Best Gadget Gifts for Travelers

Travel Gifts:

Mix, Match and Save	Save on Two	Gifts under $25	Gifts under $50
Gifts under $75	Gifts under $100	Gifts over $100	Gifts just for Her
Gifts just for Him	Gifts for Children	Gift Certificates

Top 15 Holiday Gifts for your Travel Gadget Geek

As holidays fast approaching and we struggle to come up with the perfect gift for everyone on your list, it’s worth considering that traveling is one of the most past times for a lot of folks. And travel accessories might make a great gift. Especially since many travelers have a favorite item or gadget they can’t leave home without. Even if the person on your list is not looking for the latest tech gadget, there are quite a bit of great travel items that would make their day and even year.

Here are some favorites from folks who spend a lot of time away from home, as well as a look at a few new and interesting items:

Tumi Plug Adaptor - This little gadget offers four different plug configurations in one unit, good for 150 countries for powering devices like MP3 players, digital cameras and mobile phones. It comes in a little black case and the prongs can be pushed in and out for easy storage and transport. http://www.tumi.com

Noise-Cancelling headphones - Sometimes all you want is a little peace and quiet, or just tune out all the things going on around you. And that is when noise canceling headphones are life enhancers, if not life saver in some situations. Read more: Noise canceling headphones - life saver for travelers?
Latest headphones for travel that I recently came across are SleepPhones. Unlike earphones that require you to lie in the same rigid position, AcousticSheep SleepPhones are flat, removable speakers built into a soft fleece headband. They let you fall asleep naturally, without popping drugs or jamming in uncomfortable plugs. Available in several colors from Amazon.com: SleepPhones

Travel Size Bottle Kit is a great travel gadget for packing and organizing and, most importantly these days, abiding by the TSA rules. Read more: Travel Bottle Kit - TSA approved, ready to go

Portable chargers —  to provide hours of extra power when the battery runs out on an iPhone, BlackBerry or iPod.
Solio Bolt charger - eco-friendly, versatile and packable. The charger has an on-board battery and rotating solar panels, and it can juice up from the sun, a USB port or the wall to power your phone, MP3 player, e-reader, GPS or camera.

EBook readers are becoming more and more popular since you can carry with you an entire library for the size of just one paperback. And with with the low price of eBooks and newer and cooler versions of readers coming up, such as Kindle Fire, they area great gift for a person on the go.

GPS - an essential gadget when traveling. One of the most annoying things about going on vacation is getting lost. This tech gadgets will keep you on track in the car, on a boat, or if just walking around town


Smartphone - A smart phone lets you access travel tools such as emails, maps, GPS, compass, check the Internet for hotel reviews etc. For holiday commuting or standing in line, there is no better gadget. Check out our weekly post: "There is a Travel App for That" for some useful travel apps.

Digital Camera - You can't go on a holiday without a camera. A digital camera is probably the most essential travel tool so make sure you have a good one ready for the "Kodak moments". We love our Canon Powershot SX

A Watter Bottle is not only a great accessory to have on a trip but it can also save money and protect your health and invigorate. Instead of purchasing multiple water bottles or drinking from street fountains, a waterbottle would provide clean drinking water that you can fill up from a water filter or at a rest stop. Drinking water is very important. It is even more so on trips when you spend a long time in between stops and walking

Digital Luggage Scale - Take the guesswork out of packing and avoid paying extra fees by finding out luggage weight before check-in.

Venturesafe 200 bag - a small daypack with a lot of security measures. First of, the shoulder strap is slash-proof and snatch-proof. A thief can’t quickly cut through it with a knife because there is wire mesh inside. The same wire mesh goes through the whole bag as well, so the old trick of slashing the bottom of a pack and taking what’s inside won’t work either. The extra-strong zippers tuck into little pockets so they are hard to reach. This bag has essential compartments for several gadgets, keys, and headphones. Read more: Top 5 ways to keep you and your gadgets safe while traveling

SteriPen - small, light and now rechargeable UV water purifier. Its UV light destroys over 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and protozoa such as giardia and cryptosporidium that might be found in some water traveling abroad. The Pen recharges via a micro USB B port using a computer, AC outlet or compatible solar charge. Other versions use batteries, lithium type are strongly recommended.

Digital Travel Clock & Photo Frame - "Love the Digital Travel Clock and it comes with a photo frame. Perfect gift indeed for those people who travels a lot."

Amazon Gift Cards - something for everyone. Never expire.

Swiss Army knife - its a classic multi-tool. Everything you need and more within one device.




