Olive green, army green, pea green—when you travel, every bag looks the same, and you find yourself with that fear in the pit of your stomach that someone is going to snatch the wrong one (specifically, yours) off the carousel. That’s less likely to happen if you have one of these smart, bright suitcases from Pantone Universe. Unless of course you’re being robbed. More »
Here’s a challenge—you want to build a house on the white sands of New Zealand’s scenic Coromandel Peninsula, but it’s an erosion zone with a requirement that all structures be removable. So what do you do? You put it on a sled. More »
The London Olympics are about to roll and so is a new, special edition MINI Cooper! The 2012 MINI Cooper China Olympic Special Edition is, as you may have guessed, exclusive to China and features a unique gold running track graphic on its roof.
Hardcore jetsetters should still be turning to Xcom Global, iPhone Trip or a local mobile shop upon arrival, but those who won’t be burning up the megabytes now have yet another alternative when traversing European lands. The outfit best known for keeping those traveling to the UK connected is now branching out a bit, enabling a single rental hotspot to provide mobile data access across 38 countries in the EU. You’ll pay $5 per day for the privilege, but here’s the kicker: only 1GB of data is included, regardless of how long you stay. If you chew through that allotment, you’ll have to pay $55 for an extra 1.4GB or $95 for another 4GB. Granted, that’s significantly less than what AT&T and Verizon would charge, even if you sign up for their discounted global plans. (For those curious, the same pools would run between $180 and $250.) It ain’t ideal for those working on the go, but if you’re just looking to tear through a Foursquare Bucket List while Eurotripping… well, you can place your order today in the source link below.
Filed under: Wireless
Tep Wireless unveils European-wide hotspot rental service for $5-a-day, 1GB of data included originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Inspired by Tim Bray’s recent post about how many devices people carry, I got to thinking: what’s the best possible combination of electronic devices to carry right now? More »
Apple has been chasing NFC patents for years, but it’s just now been granted a US patent for its own approach to a transportation check-in — one of the most common uses of the technology in the real world. The filing describes a theoretical iTravel app that would store reservation and ticket information for just about any vehicle and stop along the way: planes, trains and (rented) automobiles would just have the traveler tap an NFC-equipped device to hop onboard, and the hotel at the end of the line would also take credentials through a gentle bump. Besides the obvious paper-saving measures, iTravel could help skip key parts of the airport security line by providing passport information, a fingerprint or anything else screeners might want to see while we’d otherwise be juggling our suitcases.
It all sounds ideal, but before you start booking that trip to the South Pacific with ambitions of testing an NFC-equipped 2012 iPhone, remember this: the patent was originally filed in 2008. We clearly haven’t seen iTravel manifest itself as-is, and recent murmurs from the Wall Street Journal have suggested that Apple isn’t enthusiastic about the whole NFC-in-commerce idea even today. Still, with Passbook waiting in the wings, the patent can’t help but fuel speculation that Apple is getting more serious about an iPhone with near-field wireless in the future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation
Apple nabs patent for NFC-based travel check-in, doesn’t quell NFC iPhone rumors just yet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Can’t stand flying? Try flying standing! Chinese low-cost carrier Spring Airlines has shown interest in SkyRider – semi-standing, saddle-style “vertical seats” that will allow the budget carrier to increase capacity by up to 40 percent.
Whether it’s a tropical vision quest, or a summer jaunt in Europe, the well-traveled gadgeteer faces one eternal scourge — power. Timbuk2 hears this, and has partnered with Joey Energy to bring you two new travel bags (the Power Commute and Power Q) with internal chargers. Okay, you don’t need to have the crunch of sand underfoot to benefit from one of these, in fact, dashing across town will also be a much more liberated affair, knowing that you don’t need benevolent weather, or have to pack a dedicated device. The power supply has been designed to deal with the rough and tumble of the outside world, and claims to power pretty much anything that charges over USB. The Joey T1 claims to be able to provide about two full mobile charges, and both of the new bags come laden with all the tech-hiding covey holes you’d expect, costing $199 when they launch in October.
Continue reading Timbuk2 Power Commute and Power Q bags will juice your tech from here to…
Timbuk2 Power Commute and Power Q bags will juice your tech from here to… originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jul 2012 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you want to fly the friendly skies in the best airline possible, Sir Richard Branson’s fleet of state-of-the-art aircraft might be the ticket you’re looking for. His Virgin America line was rated the number one domestic airline in the US for the fifth year in a row. Could it be the free in-flight video games?
Maybe it’s the one-of-a-kind mood lighting within the cabin, or it could be the touch-screen food and drink ordering system. All of these factors, along with of course the fact that Virgin America has just about the most modern fleet in the country, are what caused Travel + Leisure magazine to pick the nascent carrier, yet again, for its coveted top spot.
“We are honored to have won top marks from Travel + Leisure readers for the fifth year in a row,” said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. “There are many awards that rank airlines that are paid or that include only the largest airlines, so it is a real distinction to win the top quality ranking in an independent survey of thousands of some of the most discerning travelers out there. As we mark our fifth year anniversary this summer, this award is a testament to our unique product,” the airline said in a statement.
[via Sacramento Bee]
High-tech Virgin America again rated top airline is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
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