iPhone 4 – what it means for travelers

by Scott Carmichael on

Even though today’s iPhone 4 announcement was one of the worst kept secrets in the industry, the newest device from Apple will undoubtedly be the hottest thing in mobile phones this summer. Here are (in my opinion) the top 4 new features that matter to travelers:

  • 5 Megapixel camera with HD video and LED flash
  • On-phone video editing
  • Longer battery life
  • Book reader
  • Video calling

Even at 5 megapixels, the iPhone 4 won’t become a replacement for your regular camera – but I’ve seen plenty of great looking photos made with a phone, and boosting megapixels is never a bad thing. The addition of HD video recording is pretty neat – and may put a big dent in the market of pocket HD cameras.

On-phone video editing means you’ll be able to edit your stuff on the iPhone, and send it online, all without the need for a desktop or laptop. The iMovie for iPhone app is $4.99, and I’m sure we’ll start seeing a lot of creative movie editing done in it.

Longer battery life is something we can all use – the iPhone 4 boosts standby time to 300 hours, talk time to 7 hours and music listening to 40 hours.

The iBook reader has been a huge success on the iPad, but whether people will actually read books on the much smaller iPhone screen remains to be seen. Its higher resolution and pixel density do make it easier on the eyes, but still – you’ll need to get past the 3.5″ screen.

Video calling is done like everything Apple does – smooth and efficiently. They call it “FaceTime”, and it uses a lower resolution camera on the front of the phone. Video calls are by no means new, but as usual, Apple will probably make it a massive success. Making calls to friends and family back home will never be the same again. Of course, it also brings a whole new era of people walking into traffic and into lamp posts when they are making video calls when they should be looking where they are going. Downsides to FaceTime – it only works on Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi, and only between iPhone 4 devices.

The phones still only come in black and white, and will be available in 16GB for $199 and 32GB for $299. Current customers on AT&T are eligible for early upgrades. The iPhone 4 will be available on June 24th.

Off & Away goes international

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Off & Away the recently launched luxury travel auction site is offering up its first international destination. On June 7, 2010, the site will send a stay at La Amada in Cancun under the virtual gavel. Other upcoming auctions include the Andaz in New York (June 9, 2010), Turtle Bay in Hawaii (June 9, 2010) and the Alexis in Seattle (June 10, 2010).

The greatest concentration of luxury deals on Off & Away so far appears to be in New York, so if you’re looking to take a trip out here, putting in a bid might not be a bad idea.

NY is being auctioned off right now. Only 1 hour left. Did you know that we’ve had auctions go for as little as $20? http://bit.ly/OAendless than a minute ago via HootSuiteOff & Away
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Strangely, Off & Away rewards valiant losing efforts. According to the rules:

  • If you’re outbid, apply up to 110% of your used bids towards another room
  • Select from any of our 50,000 partner hotels at the Web’s best published rates

Preferred Hotels Makes Your Golf Addiction Social

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Do you prefer to improve your golf game? Yeah, anyone who swings a club is always desperate to do it better. So, if your handicap is your swing but you still have a jones for all things golf, check out the new Preferred Golf website from Preferred Hotels Group. It includes a social media platform and interactive capabilities you can use to get real-time golfing news, share tips and travails and commiserate with other duffers.

Preferred Golf is the next step in Preferred’s member-based program that includes access to more than 100 top courses, including The K Club in Ireland, Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina and The Broadmoor in Colorado.

“Members of Preferred Golf have always received the best value at the world’s top golf courses,” said Casey Ueberroth, President of Preferred Golf. “Our new website now adds convenience and customization to the list of benefits. So whether members prefer the customized service of our Golf VIP Desk or instant electronic gratification of the new website, we have all angles covered.”

When you’re ready to pack up your bags and head out for a weekend (or week) on the links, use the website to meet new golfers, set up buddy trips and get some extra help from the Golf VIP Desk.

This is a new way for you to feed your golf addiction!

British woman completes solo row across the Pacific Ocean

by Kraig Becker on

British ocean rower Roz Savage arrived in Madang, Papua New Guinea yesterday, completing the third, and final, stage of her solo row across the Pacific Ocean. Her arrival marked an end to an adventure that she has dedicated more than five years of her life to finishing.

Roz first came up with the idea of rowing across the Pacific after she completed a solo row across the Atlantic back in 2005. That journey took 103 days to complete and covered 2935 miles of open water. In 2007 she launched her first attempt on the Pacific but was forced to return to land a few days after getting underway. Undaunted, she returned to the water in 2008, and completed the first stage of her journey, rowing the 2324 miles from San Francisco to Hawaii in just under 100 days. In 2009, stage two took her from Hawaii to Tuvalu in the South Pacific, covering an additional 3158 miles over 104 days.

For her third, and final stage, Roz planned to row from Tuvalu to Australia, but strong ocean currents, persistent winds, and other conditions prevented her from traveling that far south. Instead, she drifted towards Papua New Guinea, where she finally stepped back onto dry land after covering an additional 2248 miles in just 45 days.

By completing this final leg, Roz has now become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific, a voyage that took a total of 249 days to complete and covered 7730 miles in total. A former management consultant for a major bank in the U.K., Roz quit her job back in 2001 to pursue a life of adventure. Since then, she has become a tireless environmental activist who has worked hard to raise awareness of the plight of the world’s oceans and is likely to continue pursuing that cause in the future. To that end, she recently launched a new website called Eco Heroes that has become a social network for the environmentally conscious set to connect.

DeLorme and SPOT join forces for GPS receiver with satellite messaging

by Scott Carmichael on

GPS and mapping firm DeLorme has teamed up with SPOT to develop the PN-60w handheld GPS. The PN-60w is the first combination GPS unit / SPOT Satellite communicator on the market. We reviewed SPOT back in 2008, and if you missed that review, SPOT is a GPS enabled satellite communicator designed to transmit your position and relay messages.

The SPOT system has evolved since then, with the most notable difference being a smaller device. With the new DeLorme PN-60w, the SPOT system gains Type & Send text messaging, allowing you to send messages when you are well outside the reach of cellular networks.

The system is subscription based, and in addition to text messages, users can even type and send messages to individual email addresses, buddy lists, and social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Fire Eagle, SpotAdventures.com, or Geocaching.com.
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In case of emergency, SOS messages can be sent with the user’s GPS coordinates embedded. In addition, family and friends can track a user’s progress via Google’s free online maps.

The GPS unit itself is equally impressive – offering topographic and street level maps of the U.S. and Canada. Additional maps and charts can be added using the included desktop software.

The rugged PN-60w is a 2-piece system, and the handheld communicates wirelessly with the SPOT transmitter, which means you can place it somewhere that will ensure a clear view of the sky.

The new system will be introduced at the Teva Mountain Games this week, and will be available for purchase in July.