Did You Know?:
How to Avoid Paying Retail for Christmas Gifts
Airplane travel gadgets to keep you moving

25 Gotta Have Travel Gadgets via Time.com

25 Gotta Have Travel Gadgets:

1. Airport Express
2. Canon Powershot SD1100 IS Digital Elph
3. Franklin 12-language (Speaking) Global Translator
4. MacBook Air
5. Kensington ComboSaver Portable Notebook Lock
6. Apple iPhone 3G
7. Tumi Ultra Slim Universal Power Adaptor Kit
8. Kensington Mini Battery Pack
9. Kindle: Books to go
10. Flip Mino: Point-and-Shoot Video
11. Panasonic Portable DVD Player LS86: More for the Money
12. Play Station Portable
13. Headplay Personal Cinema System
14. Able Planet's Clear Harmony Noise Canceling Headphones
15. Asus R300 Handheld Personal Navigator
16. Dash Express In-Car GPS
17. HP EliteBook 6930p Laptop
18. Wine Skin
19. Tumi Frequent Traveler 22" Zippered Expandable Carry On
20. Reef Stash Sandals
21. Swissbit Swiss Army 1GB USB Flash Drive
22. The Clear Card
23. Travel Valet Service - Trackstick II
24. Menospeak Book
25. SteriPen Ultraviolet Bacteria and Pathogen Killing Water Wand

What travel gadgets are on your BlackFriday/CyberMonday list?

What travel gadgets are on your BlackFriday/CyberMonday list?

TheBlackFriday.com
Magellan's Travel Gadgets Deals
Great Gadget Gifts from GadgetUniverse
TigerDirect's BlackFriday Deals
CircuitCity.com Deals


Do not forget that there is a second chance to get some great deals:
CyberMonday.com
Mycybermondaydeals.org
Cybermonday.biz



What travel gadgets are on your BlackFriday/CyberMonday list?

Swiss knife of razors

C arzor-Card Shaped Razor & Mirror:

It is a card, a mirror and a razor, it can be all the above at the same time. 

Not sure how good of a shave this blade will give you, but it is definitely an interesting concept:

The blades are stored safely behind the mirror while it’s in your pocket, and it’s easy to use. This quirky design really meets the needs of man on the go who recognizes there won't always be time to shave in the morning. What does one do, when they turn up to work scraggly faced? Simply whip out this bad boy in the bathroom and remove the offending hairs.
When you detach the razor part of the card, the rest can be used as a mirror, and it will fit snugly in your wallet. You can even choose how to scent the razor- with mint, sandal, lemon, ocean, and orange are on offer.

Size:86x54x3 mm

http://www.infmetry.com/home-decor/bed-bath/carzor-card-shaped-razor-mirror


Why good to have on a trip: 
- Quick trim on the go
- Very compact, fits in your wallet
- Comes with a mirror
- Built-in scent strip included with each cartridge,
  available in mint, sandal, lemon, ocean and orange.

Did You Know?:
It is also available on Amazon.com, though it is called 3mm Ultra Thin Cassette Razor Portable Wallet Shaver there.

Is this possible new design for the next iPhone?

Smartphone for User Efficiency:

Futuristic design for next generation of smartphones by Yanko Design.

"Kunihiko Nakata’s Palette smartphone concept uses top and bottom “sub-displays” for quick and efficient multitasking. Hiding source tasks at the bottom of the wraparound screen means more room for browsing on the main screen’s display, and hiding network tasks at the top allows the user to send information simultaneously through multiple selected services like Twitter, Facebook, email, or text message."

http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/11/01/smartphone-for-user-efficiency/

What do you think of this design? Leave a Comment

There is a Travel App for That: 25 Essential Apps for Travelers

Travel Apps (list via time.com):

• The Weather Channel
• Yelp
• GasBuddy
• Find My iPhone/Where's My Droid
• Fandango
• Mint.com Personal Finance
• HotelTonight
• HopStop
• Google Search
• Taxi Magic
• OpenTable
• SitOrSquat: Bathroom Finder
• Kindle
• City Maps 2Go
• Kayak Flight and Hotel Search
• Dropbox
• Google Translate
• Evernote
• Adobe Photoshop Express
• ESPN ScoreCenter
• Seesmic
• Netflix
• ShopSavvy Barcode Scanner
• MotionX GPS Drive
• Shazam

All of these are available at the iTunes Store or Android Market

Read more: 25 Essential Apps for Travelers

What is your favorite app to use while traveling? Leave a Comment

Halloween is over, that means it is time to shop shop shop until you or the ball drops!

Halloween is over, that means it is time to shop shop shop until you or the ball drops!

