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No, I don’t travel with quite that much stuff; close, though (Image courtesy of The Tech Journal)

So it used to be that I had to travel basically every week–my job was in California, but my home is in Austin, so I did an awful lot of flying around.  After a while, it got to the point where it was practically automatic, and I didn’t give much thought to the things I did to make traveling easier.

Recently, however, after a 5 month hiatus, I had to make a business trip, and I’m finding that some of the gear that I got to ease my way makes things much easier.  If you yourself are a road warrior, a technogypsy, a traveling nerd, then maybe some of these hints can help you out, too.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I carry my iPad with me pretty much all the time. And, increasingly I find myself carrying ONLY my iPad and my smartphone during the day. I don’t carry my laptop. I don’t carry a pen or even my Livescribe Echo SmartPen. I don’t even carry an external keyboard for the iPad. And if I am going to go light I might as well carry a small, light bag. I’ve been on the hunt for something small and light that also had some style to it. So when I saw the Messenger Bag for Tablets on Sena’s website I took note. But I had some questions about it. Would it be TOO small? Would it be too heavy? Would the silver plate on the front be too big and “blingy”? Would it look too much like a murse?… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Today’s Gear Deal brings us the Sony MDR-NC500D Digital Noise Canceling Headphones at a nice discount. They feature noise canceling technology, noise reduction, a digital Equalizer, an internal Lithium-ion battery, and more. Normally $399, our Gear Sponsor has found a number of different ways you can save that, when all are applied, drops the price all the way down to just $229. You’ll find details and ordering information here on the deal site.

Gear Deal: Sony MDR-NC500D Digital Noise Canceling Headphones via LogicBUY

Your teeth are precious. And as tough as they are, they actually need to a good bit of attention if you want them hanging around. Brushing and flossing are a must. Water picks are good too. And while it is easy to get into a healthy routine when you are home, it can be much tougher when you travel or are out and about for a 14 hour work day. That’s where Cenoire’s Eluo Sonic Toothbrush comes in. The Eluo is easy to carry, simple to use and, believe it or not, even looks kind of neat.

Here’s a look.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Judie turned me on to TripIt about two years ago, and I have been a devoted user ever since. And today we got word that TripIt.com just got “iPadified”, and now “Travelers can interact with their trip plans on a map and create directions instantly online.”

This is a new way for TripIt users to access trip maps and get directions and makes the service even more valuable than ever. As the news release we received explains,

Now, when travelers log onto TripIt.com, they’ll have the option to view their itinerary alongside an interactive map, or select the traditional detailed view. By clicking on their hotel, airport, or other itinerary item on the map, they can get directions created instantly.

A… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I loved the way “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988) and “Cool World” (1992) mixed cartoon elements into a real-world backdrop. I enjoyed the same effect as a kid, watching older Disney movies such as Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Song of the South. There’s just something quirky and irresistible about imagining a world where cartoons can come to life; anything can happen!

Evidently the minds behind JumpFromPaper feel the same.

Created by Taipei-based design duo, Chay Su and Rika Lin, JumpFromPaper is a bag company that has produced a line of travel, camera, laptop and general gear bags which look like props from a cartoon.

One cozy afternoon, the two girls were chatting, when they got to sketching their dream designer handbag. A surprising idea popped up – “How amazing it would be if a two-dimensional hand-drawn illustration could come to life as a real bag!” They explored every possibility, rendering fantasy handbags in perspective, and giving birth to JumpFromPaper™.

Cartoon-like outlines and bright and cheerful colors add a brisk yet funky flavor. And despite the slim appearance, each JumpFromPaper™ bag has a roomy interior to accommodate personal belongings and even a laptop.

This is one of my favorites, the “Cheese” camera bag …

 … Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

A few years ago I was on a plane that almost went down. The person next to me had spent the flight trying to convince me why I was wrong in my “choice” of religions, and when the wingtip almost hit the ground he looked at me and with all seriousness said, “At least I know where I’m going when I crash.”

