Posts Tagged Apple
5 things I always pack: Amy Whitley
Amy Whitley is the newest reviewer here at Practical Travel Gear. She’s a freelance travel writer and founding editor of Pit Stops for Kids, a site for traveling families (and parents who have heard ‘Are we there yet?!’ one too many times). A partner of Best Family Travel Experts, Amy’s articles have appeared in print newspapers, online travel sites, and Redbook. She makes her home in rural Oregon, and travels extensively with her husband and three children. So Amy, what do you always pack?
1. iPad or iPod Touch
As extensive road-trippers, we’re believers in technology on the road. But even more so, we’re believers in streamlining the amount of gadgets, chargers, and books and movies we need to pack. Our iPad 2 tablet is the ultimate multi-tasker: we use it for in-car entertainment, mapping, storing our itinerary, communicating with people at home, and maybe, if I get a spare moment, working. Downloading movies and TV programs onto our iPad allows us to skip the big tote bag of DVDs we used to lug along on every trip, and eReader and audio apps allows us to bring books without the bulk (for car-sick apt kids, I recommend a Tales2Go audio subscription). An unexpected perk: my kids have taken to creating their own movies while in the backseat of our van, creating video travel journals and interviewing one another on the attractions we see. My son’s pocket-sized iPod Touch is not only a source of entertainment while en route, but serves as a camera and video camera while touring sights.
2. Tuffo Family Car Organizer
There are a lot of car storage solutions out there, but I’ve found that most take up more space than the things they’re intended to store! What I love about the Tuffo car organizer is its sturdy, square shape (it won’t get stuffed under a seat and forgotten), its many pockets and dividers (so toys and games don’t get buried), and the way it can be secured with a seat belt. It’s snap-on and off lid doubles as a tray or writing surface, and there are side pockets for water bottles. If you have two kids sharing a back row, the Tuffo provides the perfect barrier to promote personal space while keeping everyone’s stuff on-hand.
3. Airborne Immune Defense
Does it work? Does it not? It depends upon who you ask, but we’ve found that bringing immune defense supplements such as Airborne on the road can stop some minor sniffles and coughs before they take hold (and ruin a vacation). And who couldn’t use a little extra Vitamin C while traveling?
4. Mesh laundry bags
Even if you only use these mesh and nylon bags bags for their intended purpose (storing dirty laundry), they’re a godsend on the road. But we take a whole handful with us when we go (they wad up to almost nothing while empty) as a means to store extra shoes, coats, or rain and snow gear, allowing us easy access to our outerwear when we make a fun pit stop at a beach or snow-park. (No one wants to dig through their suitcase for their boots after pulling up to an impromptu sledding stop! Packing all the shoes and coats in laundry bags also saves precious space in individual bags and duffles.
5. Collapsible water bottles
These bladder-style water bottles are made for travel! (Our favorite is made by Platypus and Tim just reviewed one from Vapur.) Not only do the collapse flat for easy storage (we empty them before going through airport security, slide them into carry-on pockets, then refill them on the other side), but they’re light enough (even while full) for kids to easily carry their own while hiking, city touring, and the like. Most include carabiners to clip onto backpacks or belt loops, and most importantly, they’re just plain fun. Oh, and did you know Platypus makes a wine storage version as well? Good to note!
Read more reviews by Amy Whitley here at Practical Travel Gear each week, and follow her on Twitter @pitstopsforkids or on the Pit Stops for Kids Facebook Page.
Posted by Amy in General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on January 3rd, 2012
Protect your iPad with the Defender by Otterbox
I remain unconvinced of the perfection of an iPad as a travel computer, though I do think it’s one of the best ways to make your friends look at pictures of your vacation. I have a first generation iPad that I bought for a project and I do enjoy using it as a reader, a browser, and for pestering my friends with photos of penguins. I find Apple hardware to be a bit hothouse flower in nature, the pretty brushed metal surfaces get smudged, the touch screen gets scratched. Their machines are just a little too delicate.
There’s a whole array of companies cashing in on the fragility of these devices. Indeed, if you’re going to drop the cash on an iPad, you want it to last, of course. And if you’re going to haul your iPad with you around the planet, you really should find a way to protect it. That’s where Otterbox’s Defender comes in. The Defender wraps your iPad in bumpers and hard plastic, and includes a screen protecting sheet. Pack your iPad in this superhero suit and it’s ready to go out into the world.
