Top 10 travel gadgets that will change your life
While some technology
keeps travelers firmly anchored to their work or home lives on holiday (hello, Crack berry, we're looking at you!), there are plenty of gadgets out there
designed to enhance your nomadic lifestyle. Check out this list to see the top
life-changing travel gadgets for 2011.
It used to be all about cameras with HD video and waterproof
capabilities, but these days it's all about 3D video. Sony's MHS-FS3 Bloggie 3D
HD Camera (AKA the 'Bloggie', for short) will hits the shelves in April.
This little beast can shoot up to 240 minutes of 2D and 3D
footage and can take 5 megapixel stills. The 3D video footage can be viewed on
the camera's LCD, but for playback on other screens you'll need 3D goggles and
a 3D TV.
Priced at a reasonable $250, we secretly hope that it sparks an
onslaught of 3D travel movies, thereby boring holiday photo home slideshows
will become a thing of the past.
Annoying tourists in your travel photos, begone! Tourist Remover gallantly removes pesky persons or unwanted
objects from your travel photos, making you or your subject the true star of
the scene. The basic technology comes free with online photo manager Snapmania.
Travelling with your laptop might be a helluva lot more
convenient than lugging around your desktop, but seasoned travellers will tell
you how quickly a standard 13-inch affair magically transforms into a ton of
bricks once inside your suitcase.
Enter the mini notebook. These little guys don't pack as much
punch as bigger laptops, but for word processing, sending emails, and
connecting to the internet they're great. Prices range from around $130-$600
and they weigh in between 1.1-1.3kg.
When travelling with a laptop of any sort you should consider
encrypting it before you jump on the plane. Besides stopping thieves from
gaining access to your data, you'll also thwart customs in countries where it's
now legal to search and copy your hard drive (read more about that here).
Laptop encryption is not as hard as you may think. Read this online
tutorial to get an overview of
how computer encryption works.
Travelling with a smart phone these days is a no-brainer. It's
your mobile phone, iPod, Kindle, point-and-shoot camera and, in some airports,
your boarding pass, all rolled into one. Switch it onto flight mode and use
local WiFi networks abroad to upload your pics, tweets and blogs without having
to fret over extortionate international roaming fees.
Skiers, surfers, snowboarders, and any other traveller out there
into adventure sports - prepare to drool. The GoPro is a wearable water
and shock-proof HD camera which mounts to just about anything, meaning you no
longer have to ski dangerously with one hand and juggle your HD recorder with
the other.
Expect professional quality 1080p/960p/720p HD resolutions
recording at 30 and 60 frames per second (that's broadcast quality,
shred-heads), time lapse and standard 5 megapixel photo functions.
Watch the GoPro promo video and you'll easily see how this travel gadget
lives up to its slogan "Be a hero." Prices start
at $259 and go up from there. Want it bad? Yep.
Let's face it: these Reef sandles aren't the sexiest
footwear on earth, but they sure are pragmatic for travellers. They'll help you
avoid tinea in communal hostel showers, and when you're at the beach
pickpockets will be none the wiser that you've got your credit card, cash, and
room key hidden inside the sole.
In today's tech age, the Swissbit Swiss Army 4GB USB Flash Drive is another must have. Use the in-built flash
stick to transfer your photos and documents during the day, and the knife and
scissors to cut your way through the jungle (or perhaps for less gallant tasks,
like clipping your toenails) at night.
Knives haven't been allowed on planes since shoulder pads were
the rage. So fortunately the USB stick detaches from the Swissbit, allowing you
to pack it in your carry-on while the rest of the pocket knife travels with
your luggage in the hold.
Since they were first launched in 2007, the Menospeak range has received a lot of press. At a glance it's no surprise
why. These passport-sized books contain pictures of basic traveller necessities
with subtitles translated into the local language. Pointing your way through a
language barrier is a lot quicker than fumbling around with universal sign
language.
For those with an iPhone, the range now offers apps in a variety
of languages.
While the technology is not new, fold-up bikes are slowly becoming a
favourite of travellers who love to explore new destinations on their own set of
wheels.
Forget paying hefty deposits and day-hire fees for rental
bicycles. Just unfold your bike and off you go. And if you find that your hotel
or backpackers is located in a seedy part of town, you won't have to worry
about locking your bike outside: just fold it up and take it in with you
instead.
A bike also affords travellers an additional level of personal
safety: pickpockets can't target you while you're riding, and if you find
yourself in a dodgy situation you'll be able to cruise away fast.
Fold up-bikes come in all shapes and sizes, and yes -; you can
take them as check-in luggage on planes, usually without having to pack it into
a box like regular bikes.
