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Dave's Travel Corner  >> Lifestyle, Product Reviews









 

 We have personally tested and used all of the travel related products listed below.
Technology Fashion Wine Accessories
Other
 
TECHNOLOGY
  The Asus Eee PC 1000HA is a slick 10" netbook that is ideal for using while on the road. Netbooks are already popular in Europe and Asia and are only slowly catching on in North America. The small size and low weight are big factors in netbooks' increasing popularity. This model is a good choice for travelers or anyone who wants a compact affordable solution to be able to use for communication and work while on the road. This model comes standard with a 160GB Hard Drive, a 1.6GHZ Atom processor and 1GHZ ram.
 
We strongly suggest upgrading to 2 gigs of RAM to help increase the overall  speed. The battery is advertised as lasting up to 7 hours but without changing the standard screen brightness we've been able to get about 4.5 to 5 hours run time. This netbook comes in several colors as well as brushed aluminum. We recently took this particular model on a trip to Asia. It was ideal to use in the plane, sitting down in airport seats (using the actual seat as a mouse pad), and great for working in hotel rooms or in bed. The only complaint we have about this model is the right Shift key is way too far to the right and as a result is difficult to use.
 
Other ad-ons we highly recommend to use with this netbook are a USB antenna to boost wireless signals and a small wireless USB Mouse and an external Disk drive. Because of its small size and reasonable weight, this can be carried around in a day pack when traveling. Click here to purchase the Asus Eee PC 1000HA.  

Hazel Mail is a slick new service that updates the "old style" process of sending postcards by using the Internet rather than sending a physical paper postcard. Simply bring up their website, www.hazelmail.com and upload one of your travel photos, write your short letter, and fill in the address information. This costs merely $1.50 to send to most locations in the world. For the time it takes to track down a postcard in a foreign country, write it by hand, acquire stamps and find a post office, this service is well worth the reasonable cost. Hazel Mail cuts down on costs and keeps this an environmentally friendly service by contracting with printers in various regions of the world so that the postcards are sent locally. During a recent trip to Hawaii, within several minutes we had fired off postcards to friends back in the states as well as International destinations. Its that easy!

The Checkmate II Laptop Case is designed to be extremely travel friendly. This was one of four new airport security checkpoint-friendly laptop cases offered by Staples office supply store beginning in November 2008. Staples is the only office supply retailer to carry the Samsonite cases. The cases range in style and price to meet any traveler's budget.

    The Checkmate II as well as the other cases are designed so that you should not have to remove your laptop when you go through airport security. The case has a laptop only compartment that completely unfolds to lie flat on the X-ray belt. Once it has passed through security the laptop compartment can be easily zipped up.

Other features include an outside strap which can be wrapped around the handle of your roll on luggage, a well padded shoulder strap (very important if you have any sort of weight in the case as we often do), dimpled material inside the laptop compartment offering additional protection, two main large compartments and a small outside zippered compartment that contains additional pockets. We this bag for our own laptop and can say that there is plenty of space for accessories.

The Checkmate II Laptop Case comes with a three year warranty. Visit any retail Staples office supply store or online at: www.staples.com
 
Xtreme 24-7 Power Pack, Fuel Cell Charger
Fast, affordable, portable and easy to use. What more do you need in a charger! This is a wonderful invention that has a variety of uses. This is the perfect gift for a traveler or for anyone who wants an instantaneous emergency backup power supply. Medis Technologies provides a compact portable fuel cell charger that is easily used to charge cell phones. We have accumulated a number of cell phones over the years and tested this charger on them all. Each fuel charger comes with a number of small adaptors that will certainly connect to most mobile phones and
 
other hand held applications. This charger uses a liquid "fuel" that is safe for the environment and furthermore, everything in the cell can be recycled at the end of its life. Replacement fuel cells are priced extremely affordably.

The beauty of this charger is it is "plug and play". In other words, no pre-charging is needed. Pull it out of the box and follow the simple 1-3 step instructions and you are ready to charge. It has a long shelf life and can sit around prior to activation for extended periods of time.

Travelers take note - now you don't have to worry about finding the right adaptor to the power outlet depending on the country you are in. Just pack this portable power dynamo and you are set!

Medis also produces an "Emergency Kit" which includes a variety of adaptors, the fuel cell and a flashlight which hooks up to the fuel cell. The one fuel cell will provide several days of charge for the flashlight, while providing hours of charge time for handheld devices. (Charge times vary depending on the device). For more information and to purchase this product visit: www.medistechnologies.com
 
FASHION
  Cinzia Design, Sport 4 is the latest of Cinzia's trendy sunglasses from their Sport Collection. Cinzia was founded in 2002 but has a long optical history behind its products; it is a division of US based Europa International, Inc.,

which was founded in 1977. The company was founded by Cynthia Shapiro (also the lead designer); Cynthia has more than 30 years experience within the optical fashion industry.