Getting your iPad suited up is a little bit tricky. You’ll need to follow the instructions in exactly the order they’re presented, otherwise you’ll find yourself trying to get the iPad back out of the case to apply the screen protector. This isn’t easy, in fact, it’s so counter-intuitive that a number of people have made YouTube videos showing you how to remove the case. Once I’d watched three videos too many, I was able to remove the iPad, no problem, and then, apply the screen connector before putting the case back on.
The case adds substantial weight to your iPad, there’s no two ways about it. You can carry it around without the easel base that also comes with it, but I found that I liked the base for two reasons. One: It’s quite nice for table top reading. Two: Flipped over, it makes a nice full case for your iPad. It protects the screen even further when it’s not in use.
The rubber bumpers around the edges have protectors for all the buttons and jacks; you won’t get the dreaded fluff in the headphone jack situation using the Defender because the jack is covered over when it’s not in use. (The phone cases have this feature, too, and it’s a good one.) The silicon surface is very non-slippery to the touch — your iPad won’t fly out of your hands or slide across the table, and even the easel has grippy little foot pads.
I feel a lot more secure schlepping my iPad around when it’s wrapped in this protective housing. The Defender runs about $80 dollars directly from Otterbox and comes in two models, one for the first generation iPad, one for the iPad 2. They’re slightly less on Amazon and eBags, so check prices there, too.
- Learn more: Protecting your Gear: Otterbox Cases
- You’ll need a bag, too: Briggs and Riley Excursion Field Bag
Posted by Pam in Business Gear, General Gear on June 24th, 2011
Donate Money, Feel Good, Get Gear
My sister Cheapest Destinations blog is a participant in the annual Passports with Purpose charity project collectively run by a bunch of travel bloggers and sponsors. In short, you give money for a third-world development project and you enter to win some great donated prizes at the same time. Last year we built a school in Cambodia. This year we’re building a whole frickin’ village in India. Thanks to some great sponsors like BootsnAll the coalition is already 3/5 of the way to the goal.
My prize participant is Kuru Footwear, a company that makes comfy shoes that are especially good for travel. Below is a photo of one of their models, but you get to choose which one you want. Thanks Kuru!
But that’s just the start. Go check the full list of prizes, but here’s a sampling of some of the other gear you can try to score.
Kodak waterproof video camera
Shoes or sandals from Keen Footwear
Apple iPad
Tom Bihn Western Flyer given away by Kara’s TheVacationGals
Briggs & Riley Carry-on bag
Timbuk2 travel gear bundle
Sierra Designs tent
Osprey rolling pack
Go do the right thing and make a huge difference in someone’s life on the other side of an ocean. After all, $20 is a lot in India and ALL the money will be passed straight through to a local organization that knows what it’s doing. And hey, you’ve got a good chance of scoring some travel gear (or a trip, or gift certificate) while you’re at it. Go to Passports with Purpose and hit the “Donate” button.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on November 18th, 2010
IPod Touch Great For Travel (Except for One Thing)
This past spring I gifted myself a 32GB iPod Touch. For the most part, I’ve been quite happy with it and think it’s a good tool for travelers. It’s great fun to play games on, I can surf the web or check e-mail at a Wi-Fi hotspot, and I can make Skype calls with it using the earbuds with a mic that came with it. It’s also been great carrying around a currency converter, several Spanish language learning programs, various dictionaries, and a weather report all in one little device.
The Touch is basically a thinner, sleeker iPhone—but without a phone. That means once you buy it, you’re done. AT&T won’t be reaching in your pocket every month asking for more. When you are traveling around the world, you don’t have to worry about roaming charges, SIM cards, or being addicted to checking your messages every five minutes. You just need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot to do most of the things people do while being connected with an iPhone. To make a call, you need to use Skype. (Get a subscription and you can call home a lot for just a few bucks a month from anywhere.)
No phone means this device is a little less convenient, but I don’t consider the lack of a regular phone an issue. Phones come with monthly bills and demand your constant attention. I haven’t been bothered by the lack of a camera either. I can take better photos with a real camera anyway. (The 4th generation one out now adds a camera.) There are some other little annoyances that are caused by issues related to software and not the device: you can’t use a lot of services like Pandora and Netflix outside the U.S. The keyboard is harder to use than one on a Crackberry, but these days most travelers are carrying a laptop or netbook for real typing anyway.
