First Look

iPhone Lens Dial: Complete 3-Lens Optical System for Serious iPhoneographers

Although we haven’t tested it out first-hand, we have no doubt that the iPhone Lens Dial from our pals at Photojojo.com is the real deal. In their own words, it “boasts three optical-quality coated glass lenses: Wide Angle, Fisheye, and Telephoto, all wrapped up in an aircraft-grade aluminum jacket that has two tripod mounts (for [...]

AllofWiki Offline: Download the Entire Wikipedia Database to Your iPhone/iPad

From Winnipeg-based Brilliant(ish) comes this fantastic new app for iPhone/iPad users. AllofWiki Offline is an app that does only thing: allows you to download the entire Wikipedia database to your iDevice. It’s an awesome bit of reference material for travelers! Features include: Instant search and article loading. Literally. Optional in-app database dump updating. Fully resumable [...]

Win a Smartfish Wireless Travel Mouse!

Since the advent of the mouse and keyboard, not much has changed in the way of input devices. Smartfish is looking to change that with their latest Whirl™ Mini Laser Mouse – “the only mouse with gravity defying comfort pivot technology”. It’s a simple, but clever tweak on the traditional mouse design. In their own [...]

Pingo: Kickass International and Prepaid Calling Cards

It’s the perennial question for travelers – especially long-term vagabonds who’ve been on the road for months: how to stay connected with your friends and family back home? E-mail is the quick and dirty option of course. But oftentimes, all we want is to hear a friendly, familiar voice. Fortunately, it’s never been easier to [...]

Viator Tours Gets Into the Mobile App Game

This week, our pals at Viator.com jumped head first into the mobile travel app sphere with unique offerings for both the iPad and iPhone. Both versions have been designed to: … capitalize on the native features of each device to inspire travelers and help them find unique things to do around the world, offering more [...]

Perch: Portable, Wireless Travel Speaker

Wireless speakers have long left much to be desired. Quirky.com’s Perch Speaker hopes to change that. A whole mess of features make this a promising buy for flashpackers, including: Slim two-part speaker/dock design. Portable speaker runs off of internal rechargeable battery. Wirelessly connects to Bluetooth devices for playback. Integrated microphone for conference or video calls. [...]

Camera Armor: Rugged, Protective Skin for DSLRs

You’ve no problem shelling out $40 for a protective hard shell for your iPhone or Blueberry, right? Why not extend the same courtesy to that snazzy new $2,000 DSLR camera you just scored? Enter Camera Armor: a rugged, protective skin for most Canon and Nikon cameras. Every model is lightweight, heat-resistant, shock-absorbent, and custom engineered [...]

Victorinox’s SSD Flashdrive with e-Paper Display Is “World’s Smallest”

Billed as “the world’s smallest solid state drive”, Victorinox’s 512GB SSD flash drive may well be the perfect backup drive for flashpackers. It will feature a monochrome 96×46 pixel e-Paper display (think the Amazon Kindle) to label the drive and reveal other pertinent info such as available memory space, etc. Onboard data encryption ensures added [...]

WaySavvy.com: Book Your Flight & Hotel with One Quick Search

Shiny new WaySavvy.com is a travel booking/search tool that promises to let: … users find and book their perfect itinerary in one quick search. We analyze thousands of hotels and flights for each trip against user-specified and proprietary criteria to deliver the optimal “Savvy Choice.” Users can visually compare our top picks with the rest [...]

V-MODA Vibrato In-Ear Headphones: Stunning Quality for the Traveling Audiophile

V-MODA Vibrato In-Ear Headphones We’ve been a fan of V-MODA for a while now because, when it comes to mobile audio products, they “know a thing or two about a thing or two”. And their latest Vibrato in-ear headphones are a testament to just that. Unique die-casting metal technology makes for a slick, angular design [...]

XtremeMac 3-in-1 Microdock: Turn Your iPhone/iPod Into a Travel Alarm Clock

There are plenty of mobile alarm clock apps for the iPhone. But the XtremeMac 3-in-1 Microdock is a nifty bit of hardware that converts your iPhone/iPod into a full fledged travel alarm clock. The slim, lightweight device includes a travel case and two, built-in neodymium speaker drivers for solid audio. A free, included app provides [...]

Garmin Tracker: Lightweight, Waterproof GPS Tracking for Your Luggage

Like most GPS tracking devices, the Garmin GTU 10 combines a physical tracking unit with a web-based interface to allow you to keep tabs on your luggage or other valuables. The GTU 10 is small, lightweight, waterproof and designed to be stupid-simple to use. Its best feature? The ability to draw “geofences” (virtual boundaries) for [...]

Replay XD: World’s Smallest, Lightest Video Camera

Are you an adrenaline junky with the need to share your exploits with the world? Check out Stable Imaging Solutions’ Replay XD. About the size of a tube of ChapStick, it’s billed as the world’s smallest, lightest video camera with audio. Its no-frills design features on/off switches with vibrational feedback to let you know that [...]

Travel Splurge: Antler Ultra-Lightweight Liquis Luggage

If the word “sexy” could ever apply to a piece of travel gear, Antler’s new Liquis collection of ultra-lightweight, upright luggage definitely fits the bill. Sleek, metallic looks aside, it promises to be more than just a pretty face. Every piece in the Liquis line boasts leather handles, a TSA fixed combination lock, and a [...]

Headed to Wine Country? Don’t Forget the ‘Cheese Plate’ Mobile App

Off to wine country? Or are you a foodie/wine enthusiast who’s looking to get better acquainted with cheese and cheese pairings? Enter the Cheese Plate mobile app!

