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.

Two years in jail for pointing a laser at a plane

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

The "sport" of pointing a laser pointer at a plane is not new - many people have been arrested for the stupid stunt.

Last week was a first though - someone caught pointing their laser at two planes was arrested, and sentenced to two and half years in jail.

His first target was a United Airlines plane carrying 180 passengers. When the beam hit the cockpit window, the pilot caught it right in the eye, causing "flash blindness". The second target was an Alaska Airlines jet, this time the pilot was able to duck below a glare shield, but did have to abort a critical turn.

There appears to be no shortage of stupidity in the world, and shining a laser pointer at a jet just reinforces that. I'm not even sure what is going through the mind of someone who thinks this is a fun game.

These planes are carrying a lot of people, and in many cases they are on their final approach, one of the most critical parts of the entire flight. To me, two and a half year is on the short side - but hopefully it'll still send a message to anyone else who was thinking of messing around with their laser pointer.

In a poor economy, SeaWorld raises ticket prices to just under $80

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 3rd, 2009 at 2:00PM

SeaWorld Orlando doesn't seem to think the economy has suffered enough, because it just raised its prices by $4 to an insane $78.95, per person.

With just six rides and ten shows, SeaWorld assumes people won't have a problem paying this, even though their new prices are just 5 cents lower than neighboring Disney or Universal, who have much more to offer.

Now, I won't argue with anyone who says the park puts on a good show, and they are known worldwide for their amazing aquatic shows, but when you charge just under $300 for a family of four, you'd better put on more than just a "good show". Once you add food and a local hotel, a trip to SeaWorld will cost over $500 for just one day.

In this economy I would expect parks to actually lower their prices, instead of raise them. Minor discounts are available to people who pre-order their tickets, but even with those discounts you'll be spending far too much.

The park does offer a free visit on a second day, within 7 days of your first visit. If you are visiting the Orlando area and want to visit SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica, the total bill will come to just under $550. Add their all day dining option for all three days and your credit card will take a $900 hit, and that doesn't even include your flights and hotel. Too much? Tell us in the poll below!

Daily gear deals - $20 rolling luggage, $8 MP3 player and more

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 3rd, 2009 at 1:30PM

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Tuesday November 3rd 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal comes from Yugster.com, where you'll find a nifty car MP3 player/FM transmitter. This device plugs into the power outlet in your car, and takes music off SD card or a USB drive. A remote control is included. The player costs just $7.95, plus $5 for shipping. Click here for this deal.

Even though our editor in chief is on a mission to remove all rolling cases from the airport, rolling luggage is more popular than ever, and certainly here to stay. Over at sellout.woot.com, you'll find a Sharper Image rolling duffel for just $19.95, plus $5 for shipping. Click here for this deal.

Even though all those new pocket HD cameras are extremely popular, they are not really a replacement for a "real" camcorder. Over at Amazon, you'll find the Panasonic SDR-S26 digital camcorder for just $186. It records to SD memory cards and features a 70x optical zoom and image stabilizer. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, Canon just dropped the prices on many of its digital cameras. This means you'll find the highly rated SD780IS and SX120IS for just $199.99. The lineup covers 4 different models in all colors. Click here for this deal.

Unlimited Twitter on the go for $7.95/month with Peek

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 3rd, 2009 at 12:01AM

The folks at Peek have been featured here on Gadling ever since we brought you one of the first ever reviews of this mobile all-you-can-eat email device. In fact, we were so impressed with the little emailer, that it was featured as one of our top 25 products of 2008.

A couple of things changed in Peek world in 2009 - most notably, the introduction of their faster Peek Pronto. But it appears they are keeping the best for the end of the year with a dedicated Twittering Peek.

The first photos of this device leaked out last week (Peek isn't good at keeping a secret), but the first official leak comes from Amazon.com.

TwitterPeek is priced at $99.95, and comes with 6 months of service. After that, each month is just $7.95.

To be honest, this sounds like one hell of a deal, and Peek did two things right here - they priced it right, and they jumped on the Twitter traction. Twitter is hot, and an $8 mobile Twitter device is going to be a huge hit - it wouldn't surprise me to find this under the tree at many households this holiday season. Normally, getting Twitter on the go requires a decent smartphone and a pricey data plan.

An official announcement from Peek will probably follow later today, but if you can't wait, Amazon is more than willing to accept your orders right now.

