New Cool Up-and-Coming Travel Gadgets - March

New Cool Up-and-Coming Travel Gadgets - March


BMW reveals autonomous car on their 100th anniversary

ReFlex – The world’s first bendable smartphone
interestingengineering.com/reflex-the-worlds-first-bendable-smartphone/
No more bendgate, if this phone makes it to mass production. The screen will not crack or bend if you sit on it while it is in your pocket. ReFlex is designed to give. It makes it possible to "flip" through pages and also play games with more interaction by pulling on the screen.

Need to Renew Your Passport? Now There's an App for That
travelwithkids.about.com/Need-to-Renew-Your-Passport-Theres-an-App-for-That.htm
Renewing passport could be quite a process. It usually requires filling out forms, submitting certificates, taking and submitting photos, fees, and mailing all this in. This app is looking to simplify the process a bit so travelers can get their passport ready the digital way.

Wireless energy transfer strips for electric vehicles and buses
interestingengineering.com/wireless-energy-transfer-strips-for-electric-vehicles-and-buses
Wireless charging for cars is coming closer and closer to reality. More companies are developing tech for roads that would generate energy to charge up electric cars and buses.

Goodyear Concept Tires Targets Autonomous Cars
ubergizmo.com/2016/03/goodyear-concept-tires-targets-autonomous-cars
Charged up and self-driving vehicles still need to have tires that do the heavy lifting. Goodyear is getting ready for next generation of cars by working on tires that would accommodate new type of driving and drivers.

Sony makes 'Her' a reality: AI bluetooth earpiece acts as a smart personal assistant
dailymail.co.uk/Sony-launches-Xperia-Eye-Wearable-camera-uses-voice-facial-recognition-capture-images-built-projector.html

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March Madness Travel and Gadgets

March Madness Travel and Gadgets

Every year best of the best in college basketball go mad with traveling around the country in the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. That is actually part of the reason it is called March Madness, since it portrays the frenetic nature of the NCAA tournament.
This year the Championship Game will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Average temperature in April in Houston is 79° high and 60° low. So pack accordingly for the big game.

Sunglasses
Bring shades along since it is hot and sunny most of the time

Travel Umbrella
While it is hot in Houston, it also rains quite a bit. The conditions are those of a rainforest without the designation but with lots of humidity

Travel Bluetooth Speaker
for better quality tunes in your room while pregaming. Trust me, your iPhone volume maxed out ain’t that great.

Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker

Camera
To catch action shots, the best camera for the traveling sports fan is the one that has a great optical zoom, image stabilization, fast shutter speed and relatively small body. Below are some of the best cameras with these features:

Phone and other chargers
All the gadgets that you will be bringing along to enjoy pre-game and the games need to be charged. This power bank has enough juice to charge your phone and tablet

Anker Astro 6700mAh Ultra Compact Portable Charger

Travel Power Strip
Belkin Travel Surge Protector came in very handy at the airport and hotel room. We were able to charge multiple gadgets via one and only accessible outlet in the room
(Family Trip to DR - What To Pack, One Little Thing Just Can’t Travel Without)

Duffel Bag
A nice carry-on spinner bag is a great option since it is easy to move around the airport.  Though a duffel bag is a sportier option when you don't have too many things or want to look like a baller.

Under Armour Undeniable Duffel Bag

Luggage Spoter
To make your bag standout from the rest and show your team pride, Luggage Spotter is a great travel accessory for your duffel or any other travel bag.

Kindle and MP3 player for the plane

Fire, 7" Display, Wi-Fi

Traveling To Houston Tips:

VisitHouston Travel Tools and Info

Hydrate! A Lot! Water is essential to replenish after salty snacks, screaming and/or alcohol.

Hit the nearest CVS, Walgreens or such to purchase water for less, plus pick up some energy drinks, snacks, and a few beers

Sunscreen
As the sun is almost always shining this will be an essential travel item. While you don't spend a lot of time outdoors, it still important to have protection from the sun when you are outside.

Traveling in March, you also should pack an umbrella, see above

Pack a swimsuit. Even if you're not planning to visit the ocean, many Texas hotels have swimming pools.