Word Lens: Augmented Reality App Provides Instant Language Translation

Mobile augmented reality apps are slowly finding their way into the iPhone store. Word Lens is a language translation app that uses the iPhone’s camera to capture written language text (on signs, etc.) and translate it instantly. Like magic! Almost. While we haven’t personally taken this for a test drive, it certainly looks promising. (hat [...]

Trickle: New Mobile App for “Passive” Twittering

Mobile app Trickle is a simple concept for “passive” Twittering. Simply set it up on your iDevice and let it do it’s thing. New tweets from your Twitter-stream automatically slide in from the right. It’s a great way to kill time watching your friends’ lives (and the world) go by. Available for $0.99 via iTunes.

The Cartographer iPhone App Recalls “a Time When Maps Were Works of Art”

Shiny new iPhone app The Cartographer recalls “a time when maps were works of art”. Indeed. The app seamlessly syncs with Google My Maps (Google’s custom mapping software). A sleek interface provides a unique, vintage-style look at each of your custom maps, with the ability to browse, edit and share personal points of interest. But [...]

Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse Folds Perfectly Flat for Travel

Microsoft’s sleek new Arc Touch Mouse might actually make you reconsider whether a mouse can be … sexy. Its flexible, ergonomic design is one of the smartest I’ve seen in years. Plus, it boasts one must-have feature for flashpacking travelers: it folds completely flat. “Curve to turn on. Flatten to turn off. No button to [...]

Malcolm Fontier: Beautiful Travel Bags for the Sophisticated Flashpacker

Flashpackers respect great gear, but it doesn’t hurt to be great looking as well. Malcolm Fontier offers gorgeous, understated travel bags perfect for the modern traveler. Their recently released line of carry-on bags features a soft, weather resistant, coated canvas exterior and neoprene laptop pockets. (Bonus: check out their Pay-What-It’s-Worth site for deals on overstock [...]

Zoom Q3HD Camera: World’s First Portable HD Video and HD Audio Recorder

Best known for kick-ass portable audio recorders, Zoom has just released the Q3HD Handy Video Recorder – the world’s first handheld recorder with digital HD audio and HD video. The standard package includes one-touch recording, 4X zoom, built-in 2.4 inch LCD screen, HandyShare software for quick edits, and instant sharing capability for YouTube. Available now [...]

Mango Passport: Learn a New Language Simply, Beautifully

The key to successfully mastering any new language is to study it in context. For years, Mango Languages has created language courses for libraries, schools and the government that do just that. Now, their software is available in sixteen language options for individuals too. After a brief review of their online French lesson, I have [...]

Iomega’s SSD Flash Drives Signal Good Things to Come for Flashpackers

Solid State Drives (or SSD) have been slowly creeping into the lineup of many storage and media manufacturers. The benefits of SSD over traditional storage media are legion: lightning fast read/write times and a more stable architecture mean they can take much more of a beating (great for travelers). All of which is why Iomega [...]

The “Sushi Freezie Pop” Is Here at Long Last

On the continuum of “fast” and “on-the-go” foods, I’m not sure sushi should rank that highly. Some folks clearly disagree, as evidenced by Sushi Popper – a company marketing frozen, pre-sliced sushi in a tube. Think Freezie Pops for kids, but fishier. Like fried beer and the Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger we recently reported on, [...]

Moleskine Announces Travel Folio Cases for iPhone/iPad

Moleskine has finally announced a new line of branded notebook folio covers for the iPad and iPhone. According to the manufacturer, “They are conceived as analog-digital ultra-portable workstations for the contemporary nomads.” Wait … what??? The features and style of both Covers are those of a classic Moleskine notebook: sleek rounded corners, strong elastic band, [...]

Bear Grylls Fans, Your Official Travel/Survival Pants Have Arrived

Over at the Bear Grylls Store (no, really, there’s a website just for him), they’ve introduced the official Bear Grylls Survivor Trousers for men. If the novelty factor of wearing pants made by a real man’s man isn’t enough for you, these travel/outdoor pants actually look pretty sweet. Available in three color options and four [...]

Jorno Is a Pocket-Sized Bluetooth Keyboard for Your Mobile Phone

If you’re tired of eking out lengthy draft posts for your blog on your mobile phone’s minuscule keypad, Cervantes Mobile may have the solution. Jorno is a pocket-sized Bluetooth keyboard that works with iPhone, iPad, Android-based mobile phones and a slew of other devices. At roughly the size of a deck of playing cards, it’s [...]

Travel App Answers the Question: “I Wonder Where that Plane Is Headed”

Plane Finder AR allows you to “point [your] camera at a plane and you’ll see the flight number, aircraft registration, speed, altitude and how far away it is!” I’ve no idea how this app is in any way useful. And yet I must download and install it immediately. This is just too damn cool. Putting [...]

TiVo for Your Life: Looxcie Is a Tiny, Wearable Video Camcorder

Fast Company likens it to “TiVo for life”. Looxcie (as in “look see” – get it?) is a wearable Bluetooth HVGA video camcorder that records anytime, anywhere whenever it’s turned on. Imagine being able to relive every waking moment of your travels – the sunsets, the morning showers, the daily interactions with locals in that [...]

Knee Defender Protects You From Reclining Airplane Seats

Knee Defender does exactly what it says: … helps you stop reclining airplane seatbacks so your knees won’t have to. It helps you defend the space you need when confronted by a faceless, determined seat recliner who doesn’t care how long your legs are or about anything else that might be “back there”. I’m a [...]

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