It's that time of year again and I'm looking forward to heading out to Adobe Photoshop World this week in Las Vegas! I'll be teaching my usual two InDesign classes, but this year I'm also teaching a Lightroom class and even a Social Network – Facebook class.
In addition to the conference track classes I've got something up my sleeve for the keynote as well as a couple of lighting demos (Bogen – 2:15 on Wednesday and Westcott 1:30 on Thursday) on the tradeshow floor. Lastly I'll be doing a quick demo of the Wacom Intuos 4 in the Wacom booth (4:00 on Thursday) too. Yep, it's going to be a busy week and I'm excited to go and see many of you there!
In case you missed it, Nikon introduced their New D3100 DSLR body just this past Thursday. This camera was rumored for quite a while and the rumored specs were pretty accurate. So it wasn't a shocker to see it, but there was one feature that I was hoping to see that didn't seem to make the cut. My current travel camera is a Nikon D5000 and I like the size and weight of the D5000 for travel, plus the ability to shoot video. The one thing that would have made me upgrade (or downgrade) to the D3100 in a heartbeat would have been audio in. Sigh…. While the D3100 steps up to 14.2 MP, adds 1080p video (Yay! and about freaking time), continuous auto focus in Live View (we'll have to see if it really works or not) and 12,800 ISO (equivalent), the audio for video recording is still limited to the built in Mono mic.
I want good audio too
Most video cameras have crappy built-in mics. However, most video cameras also let you plug in a better mic via a stereo audio input. To make matters worse is that the built-in audio on Nikon DSLRs is only 11hz. A bad mic with bad compression, equals really really bad audio. Giving this camera 1080p, auto focusing video is AWESOME, but the limitation for many is definitely going to be the audio. Now if you plan to shoot video with your great lenses in all of the D3100's 1080p glory and then add your own sound track or music later, then this won't be a big deal, but if you need the source audio from the event you're recording, then you're going to either have to record the audio on a different device and merge them later in post or have sub par audio to go with your great video.
I would upgrade to a D300s at this point, but I'll continue to wait and see what comes next since the D300s was last year's model. It DOES have audio in, but it's only 720p video and if I'm going to spend the bucks, I'd rather wait since I don't think Nikon is done for 2010 just yet 🙂
What to do?
If I didn't already have the D5000, and was looking for a small Nikon DSLR with some pretty cool features, then I wouldn't hesitate to get this one. The price won't break the bank and it has a few features that even the higher end models don't have yet. I may still sell my D5000 (since my D5000 doesn't have audio in either) to get this if I get a good price on the D5000. For now, personally I'm in wait and see mode.
As a frequent traveler I'm always on the look out for a portable (smallest I can find with decent sound) speaker system for my iPod/iPhone. My main interest is personal listening in a hotel room. Although there are lots of small speakers out there, the problem is if you make it too small it sounds like crap! I'm a fan of the AirCurve acoustic speaker by Griffin, but I also like powered speakers too. My continuous search led me to the iMainGo 2 Handheld Speaker Case for iPhone and iPod. First off, there is nothing really iPhone/iPod specific about this case. It should work fine with just about any phone or MP3 player. There's a standard mini plug that goes in your device's headphone/line out jack so it should work with just about anything including your laptop or iPad.
What I like best about this speaker is that it's powered by standard AAA batteries that last about 30 hours on one set/charge. It would be nice if it were AC powered and had a dock connector to charge your iDevice, but I can live without that for portability, battery power and price. It's already hard enough finding enough plugs in a hotel room. Not having to plug in the speaker to use it is actually a good thing.
It sounds good too
One of the things I was most impressed with is the sound of this speaker in comparison to other portable systems I've tried that cost more and are bigger.
If you're looking for something small that sounds good and works with just about any device you carry, this is it.
I love my MiFi! However, the minute I tell people about it they get turned off when they hear that it runs $60/month. Luckily for me this road warrior perk provided by my employer. Even though I couldn't think of going on a trip without it, I can certainly see how someone that doesn't travel as often as I do, wanting the convenience of a MiFi. It's easy for me to justify a MiFi for work: At $60/month I look at it as that's 6 nights worth of hotel internet at $9.99/night (and that's if you're lucky. Yes I know some hotels offer it free, but most don't). So if I use my MiFi at least 6 nights a month instead of hotel internet it's a wash. Let's say you don't travel much. However, when you do travel you want the freedom of having your own mobile hotspot without paying a monthly fee or the ridiculous tethering charges that AT&T and others charge to use your smartphone as a modem.
