Verbatim introduces Bluetooth wireless mobile keyboard for iPad and iPhone

by Scott Carmichael on

Getting “real” work done on your iPad or iPhone can be challenging. Getting work done that involves a lot of typing is virtually impossible.

Thankfully, the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch support input from external devices over Bluetooth. This new folding keyboard from Verbatim turns into a near-full-size keyboard, and even features a retractable iPhone stand.

On the left side is a row of iTunes media control buttons, and the package includes a carrying pouch. The keyboard operates off AAA batteries and retails for $79.99.

To learn more about this smart gadget, or to place an order, head on over to the product page at Verbatim.com or Amazon.com.

Gear Review: Zippo Deluxe Hand Warmer

by Chris Owen on

If you have ever worked outside in the Winter, like it’s your job to be out there not just a run in from the car or out to walk the dog, you know there are three body parts you need to keep warm. Your head, your hands and your feet. Take care of those and the rest of you does just fine. The Zippo Hand Warmer makes a good addition to your arsenal of winter cold weapons.

How it works
The Zippo Hand Warmer takes lighter fluid and a what could best be described as a flameless fire to function. I found it easy enough to fill, a little tough to light the first time but after that it was easy. Once lit, there is no way to stop the heat, you just have to let it exhaust the fuel but that is no big deal. The unit produces a nice warm heat that is good to put in the pocket of a jacket, alternating side to side occasionally.

Product Value
At $19.95 and an estimated 80-use life, the Zippo Hand Warmer is a way better value than the next best thing: disposable hand warmers that work via a chemical reaction. One “use” of this product lasts a whole lot longer too.

Who would like this
I’d recommend this for hunters, outdoor sports people of all kinds. People who find themselves waiting around in the cold, maybe to catch a bus, would like this too. Someone wintering in Russia? Must have one.

The Company that made it
Zippo is one of those companies that has been around a long time (1932) and survived in spite of a changing world. Best known for quality “windproof” lighters their product line has expanded and adapted to todays marketplace. Their almost cult-like followers can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Where to get it
The Zippo Deluxe Hand Warmer is available directly from Zippo or at most major sporting goods stores.


Easy Luggage handling program for cruise passengers

by Chris Owen on

One of the great benefits of a cruise vacation is only having to unpack one time as your floating hotel goes from port to port, a big advantage over land vacations. But the cruise eventually comes to an end and we have to pack up and go hone. A relatively new service makes that whole process much easier.

The normal procedure for luggage handling at the end of a cruise has a lot of steps. Leave it out in the hallway the night before disembarkation, get off the ship in the morning, wade through a sea of luggage with everyone else, claim yours, head to the airport, check your luggage again then claim it one more time at their home airport. That’s just the way it’s been done for years.

The procedure has so many steps that passengers often choose a “self-assist” option where they carry their on luggage on and off the ship, bypassing some of the handling.

But now there is a better way and it gets you airline boarding passes too.

Airportbags.com has a new service that allows guests to skip all that, set their luggage out the night before disembarkation then never touch them again until they get to their home airport. Airportbags.com has partnered with cruise lines, airlines and government security forces to make it all happen and the cost is reasonable.

Onboard Airline Check-In Program from Airports Bags on Vimeo.

You now have the opportunity to complete the airline and luggage check-in process for your flight home before you even step foot off the ship. Simply complete an enrollment form while onboard the ship and return it to a staff member. The night before disembarkation your airline boarding passes and preliminary baggage tags will be delivered to your stateroom along with detailed instructions on how to proceed once departing the ship.

Ricardo Torres of AirportBags told Gadling “This disembarkation option allows you to enjoy your final hours in the port at your leisure. Imagine your options: 1) enjoy the sights of the city or 2) stand in a never-ending line at the airport–the choice is yours with Onboard Airline Check-In. “

I did a version of this coming off a Princess Cruises Alaska Cruisetour last year where we had to go through customs in Vancouver too. In that case we transferred from the ship to the airport on a sealed bus that followed a sealed truck with our luggage in it. Their version is called EasyCheck and it was simply wonderful.

Most major cruise lines have a version of it too. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises call it the Luggage Valet and Onboard Airline Check in plan. Disney Cruise Line’s version is the Onboard Airline Check-in Service. On Norwegian Cruise Lines it’s simply Bags and Holland America Line calls it Luggage Direct while for Carnival Cruise Lines the program goes under the name of Luggage Express. Prices vary by line but range from free on Disney Cruise Line to $20 on pretty much all the others.

Flickr photo by quinn.anya


Valentine’s day: Propose to Boingo and win an Apple iPad

by Scott Carmichael on

Our friends over at the Boingo Blog have a romantic Valentine’s day contest for you – propose to them, and the three best proposals will win an Apple iPad with a year of Boingo access, a Roku XDS player with six months of Boingo or a Beating Heart stress relief pillow.

The contest runs till Valentine’s day at 12PM PDT and proposals can be sent in video, photo or love letter/poem. Once you’ve sent them your entry, Tweet about it using hashtag #marrymeboingo.

And for those that still think Boingo is one half of a popular 80’s band, this Boingo is actually the largest provider of Wi-Fi access in the world. With thousands of hotspots at airports, hotels and more, Boingo is the most affordable way to get online. Plans start at just $7.95 for unlimited global access.

The rules and other fine print can be found over at the Boing Blog, along with an example of a romantic video. Good luck!

Instagram Puts the World in Your Pocket

by Melanie Renzulli on

If you’ve got an iPhone – or are planning to get one when Verizon starts selling the iPhone – chances are you know about Instagram, the free photography app that lets you share your photos with your friends near and far. Like Twitter for photos, Instagram is one of the most popular apps of all time in Apple’s App Store, having captured over 1 million users in less than three months.

Why is Instagram so popular? What Instagram allows you to do is upload photos from your phone, apply one of 14 (and counting) filters, then share them with your followers. You can choose to share your photos strictly within Instagram, or blast them to your accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Posterous, Tumblr, and Foursquare. Within seconds of posting your photos, followers can “like” and/or leave comments. Notch up a dozen or so “likes” within a short amount of time, and your photo may end up on the popular page.

Instagram is simple. And it’s very addictive.

Although the app’s popular page regularly features photos of cozy kitties and posed bathroom mirror shots, some of the best photos that its users share provide a window onto the world. In other words, Instagram feeds the travel porn addiction in real time. A quick look at my Instagram feed as of this writing returned images of the sun setting over Eminönü in Istanbul; a train station in Moscow; a cottage in Bath, England; San Francisco’s Union Square decorated for Chinese New Year; and a snow-capped Mount Fuji. Instagram makes you want to travel and it’s a fantastic way to show off your own travel photos, a fact not lost on National Geographic, Instagram’s first major media brand partner.

If you don’t have an iPhone – but still have wanderlust – several websites, such as instagre.at, allow you to view the most popular photos of any given moment on Instagram. You can also follow the Instatips Tumblr, a collection of photography tips and Instagram photos curated by Josh Johnson, the self-appointed Instagram guru. But while these websites are handy, there’s nothing like having Instagram – and the world – in your pocket.