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.

Eight months in a Swedish prison for drunk Ryanair passenger

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 1:30PM

Back in June, a drunk Ryanair passenger started to freak out, and attempted to open the aircraft door in the middle of a flight from Riga to London.

The man had finished an entire liter of vodka and a couple of beers, and it took two professional boxers to get him away from the door and pin him to the ground.

The plane ended up making an emergency landing in Sweden to dispose of their drunk cargo, which means it was up to a Swedish judge to sentence the drunkard. The judge handed him an 8 month sentence, and a substantial fine, payable to Ryanair.

The man claims he can't remember any of the incident, and blames it all on his fear of flying. The Swedish prosecutor didn't buy it, and is actually appealing the sentence as he feels it is too light. Similar cases ended up with about 18 month sentences.

The good news is that aircraft doors are virtually impossible to open midflight due to the pressure difference between the outside air and cabin.

Want to ignore airport security rules? Become a celebrity!

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 12:00PM

Airport security took a bit of blow this week when Britney Spears passed through LAX security carrying... a Big Gulp! I'm not a big fan of paparazzi (or Britney Spears for that matter), but the underlying story is interesting enough to deserve a closer look.

When Britney passed through the checkpoint, she was carrying her Big Gulp, something you and I would be told to throw away. Apparently being a famous singer gets you a special waiver, because none of the TSA staff told her to dump it.

Initially, there was some outrage from TSA opponents, as a drink like that is not permitted. TSA blogger "Bob" was quick to defend the TSA agents by pointing out that there were only ice chips in the cup, and that as long as the cup is put through the x-ray, ice chips are permitted.

As far as the TSA was concerned, that was end of the story. This is where the paparazzi come in handy, because they filmed Britney clearly carrying the cup through the checkpoint, without it ever passing through the x-ray equipment.

So, next time you don't want to spend $6 on an airport drink, just put on a Britney Spears mask or find yourself a career in entertainment, it'll make your trips to the airport so much easier.

Daily gear deals - $25 PDA, $70 Kodak digital camera and more

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 6th, 2009 at 11:00AM

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Friday November 6th 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Feeling nostalgic? Or just in need of a low-frills PDA that can sync with your desktop computer? Expansys is selling the good old m500 Palm PDA for just $24.95. They add a pretty insane $10.95 for shipping, but that still makes the final price pretty cheap for this device. The unit is refurbished and comes with a docking cradle. Click here for this deal.

Walmart is selling a fairly basic 8 megapixel Kodak digital camera kit for just $69. The kit includes 2 rechargeable batteries, a charger and a camera pouch. The camera itself features a 3x optical zoom and a 2.4" LCD display.

Next up is a green SwissGear laptop backpack. It has all the kind of stuff you'd expect from a decent computer backpack, including a built in organizer and an audio pocket with headphone opening. On sale for just $29.03. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, Newegg is selling a Plantronics Explorer Bluetooth headset for just $11.99 with free shipping. It is a fairly basic little headset, but the brand is good and it comes with a MicroUSB AC charger. Click here for this deal.

Expedia drops telephone booking fees

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 5th, 2009 at 3:30PM

There is a bit of a war going on between the various large online travel sites. They are battling each other to see who can provide the best service, with the lowest fees. Of course, this war really only has one winner - consumers.

This morning, Expedia announced the removal of all telephone booking fees for trips booked through their service. This may not sound like a very important change, but when you consider that the airlines charge as much as $25 per person, per telephone booking, you'll quickly realize that being able to book that same ticket through Expedia without any fees could come in quite handy.

The company eliminated online air booking fees and change fees and cancel fees on all hotel and car rental reservations in May 2009. Cruise change and cancel fees were also eliminated in May 2009 and cruise booking fees were eliminated in October 2009.

It is an odd world when big travel firms like Expedia are able to provide a better service than the airlines themselves, but as I said - we consumers are the real winners here.

Being able to book a flight over the phone is perfect for people who hate making online reservations, or if you need an last minute flight reservation and don't want to deal with the hassle of finding a computer with Internet access.

When a pilot loses his license - the nasty letter from the FAA

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 5th, 2009 at 2:30PM

When two Northwest Airlines pilots were screwing around on their laptop computers and overshot Minneapolis airport, most people knew these guys wouldn't be flying any time soon.

Aviation news web site Jetwhine.com managed to snag a copy of the letter the FAA sent to the pilots explaining why their licenses were being revoked. It is a pretty interesting read, though if you are pilot, this is obviously the letter you never ever want to get in your mailbox. The letter is downright brutal, but it does give some very specific details about the decision, and what exactly went wrong.

