If you have an Amazon Kindle, or access to a device with the Kindle reader app, then you’ll want to head on over to Amazon to purchase this free student travel guide for Europe. The book usually retails for $22, but is currently down to $0.00.
From the book description:
From Portugal to the Ukraine, from Norway down to Greece, Europe is a lot to take on. Luckily, the student adventurers behind Let’s Go Europe 2011 know that any traveler can handle it – with a little help.
Whether whipping through London, Barcelona, and Prague in five days or spending a leisurely year abroad, travelers get all the info they need from Let’s Go. Their wit and irreverence can brighten even the drabbest Renaissance museum – if travelers didn’t take their advice to skip it. From German beer halls to Roman ruins, Let’s Go Europe 2011 is the ticket to adventure.
With all the latest news from the world of tablet computers, you’ll be happy to know that electronics manufacturers have not given up developing products that take one thing, and do it really well. The Aluratek CINEPAL is a good example of that.
Their 8″ HD media player doesn’t do Angry Birds, and it doesn’t come with an App store — but it will support a great array of video, music and photo file formats, including AVI, VOB, DAT, MPG, MPEG, Xvid, DivX, H.264, MKV, & RM / RMVB. The CINEPAL comes with 4GB of memory built in, and can be expanded using SD(HC) memory cards, USB flash drives and even USB hard drives.
Its 1280 x 768 screen supports 720p and 1080i HD video, and it can output HD signals to a TV or other device.
But perhaps the best part is its price — at just a penny shy of $150, this is a fantastically cheap way to watch HD content on the go. Even when you factor in the price of a 32GB memory card, you’ll end up with a sub $200 media player with enough storage for several long haul flights of movies.
Last year, we reviewed the Logitech Alert HD home monitoring system. This easy to use home security system is of course perfect for people who rarely see their home, but still want to keep an eye on what is going on. At its launch, it came with an iPhone and Android app – and last week, Logitech added a fantastic iPad version of the remote software.
When installed on your iPad, you gain full screen HD access to all your cameras, and because the Alert system offers secure remote access, you’ll be able to watch your home or other area anywhere in the world.
The app is free of charge (like the other Alert mobile apps) and is available from the App store. If you don’t have a Logitech Alert system yet, check out the lineup of cameras and master kits at Logitech.com.
It doesn’t matter how upscale your hotel is – the remote for your in-room TV is almost always a filthy non-responsive piece of junk. Research back in 2009 uncovered that most remotes are covered in sperm and urine – which is why I’ve traveled with a universal remote control for several years.
One new alternative may convince you to carry your own remote as well – assuming you travel with an iOS device. The Ri remote dongle plugs into your headphone jack, and when combined with its free app, turns your device into a fully functional remote control.
The software has a database of hundreds of devices, which means you’ll only need to do a quick setup of the hotel TV, and be able to leave the room remote alone.
There aren’t too many new camera peripherals that do something truly new. Sure, quite a few of them complete a familiar task with more ease and less clutter, but the Black Widow by Spider Holster is an entirely new way to manage your primary or secondary camera. What’s unique about this device is that it can be used by both professional photographers as well as vacationers who simply wish to keep a camera at their hip at all times. Those afraid of missing “that moment” can probably relate. The concept here is really simple: it’s a belt that’s attached around you via a wide Velcro band, and there’s a small ‘catching’ mechanism on the side that sits right beside your leg. You screw in a small, silver knob into the bottom of any camera that accepts a traditional tripod thread screw. The knob then slides down into the socket on your waist, and there it hangs until you need it. A small red thumb switch unlocks the slide, allowing you to easily release the camera with one hand and pull it out for use. When you’ve got the shots you want, just drop it back in the holster. Read on for my full review, as well as a quick video showing exactly how the system works.
%Gallery-119802%I recently used the Black Widow while shooting a wedding, and it dramatically improved my workflow and enabled me to capture shots I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to get. Quite simply, it allowed me to always carry around a secondary DSLR with an ultra wide-angle lens lens, and without having it right there at my waist, it would’ve been far tougher to reach into a backpack or messenger bag to grab the second camera. The convenience factor cannot be ignored. It also does an outstanding job of weight distribution. Lugging another camera over your shoulder or back takes a toll on your after a few hours; this hip solution didn’t bother me at all, even during an eight-hour shoot. For travelers, this seems like an awesome solution for carrying a camera while hiking or in a theme park.
Why tie up a hand or have something strapped around your shoulder when you can have it around your waist? For adventure photographers, who simply cannot go to a destination without two cameras and at least two lenses, this is one of the simplest ways yet to carry that second rig. The only major nitpick I had is that the silver knob screw-in piece tends to work itself loose after a number of hours, so be sure to check its tightness every so often, particularly if you’re moving around with any frequency. Also, if you’ll need a tripod mount on the bottom, this system simply won’t work. My workaround is to keep my primary camera ready for tripod use, while using the holstered camera as a handheld-only unit. The other option is to buy a $15.99 tripod plate, which enables the use of tripod mounts while also supporting the holster.
Otherwise, it’s $49.99 well spent if you’re the type who is constantly trying to juggle a pair of cameras, or would like to travel and take shots without always having a camera in one of your hands. A more rugged and advanced ‘SpiderPro System‘ is also available now for $135, catering to those with larger DSLRs and lenses; if you have a trusty belt already, the $8.99 Belt Pad can slide onto just about any belt and provide the same holster action. Lastly, it’s totally possible to hang a camera from each hip if you add a socket on each side.