T-Mobile announces the Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet for $399.99

by Scott Carmichael on

Well that was fast – a few hours after we discussed the upcoming wave of mobile broadband enabled tablets, T-Mobile sent out a press release announcing that they’ll be the first network in the country to offer the new Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The Tab is an Android powered 7″ tablet. On T-Mobile, it will support their expanding HSDPA+ network, which offers speeds much faster than current generation devices – and in my tests, they really do keep their promise when they claim it is fast.

On the Tab, T-Mobile and Samsung installed Slacker Radio, the Amazon Kindle reader and Qik video chat. These apps mean this compact tablet really is perfect for travelers. It is quite a bit smaller than the Apple iPad – which is either a blessing or a curse, depending on your needs.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab launches on November 10 at T-Mobile.com and T-Mobile retail stores. The tablet is priced at $399.99 after a $50 mail in rebate. Of course, this price only applies when you activate on a new two year agreement.

We hope to bring you a full review of this impressive device as soon as we can get our hands on our pre-order.

If you want to learn more about the Tab on T-Mobile, head on over to their product page and sign up for more information.

Browsing Facebook & Twitter on the road? Don’t get hacked.

by Grant Martin on

Unsecured wireless networks have always been a danger for traveling technophiles — the data that we transfer through open spaces can always be intercepted and decrypted by wandering spies, including bank accounts, passwords and heaps of other sensitive information. That’s why most people refrain from logging into private websites while in public places.

With the proliferation of social media in today’s mainstream culture, however, many are concerned about the privacy of those accounts in public places. It used to be that the relative difficulty of hacking a Facebook account versus a bank account meant that most people felt safe using social media at a neighborhood cafe. Why spend the time changing someone’s online status versus stealing their money?

Now, however, sites like Facebook and Twitter are encoded with such simple technology that web developers can write apps to steal random social media passwords — all inside of a simple web browser. This means that any old person with Windows XP and Firefox can boot up their browser, turn on an application and start poaching Facebook data. Five minutes after sitting down with your tall non-fat latte you might find yourself with a new fancy status message, group of friends and password to boot.

You can read the full details of the technology (and even try it out!) over at codebutler.

The only solution? Don’t log into social media when browsing on an untrusted, unsecure network. Will that stop anyone? Probably not. It probably won’t happen to you, but don’t say that Gadling didn’t warn you when your Facebook profile turns to mush.

TripAlertz combines group buying with travel flash sales

by McLean Robbins on

Launching today, TripAlertz aims to do for the travel market what Groupon and LivingSocial have done for restaurants, spas and shops. Part flash sale, part group-buying site, TripAlertz will offer impulse getaway packages with prices that start 30 to 50 percent below the leading public online travel sites.

Destinations to be featured include places like Miami, Orlando, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, and Cancun, just to name a few. To take advantage of the epic savings, members collaborate to book trips within a two-week booking period. The starting price for each deal will offer an average savings of 30 percent off the leading public online travel sites. As more people buy in, a 10 to 20 percent additional discount kicks in, called the “Epic Price.”

The site will also offer added incentives and discounts, including perks called Early Bird Advantages for those who are among the first to book a certain getaway. Incentives for signing up other members include $1 in TripCash for every friend that joins by December 31, 2010.

Once booked, members can opt to meet, share advice, and create friendship with their fellow travelers on a private collaboration page before traveling, a feature that no private or group buying site currently offers.

“Our goal is for TripAlertz to revolutionize the impulse getaway market by offering a compelling value and experience for travelers who may have less money, vacation time, and want travel advice from people who have a vested interest in the success of the trip,” said Brendan P. Murphy, founder of TripAlertz. “Today’s travel sites make travel a transaction, a robotic process that eliminates the inherent social, cultural, and experiential elements of travel.”

TripAlertz is also committed to partnering with non-profit organizations that reduce suffering or further environmental sustainability, including donating $1 to aHomeinHaiti.org for every new member that joins through November, up to $100,000 total.

We’re curious to see if this model is as successful as other flash sale sites. The concept of “sweetening” the deal certainly encourages social sharing, and travelers more concerned with a destination than a specific property will certainly enjoy the perks. But often part of the enjoyment of a trip is the service — and we worry that if partner hotels grow too overwhelmed with bookings that the treatment of guests will suffer as a result. We’ll just have to wait and see, and please weigh in in the comments section below if you’ve booked a trip!

Travel Technology: No Netflix streaming outside the U.S.

by Amy Chen on

During my recent European vacation, I left my netbook at home and instead relied on my iPad for travel entertainment and on-the-road research.

With no individual in-flight entertainment screens aboard my Delta 767 flight, I was especially grateful for the TV episodes that I had downloaded onto the iPad. Other than the fact that my iPad kept toppling over when the person in front of me shifted in his seat, it was like having a personal seat-back entertainment system.

It is easy, however, to forget that the tools that I rely on for domestic travel aren’t always readily available for international travel. For example, instead of forking over $8 for the hotel’s pay-per-view channel, I often use my Netflix account to stream movies in my hotel room. (After spending hours walking around during the day, I find it relaxing to fall asleep while streaming a movie or some TV shows.)

Unfortunately, when I logged into my Netflix account from my hotel room, I received this message: “Watching instantly is not available outside the U.S. We noticed that the computer that you are using is not located within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Due to studio licensing reasons, movies are available to watch instantly only in those locations.”

I ended up downloading more episodes from iTunes, which was painfully slow using the hotel’s Wi-Fi.

As it turned out, Netflix wasn’t the only travel tool that was unavailable on my trip — I couldn’t access Yelp in many cities (I kept getting the message that there were no nearby restaurants even though that clearly wasn’t the case). Interestingly enough, Foursquare had a few check-ins — unfortunately many check-ins appeared to be several months old, so I didn’t feel like I could trust that as a travel resource.

Lessons Learned: Had I known that I wouldn’t be able to use my Netflix account while overseas, I could’ve saved time by downloading extra movies and TV shows before I left on my trip. I also should’ve done more advance research on where to eat instead of assuming that Yelp restaurant reviews would be available. Instead, I had to resort to Google searches, old New York Times travel articles — and following the crowds (a travel tip that never seems to let me down).

[Photo by Amy Chen]

Gogo Inflight Internet now available between Anchorage and Fairbanks on Alaska Airlines

by Scott Carmichael on

While many of us were eagerly awaiting that availability of Gogo Inflight on our flights, our friends up in Alaska were waiting to get any kind of inflight access. Thankfully for them, Gogo Inflight just flipped the switch on the first of their towers covering the route between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Passengers on this 55 minute Alaska Airlines flight can now enjoy their online content on their laptop or other Wi-Fi enabled mobile device. Best of all, the service is being offered complimentary to passengers until the remainder of the network goes live later this year. Once complete, passengers will be able to get online for the first hour of their flight over Alaska, then get back online once their plane reaches the lower 48.

Gogo Inflight Internet is available on 1028 aircraft from 9 airlines – access prices start at just $4.95, and are currently on sale until the end of the month – which means you can get an unlimited subscription for just $19.95. For an overview of their various pricing plans, head on over to Gogoinflight.com.