Gadling gear review - i-GotU GT-120 GPS logger

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 2nd, 2009 at 4:30PM

You'll have no doubt noticed a bit of a GPS trend today here on Gadling, and in line with that, I'm going to introduce you to the Mobile Action I-GotU GT-120 mobile GPS logger.

This tiny device looks quite unimpressive, but actually houses several handy GPS functions in one product.

The GT-120 can function as a USB GPS receiver, providing your location to a variety of GPS enabled applications. The device also stores several days of your location tracks, allowing you to read your position and overlay it on a Google map in the included tracking software. When importing your tracks, the application can even match the time and location with your photos, adding geotag information to your shots.

Taking your GPS abroad - what you need to know

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 2nd, 2009 at 4:00PM

When you purchase your GPS unit, it'll usually come with maps of the US, Puerto Rico and Canada. In some cases, the unit may even expand into Mexico, and premium systems will have Europe pre-loaded.

If you are heading abroad, but your GPS unit does not come with maps of your destination, all is not lost, and in some cases you'll actually be able to load new maps.

Here are five tips on how to travel with your GPS, and how to take it abroad.

GPS safety - how to be safe and stay safe

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

When used correctly, a GPS unit can be a real time and lifesaver. It'll get you where you need to be, on time, and (usually) with the best route. There are however some basic precautions you need to take in order to stay safe. Some of these tips are very logical, but as I drive around, I still see people neglect to follow even the most basic safety tips.

I have compiled 6 basic tips that will help keep you and your passengers safer as you drive around with your GPS unit.

Keep your home address out of your GPS unit

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 2nd, 2009 at 11:00AM

Have you ever considered what could happen if your vehicle is stolen, along with your GPS unit? A thief could tell the GPS unit to "go home". If you are like most people, you'll provide easy access to your home with the garage door opener in your vehicle.

Now, I'll admit right away that this scenario does build heavily on some pretty healthy paranoia, but I'm of the opinion that "better safe than sorry" applies here.

When you program your home address into the GPS, program it without a house number, or better yet - set it to a couple of blocks away. You know where you live (I hope), and if you need the GPS to get you home every night, you need more help than a GPS unit can provide. Removing your home address is just one more way to help keep you, your family and your belongings safe.

Daily gear deals - GPS Mount, USB GPS adapter and more

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 2nd, 2009 at 10:30AM

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Monday November 2nd 2009. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for a "sticky pad" GPS dashboard mount. This product is perfect if you travel with your GPS unit and want to keep it in arms reach. The $14.99 product features a special sticky pad, that will not leave any residue when you remove it. Click here for this deal.

Next up is a sleek GPS carrying case. It'll hold most GPS units or a Nintendo DS or digital camera. On sale for just $7.99, with free shipping. Click here for this deal.

If you are looking for an affordable widescreen GPS unit, head on over to Compusa.com where you'll find a (refurbished) Magellan Roadmate. This unit comes with text to speech for spoken street names and a database of 6 million points of interest. On sale for just $89.99. Click here for this deal.

And finally in today's lineup, if you'd like to have a little fun with GPS on your laptop or netbook, check out this $35 USB GPS adapter. It'll work with most applications that support the NMEA GPS standard, including Google Earth. Click here for this deal.

Find the right destination with a GPS map update

by Scott Carmichael (RSS feed) on Nov 2nd, 2009 at 10:00AM

We've probably all been there once or twice - you get in your car, and try to enter your destination, only to find that your GPS unit does not know where you want to go.

In some cases, this could be as simple as a misspelled address, but in others, it means your GPS unit needs a new map database.

When you buy your unit, the maps are often at least a year old, but some units that have been on store shelves for a couple of years could try navigating you based on three or four year old maps.

In that period, new streets have been added, and map errors have been corrected. Thankfully, on most brand name GPS units, getting a new map is fairly easy, and quite affordable. The best place to start is your favorite electronics retailer or on the site of the GPS unit manufacturer.

For most units, the investment is quite modest - about $50 will get you the latest version (or one no more than 6 months old). Installing the map update varies from vendor to vendor. On Magellan GPS units, you order a physical SD card for the unit, on other brands you'll usually need to download a large file and copy that from your PC to the device.

If you purchased your GPS unit within the last 30 days, contact the manufacturer to see whether you are eligible for a free map update, especially in those cases where your brand new GPS device comes with not so brand new maps.