Gadling

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Scott Carmichael

- http://www.gadling.com

Scott spends most of his time playing with the latest and greatest travel gadgets. No trip is complete without at least 10 pounds of gadgets and 3 mobile phones. Got a great gadget you'd like to share with the Gadling readers? Send an email to scott AT gadling.com.

Deaily gear deals - $69 HD camera, $34 6 piece luggage set and more

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 26th, 2009 at 11:00AM

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Thursday November 26th 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for the Kodak Zi6 HD camera. This version is refurbished, but that also means you'll get it for the low price of just $69.99 + $5 shipping. Click here for this deal.

Next up is the old Microsoft 30GB Zune. This may be an outdated player, but at just $68 with free shipping and a free car kit, it is one heck of a deal. The player can be updated to the latest Zune firmware. Click here for this deal.

Black Friday started early on Amazon this year - they are offering new deals every hour, some hot, some not so hot. The lineup has something for everyone; GPS units, toys, jewelry and more. You'll need to keep an eye on the deals, as some of them sell out really fast. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, Target is selling a six piece luggage set for just $34. It probably won't be the best quality stuff, but for the occasional traveler, it'll work just fine. Click here for this deal.

Daily gear deals - $8 hiking kit, Timbuk2 laptop bag and more

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 2:30PM

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Wednesday November 25th 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal comes from new deal-a-day site steals1.com. They are selling a 6 piece hiking survival kit. Now, before you order one of these and expect you'll be safe when hiking in the middle of nowhere, please remember that there is more to hiking than an $8 set of cheap stuff. The kit is probably better for a hike in your local forest preserve than a trip in the wilderness. Click here for this deal.

Sierra Trading Post is selling the Timbuk2 "Large Wiki Hemp Laptop Case" for just $22.95. Shipping is $5.95 and it is available in two colors. Click here for this deal.

Next up are noise canceling headphones from Able Planet. Their Sound Clarity headphones normally retail for $249, but are currently on sale through Beach Audio for just $79.99. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, add a Bluetooth hands-free carkit and iPod connectivity to your car for just $34.95 with the Alpine EX-10. Includes a nice color display, wiring and a remote control. Click here for this deal.

Asian airline puzzled by mysterious mid-air toilet clogs

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 2:00PM

Any time you put 300 people in a metal tube, the strain on the in-flight toilet system is going to be immense - but Hong Kong based airline Cathay Pacific is having more than just a bit of trouble.

The airline is actually dealing with a huge mystery. Their toilets are so unreliable that a Hong Kong bound flight had to make an unscheduled landing in Mumbai, India when all ten of the bathrooms became clogged and unusable.

The 278 passengers on the "crappy" flight were delayed for 18 hours. But to be honest, I'd rather spend 18 hours in Mumbai than 18 minutes on a plane with no bathrooms.

In other incidents, two other Hong Kong bound flights had to refuse boarding to a substantial amount of passengers when all the bathrooms on one side of the plane stopped working.

All these incidents are on the Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft, and Cathay Pacific is said to be working overtime to figure out what is causing the problem. A Cathay Pacific spokeswoman suggested that passengers may be to blame.

'You would be amazed at what we find in the pipes when we clean the system - not just face towels but medicine bottles, socks and even children's stuffed toys,'

Until the real reason is uncovered, engineers are carrying out deep cleaning treatment and replacing pipes.

Gadling gear review: the 2010 Ford Taurus

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 11:00AM

No dear readers, you didn't stumble onto Autoblog - this is still Gadling, your favorite travel site. In this review I will indeed review the latest Ford Taurus. But first, let me explain why a car is being reviewed here. Back in August, Ford approached me and asked whether I'd like to take their latest Taurus for a one week test drive.

Now, I've never reviewed a car, so I was initially a little hesitant. I'm not a huge car fan, and I couldn't immediately see a link between this car and travel. But when Ford explained all the new technology they added to the 2010 edition, I instantly realized that this car could be the perfect road trip vehicle. So, here are my observations from driving the 2010 Ford Taurus for a week.

