Buying a holiday gift for a techno-savvy traveler is a little like getting sued: it’s no fun-and whether you win or lose, it’s expensive.
That’s because the jet set is notoriously difficult to please. It tends to like presents that are compact, feather-light, practical and pricey – a tall order for anyone’s holiday shopping list.
Think of this column as a pro-bono attorney who hasn’t lost a case, to continue the legal analogy. This week, I’ll review some of the top holiday gifts that won’t make a big dent in your wallet. And next time, I’ll check out some of the pricier presents that are sure to please any road warrior.
NO MORE LOST LUGGAGE: The idea behind the awkwardly named StuffBak is remarkably elegant. This lost-and-found service allows you to register your luggage online with an ID label (a mini-package costs just $19.95) and in the unlikely event that it should get lost – say, by an airline – a reward is offered for its safe return. Another product called the Luggage Locator goes a step beyond that. The system consists of a small transmitter unit that attaches to any key chain and a receiver unit that attaches to any luggage handle. It’s got a range of between 50 and 100 feet and costs $49.95. (In the interests of full disclosure, I haven’t had a chance to evaluate this product yet.)
TIME MACHINES: Don’t just give a standard alarm clock – get one with advanced features and attitude. Atomic Time’s travel alarm clock receives a radio signal from the Caesium atomic clock in Fort Collins, Colorado, ensuring that it’s always accurate. At a retail price of $49.95, it’s also considerably cheaper than its Colorado counterpart. Something keeping you up at night? Then maybe you should consider the TravelScape clock, which plays up to 30 minutes of soothing nature sounds to lull you to sleep. The $29.99 timepiece lets you choose from chirping crickets, rain and ocean sounds.
COOL TOOLS: If you want to give a gadget this year, think outside the box. There are battery-operated presents that do more than organize your addresses and let you make phone calls. The BreathAlert is a lightweight gizmo that helps detect odors through a small sensor. This $29.99 device is great for determining your own breath when you’re on an extended trip – something your fellow travelers may not be too keen on telling you about. Or, if you ‘re giving a present to someone who’s stressed, why not buy him or her a $15 “massage pen” from the Discovery Channel Store. A vibrating end stimulates the body’s pressure points, while the other side writes. Just don’t try to do both at the same time.
STOCKING STUFFER: Since most new laptops now ship with a DVD player, don’t miss an opportunity to get the business traveler in your life a movie. I sat next to a notebook user on a recent flight who watched “2001: A Space Odyssey” on his computer, which was far more entertaining than the insipid Julia Roberts movie that spewed out of our in-flight entertainment system. My contacts at Warner were nice enough to send over an advance copy of “The Perfect Storm” on DVD, and not to sound ungrateful, but my advice is, if you’re going to buy a movie, make it a classic that you can watch over and over. I don’t think I could bring myself to watching “Storm” twice.
STAY HEALTHY: The latest blood-pressure monitors are so compact and inconspicuous that you can’t afford not to take them on the road with you. For example, consider Omron’s latest ultra-compact wrist blood pressure monitor, the first to employ a semiconductor sensor that detects the most minute changes in blood pressure. (The model HEM-630 sells for about $119). Or the CT1 Personal Calorie Tracker that lets you monitor caloric burn by measuring and recording body movement. Best of all, the device can interface with the company’s Web site to track your calories. The gizmo, plus a one-year subscription to the site, will set you back $330.
SUPERLOCKS: If you don’t have the big budget to give away luggage, try Kryptonite’s Mega Combination Cable Lock for a laptop computer. It’s an 8mm, six-foot vinyl-coated, braided steel cable with a resettable lock that has over 10,000 different combinations. The lightweight lock comes with a convenient travel carrying case to store the lock when the user is on the go. It retails for $49.99.
TRAVEL GADGETS: If you ever have the feeling that someone is watching you, and you suspect that it’s not just the fact that you forgot to take your medication this morning, then you might want to check out the The Plus Guard, a $42.95 keychain-sized gadget that detects “bugs” in your room. Although the device is a little bulky to keep in your pocket, it’s a purchase worth considering if you’re worried about security. I also like the Kestrel 3000, a handheld tech tool that measures relative humidity, heat stress index, dew point temperature, wind chill, wind speed and temperature. At $159, it isn’t exactly a steal, but it is very cool and portable.
THE EYES HAVE IT: One of the very first Travel Technologist columns I wrote evaluated a nifty little handheld scanner called the IRIS pen. IRIS, which is shorthand for Image Recognition Integrated Systems, just keeps getting better and better. Its latest offering is a suite of scanning products that retails for $149. For a traveler who is always trying to bridge the gap between the paper and digital world, this is a worthy gift to consider. Included in the package is software that helps you connect to a flatbed scanner, an image-correction routine, an application that helps you differentiate between image and text, and table recognition software. The new IRIS pen is also faster and more accurate than the one I tested nearly three years ago.
CITY DIARY: I’ve been meaning to recommend Per Annum’s City Directory software, which runs on the Palm Computing platform, for well over a year. But therein lies the problem. I returned the Palm Pilot I was testing a while ago, so I haven’t been able to fully evaluate the system. However, I like the concept and price enough to suggest that you give it a try (I’ve seen its paper version and think it’s very useful). Simply put, the city directory is a personal guide to a destination. The Manhattan version alone features more than 500 restaurants, 100 hotels and 600 shops. The yearly subscription fee of $20 makes it a bargain for busy executives who don’t want to wrestle with a phone book when they’re out traveling.
Next week, as I mentioned at the beginning of this column, I’ll check out some of the big-ticket gifts for business travelers. I’ll see you then.
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