Posts Tagged Kindle
Freehands Gloves for mobile hands
Brilliant! Simply brilliant! We have all been there. It’s freezing cold, but we need to text someone to tell them that we have arrived at the airport, or it is the perfect crisp evening to sit with your iPad or Kindle on the terrace, but it’s too chilly to keep those fingers uncovered.
These gloves are the perfect solution for business travelers and those spending time in the brisk outdoors. With clever openings in the thumb and pointer fingers on each hand, it makes it easy to type on mobile devices while keeping the rest of your hands warm. You simply flip back the caps on the fingers to expose your fingers to text, email, play games, or turn the page. The tips of the caps stay out of the way thanks to clever magnets that keep them pulled back until you close them back again.
The gloves come in a variety of patterns and styles with wool, leather, and cotton among the choices plus a host of colors and thickness versions. Gripping beads allow you to grasp items easily without worrying about dropping smooth-lined devices like mobile phones or iPods.
Gloves come in men’s and women’s sizes plus a unisex collection with additional style choices. Ski gloves are also available, which are perfect for applying lip balm or sunscreen during a lift ride or for finding that tissue or piece of candy in your pocket. There are even ribbed cuffs to keep the warmth locked inside.
Imagine all the times you have tried to do things with your gloved hands and have become frustrated at the lack of dexterity. These gloves solve all of your problems while saving time and keeping you nice and toasty. Another great feature is that they are extremely lightweight making them simple to stuff into a pocket, briefcase, purse, or carryon bag.
They are available at FreeHands’ website or Amazon for an affordable price and make the perfect stocking stuffer.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on December 12th, 2011
Great Gear and Travel Prizes for $10
[Passports with Purpose is now closed. Tune in again at the end of 2012!]
Over at my Cheapest Destinations Blog, I’ve been involved for three years with the annual Passports with Purpose drive. In the past we’ve collectively built (and staffed) a school in Cambodia and built a whole darn village for a Dalit tribe in India.
Close to 100 bloggers are giving away all kinds of goodies thanks to some generous sponsors. This year the goal is to raise $80K to build two libraries in Zambia. All the money goes toward that goal—no fat administrator salaries soaking up the funds.
On the gear side, here are a few examples of what you can possibly get for just a $10 donation:
- Multiple giveaways of the Kindle Fire, Kindle Touch, and Nook
- A pair of the great P-cubed Travel Pants we reviewed recently
- A First Ascent Microtherm down shirt
- The SteriPEN Freedom USB-charged water purifier I reviewed last week
- A $150 gift certificate to pick out travel clothing from ExOfficio
- Gura Gear Kiboko Photography Backpack
- TravelPro Walkabout LITE 4 – 29″ Expandable Spinner suitcase that Ramsey just reviewed
- Voltij backpack by Guerrilla Packs
- Bamboo Blend Traveler’s Pack from Grand Trunk
And that’s just the start because there are all kinds of awesome travel tours, hotel stays in swanky resorts, gift certificates to villa rental or B&B places, and other prizes you didn’t even know were possible for a traveler on a budget to experience—especially for a mere 10 bucks. That’s all you have to cough up to get in on the running for a prize. Spread it around to a few and increase your chances to win.
My sponsor is a company you’ve read about here on Practical Travel Gear before: Pacsafe. This company makes a lot of cool bags and gadgets that put multiple hurdles in front of people trying to get their fingers on your goods. For Passports with Purpose, Pacsafe is giving away one of their cool VentureSafe 200 daypacks pictured at the top of this post. This is an anti-theft day bag that features slash-proof mesh built in, locking buckles, and lots of small features that will frustrate bad guys looking for an easy score. (There’s a video demo at that link.)
It holds 20 liters worth of stuff and will give you years of hard-core use, keeping your gadgets safe. Their products come with a two-year warranty and I’ve got items that still work like new after five years of travel.