Virgin Mobile Has the Right Idea
Pay as you go! Buy a MiFi from them for $150 (great price). Then only pay for it when you need to use it:
Even the 30 days/300MB at $20 option is probably more than most people would need for a two-four week trip.
If I suddenly found myself having to pay for a MiFi out of my own pocket, I wouldn't think twice about going this route. I don't use it every day and this way I can buy the device once and use it/pay for it when I need it.
Back in April I finally made it on to a plane that had Gogo In-flight WiFi internet (reviewed it here). I loved it! It was fast and convenient. Although I certainly wouldn't call it cheap, I wouldn't say that it was way over priced either. However, the other day I saw this article on how people weren't using it (less than 10%) and more importantly the reasons why. From the comments I saw, the main 3 reasons were cost, "coach seats are just too small to work" and lastly "flight time is my time and I want to be disconnected." Some are even predicting that if the price doesn't go down or become FREE that in-flight WiFi will go the way of in-flight telephones (most have been removed due to lack of use). While I can see the point, I don't think that it's as bad as the in-flight phones were. They were outrageously expensive and really the only reason you would use one would be in an emergency. However, for me inflight WiFi is one of the few perks left of flying. I don't look at it as I want to be disconnected as much as I see it as the internet IS MY IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT. My price test is, would I pay for this out of my own pocket? While I do get reimbursed for my internet expenses, I would probably still pay for this out of my own pocket if the flight were long enough. So I guess I feel the price isn't as much of an issue as some do. So what your take on it? Do you use it? If so why or if not why not?
Traveling with the amount of gadgets that I do (cameras, video gear, computers, tablets, etc.), it's always a challenge going through airport security. Now keep in mind that I'm pretty security minded, but I also consider myself to be a somewhat logical person too. So what really cranks me is the inconsistency that is the TSA Airport Security Lane. For the TSA and Airport workers reading this, nothing personal. I know you're just doing your job. I also can't imagine the tremendous amount of pressure you're under to not let a security breach happen on your watch. With that said, I don't really have an issue with the rules as much as I do the inconsistency in which they are enforced.
Take your laptop out of your bag
This one is pretty easy to understand. Your laptop has a lot of electronic components in it that need to be x-rayed. The reason they have you take it out is to make sure that nothing else is in the way of seeing through it. No problem. Luckily TSA approves bags like my new favorite laptop bag that allows you to keep your laptop in your bag (most of the time). I've had great success zipping through security with my laptop in this bag! I would say that I only have had to physically take it out once or twice in the US. Don't ask me why?
You can "probably" leave your iPad in your bag
I'll never forget reading an article like this one that stated that TSA says you can "probably" leave your iPad in your carryon luggage. I just laughed a little because I knew "probably" is how this whole thing works. The minute you leave it in, you'll be subject to a "bag check" (additional screening). So unless you have plenty of time to burn, don't gamble, don't argue, don't try to show them the article, just take it out and put it in a bin.
Since I spend a good deal of my time traveling for business, I get to stay in a lot of different hotels all over the globe. Many times I have a choice in hotel properties and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I have to stay at a particular location for logistical reasons based on the event or meeting that I'm attending. However, when I have a choice in hotels I'll always remember the ones that met my "tech" needs first. It's a given that we want a clean, safe and quiet room when we're away from home. So that's where I would start the scale at zero. After that, for me it's all about the availability of connections in the room itself. Here's what I demand:
Nothing ticks me off more than not having enough power outlets
I'm still amazed that some of the most modern hotels in the world only have one or two available outlets in their guest rooms. At a minimum I want to be able to plug in my notebook and charge my phone SEPARATELY from my computer. So yes, that means an outlet with TWO available plugs. It's fine if you don't want to rewire your rooms, but for God's sake at least put in a power strip. Marriott Hotels typically do a good job of providing lamps in the room with power outlets built right into the base. More and more hotels are doing this as a way of making it so that you don't have to crawl around on the floor or worse, move furniture to plug something in. You should definitely be installing these outlets as soon as they are available. I'm also finding lots of hotel rooms these days that have iPhone/iPod dock compatible alarm clocks. It could care less about playing music through these (although it is nice at times), it's more important to me that they give me an easy base for charging. Of course this sucks if you don't have an iPhone. My travel power solutions are here.