Some might have found his comment and attitude offensive. Others might have nodded in agreement. I saw it as proof of what is strong about this country. This is America, and he is entitled to his beliefs; my co-passenger was entitled to believe that I was wrong, and it mattered not that he… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

We’ve mentioned this numerous times in the past but it’s worth reiterating, TripIt is probably one of the best travel companions you can have. The service and accompanying smartphone and tablet applications make it easy to arrange your trip, track your plans, and get notified when there are changes. And if you are traveling with a group that is coming from various locations you can link one itinerary with another so you can see where they are and what their plans will be. Ever since Judie introduced me to it two years ago I’ve been a huge fan. In fact, I don’t know anyone who has tried it hasn’t stayed with the service. And getting a pro account for… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

One of my all-time favorite Tom Lehrer songs is Be Prepared. (You can hear it here.) Unfortunately despite our best efforts we weren’t prepared to keep our devices running all day at CES last year. This year, however, that’s not going to happen. No, this year Judie is bringing the Yoobao Power Bank 11,200 mAh Battery Review we reviewed a few months ago and I am likely going to bring the PowerBag Messenger that we reviewed here. That isn’t enough however so we will bring a few more external batteries along for the ride.

As I was trying to figure out which external batteries to bring I realized a few things about… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Back in October we told you about the SCOTTEVEST Trip of Your Life $10,000 Contest. I even made a video for it.

Sadly, in the “view-count” department, it has been destroyed by other entries and it looks like I’ll be doing all my traveling on my dime. That doesn’t mean YOU shouldn’t enter though. The contest is live, people are entering (and did I mention kicking my butt!?!?!) and there is still time to enter before a winner in announced. Here’s where you can learn more about how to enter.

Where do YOU want to go? We want to know and SCOTTEVEST does too!

I think the whole “Augmented Reality” thing was a victim of a bit too much hype, you know?  I mean, the original iPhone didn’t have a gyroscope, it’s camera was only 2MP, it didn’t have GPS–trying to ladle “augmented reality” on top of that was kind of a losing proposition out of the gate.

But now we’ve got a pretty good resolution cam in the iPhone, it has GPS and a gyroscope, the body of internal software and apps is much larger, and some of these augmented reality apps are becoming pretty interesting.  There’s a London Museum one that I quite like (and wish I could go back to London to check out), and I’ve mentioned… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Yup, not only is it the insane holiday buying season, it is also the insane holiday traveling season.  People are going to be taking planes, trains, and automobiles hither and yon, spending b’zillions of dollars and traveling millions of miles to see loved ones.  And their families, too.  (Boom!)

And, you know, getting lost a lot.  Which is where today’s news items comes in; here’s what the good folks at Tripwolf are doing to help:

Tripwolf is giving away mobile guides. We’re celebrating our recent win at WYSTC (World Youth and Student Travel Conference) in Barcelona, where we were chosen as the best travel app out of over 40 competitors. For the next two weeks, we’re

It takes a certain type of laptop to stand up to certain jobs. Most laptops find comfort on a desk, in a padded bag, or possibly in the local coffee shop around the corner. Gammatech sent me a laptop suited perfectly for all those tasks and a whole lot more. Usually the worst that happens to most laptops is polished keys and touchpad, where your fingers have rubbed the finish off. Possibly it could fall victim of a flight off of your bed or the table after you happen to trip over your power cord. Luckily for those accident prone geeks and tech abusers we have companies like Gammatech that fill that void and produce… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

This year Gear Diary’s CES base will be a suite at the MGM Grand. All of us will be bunking together which means we will be able to get even more writing done early in the morning or late at night. Of course that presumes we have the wireless connectivity to go online and post.  The suite comes with free internet connectivity. That SHOULD mean both wired and wireless connections will work, but we won’t really know until we get there. Add in the fact that during CES there is such a huge demand on wireless systems and… we need a Plan B.

Meet CES Connectivity Plan B, the Belkin Wireless Dual-Band

I’ve been seriously considering just bringing my iPad and a Bluetooth keyboard with me when I head out on vacation next Sunday and this has me pretty much convinced that that’s just what I’ll be doing.

Pelican has just announced the availability of their new i1075 HardBack™ case for the iPad and iPad 2. The i1075 is part of the new HardBack™ Protector series of cases from Pelican so we will be seeing more styles for various devices in the coming months.

The i1075 HardBack™ case for the iPad and iPad 2 is

watertight, crush proof, and dust