Not since the iPhone launch has a phone generated as much across-the-board hype as Verizon's new Droid handset. The full-keyboard 6oz. handset has seen a flood of glowing reviews from the geek community. Gizmodo: "it’s this simple: if you don’t buy an iPhone, buy a Droid." LA Times: "best Google phone on the market....best phone on Verizon." Boy Genius Report: "perfect storm between awesome hardware, great software, and a great network." Fair enough. But how does the Droid rate as travel gear?
Turns out, pretty well. Very well actually. There are even arguments to be made that a couple of the Droid's most prominent features are both targeted at travelers, whether they're taking road trips or traveling internationally, and are better than what any competitor can offer. Even that phone with the little apple on it.]]>
The iPhone is a life-saver for travelers with apps that do everything from help you find restaurants or hotel rooms to apps that keep you entertained while waiting for a flight. But even the new 3GS with video leaves much to be desired for those trying to capture post card worthy pictures with their iPhone. Luckily, there are apps for that too.
We present The Five Best Apps For Travel Photography: ]]>
Too many travel companies create iPhone apps just so they can say they have iPhone apps. In response we've been known to point out how stupid that is, though we've been nowhere near as brutal as our sister site HotelChattter. There's just something about travel companies wasting money on fads - and then passing those costs on to us - that makes us all very stabby.
But that's not to say we're against iPhone travel apps as a rule. And just to prove it, we've rounded up five of our favorite free travel-related iPhone apps from September and October. These apps will help you book hotels the way people actually book hotels, help you locate restaurants the way people actually locate restaurants, and help you maximize your time at Disneyland. Because it's the Happiest Place On Earth.]]>
If you love getting out of the house but hate the "other people exist" part of traveling, there are a number of things you can do. Our recommendation is an mp3 player and a really good set of noise-canceling headphones. Failing that, books and earplugs work pretty well on airplanes. But there are certain parts of the world where interacting with other people's germs is unavoidable. Getting rid of all of them is impossible, you know.
But that isn't stopping travel companies from marketing hand-held UV lights, like the $79 Nano-UV Scanner, to germphobic travelers. There's a well-defined and well-justified use for UV bulbs in disinfecting water when you're camping—though there are easier ways and you better know what you're doing—but campers aren't the ones being targeted here: ]]>
By now, you've probably passed by a zillion of the posters hanging in T-Mobile shops advertising the arrival of the newest Google Android smartphone: the MyTouch. You might even occasionally see ads for it on this very website, but rest assured that they didn't us to write this; it's just what we do—review the travel benefits of new technology, just as we did with the release of the Palm Pre back in June.
So will the MyTouch be a great addition to your no doubt already hefty arsenal of travel gadgets? Yes and no, but to truly answer this question we've got to break out with the dreaded iPhone comparisons. ]]>
As of this morning, the much-anticipated iPhone TomTom app is finally available in the US App Store. It was first rolled out in Australia and New Zealand late last night and appeared domestically a little while ago, priced at $99. That's right: $99 for an iPhone application.
Like any other TomTom product, the iPhone app includes points of interest, 2D and 3D maps, and night and day views. It's one of the first in a wave of new apps to take advantage of iPhone OS 3.0's true, turn-by-turn directions. It also relies on the newer iPhones' integrated GPS receiver, but users who have first-generation iPhones and iPod touches will still be able to use it with a separate soon-to-be-released combo hardware kit.]]>
We didn't head home alone this 4th of July weekend; Briggs & Riley Travelware sent us a sample of their new 20" Carry-On Expandable Wide-Body Upright from the Baseline collection "for serious travelers," which we promptly abused for 1,800 miles. How did it come out? Not bad!
First impression: Straight out of the box we recognized it was slightly larger than our usual carry-on (a Delsey roller with laptop pocket) but smaller than the Samsonite we use for weeklong trips. In the check-in line, it looked about average height compared to other rolling carry-ons, but as promised, slightly wider. ]]>