Follow this link to make a donation, either choosing this Pacsafe bag or going for one of the many other great prizes.
Don’t put it off too long though! The cut-off date is December 16 and notifications will go out on the 23rd. Just in time for the holidays…
As I write this a bundle of money has already come in, thanks in part to the marquee sponsors who through cash in the bucket to get things rolling: Round the World with Us, TravellersPoint, and HomeAway.
* Update – Congrats to Nora Dunn (@hobonora on twitter) who won the Pacsafe daypack. And thanks to Pacsafe for helping PwP raise $88,000 for charity. That’s huge!
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on December 7th, 2011
Pacsafe Venturesafe 200 – Daypack with Extra Security
If you want to make sure nobody can steal what’s in your bag without a big fight, carry your belongings in a Pacsafe bag.
Some travelers worry a lot about things being stolen out of their bag. Unlike the fears of being a terrorism kidnapping victim in the Middle East or getting beheaded by narcos south of the border, this one actually has a good chance of happening if you’re not careful. Even in places people feel are safe, it’s dangerous to let down your guard: more tourists get robbed in Italy than anywhere else. If you’re on a subway or in a crowded market anywhere, odds are someone is working the angles, trying to find a score.
As the value of what travelers are lugging along with them goes up with the number of gadgets they’re packing, you can easily have the equivalent of $1,000 on you—and thieves know it.
I’ve been recommending Pacsafe products for a long time. I reviewed a few of their items on the old version of this gear blog that are still available, like the Metrosafe 200, a portable locking safe, and a Daysafe slash-proof laptop backpack. Here we checked out a theftproof laptop bag in a more conventional briefcase style.
I like this cool little Venturesafe 200 bag because it’s a nice size for a day of sightseeing. Everything seems to be sized just right. The back pocket can hold a Kindle nicely and the phone pocket is the right size for my Android smart phone. With those two things in there (and lots of little things), I can still fit in a super-zoom camera. There are additional pockets for other items and gadgets, a clip for keys, and a secret zippered pocket facing the top.
All that’s well and good for travelers, but the real advantages to this small daypack are all the security measures. First of all, the strap over your shoulder is slash-proof and snatch-proof. A thief can’t quickly cut through it with a knife because there’s wire mesh inside. The same wire mesh goes through the whole bag as well, so the old trick of slashing the bottom of a pack and taking what’s inside won’t work with this. The extra-strong zippers tuck into little pockets so they’re hard to reach. A robber can’t unbuckle the strap without turning a knob to the side at the same time.
None of these thing will keep a really determined bad guy from just taking your whole bag—especially if you’re swinging it around while stumbling drunk down the street alone—but they put up levels of deterrent. Those will usually be enough to thwart a thief who is in a hurry and doesn’t want to get caught. They’ll move on to another mark.
Like all Pacsafe bags, this Venturesafe 200 one feels very strong and well-made, like it’ll outlast all your travels. It comes with a two-year guarantee. There are four color choices and the list price is $54—not bad for something that’s like a daypack with an insurance policy attached. It also comes in a larger 300 size that’s less purse-like or if you want to carry around an iPad or netbook.
See all the details at the Pacsafe website and check prices online, where it’s often discounted.
Pacsafe VentureSafe 200 Compact Travel Bag at eBags or get it at Amazon.
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear on August 31st, 2011
For the Flashpackers: Briggs & Riley Excursion Field Bag
Whenever a new Apple product takes off, a whole bevy of accessories hits the market from hundreds of manufacturers feeding off the big glowing fruit. Now that the iPad is taking hold and a second version is out, bags to hold the device are popping up like mushrooms.
I particularly like this Briggs & Riley Excursion Field Bag just hitting the market though because it’s not as “man purse” looking as many of them out there and it’s big enough to hold plenty of other items that aren’t just toys. Or you can use it for a Kindle instead of an iPad and have room for all the things you need for a bus/train/plane ride.