The Sport 4 glasses are the latest in the evolution of Cinzia's sport line and are currently available in the Spring 2009 collection. These glasses seamlessly blend fashion with form. They are modern, functional and great for everyday outdoor activities, yet sophisticated enough that they can certainly be worn for events more elegant and social in nature.

The Sport 4 is available in black and bronze colors, each comes with spring hinges and high quality polarized lenses. Oh, and these glasses come with a real cool sporty looking case to!

Besides Sunglasses, Cinzia also produces a number of reading glasses. Their reading glasses are not boring and austere sometimes typical of these types of glasses, rather they have warmth, style and are chic in nature. In addition look for a number of fashion accessories including stylish mini-handbags.

You can even request a virtual eyewear consultation via their website. For this consultation and for more information about their sunglasses, visit:
www.cinziadesigns.com 

 
Porsche 8457 These very cool looking luxury titanium sunglasses will invite glances from the glamour of Beverly Hills to the Fashion streets of Milan. As the frames are made from titanium they are extremely lightweight and
durable. Not one to just use numbers in the naming of cars, all their sunglass have their own model numbers. Can't afford a Porsche?... while still expensive as far as sunglasses go, these are certainly much more affordable then the car of the same name!

Each pair comes with a nice black padded stylized carrying protective case. All Porsche Design products are found at select locations worldwide including their own retails outlets. Porsche Design was founded in 1972. For more information please visit Porsche Design: www.porsche-design.com/live/P8400_sunglasses_en.PorscheDesign?ActiveID=36101&flash=0

WINE
  Vino Amici Wine MummyTM is the perfect item for wine lovers who travel - and how many wine lovers do you know who do not travel!? Each Wine MummyTM is an innovative black sealed padded bag that zips at the top. This is the perfect way to protect your valuable wine when transporting it or checking it into your suitcase when flying. It is large enough so that it holds a variety of wine bottles all the way up to a Champagne bottle size. It is 7x17 inches in size. It is also reusable. We have several of these 'mummys' and when not traveling we currently store several of our most valuable bottles of wine in these. Not only do they provide protection but they also keep out
the light. Wine MummyTM  is currently available in several multi-packs at very affordable pricing. For more information, or to place an order, visit www.winemummy.com. The site offers either single orders for individuals, or bulk orders for companies who wish to customize the bag with their company logo.
You may also order by calling: 310 629-9750
 
ACCESSORIES
  Booklight in a CoverTM is a handy little device that provides light for reading (Three AA batteries required). It is cordless, clipless and clutter free. Often we find ourselves traveling in situations both during the day and at night with very little ambient light. This is the answer to reading under low light conditions! Merely slip a small book into the cover pockets, pull up the LED light from the cover spine. This light automatically turns on once you have the arm fully extended. This is the ideal gift for travelers who enjoy reading. Specific book covers are made for either soft or hard cover books and they come in a variety of attractive colors. A built in bookmark is also available. Once you are finished push
down on the retractable light arm to put it back in place. Once in place it becomes almost a part of the spine of the cover and can easily be transported without worry of breaking it. Because this light is compact and meant just for a book you don't have to worry about disturbing others in various low light situations, i.e. Red Eye Flights, Camping etc.

The Periscope Booklight is found nationwide at Barnes & Nobles bookstores or by visiting: www.periscopelight.com

Microfiber Firm Support Travel Socks. Ames Walker specializes in medical socks, therapeutic shoes, supports, braces and other footwear accessories.

These particular socks are excellent for helping prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) a type of blood clot that can result from extended sitting in small places, i.e. economy class on an aircraft. More information about DVT can be found here: www.economyclasssyndrome.net

These socks are recognized by The World Health Organization in regards to reducing the risk of DVT. The socks apply decreasing pressure from the ankle to the knee which forces blood to the leg’s inner veins. This in turn reduces the pooling of blood and maintains proper flow rate of blood to the heart and lungs.

We have used these socks for hours at a time. Be sure to size your feet to the correct sock size - once you do, they are quite comfortable and you quickly forget you are wearing them. Part of the reason they are so comfortable on your upper leg is that there is no restrictive top band.

The travel socks are available in men’s and women’s styles in multiple sizes (S, M, L & XL) and colors and cost only $9.95/pair. Ames Walker has a printed and online catalogue. To order or to find out additional information go to www.ameswalker.com
 
OTHER
  Loaded Questions is a great game for the entire family whether stuck in the car on a long road trip, crammed in an airplane or just sitting around at a campground. This card game tests players on how well they know each other with thousands of questions designed to spark laughter, creative discussion, and a lot of curiosity along the way. The game is divided into four categories including Hypotheticals, No-brainers, Anything goes and Personals. The On the Go version features a convenient handled ‘suitcase’ box, custom spinner eliminating the possibility

of lost die, and a consolidated answer and score pad in one. 250 new questions are included. You can find the game nationwide on the shelves at Barnes & Noble. For more information, visit
www.loadedquestions.com.

 
  

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 Last Updated:  07/03/09 08:12:36

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