Tools

I know this product has been on the market for some time, but I just got one and figured that I’d throw my two cents in the mix for those folks who are thinking about purchasing one.

Pros:

• Battery life is great
• Scroll wheel acts as both scrolling and clicking for additional functionality
• Works on my lap, the wall, a table, a bench, pavement, wherever.

Cons:

1. Right-click button is a little difficult to use.

There it is, in a nutshell…

Technorati Tags: mighty mouse, apple

For better or worse, I love my Samsung t509 phone. The “worse” part is that the people at Samsung don’t have the foggiest idea how to make it function as a modem for my MacBook. The “better” part is that megageek Tim Hatch does.

When I’m out of WiFi range, my phone connects my computer to the Web at blazing fast, near DSL speeds. I know that EDGE is old news, but it makes me one happy camper.

I’ve been eagerly reading all the exciting new iPhone rumors, thanks to Andrew Smith of Speakeasy.

But nobody answers the most important question I have on my list: will the iPhone work as a modem? The answer to this single question will determine whether I–and probably a number of biz travellers–will be investing the rumored $250-$450 for one of these puppies. The aforementioned Andrew speculates that Apple probably isn’t going after the business community with their glamorous phones. I tend to agree, but I hope and pray that they’ll give at least a cursory glance to our needs. After all, connectivity is an increasingly important issue.

Technorati Tags: iPhone, EDGE, connectivity

With the wealth of digital tools at our disposal, it was only a matter of time until someone invented this practical service: parking spot finder. All the hip Parisians are using it to park.

It’s a nice thing to keep in mind if you’re taking a business trip to Paris. Although, why rent a car at all? The Metro will take you just about anywhere you need to go and make you feel oh-so European to boot.

I hope this service migrates Stateside in a hurry. It’s desperately needed in more car-oriented cities like Los Angeles and (gulp) Seattle.

Technorati Tags: parking space finder, Paris, traffic, parking

Cliché as it may be, I would lose my head if it weren’t attached to my shoulders. Whenever I go on a business trip, it’s almost inevitable that I’ll lose something important in my hotel room just minutes before checkout. The same is true for me at home, which is why I’m excited about the loc8tor and other similar technologies.

These fun little gadgets keep track of many little radio tags, which you can attach to all your important effects. That way, if your cell phone is stuck between the end table and the bed, you’ll know it.

Technorati Tags: loc8tor, losing stuff

So says Michael Arrington in his post RealTravel Trip Planner: Cut, Paste & Share Travel Tips:

Arrington says:

They now have very deep travel content - mostly written by users, and some from a recent partnership with Frommer’s. The site has an active community of tens of thousands of frequent travelers who talk about their experiences and freely give their recommendations via blogs, forums, photos, etc.

From what I can see, this site largely leverages content posted by readers in their own blogs hosted by RealTravel. I did find some posts about Seattle that profiled spots that I agree should be of interest, but the content for a favorite destination of mine, Sun Valley Idaho, were somewhat anemic.

I’d say business travelers headed for a major U.S. city would do themselves a service by heading to RealTravel prior to departure.

Yes, it got considerably harder when they started making you check all your makeup and skincare products. But dressing comfortably yet fashionably isn’t difficult when you’ve got $250 extra hanging around to buy some of Yansi Fugel’s beautiful jersey and microfiber travel clothes.

Personally, I’m a big fan of the side shirred dress (left).

Via The TravelPost Insider.

PS: I hope you all know that I’ve got my tongue firmly in my cheek when I protest about the ban on makeup and skincare products. Preventing terrorism is much more important than me looking pretty. I get it. Really.

Even in this world of increasing virtual communication, I’m still a big believer in face-to-face communication. Particularly when you’re sealing a deal with people. Often, that means getting on a plane and traveling halfway across the world.

When you’re traveling overseas, even when everyone you’re working with speaks perfect English, it’s prudent to learn at least some phrases in your new target language. It conveys respect and will smooth your path considerably if you have to interact with people whose English is not as good as that of your immediate associates.

One easy way to study a language in small, manageable doses is by downloading podcasts that involve the language. I’ve recently begun refreshing my Japanese with the Japanese Pod 101 course (iTunes).

Some other useful foreign language podcasts are (all iTunes):

• The French PodClass
• InstaSpanish
• Chinese Pod

There are a number of other language podcasts on there, so if you don’t immediately find the language you’re looking for, just keep poking around in the language courses section for more offerings.

I was just a kid when cell phones first came out, but I remember thinking to myself, “someday, I’ll be able to use my cell phone as a modem.” That day is today.

For the first time ever, I was able to connect my Samsung T509 to my Macintosh iBook G4 and move along the Web at almost-DSL speeds from anywhere I get cell service. I’ve got a post up with more details over at the Blog Business Summit.

One of the issues that this raises is that I can’t talk on my cell phone while I’m using it as a modem because the Web connection slows down to unacceptable speeds, but I soon was able to overcome that. I simply paired my bluetooth headset with my computer and forwarded my cell phone to my SkypeIn number.