Since I can’t justify the expense of an iPad at this point just to have another gadget to carry around, that’s how I’ve been using it. I pop in my Kindle, a few magazines, a notebook, a camera, and a water bottle. It also has a place for pens, my keys, and my phone. All set!
This being a Briggs & Riley item though, it’s not some flimsy piece of junk that’s going to fall apart in a year. In fact it comes with a lifetime guarantee. It’s made of lightweight but strong ripstop nylon, with good buckles, Velcro, and zippers.
Plus there are lots of nice little touches I enjoy, like a built-in loop strap that goes under your iPad or Kindle: you just pull up on the tab and your device pops up like bread in a toaster. That also keeps it suspended from the bottom of the bag a tad. Naturally there are loads of pockets and compartments on the inside, but there is one zippered pocket on the front that’s the perfect size for your passport and plane ticket.
This Excursion Field Bag, which comes in the same colors as the rest of the BRX collection, is big enough for small netbooks from the likes of Asus, so it could be used as a real work bag as well. It retails for $80 and is just now hitting the real and virtual shelves. Get it online direct right now at the Briggs & Riley website.
Speaking of Briggs & Riley, congrats to Katie N. of Oregon who won a free carry-on BRX wheelie suitcase in the round-the-world contest sponsored by Practical Travel Gear and others.
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Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear on May 11th, 2011
Goal Zero Guide 10 Adventure Kit and Solar Charger
Goal Zero Guide 10 Adventure Kit Solar Charger
What’s the most irritating thing that can happen to you when you’re on the road? Okay, well there can be lots of answers here. But, one of the most irritating things that can happen to me is not having a place to plug in my iPhone charger when the batter is running low.
I often find myself in foreign countries without the proper adaptor (as was the case in Nigeria last month) or squatting on an airport floor because all the outlets are taken (as was the case in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Charlotte, and New York last month. Oh and don’t forget Cincinatti where some lady spilled her coffee on my leg because she didn’t see me sitting there.) But, I digress.
I have been on the hunt for a solution for awhile and have purchased two different solar chargers that have performed so poorly I simply threw them in the garbage.
The Goal Zero Guide 10 Adventure Kit, however, is a different story. Perhaps the third time really is the charm. This easy-to-use, all-in-one-solution kit has all of the necessities in one place. Like other solar chargers, it relies on sunlight so a window is important, but it also stores solar energy too so it works in the evening hours. No electrical outlet needed.
Simply connect your phone/electronic device (it works with everything from a Blackberry to an iPod to a Kindle) with the 7-watt solar panel, and voila! It starts charging. And charging fast! It takes about an hour to power up my iPhone thanks to Goal Zero’s advanced solar cell technology that is light years above the competition. It can charge a cell phone for 30 hours, an iPhone or other smart phone for 7 to 10 hours, and an iPod for 40 hours.
The best feature, for me at least, is the nifty carrying case that it comes with including pockets for your phone or other small items and a Velcro closure to help it fit snugly into your briefcase. It’s lightweight enough to hardly notice it’s there, which is a blessing when on long trips (whether camping or on the road).
The panel is compatible with most any USB device and comes with a car adaptor and durable hooks that let you hang it from anywhere. This is the perfect, modern-day adventure kit for hikers or campers who want to remain connected, and thanks to its weather-resistant case it can be used outdoors. It also comes in handy in an emergency such as an earthquake, hurricane, or other electrical outage when power may be in short supply.
Also included are related devices such as the AA/AAA battery solar charger and interchangeable batteries. This is clearly the market leader for solar chargers as it weighs less than others, is easy and compact enough to pack in a carryon bag or backpack, and is more powerful than any others that I have tried.
The Goal Zero solar charger can be purchased at GoalZero’s web site or at REI.COM. The only downside of this excellent travel tool is that now I have no excuse to be disconnected from the office!
Posted by Ramsey in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, Travel Light on April 21st, 2011
