameras and MP3 players. In fact, if your device has a micro- or mini-USB port, Powerstick can charge it." ..Full article:
USB Universal Charger: No More Dead Devices