Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m not going to defend some of Monster’s questionable claims or pricing policies when it cames to their ‘high-end’ audio and video cables. But one product they sell that I will recommend, particularly for travelers with a bag full of electronics, is their Outlets To Go compact powerstrips. They’re small, lightweight and even feature a circuit breaker to protect your gear if you happen to find yourself in a sketchy hotel room. Previously, the OTG powerstrips were only available in 3, 4 and 6 outlet models, but Monster has just introduced a new version that features 3 outlets plus a USB jack for recharging cellphones, MP3 players or even digital cameras.

The Outlets To Go 3 USB model has a suggested retail price of $29.99, and while you can get easily find a cheaper powerstrip on the market, you won’t find anything that’s easier to stash in your carry-on luggage.

[ Monster Introduces “Outlets To Go 3 USB” Powerstrip: A Must-Have Travel Companion for “Road Warriors” ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Luke Anderson

I have three different backpacks sitting in my closet. One is especially for trade shows (it has special compartments for my laptop, cameras and lenses), one I use for hiking, and another for other use. I like having all of them, as they each have their uses, however, they do take up a bit more room than I like. What I need is to get is one of these Go Anywhere Backpacks.

This might not have the most compartments or anything, but the Go Anywhere Backpack has the keen ability to fold up into a tiny ball when not in use. Seriously, this thing could fit in your pocket if you wanted it to. Now if I could just find a price.

[ Urban Trend ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While I think the concept of motorized luggage is kind of frivolous, there have been many times while traveling where I would have loved to have one. And while the LiveLuggage PA Series is the first power-assisted suitcase I’ve ever seen, it actually incorporates a lot of great ideas. Each of the large wheels features an electric motor which can make dragging the suitcase feel like you’re actually dragging a small backpack. But there’s no ‘throttle’ button on the handle. Instead, it uses sensors to detect when you’ve started to pull the suitcase at which point the motors will kick in making the job a lot easier. It also has what the company calls an ‘anti-gravity’ handle which causes the suitcase to lean back while you’re pulling it which places about 85% of its weight directly onto the wheels.

The motors are powered by a rechargeable 12V NiMH battery which will run for about 2 hours on a single charge. It does come with a built-in charger, but it’s also able to use the wheels as a generator whenever the power assist isn’t required. (Like when the suitcase is being rolled downhill.) Finally, when it comes to security the LiveLuggage includes a TSA approved tumbler lock which can be easily opened by security personnel, as well as a ‘Live Locator’ feature which is basically a unique serial number on every piece of luggage that makes it easier to identify the owner through the company’s database.

With a price tag of $1,365.25 I suspect the LiveLuggage PA Series will probably only appeal to the most frequent of travelers who are worried about what hauling their regular suitcase is doing to their spine.

[ LiveLuggage ] VIA [ Computerworld ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I always thought a trip to the zoo was all about looking at exotic animals, but I guess I was wrong. This Fall the London Zoo will start offering its guests a handheld device called the Node Explorer (for a small fee) that will allow them to participate in an interactive adventure as they try to locate a missing zoo keeper. (It was the tiger, in the library, with the candlestick.) As they work to complete the various challenges and quests that make up the two and a half hour adventure, they’ll also be learning about the Zoological Society of London and its conservation mission.

Of course the gadget crowd will really only be interested in the Node Explorer itself. The handheld device is powered by an AMD Au1200 400MHz processor with integrated hardware video decoding and features a 320×240 TFT transflective touch screen display that’s specifically designed for use in direct sunlight. Content is either stored on an SD card or streamed via a wifi network, and is automatically triggered based on the location of the Explorer thanks to the built-in Fast Fix GPS chipset. On a 3 hour charge the device can provide an impressive 8 hours of continuous video playback, and not surprisingly it’s not only splash-proof, but is also easy to clean and disinfect.

[ The Zoological Society of London partners with Node to launch a ground breaking location based media exhibit ] VIA [ Shiny Shiny ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I learned a long time ago that the most important accessory I need to pack when traveling is a power bar. It doesn’t matter if I’m in a hotel room, in an airport or sitting in a convention hall, the number of power outlets available always seems to be ‘n-1′ where ‘n’ is the number of gadgets I need to charge or power. Thankfully there are now quite a few different compact power bars on the market, like the Portable Power Outlet from Kensington. But what I like most about Kensington’s offering is that it includes 2 USB ports in addition to 3 standard power outlets. That allows you to charge devices like your iPhone, iPod or Zune without having to pack their own power adapters. The Portable Power Outlet also features built-in surge protection with a status LED to protect you against power spikes, and a short extension cord which wraps around the body keeping it compact when not in use.