Houston Travel Tips

Sound-off: Will you be filling out the brackets and/or traveling to the games? Let us know below

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Amazon Prime - Why I Use It For All My Travel and Gadget Needs

Why Amazon Prime? - it's useful for the price

Why I use it and continue to use for all my travel and gadget needs:

Prime account gives free 2-day shipping. And that is just one of many great features.
Other benefits of membership:

• Streaming music
• Movies and shows
• Free, or discounted, kindle books
• Borrow books from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library
• Free Photo storage
• First dibs on daily and holiday deals

Free Shipping
Just about anything you order, there are some exceptions related to seller set up, will be delivered to your pre-selected address within two days. Even on weekends. Depending on your location, can be delivered on Sunday. It makes it convenient for regular purchases for things you might need or want. Though makes it even better for ordering stuff while you are packing for a trip. Unless you are last last minute packer, you would be able to receive and pack anything you are missing with the fast shipping. In some areas they also have same day delivery and you can get last-minute travel items such as sunscreen and towels.

Music 
prime music page
Need some music to listen at work or home or while exercising? Amazon music has radio stations you can listen to by genre or by artist. You can also download the music on your device to listen when you are not online. And you can create your own playlists to mix and match different sounds.

Prime Instant Video
There are no latest movies, but there is a large selection of movies to stream that have been out in circulation for a bit. There are also many new and older episodes of shows that you can binge on. Amazon also has its own shows it has produced and that have been nominated for awards. All this is included in Prime membership.

Books
As a member, every month, we also get a selection of books from which we can choose one to read for free. Plus you have access to many more kindle books at discounts.

Join Amazon Prime - Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime - Start Free Trial Now

Sales
During lighthing deals or sales, such as the Black Friday week, Prime members get a head start on getting the deal and savings. Such as the example below:



Photo Storage
You get secure unlimited photo storage with your Prime membership. And that is a lot of storage considering it is included in the overall price of the membership. The upload is pretty quick. And they are adding new features, such as folder sorting, all the time. You can upload your photo on the site, via a mobile app, or a desktop app. And you can access your photos also either on your phone, computer, or tablet.
Free Unlimited Photo Storage

Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

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New Cool Up-and-Coming Travel Gadgets - February

New Cool Up-and-Coming Travel Gadgets - February

Soon your new gadgets will come with a new type of Wi-Fi. This new version will be made for not just gadgets, but for the network of connected devices in your home that would be part of Internet of Things. Wi-Fi HaLow (pronounced halo) doubles the distance and cuts the power consumption of traditional Wi-Fi. While most modern routers operate in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum, HaLow transmits in the 900MHz band. This band transmits twice as far as the 2.4GHz standard and offers better wall penetration. It is mostly useful and the hope if for it to become the standard for wearable devices where Bluetooth radios are used now.

Future iPhones Could Come With Li-Fi For Superfast Internet

Motorcycle Gadgets
How are you supposed to know when a car is getting uncomfortably close?
That's where Garmin thinks it can help. As part of a larger CES launch, it's unveiling a Varia Vision headset that not only gives you vital cycling data (directions, notifications and performance), but teams up with the Varia rearview radar to warn about traffic behind you. You'll know about trouble right away without losing focus. Read more here http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/01/garmin-varia-range-rear-view-radar/

Customize Your Soundscape
Craft your perfect sound environment with the new selective noise cancellation technology by HARMAN. And by selective they mean you are actually able to select, via an app, the sounds that you do want to come through. These would sounds of horns, bike bells, and your name being called. The rest get tuned out. http://www.customizeyoursoundscape.com

Volvo wants you to Netflix and drive
www.theverge.com/volvo-ericsson-concept-26-autonomous-video-streaming-ces-2016



You Can Soon Talk To Your Volvo With The Microsoft Band 2
popsci.com/you-can-soon-talk-to-your-volvo-with-microsoft-band

This is Faraday Future’s ridiculous 1,000-horsepower electric concept car
theverge.com/faraday-future-ffzero1-concept-car-announced-photos-ces-2016

via faradayfuture.com

Google Glass 2.0 Will Not Be Cheap
http://www.ohgizmo.com/2016/01/04/google-glass-2-0-will-not-be-cheap

Lenovo Yoga Mouse and Remote Control
This slim mouse/remote hybrid will make a great travel companion — just like Lenovo’s Yoga laptops. The Yoga starts out completely flat, where you can use it as a remote to control presentations, movies, or music playing on your laptop. But give it a twist and it shifts into a downward dog shape, with the perfect ergonomic angle to rest your hand on for use as a mouse. A rechargeable battery gives it about a month of battery life, which makes it easy to toss into your laptop bag without having to worry about whether you’ve plugged it in (or whether you’re carrying spare batteries). Available: April 2016

Ili Wearable Translator
it automatically translates your message aloud in the language of your choice. (Currently, it works in English, Japanese and Chinese, with plans to expand to French, Thai, Korean, Spanish, Italian and Arabic.) Ili is rather unique in that it doesn’t require an Internet connection, instead having a built-in dictionary of 50,000 words. tech that could make international travel a lot easier.