Here are some Great Deals:

Amazon kicked it off early with its Countdown to Black Friday
They also have an app for it: Amazon Deals App (free)
And a multitude of Gift Cards for the site or various popular merchants.

TheBlackFriday.com

Also do not forget that there is a second chance these days to get some great deals:
CyberMonday.com
Mycybermondaydeals.org
Cybermonday.biz

Travel Deals: Black Friday, Cyber Monday & More via Peter Greenberg Worldwide

Will you be taking advantage of the deals or sleeping in? Leave a Comment

There is a Travel App for That: FlightTrack

FlightTrack is great way to track flights with nice visual representation on zoomable maps. The inbuilt maps work even when the phone is offline. The app lets you stay on top of latest flight information with real-time status updates for gates, delays and cancellations for more than 4,000 international airports. It allows users to find alternative flights with a few clicks. You can also save flight schedules for upcoming trips for quick reference. Moreover, the app shows the weather forecast and its potential effect on upcoming flights. A great travel app to have with you when traveling for business or pleasure and be in the know while on the way or at the airport.

Why good to have on a trip:
• Real-time status for gates, delays and cancellations
• Covers more than 4000 airports worldwide
• Full international flight coverage with 1400 airlines
• Find alternate flights at a tap
• Sync with your phone’s calendar
• Share flight status by email, Facebook or Twitter
• Supports multitasking on iOS 4
• Label your flights, store flight confirmation #, save seat # and add notes
• Zoomable, live flight tracker maps with satellite and weather radar imagery
• Review weather radar and forecasts
• Offline mode for use in airplanes – maps still work!
• Airtime, aircraft, and speed & altitude (US)
• Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Did You Know?:
Flight Stats-web based flight tracking
List of airlines' direct sites

Available on iTunes: FlightTrack

 What is your favorite app for air travel? Leave a Comment

iPhone, Not Great at Everything..

Article first published as iPhone, Not Great at Everything... on Technorati.

IPhone is great, don't get me wrong. When coming back from our trip to Northern Jersey, we were glad to have it along. Even more so now that we have downloaded a new app only a couple of days before, Sigalert. This app shows current traffic patterns with very little delay. It was a great supplement to our Garmin GPS, which is an older model that does not have traffic updates. Sigalert also shows alternative routes or detours and keeps you informed of the speed around each entrance ramp, while taking a detour, indicating when the traffic has dissipated.
As great as some of the apps are and the newest features that have recently came out on an iPhone, there are some things that it cannot replace or duplicate...yet.
Reading on the small screen of most smartphones is not an easy task. You have to have great vision or a great pair of bifocals to be able to read the tiny font that appears on mobile versions of most sites. Even when reading basic text in an email or e-book, it is not optimal viewing.
And this is why Kindle and other similar e-readers have a place in persons hands and laps.
My wife have had her Kindle for awhile now and she has not gone to too many places without it. Recently, she upgraded her phone and got an iPhone. She loves it. It a great tool and a great travel sidekick. But as my wife stated, she would still prefer to have her Kindle along on commute or longer trips. It is simple to use, easy on the eyes, relatively light and with plenty of storage.
Do you watch a lot of videos on tour iPhone? If so, you have probably wished that the display was larger. While it has great graphics and it is easy to get videos or apps for streaming, the screen is tiny and has to be close to your face. Phone-holding elbow anyone?
Are you a gamer? iPad games blow iPhone games out of the water. Besides that, again, things are better on the big screen. That is why we shell out a lot more money to watch a movie on an iMax.
A couple of other things that I can think of that an iPhone cannot do are:

• Type on a full keyboard - though there is a gadget for that, Flip-Out Keyboard Case.
• Cook - there might be an app for that

What are some features you think that a smartphone does not have currently but might in the future? What about some that might be too futuristic?

Best Business Travel Gadgets

The Best Travel Gadgets and Accessories by Inc.com
- All the comforts you'll need on your flight and the luggage to carry them in.

Best Phone for Travel:
HTC Aria

Best Noise-Canceling Headphones:
Bowers & Wilkins P5


Best Portable Massager:
Soothera Wooden Ball Foot Massager & Therapeutic Slippers

Best Tablet:
iPad 2

Best Store for TSA-Friendly Toiletries:
AllTravelSizes.com



Best Bag for Traveling Light:
The Voyageur by Tumi

Best iPad Case:
Built NY

Best Bluetooth Keyboard for Your iPad:
Adonit Writer

For more business travel gadgets visit the Inc.com's Business Travel 50

Best Business Travel Apps:
FlightTrack Pro
MightyMeeting
Print n Share
Encamp - Project Management
mbPointer - for presentations
LinkedIn
Best Business Apps For Android

What travel gadgets you can’t leave your house without when traveling for business? Leave a Comment

There is a Travel App for That: Where To? - Discover your next destination

Where To? by FutureTap

This app enables you to locate almost anything nearby, including the nearest ATM, burger joint, medical provider, etc.