I love technology.

Farecast is a really cool service that provides information (based on previous airfare fluctuations) about whether airfares are going to increase, decrease, or stay the same on a particular route over time.

For my upcoming flight to Los Angeles, I see that I should buy tickets now, as they’re at their lowest point and will likely rise 50% in the next week.

I’m definitely adding this to my list of travel tools. It’s a really fun toy even if you’re not planning on hitting the skies anytime soon.

I hate it when the plane starts rocking and rolling right after the flight attendants have passed out drinks. I usually wind up spilling my cranberry juice all over whatever I’m wearing and I wind up getting off the plane looking like a mess.

I wonder if the device, which is scheduled for launch in 2008 would work for turbulence…

Kingston Technology has this teeny tiny little gadget out.

I’m of two minds about these things. On the one hand, smaller does pack up easier. But on the other, smaller gets lost a hell of a lot easier. I’ve been known to lose small, valuable things (diamond earrings, drivers’ licenses) on airplanes before, so the idea of a flash drive so small that you could drop it into a tiny crevice without a second thought doesn’t really appeal to me.

What do y’all think?

Via Gear Live.

I recently heard from the creators of ILoveFreeWifi.com that they have a new site: All About Airport Parking.

The site features a repository of important airport information all in one place. A quick glance at their front page tells you which airports have delays and which ones have long lines at security. And, of course, it will tell you all the good places to park.

Correction 8/10/06: The All About Airport parking people are not the same folks who created I Love Free WiFi. I misread the original e-mail. Sorry!

Fortune magazine has come up with its top 12 gadgets for life on the road.

My favorites are the QuietComfort 3 headphones from Bose that pack down smaller than their predecessors and the solar powered backpack from Voltaic Systems that can recharge your cell phone, iPod, and other small gadgets on the fly.

Via The Informed Traveler.

Apparently some clever hackers have gone through the code in the latest iteration of iTunes and found several references to integrating a phone into the system.

It’s been enough to get all the Apple fanboys (and girls) salivating over the idea of chatting away on a pretty little phone that integrates seamlessly with their pretty little computer.

British silverware maker Arthur Price recently unveiled a line of terrorist-proof cutlery to be used by first class airline passengers, the International Herald Tribune reported today.

The knives and forks do not compromise on food-cutting capabilities, but are less likely to serve as effective weapons for would-be hijackers.

Also in the Herald-Trib’s Travel Update section: a story about a drunken China Airlines passenger aboard a flight from Ho Chi Minh city to Taipei who smashed his fist through one of the airliner’s windows - causing an emergency landing in Kaohsiung.

I guess putting your fist through a window while drunk is as possible in the air as it is on the ground.

Via Digg.

When you’re trying to find the lowest possible fare, information is power. Sure, you can do a price comparison by looking at Expedia, Orbitz and SideStep. You can even check out the latest tips and tricks for bidding on PriceLine.

But if you want a really good guideline for the lowest possible fares, it looks like FlySpy has the goods. It gives you a nifty little chart that shows how airfare prices fluctuate by day, and picks out the optimal time for you to fly.

Combine that information with a good bid on PriceLine, and you’ll probably wind up with a bargain basement ticket.

FlySpy is still in its alpha-stage infancy. They’re testing now, and are due to launch a beta late this summer. Right now, you can only look at fares from Minneapolis - which is great news if you happen to live there. Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait with the rest of us.

Via Fast Company.

In the New York Times article Hotel Guests Can Try Latest Digital Gadgets, reporter Michelle Higgins says hotels are partnering with companies like Sony and Fuji to offer free use of gadgets during their hotel stays.

At four Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, guests can try out Sony’s PlayStation Portable. The hand-held game console is available on a first-come-first-served basis at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Arizona, the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, British Columbia, and two hotels in Bermuda. In conjunction with Hewlett-Packard, Fairmont also offers free use of HP digital cameras to guests in Washington; San Jose, Calif.; and Aventura, Fla.

Whenever I’m in a new city, it seems like I’m dialing and receiving calls from at least three new numbers repeatedly. In the midst of all the hurly burly of a business trip, who has the time to enter those numbers into your address book.

JK on the Run has a post about some handy new freeware that makes the whole process just a tiny bit easier for Windows Mobile Phone Edition users.

Oh Sony Micro Vault Tiny, how can I lose you?

Let me count the ways:

• You could fall through a hole in my pocket and slip between the elevator and the door on the way to ticketing.
• You could fall out of my wallet when I go for my ID at the security checkpoint.
• You could slip out of my pocket during a trip to the airport bathroom before boarding.
• You could become stuck underneath the metal apparatus affixing my seat to the floor of the airplane when I drop you during turbulence.
• I could leave you in the taxi on the way to my hotel.
• I could drop you in the lobby while juggling my room keys and luggage.

You get the picture.

Why anyone would want to carry up to 2 GB of ostensibly important information on something the size of their thumb nail is really beyond me.

Got a color-screen iPod? Rough Guides is providing downloadable “eating and drinking guides to ten of the world’s great cities.”