New Airplane Design with Detachable Cabin
A concept for redesign of an airplane would have an entire passenger cabin detach in mid-flight from a troubled aircraft. The detached passenger compartment would then float harmlessly to the ground under a couple of huge parachutes. Its landing would be cushioned by massive inflatable rubber bumpers.

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Family Trip To DR With A Toddler - A Week Without A Screen!

Family Trip To DR With A Toddler - A Week Without A Screen!

Resort
Earlier in the month we traveled to Dominican Republic and one of its all-inclusive resorts. We like these as you get there put your bags down and you are good for the rest of the trip. You know 99% of the cost of the vacation already. Most of the activities and outings are pre-planned. Just need to carry your key card around and nothing else. Drinks, food, beach towels and chairs, all are included.

We have been to this resort before. And that was a major consideration when we were planning our second vacation with a toddler. Knowing the layout of the resort, where the food is and what kind of restaurants and meals offered, made the week a lot easier. And since we did not have to run around to find places, we got the vacation started earlier.
This is quite different from one of the cruises we were on. We were on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas. Usually it takes me about a day to orient myself and be able to navigate without a map. On this ship, it took me 3 days to figure out where the restaurants, entertainment and the pools were. And even then, we ended up going the wrong way a couple of times. While the trip was nice overall, the layout made it a bit more stressful than needed to be.

The resort has changed a bit since last we were there. Less structurally, though there were some small rearrangements, but more in terms of clientele. The vacationers were mostly families with kids and seniors. There were plenty of those before, though this time these two groups made up around 98% of the population.

Traveling with toddler, even in all-inclusive, adds on a few things to consider and to plan out. After two days, we figured out the schedule and balance between food, swimming, napping, more swimming, entertainment and sleep. The first days were test and trial, but once kiddo got comfortable and we stuck to the schedule, it was smooth sailing.

We lucked out with the week we were vacationing at the resort. On our last supper there, it was a crazy time. New arrivals came to the buffet like vultures. They were lining up for food 10 or more deep, grabbing everything and then some and also grumbling. We were actually glad we had only breakfast the next day and then we are off.

Departure
At the resort, they charged extra for weighing your bags before departure. We were very glad that we brought our own digital luggage scale to save money at the airport and also ended up saving it at the hotel also.

No Worries, It's All Inclusive Here
traveltechgadgets.blogspot.com/2013/04/no-worries-its-all-inclusive-here.html

Aruba - First Family Trip South - Summer Continued
traveltechgadgets.blogspot.com/2015/10/aruba-first-family-trip-south-summer.html

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Travel Gadgets & Travel Hacks

Razor Travel Hack
On this trip I tried out a shaving razor hack (see pic below). I have a travel case for it but it is bulky and plastic, making it hard to pack and takes up too much space. Instead you put a clip on top of the razor to cover up the blade so it does not catch on anything, and then you can stick it anywhere. I placed it within my grooming pack with all other stuff for easy and convenient storage.
Travel hack = works!



DryPack
Right before the trip we bought the DRY PAK Waterproof Wallet. The previous one I was using fell apart and we needed a waterproof container to hold our room card. It had decent reviews on Amazon. However, was not great in execution. The card was not dry after just first use. The inside was damp and visibly wet. The pocket was sealed as supposed to with the latches fully engaged. While it was better then using a zip lock bag or just having the card in the swimsuit pocket, it didn't work as described. I filled it with water to rinse after first use and found out why it didn't work - there was a whole in the pocket.
After the trip I contacted Amazon and seller describing what happened with the product. Without hesitation, they sent out a new pocket within a day. That was a superb experience and look forward to trying it out again.

Selfie Stick
The selfie sticks were more prominent during this trip then any other one we have taken. They were on the beach and all over the resort. People were taking their sticks and phones right into the ocean. I really hoped that they had some kind of waterproof protection on their phones or phones that are at the least water resistant




What would want, like to have, on next trip:
Gotenna, or similar communication device

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