In some instances, while doing a search, you might not need to even type in what you are looking for as the app comes preset with 700 customizable categories and 2,400 brands. Just tap your way to various things nearby. You can search for recreational activities and categories ranging from medical, organization, emergency, entertainment, travel and attractions.
Where To? also has available Augmented Reality, which lets you explore a stunning new way of visualization (iPhone 4 or 3GS only; available via In-App-Purchase for only $0.99 for all devices under your iTunes account, free trial available). Your points of interest will be displayed on top of reality. It‘s more intuitive than ever to check out nearby locations.

Can't decide where to eat? This app can help there too. Shake your iPhone and it will pick a good restaurant for you to try. Keep shaking until you find a restaurant you would like to check out.

Video review of the Where To? app

Why good to have on a trip:
- Can be used to find local business nearby including, but not limited to, restaurants
- Able to get driving directions to any location chosen
- Available in 10 different languages, covering most of the world with locally optimized search
- Winner of the 2009 and 2010 Best App Ever Awards in the category “Best Travel App
- Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
- Utilizes Google Maps

Available on iTunes: Where To?

Other cool travel apps:
MotionX GPS HD - all the maps and navigation instruments you need for your outdoor life: walking, hiking, sailing, off-roading, flying, geocaching, or exploring, anywhere in the world.

What app do you use to find things nearby? Leave a Comment

Newspapers = Obsolete? or Reborn?

Newspapers = Obsolete? or Reborn?

"I was on the train one morning. Alas without my Kindle. And as I looked around, I noticed that no one was carrying newspapers on my train. It seemed odd and interesting at the same time.
I took a closer look and saw just how many iPads and Kindles were bieng used and then how many of those users were looking at newspapers. Quite interesting. One person was on WSJ.com, another was on USA Today." - SG

Doing some research and looking on iPad as well as the Kindle store, it looks like while you can get free apps for most of the well known print publications, you would still need a subscription to get the newest version. If you enjoy reading it now, it is a good chance you would go with the digital subscription as well. There are still folks though that prefer, at least for the time being, to hold in their hands a print copy of a paperback or a newspaper. I think it would be at a sliding scale based on generation. For myself, while I like the accessibility and speed of digital publishing, once in awhile I like to have along a magazine rather than an expensive tech gadget that I have to be careful not leave or toss someplace.

Recently, Ziff Davis, one of the larger publishers, announced that they will be moving to all digital publication in 2012. It is more likely than not, that others will follow suit. Other large publishers also made news a few months back by putting up pay walls on the digital version of newspapers. While there was quite a bit of controversy regarding the move, it has been relativity successful for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
Moreover, there are several applications that have been designed and have gained significant popularity as aggregators of news from well known newspapers and magazines. These apps are thriving since they are presenting articles from various publication within one easy to use interface. One such popular app is Flipboard, which is available for most mobile platforms.

So, are newspapers obsolete? I do not think so. Publishing is a very old industry that is meeting the new digital age. And as with most cycles there are always shakeouts. Some will survive and continue to thrive by being relative and providing great content and/or being reborn as digital publishers.

What do you think about the prospects of the newspapers?
How do you occupy your time during the commute? Leave a Comment

Did You Know?:
Letter to Our Readers: Times Begins Digital Subscriptions
How the Amazon Kindle Works

There is a Travel App for That: Trip It Travel Organizer

Trip It Travel Organizer – you’ll never have to dig through your printed, paper itineraries and email again.
TripIt (on iTunes) can connect to your Gmail (or Google Apps) account to import trip data, or you can just forward itineraries you get from booking sites or airlines and it will organize all the departures, arrivals, and other points during the trip in sequential order. TripIt instantly recognizes reservations from 3,000+ booking sites including cruises, restaurants, concerts and more by determining and looking up the confirmation number. It also syncs with your calendar to keep all the plans up to date.
My wife usually keeps us pretty organized during trips with all the bookings, confirmations, and to-do lists stored neatly in a folder and also organized by day of travel. Though I think with the new upgrade to an iPhone, we will be planning out our next venture with this app to make it easier and to keep everyone up to date on the itinerary. I most definitely need that as there are times that I am not 100% of what is on the agenda. ...