It’s available on the Kensington website for $24.99.

[ Kensington Portable Power Outlet ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A new division of Greyhound Lines Inc. called BoltBus has recently started service between Boston’s South Station and New York’s Penn Station. (As of April 24.) Besides having fares as low as $1 depending on how far you’re going and when you book your trip (at least one seat on every bus will cost $1) the BoltBus fleet also features free wi-fi and 110V sockets on the back of every seat. So those of you who are dependent on your electronics while traveling will be able to keep in touch with the office without worrying about your batteries dying.

BoltBus has also taken a standard coach seating configuration and actually removed seats so that each passenger has an extra three inches of legroom. That might not seem like much, but to those of us over 6 feet tall, every little inch helps. On their website the company admits that the wi-fi technology they are using is relatively new and there are certain spots along their route where it may be unavailable. But even with the occasional dead spot, it’s still far better than the standard Greyhound amenities like soiled seats, sketchy passengers and that smell you just can’t put your finger on.

[ BoltBus ] VIA [ Boing Boing Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

When it comes to ferris wheels, it doesn’t get more iconic than the Pacific Ferris Wheel at the Santa Monica Pier. But what goes up must eventually come down, and in this case the old ferris wheel came down to make way for a new energy-efficient model that boasts 160,000 animated LEDs. The new wheel, which cost the city $1.5 million, made its debut over the Memorial Day weekend and will continue to use the solar panels that powered the old wheel which was erected in 1996. And speaking of the old Pacific Wheel, it was actually disassembled and put up for sale on eBay, where it was bought by an Oklahoma City real-estate developer for $130,000. He plans to incorporate it into a mixed use residential community, and half of his winning bid will be donated to the Special Olympics of Southern California.

[ Inhabitat - Santa Monica’s New Solar Powered LED Ferris Wheel ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re on a diet or trying to lose weight, traveling can be a difficult time. Large restaurant meals and fast-food can wreak havoc with your waist line, and it’s usually never good news when you step on the scale when you get home. But now you can stay on top of your diet while you’re away with this compact travel scale. The foot pads are pretty much as small as they can get while still being able to effectively measure your weight, and can be ‘collapsed’ towards the middle, making the scale small enough to put in a carry-on bag. It features a backlit LCD display that shows pounds or kilograms, and is powered by two lithium batteries.

You can get it from Magellan’s for $39.85.

[ Travel Scale ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While the world is slowly moving away from the need for printed documents, it will still be some time before we can ditch our printers altogether. In fact I really only use mine for printing the occasional ticket or other travel documents, which is what the Printstik from Planon seems ideal for. At just 1″ x 10.75″ x 1.9″ it’s small enough to be stored in the bottom of your laptop bag for when those random ‘print emergencies’ come up while on the road.

It features a USB port for connecting to a laptop as well as Bluetooth for printing documents directly off of a smartphone or PDA. One thing I particularly like is that it uses replaceable thermal paper cartridges instead of ink. Each cartridge contains 20 pages, which means everything is self-contained in the Printstik. On a single charge you can expect to run off about 40 pages at 200DPI, and it has a print speed of about 3 pages per minute. The Printstik itself is available from the Planon website for $299.99, while a three-pack of replacement paper cartridges runs $24.99.

[ Planon Printstik PS910 ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Luke Anderson

I don’t have any children of my own, so perhaps I’m not the best person to judge a product like this, however, I couldn’t resist. This Tote-a-Tot is a device that turns your child’s car seat into a piece of roll along luggage.

There’s just something about dragging an infant behind you that just seems irresponsible. Instead of keeping the child in a stroller in front of you, just drag it along as if it were a bag full of clothes. Seriously, look at that picture, the lady looks as though she could care less about that bundle she’s pulling behind her. What if someone wanted to snatch your baby? While I like to think that wouldn’t happen to most people, it does make it much easier for someone to get close to your child without you seeing.

If you’re interested in something like this and don’t mind people pointing at you and speaking in hushed tones, you can get one for $30.

[ Tote-a-Tot ] VIA [ UberReview ]