travel

Get an Acer 15.6-inch touch-screen laptop for $469.99

Sorry for the confusion with yesterday's OBi100 deal. First there was a link boo-boo, then the product sold out. But don't worry: even at the usual price of $39.99, that's a great landline alternative. And it'll be back in stock before long, I'm sure.

Much as I'm loving ultrathin, ultralight ultrabooks these days, there's still a place in the world for a laptop with a roomy screen, DVD drive, and other desktop-friendly features. (That DVD drive in particular will prove important when you read about the sweet deal I'm writing for Marketplace … Read more

Crave giveaway: Travel gear aplenty from accessory maker Kanex

Got any summer trips planned? This week's prize would like to join you. We're giving away a package of travel-friendly gear from Kanex, maker of connectivity products for Apple gadgets.

Here's what the winner gets:

A DualRole, which adds to your laptop three USB 3.0 ports and a connection to a secure wired network using gigabit ethernet. A mySpot travel-size wireless access point that lets you set up your own private, secure Wi-Fi network. A DoubleUp dual USB wall charger that lets you power two mobile devices at once.… Read more

Could the world's best turntables come from New Jersey?

VPI has been making turntables in New Jersey since the early 1980s when Ronald Reagan was president, and everyone thought the CD would kill the LP in a few years. Well, VPI is still there and is currently experiencing a sales boom.

Harry Weisfeld has been at the helm since Day One, but he's about to step down and let his son Matt run the company. Harry will continue to design turntables and tonearms. He makes prototypes, listens to his handiwork, and then goes back and tweaks the design. I spotted lots of failed designs all over the factory, … Read more

Get my favorite travel charger ever for $79

I first encountered the MyCharge Peak 6000 at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. Since then it has become my most prized travel accessory. I literally never leave home (for a trip) without it.

Why am I so enamored with something as basic as a mobile charger? Simple: the Peak 6000 does right what every other mobile charger does wrong.

For starters, it packs a 6,000mAh battery, which can recharge an average smartphone three to four times. Even better, you recharge the Peak's battery by plugging the entire unit right into an AC outlet. Its fold-up wall prongs … Read more

German rail network to fight graffiti with drones

From personal photographers to aerial artworks, drones are finding new applications every day. Now Germany's national rail network wants to deploy them against graffiti.

Deutsche Bahn says its trains were defaced about 14,000 times in 2012 alone, costing the operator about $9.8 million in cleanup expenses.

The company will start testing drones at large rail depots, where vandalism frequently occurs at night. The drones will be nearly silent and will have GPS tracking and sensitive infrared cameras to establish evidence for criminal prosecution.

The drones will fly at altitudes up to 492 feet with a top speed … Read more

Get an entry-level Lenovo laptop for $284.99

Quick housekeeping note: Deals are available at the time I write about them, and I usually have no way of knowing how much inventory a seller has left. Unfortunately, occasionally an item sells out soon after I post it, which is what happened yesterday. Believe me, I share your frustration. The good news is that good deals very often come around again -- and I always try to clue you in when they do.

Back to business. Did you ever stop to think how today's entry-level PC was yesterday's powerhouse? Not so many years ago, you'd have … Read more

Staying at the Burj Al Arab? Enjoy a 24-karat gold iPad

It's the most golden hotel perk since gold-bar vending machines: gold iPads.

As if the Rolls Royce and helicopter services weren't enough, guests at Dubai's opulent Burj Al Arab now have access to gold-plated iPads.

The 24-karat tablets are engraved with the property's logo on the back, which also features a black Apple logo. Ironically enough, the hotel chain's slogan is "Stay different." … Read more

Get an Acer Aspire 13.3-inch ultrabook for $529.99

Regular readers know that I just popped for a Lenovo IdeaPad U310 ultrabook, and I'll admit to having some buyer's remorse. The design is gorgeous, and it's a decent performer, but the touch screen adds no value (for me, anyway), and battery life is abysmal (around 3 hours).

Consequently, I may end up returning it, so I continue to look for other thin, light, and affordable systems. Like this one: Acer, by way of eBay, has the refurbished Aspire S3-951-6646 13.3-inch ultrabook for $529.99 shipped. It originally sold for $899.99.

The Aspire is an … Read more

Microsoft updates Windows 8 News, Maps, other apps

Microsoft has updated its various Bing apps for Windows 8 in a move designed to make them quicker to use and easier to customize.

The News app now lets you manage the different news categories that appear in the app. You can add or remove categories for world news, technology, politics, business, and entertainment, and sort the order in which they appear. You can also add a particular news source or RSS feed to your featured sources and to the Windows Start screen so that you can more quickly access their stories.

The News app's app bar has also … Read more