So what’s that one thing that’s a big problem?
The battery life SUCKS! I don’t just mean it’s kind of bad. I mean it sucks like a [insert your favorite p%rn, bad TV, or airline reference here]. The power disappears faster than your moocher friend when the bar tab arrives. The battery runs down faster than an office worker after four double espressos have worn off.
If you carry an iPod Touch with you when you travel, be prepared to add one chore to your list that will need to be performed daily, probably even twice daily: looking for an outlet for recharging your battery. This being Apple, there’s no way to carry a spare. When the battery starts deteriorating, you can’t just buy a new one at a phone shop either. You must find an Apple store. Good luck with that outside of the U.S. and Europe.
In all fairness, the new 4th generation version has a battery with 15% more capacity. They say that handles 7 hours of video, but since I’ve never managed more than 4 hours with mine, even right out of the box, I doubt it. When I or my daughter is playing games, the battery life is akin to my laptop’s—about three hours. Put it this way: I still carry my regular iPod along with my iPod Touch because I still want to be able to listen to music at the tail end of a full day of planes and buses. I know with my Touch the batter will be dead halfway through a long flight, even with wireless turned off.
I’m currently living in a Mexican apartment with the same plugs and current as in the U.S., so I’m pretty happy with my Touch. If I were backpacking around the world though, I’d probably get tired of being an outlet slave. My Kindle will go for weeks, so I guess it would be fewer apps, more reading. Not necessarily a bad thing…
You’ll pay up for the upgrades in the 4th generation model. The newest iPod Touch 64GB model is selling between $400 and $500 (the price of a full-featured netbook with all the bells and whistles) and the 32GB Touch is around $300.
There are a bazillion reviews out there telling you what’s better about the new model, but here are the basics: the resolution is crisper, you get a camera on the front and back and can shoot video, and there’s now a mic. That mic may not be a good thing if you use Skype a lot though—you’ll be holding the device up to your mouth or using speaker phone instead of using the 3rd generation earbuds with a mic, which is much more natural for conversations.
If you don’t mind last year’s model and won’t use the camera much, you can get the older 64 MB model for about $70 less at Amazon and the price should drop more soon, based on Apple’s sale patterns. It’s still expensive, but there’s nothing else out there that’s like it.
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on September 30th, 2010
Update: OtterBox Cases Protect Valuable Gear
I’m pretty fanatical about protecting my gear on the road. After all, I’ve spent so much I’m afraid to add it up made a considerable investment in travel gear and want to protect that investment.
The folks at OtterBox get it right with the best protection I’ve found for my iPod Touch. The company is rolling out updates for its popular Defender series and also previewed a new Tandem Series at 2010 International CES.
I used an earlier version of the Defender case on my Touch, but had a little trouble with what looked like an oil slick while using the touchscreen. There were workarounds, but the latest version performs perfectly right out of the box.
Before trying OtterBox, I was using a leather case that looked nice but didn’t provide much protection, along with a separate screen protector. The Defender case does it all with three layers of protection. There’s a hard plastic case that snaps around the device, a built-in screen protector and a silicone case that fits around the outside.
It’s all designed to protect the Touch from drops, scratches, dust, shocks and bumps—but not water. And it does that without adding a lot of bulk. The Defender case is actually about the same size as the leather case I was using before, with little protection from the knocks on the road. And the silicone cover gives your hand a secure grip when holding it.
The touchscreen on the Defender case works just as it should—responsive like the screen protector isn’t even there. There are silicone plugs to protect all the ports on the Touch, such as the docking plug and earphones. And, to show the thoughtfulness in the design, there’s a hole in the back of the silicone portion of the case so it doesn’t hide the familiar Apple logo.
The Defender Series for the iPod is compatible with the second- and third-generation Touch. OtterBox also offers other cases for the iPod Nano and Classic, iPhone and other phones, smartphones and PDAs.
The Defender case for the iPod Touch retails for $29.95, a reasonable price compared to the cost of breaking an iPod or scratching the screen. It comes in black only and is available directly from the manufacturer or from Amazon.
Meeting and corresponding with some of the folks from OtterBox, it’s easy to tell they have a commitment to quality. I’ll give the latest Defender case five out of five stars for protecting my gear from the many bumps in the road while traveling.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear on May 17th, 2010