Gadling gear review - Bodybugg personal calorie management system

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 5th, 2009 at 10:30AM

We are 7 weeks away from the time of year where we all commit to losing all those excess pounds. And like most new years resolutions, by the second week of January, most of us will be back to just dealing with the flab.

Frequent travelers have it even harder - when large chunks of your week are spent at bad hotels or the airport food court, it is pretty tough to stay healthy. Sure, people with a decent amount of discipline will always manage to find a salad at the airport, but more often than not, a healthy meal on the road will be the airline snack box or another night at the hotel restaurant.

Daily gear deals - free Swiss Army knife, $20 Bluetooth mouse and more

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 5th, 2009 at 10:00AM

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Thursday November 5th 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is perfect for travelers - 1saleaday is offering a bladeless Swiss Army knife for free. The tool includes scissors, a screwdriver, tweezers, a toothpick and a bottle opener. Because it lacks a blade, you should be able to take it through airport security. Shipping is just $4.99. Click here for this deal.

Next up is a Razer Pro Bluetooth mouse. If your laptop has Bluetooth, then this (refurbished) mouse will make work a but more efficient. On sale for just $19.95 with free shipping. Click here for this deal.

With the holiday season approaching, now is the time to snag yourself a camcorder - but if you'd rather stay away from the new generation of PC-Only camcorders, then check out the Canon DC310. This compact camcorder records directly to DVD's, and is on sale for just $168, with free shipping. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, if you'd like some better entertainment on the road, then check out the Envizen portable DVD player/digital TV. This compact device lets you watch DVD's or over-the-air digital TV. On sale for $139.99. Click here for this deal.

Corporate executive not welcome in the United Airlines first class cabin

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 4th, 2009 at 6:00PM

The United Airlines bad news machine has been working overtime lately - first they were mocked in the "United breaks guitars" video clip, then they screwed up with that same passenger when they lost his luggage.

Today's bad news comes from Dulles airport, where a bald man in a track suit was called to the podium to have his first class upgrade revoked. The reason? He was dressed too casually.

Now, this was no regular bald man in a tacky track suit - this gentleman is Armando Alvarez, a vice president with electronics retailer Best Buy.

Apparently, United Airlines suddenly decided that they'd pretend we are all back in the 60's, and that the first class cabin should only be occupied by people dressed for the occasion.

Mr. Alvarez was interviewed by the Washington DC Fox affiliate and told reporters that he was humiliated and embarrassed. When he tried to contact the customer relations department, nobody responded, and even the Fox reporters couldn't find anyone within United Airlines willing to speak on the matter.

The United Airlines contract of carriage only makes mention of barring barefoot passengers, and I've never encountered a dress code. Non-rev passengers (employees and their friends and family) do need to dress in business casual attire, but that obviously does not apply to paying passengers like Mr. Alvarez.

That said, I'm sure a lot of people would love to see a basic level of decency return to the first class cabin, but to be honest, that part of the plane really isn't all that impressive. A slightly wider seat and some warm nuts don't justify having to put on your Sunday suit for a trip.

After the jump, a video clip from the interview with MyFoxDC.com.

Daily gear deals - $99 Garmin GPS, $13 laptop bag and more

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 4th, 2009 at 9:45AM

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Wednesday November 4th 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal comes from 1saleaday where you'll find the Garmin Nuvi 255 GPS unit for $99.99. This compact unit features text to speech and preloaded US maps. It'll ship for $5.99. Click here for this deal.

Next up is an ATI HD TV tuner for your laptop. It comes with the adapter itself, a pocket HD antenna and a remote control. With this hardware, you can watch "over the air" HD TV programming on your laptop or desktop. On sale for just $19.99 with $5 shipping. Click here for this deal.

Amazon is selling a good looking Lowepro laptop bag (for machines up to 14"). The bag looks more like a messenger bag, which means it doesn't scream "steal me". It features a dual position strap and plenty of pockets. On sale for just $12.99. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, for $14.99 (with free shipping) you can order yourself a pair of "Intense audio" noise isolating headphones. They come with a woven nylon anti-tangle cord and a "fit kit" for various ear sizes. The deal even includes a free $5 credit for the Amazon MP3 store. Click here for this deal.

Denver to Singapore (and back) visualized in a five minute time lapse video

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 4th, 2009 at 9:30AM

Denver to Singapore (in 5 minutes) from David DAngelo on Vimeo.

Check out this cool video showing a trip from Denver to Singapore via Chicago, Los Angeles and Tokyo (and back). The creator put a ton of effort into filming as much of his trip as possible, and included some highlights like the automatic beer machine at the Tokyo lounge (at 3 minutes 50 seconds).

The whole thing is quite dizzying, but it is a great way to show a long trip in just five minutes!