You knew this time would come—the time when we dissect the just-announced iPad 2 to just exactly how, and if, the upgrades will benefit travelers. And, as always, Apple has the mobile tech user in mind, which means great things for those of us who love to whip it out on the plane (the iPad, that is) and play with it until we're tired and ready for a nap.

This second version of the crazy popular iPad will be faster, thinner, lighter, and more customizable than ever. That's just the beginning of the advancements. Here are the ways in which it's improving to help the traveler:

· Accelerometer, Three-axis Gyroscope, and Compass: These are already present in the iPhone 4, and now they're all in the iPad and working together to sense "which direction iPad is heading and how it’s moving." That means major enhancements possible for map apps, augmented reality apps and basically any app that has a moving blip—whether that signifies you or a character in a game.]]> JetSetCD 2011-03-02T16:29:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/9/14/161159/578

Update: The number of people evacuated is unclear. The AFP and BBC say 25,000, but Le Figaro says only 2,000.

Of course, just hours after we talk about what a great affordable vacation Paris in the autumn would be, a bomb threat evacuates and temporarily closes the Eiffel Tower.

As of right now, everyone is safe and no berets or baguettes have been harmed in the evacuation. The full report from the AFP is as follows:

Police cleared the landmark and its surrounding park, the Champ de Mars. About 25,000 people were in the area at the time but they left calmly shortly before 2100 local time (1900 GMT), a police officer said... Those evacuated were moved to the banks of the nearby River Seine. Police with sniffer dogs are carrying out a search of the area, French media reported.

The Eiffel Tower has had it's scary moments since opening in 1889. There was the German occupation of Paris during WWII when a Swastika flew from the top, a few fires and lightning strikes over the years and of course we can't forget Tom Cruise's marriage proposal to Katie Holmes. This bomb threat will no doubt just be another entry into the Eiffel Tower's journal, but we sincerely hope that it doesn't inspire any copycat threats.

[Photo: Maciej Zgadzaj]]]> JetSetCD 2010-09-14T16:11:59-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/8/26/164959/985

What a month it's been for JetBlue, huh? First, there was flight attendant Steven Slater who quit his job by exiting down a plane's evacuation slide, then the airline bounced back by releasing their All You Can Jet pass, and yet now we're back to the evacuation slide business.

It was just announced over the news that a JetBlue Airbus A320 experienced a "hard landing" at Sacramento Airport after flying in from Long Beach. The landing caused two blown tires and a small fire broke out on board, which was quickly extinguished. All 87 passengers and 5 crew members are safe, after leaving the plane via the emergency exits, which means they got to ride the slides!

Yes, this was a scary event for the passengers, as quick as it was, and we're not making too light of it. But the fact still remains that if TIME Magazine named a person of the month and not just of the year, August's wouldn't be a person. It'd be a thing: the inflatable evacuation slide.]]> JetSetCD 2010-08-26T16:49:59-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/6/10/2613/99328

Skymall is dead, long live Skymall!

EXCLUSIVE: In a first for airlines, Virgin America has announced that their state-of-the-art touchscreen seat-back TVs will get an upgrade to become an "on-demand touch-screen in-flight Shopping platform," called The Red Store.

Already on Virgin America, you can use the TVs to order food, chat with other passengers, play games and watch satellite television, but The Red Store kicks it up a huge notch. This will be the first time that Skymall products are available for purchase through a seat-back TV, and don't you know that Virgin is throwing a few special nuggets into the mix.

Did somebody say $38,000 diamond-encrusted iPhone?! ]]> JetSetCD 2010-06-10T08:33:31-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/5/27/92827/9442

If you're planning on flying into or out of Paris-Charles de Gaulle or Paris-Orly airports today, you might want to be extra aware of your flight's status on FlightStats and have your airline's contact number at hand, as French airport workers have gone on strike over retirement age.

Tweeting live from the front lines—from on a delayed plane at CDG—is musician Ted Leo, of the band Ted Leo & The Pharmacists. First, his flight returned to the gate before takeoff with an equipment issue, and just as that was fixed and they were all set to leave for the US, the airport workers' strike began. His latest tweet: "We've been disembarked aaaaaaand it looks like the entire airport's shutting down." Now, CDG is delaying and canceling flights on account of the strike, and other Paris-bound flights from international airports should also be affected.

Now, for Berlin's similar issues... ]]> JetSetCD 2010-05-27T09:41:59-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/5/2/204742/6833

On Saturday night, just as Broadway shows were beginning and the pedestrian areas of the streets in Midtown were filling up with tourists out for a walk in the nice weather, Times Square was evacuated due to a car bomb threat. Over the next 12 hours, police would isolate the area, send a robot in to "observe" the car, dismantle the contents of the car to find clocks, fireworks, gasoline, propane and fertilizer, tow away the car, and reopen Times Square to the public.

So is Times Square really a dangerous destination? Of course, since any place that attracts thousands of visitors every hour amidst heavy traffic and massive distracting surroundings could be called dangerous. But with Times Square, the idea that something could happen might just be part of the appeal.

Times Square is threat central. Find out why, after the jump]]> JetSetCD 2010-05-03T09:50:31-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/5/3/85828/57537

This morning, before we'd even had our coffee, two of the world's largest airlines announced their merger to become the largest carrier in the world. The culprits: United and Continental, who will now fly under the United name, with the mish-mash livery pictured above.

In a $3 billion dollar stock deal, the two airlines will merge their operations, branding, routes and staff assuming that the merger is approved by the US Government and employee unions. Chicago is the lucky city which will be home to the headquarters of the world's new largest airline, as United's offices in the United building and the Willis Tower stay put; Continental's CEO Jeffery A. Smisek will however take the top spot of running the company.

Although this merger is exciting from a business standpoint, it will not necessarily be great for travelers. Mergers mean some capacity cuts and fewer seats means higher prices for these flights. Nonetheless, the new United and its comprehensive domestic route map is now determined to go up against the US' successful low-cost carriers (like Jetblue, AirTran, Southwest, etc), so ticket prices will stay manageable so long as United sees major competition. What's more is that there are currently no plans to trim down their 370 domestic and international destinations.]]> JetSetCD 2010-05-03T09:25:09-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/