Gadling's Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals guide

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 25th, 2009 at 10:00AM

Yes - Black Friday is almost here again, which means brave people will once again be out of bed at 3am so they can stand in line with 500 others, just to save $100 on a TV. Before I mock those people too much, I too will be one of them. Even though I don't need any new gadgets, I enjoy being part of the madness that is Black Friday.

If you don't get too excited by this concept, or you'd rather be shot than be part of this once a year event, then check out this massive lineup of great online deals we have collected for you. Shop from the comfort of your own home, without the risk of being trampled to death in a mass of slow moving shoppers.

WalletPop takes you on a tour of the Oasis of the Seas - the largest cruise ship in the world

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 4:30PM

Gadling contributor and WalletPop writer Jason Cochran shot this great video clip of the new Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas - the largest cruise ship in the world. He wrote about his experience on this mammoth ship earlier this week, but video always manages to paint a great picture of what to expect.

In the video, you'll see the boardwalk, zipline, FlowRider surf simulator, the carousel, the "elevator bar" and more. Truly an amazing vessel, and one you are bound to hear more about here on Gadling as well as our friends at WalletPop.

Majority of travelers admit they don't care about their carbon output

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 2:00PM

Dutch bank ING asked their economic survey team to interview travelers about their opinion of CO2 output, and whether they really care about their impact on the environment.

As it turns out, only 15% of the 41,900 travelers interviewed actually do something about the environment. Of that 15%, only 3% actively try to offset their emissions, while others only admit to making a minor effort at it.

76% of travelers simply don't care, and 9% has "no opinion". Despite all the efforts to change the public awareness of CO2 emissions, only a small portion of people actually care.

This data is interesting, because people are slowly starting to realize that carbon offsets are not going to be the solution to the problem - the real solution is to actually reduce the emissions instead of trying to offset them by planting a couple of trees. Airlines like starting to experiment with bio fuels, and others are making small changes to their flight procedures. Of course, these measures are still in their infancy, but every little bit helps.

RoomAtlas mashes Google maps with hotel prices and reviews

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 11:30AM

I'm a sucker for a good mashup. RoomAtlas is such a service - it combines the power of Google maps with thousands of hotel locations. The map looks a bit like a Monopoly board, and shows the location of hotels, along with a color coded price, links to reviews, a thumbnail photo and a link to a booking site with even more details of the property.

Rates come from Hotels.com and Expedia, so you are almost always going to get the best available rates. I've been playing with the site for some time this morning, and absolutely love how easy it is to find a hotel where you want it, for the price you are willing to pay.

RoomAtlas current covers 53,000 hotels from all around the world. Prices can be displayed in US Dollars and UK Pounds.

Daily gear deals - free iPod headphones, $99 HD Camcorder and more

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 11:00AM

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Tuesday November 24th 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Lost your iPod headphones? Deadly Deals is selling the original Apple iPod headphones for free, with $6 shipping. There may be cheaper headphones out there, but at least this way, you get "the real thing". Click here for this deal.

Sellout.woot.com is selling the highly rated Sennheiser VMX100 dual microphone Bluetooth headset for just $29.95 + $5 shipping. The headset is brand new, and comes with a wall charger and USB charging cable. Click here for this deal.

Next up is an Audiovox 7" portable DVD player kit. The kit includes the DVD player itself, 2 folding headphones, a carrying case, car and AC chargers and a headrest mount. On sale for just $75.75, with a free one year subscription to Wired Magazine. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, the Kodak Zi6 pocket HD camcorder has dropped to a new low price of just $99.99. It may not be the newest generation camera, but it'll still make pretty decent HD video clips. Click here for this deal.

Dispelling the top myths about cruise ships

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 24th, 2009 at 9:30AM

Cruise ships have a bit of a bad reputation. Those that love cruising really love it, and will have 10 or 20 voyages in their past. Those that hate it, will claim they'd rather be shot than take a cruise. There are lot of myths about cruise ships, so Gadling is here to help dispel some of them.