The more I travel internationally the more I realize that certain areas of the world haven't caught up to the "high tech business traveler" yet. I am painfully reminded of this in various hotels abroad. I know what you're thinking. No I'm not talking about Internet Connectivity. Actually for the most part 99% of the places I visit have in-room high speed internet (not always fast, but it's there). Actually I'm talking about a simpler problem. The problem of not enough outlets in the room! A couple of months ago I stayed at a Hilton in the UK and I was stunned that there was only ONE free outlet in the entire room. It was at the desk. So I had to pick and choose which devices to power/charge throughout the day/night. I kept thinking the whole time, "I really need a power strip." Actually I have a couple of mobile power strips by Kensington and Belkin that I love. However, they are for the US only. They have USB ports and plugging them in to a 240 volt outlet will FRY THEM (ask me how I know? 🙂 ) I could have gone to the local convenience store and probably picked up a power strip, but then the problem would be it would be for the UK styled plugs. What happens when I travel to a different location in Europe or elsewhere in the world and they have different plugs? So I resisted the temptation and just didn't buy anything. Well that was until recently.
On my last trip to India, I had a meeting with an Ad agency there and they had this very cool power strip in their conference room. It actually had multiple prong female adapters/plugs built-in to it. Also since it could handle the high voltage, you could plug it in in pretty much any country provided you had the proper prong adapter for the main cord. I knew right then and there this is what I needed, so I came back home and ordered this one. The only difference is that this one has a US styled plug on the end of the cord, which means I can use it here in the US without an adapter and when I travel abroad I can just put an adapter on it and use it in virtually any country that I may visit. This strip also cuts down on the number of adapters i need to carry. Since all of my gear has US styled plugs on them already, I only need to carry ONE adapter for each country/style to go on the end of the power strip that goes in the wall/outlet.
If you travel abroad frequently, you're going to want one. You can get it here for about $30.
As a frequent flyer I know all too well the headaches that carry-on luggage can cause on a flight. It's usually the people that don't travel regularly that either have bags that are too big to fit in the overhead or bags that don't fit the short way to accommodate more bags. It's frustrating for sure. It can even cause delays. However, for Spirit Airlines and others to consider charging for Carry On luggage, I think you're going about it the wrong way. Sure it's your airline and you can do whatever you want. You can charge whatever you want. No question about that. I think that most will view this as a negative even though you've supposedly lower the price of checked bags and that's my point. You charge your customers either way. It would be different if you said. "Hey if you want to carry your bag on there's a fee, but if you check it then it's free." Although I wouldn't be totally happy with that, at least it would be more fair and perhaps ease much of the pain I've described above. Also since you invested in all of those "your bag should fit in here" kiosks, why not charge the folks with bags that don't fit? Or simply enforce that policy of "if it doesn't fit in here, then you can't bring it on" that you already have and much of this issue would go away.
Here's what the CEO of Spirt Airlines had to say about this:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omYDG-YuSxI
The Bottom Line
Luckily Delta (the carrier I fly the most) and others did not follow suit and I think they didn't because they know that their customers wouldn't like it. Most travelers are traveling with things that can't be checked such as laptop computers and other fragile items (although a "purse" or "briefcase" is probably still allowed for free). So in effect you're punishing everyone with this policy because most of us don't have a choice. We have to travel with something that we can't check. I'm certainly not going to check my camera gear or other valuables. And again you're charging customers no matter what they do so I don't really see how this is helping anything other than perhaps your bottom line.
Last week I finally got a chance to experience in-flight internet via GoGo WiFi. I had been hearing about this service from my buddies for several months, but was never lucky enough to be on a plane that actually had it. My main carrier is Delta. Delta acquired Northwest Airlines and while they now operate as a single company and make no mention of NWA anymore, the former NWA planes seem to be last on the list to get upgraded with WiFi. So I waited. Not much of a choice when you live near Detroit. It's a Delta hub.