TripIt (no ads) (a paid version of the app) offers all the tools minus the ads. TripIt Pro (a subscription service) offers additional features. It monitors your flights for potential airfare savings, and sends you status alerts and other helpful reminders while you’re traveling, and is especially helpful for frequent travelers. As part of pro membership you do not get ads within the app also

Why good to have on a trip:
- Do not need to carry around print outs of all of the reservations and confirmations
- All trip data with a confirmation # is stored and digital collated
- You can easily share trip plans with family or colleagues
- Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
- It's Free

How to Use These Great Travel Apps For Your Android Phone

What others are saying: TripIt Press Room

How do you keep organized for your trips? Leave a Comment

California Tripping

Late September, I and my wife took the first trip to California for for both of us.
We kicked it off by landing in San Francisco and touring most of the city. It was a lot of walking and up and down the hills. Next, we went North to Napa and Sonoma valleys to check out the vineyards and the wines. Afterwards, we passed through SF once again crossing over the Golden Bridge on the way to Monterey. We made an overnight pit stop in Solvang. A little town on a way to Santa Barbara, which was gorgeous with Dutch style houses and community and also great Dutch style food. Then onto Santa Barbara, where the weather was great and we had a hotel a few steps away from the ocean. Though it was a bit on a chilly side in the evenings as well as the water. We next made a stop at Venice Beach, it was a sight to see and experience. And our final destination was Los Angeles where we spent 2.5 days touring the city and all of the touristy sights we avoided elsewhere during most of the trip.

Here, in more or less order of appearance, are some of the travel gadgets we had along with us:

Space Bags - Before even getting to the airport my wife worked her magic, together with SpaceBags to pack all the cloth and travel accessories for a week and a half trip into only 2 carry-ons! That is right, on the way to Cali we had no bags to check-in. This meant that we saved money on airline fees and also hassle and time of picking it up after the flight. We did however have one to check-in on the way back filled with wine bottles and other goodies.

Scanner bag - These travel tag size bags are made and distributed by the same company as the Knee Defender, which I wrote about in "Airplane travel gadgets to keep you moving." I bought 3 of them not too long ago and got to try them first hand on this trip. These bags are great. Once at the security check point, I loaded the bag up with our wallets, keys, phones and so on. Zipped it up and it was ready to go through the scanner together with the carry-on. There were no coins to dig up from plastic container afterwards or having to try to stuff things in your pockets as more and more bags and people are coming through. We pulled off to the side, got everything back in its places, folded the bags up and were quickly on our way to the gate.

Headphones - I have wrote quite a bit about a lot of benefits of having headphones with you on a trip. Well, for this trip, I actually totally forgot to bring them. And how did I miss them! I especially kicked myself for not taken them when on the plane. They had headphones for sale, and I would have even got those plastic ones, but they only had the large, bring back the '80s, type. I managed through the flight, though it seems now I am making up for that brain gap as I have a pair of earphones in just about everywhere.

Kindle - My wife had hers with her for the flight. She rarely goes anywhere without it. I went low tech for my reading material and had a magazine with me.

Joby Gorillapod - it was great to have this gadget along as we were able to get some shots of both of us in the picture while on hikes and less crowded, touristy, areas. Here are some samples where we used it:
 - on hike through the Muir Woods
 - hike up Lincoln Blvd towards Golden Gate bridge and walk through SF park
 - secluded pier with barely anyone around, but with ridiculously great view of the bridge from a different angle than any of the tourist attraction spots.
We had it wrapped on railing in one of the shots, then mounted on top of a pier poll and spread out on a rock in others

Of course we had along our Cannon Powershot SI120 for those type of shots. I didn't get a Joby for SLR as previous versions were not rated well to handle those type of cameras. The newer generations might have improved on this.
(By the way, if interested in more information about photography, check out a great blog - Digital Photography School)

Rechargeable Batteries - The batteries from the "Rechargeable batteries charger - saves money saves planet" post fame, are still running great. Same four batteries were reused through out the trip with the charger, which is light and small, and recharges the batteries quickly and with plenty of juice to last through thousands of pictures. - not actually exaggerating here, as per final count, we ended up taking close to 3000 photos on the trip.

GPS - was also with us on a trip as we did a road trip from SF to LA after renting a car. We saved probably around $200 bringing our own. And it saved us time since I was already used to operating our Garmin and following its directions. It also came in handy in finding streets once we left the car in a parking lot and went wondering around town.

Our San Francisco excursions/tours

 Did You Know?:
- Virgin America has electrical outlets at each seat. These include a regular outlet and a USB one. They also have free wi-fi on board.

What do you take with you on a long trip? Leave a Comment