Travel Technology - Travel Gadgets we're waiting for...

I was posting in another thread about a laptop with no internal optical drive and was thinking how nice it would be to have an external CD-RW or DVD-RW with Wireless USB (yes, I know it's not out yet but Bluetooth is just too slow even with V2.0 and EDR). For working with itty bitty laptops on a coach tray table one could toss the drive in the seatback pocket and not worry about it. How nice would THAT be. What are YOU waiting for?

Right now I just want one thing - an Internet connection 300kb or better for $15 or less coast to coast. Something good enough to sync mail, surf the web, but not quite fast enough or with low enough latency to support a viable voip connection :-)

Sprint's PowerVision plan is $15/month, unlimited usage with a Treo 700w, PPC-6700, and probably a few others. I tried the PPC for a few weeks when it came out and was getting 600-800kbps regularly. It could be used stand-alone or via USB as a modem (Bluetooth laptop connectivity support was "coming soon")

A standalone Sling receiver would ROCK

Tivo series 3

A nationwide 3G network using GSM.

A product that legally allows me to kill the obnoxious cell phone conversations around me. I don't need a 'cone of silence', but my biggest traveling pet peeve is loud, uncouth cell phone users. They have the most inane, curse laden, ego driven phone conversations.

And #2) Inexpensive and reliable secure WiFi access.

A standalone Sling receiver would ROCK

Tivo series 3

A nationwide 3G network using GSM.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Wireless USB in coming in the next couple of months. I believe Belkin will have the first hubs.

HD slingbox, I like the standalone idea, maybe that could be an apple 4.5" video ipod with 80 gb of capacity and a record function on the fly with 802.11n installed.

GPS watch, small portable on the wrist, nice. Screen would go back and forth from time to GPS display.

EDGE support in a sony ericcson phone!

call forwarding with the per minute fees!!

electromagnetic induction pads in all hotels, airport lounges and rental cards.

Wireless USB in coming in the next couple of months. I believe Belkin will have the first hubs.
Thus may be a fine point, but the Belkin product I saw demonstrated at CES uses the Freescale/Motorola version of UltraWideBand, while the Wireless USB standard is based on the MBOA/WiMedia version of UWB. The two are incompatible at the physical layer.

nmen, it's called an Archos, has been around for awhile now and is superior to the Video Ipod in about 100 ways.

Ok, if we are dreaming:

-a fully-featured laptop that weighs less than 2 pounds and who'se battery can last the whole way on a coast-to-coast flight (oh and has at least a 100G hard drive, tons of memory and a big, bright screen!)

-an IGO charger that actually CHARGES the whole line of Dell Inspiron and Latitude laptops

-a cell phone that allows me to have multiple numbers active at the same time, oh and that works in every country of the world (including Japan...)

-a blackberry-based expense report package that sync's with quicken

-the ability to charge every one of my monthly bills (i.e. car payments, mortgage, etc) to a credit card so that I only have to worry about missing ONE payment a month becuase i can't get online access to quicken in whatever hotel i'm in.

-a small, portable humidifier that i can easily carry in my checked luggage and use in hotels whos humidity always seems to be measured in negative numbers.


i could go on and on and on and on....

Nanotech dress suits that need no cleaning or pressing, can alter their appearance and insulating properties programatically, provide 100+ petaflops of computing power and obtain their operating energy from available radiant sources (light, body heat) or cold fusion
Infinitely expandable carryon luggage (but expands into a higher dimension; 3-dimensional cross section and mass remains constant)
Pocket Stargate with UPS (Universal Positioning System) Option


;) :p

nmen, it's called an Archos, has been around for awhile now and is superior to the Video Ipod in about 100 ways.

I know, i had one when they first came out. I didn't like the way the interface worked and it was slow. As well, the pvr ability was lacking. now, I didn't have the DISH branded version, that one might be better.

I don't mean the video ipod as it is today, "and you get video for FREE"
I mean a true 4-5" inch screen video player, optimized for video and connectivity, might be something like that coming out next week?

THAT I could go for.

oh, and one more thing.

SIM CARD CLONING or DUPLICATES from the CARRIER so that I can leave one in the CAR KIT and carry one with me. This is not hard to do, I had this setup in europe uh, 12 YEARS ago.

The perfect handheld device that does everything exceptionally. (music, phone, pda, etc, and it will be open, so I can download my own music to it, and not have to deal with anybody elses DRM requirements.

Not necessarily travel related, but for years I've wanted something besides a mouse, so I can use my hand instead of a mouse. And it won't be a glove. I truly want to point and click. :)

A Directv HD Tivo, with OTA HD built in, an HD DVD recorder, (whatever format wins), 4 tuners, with 4 front loaded hot swappable 300GB hard disks that can be plugged into a computer as an external disk for program viewing, tivo 2 go, and everything for $99 ;)

A credit card with a chip in it that would replace all of the plastic that you carry. Debit card, FF card, Library card, driver's license etc.

A credit card with a chip in it that would replace all of the plastic that you carry. Debit card, FF card, Library card, driver's license etc.


so, I call it the unicard, or cardone, or sometimes I call this the "one card that will unite them all!"

I have the business plan, if you have the $$$ just lemme know

-a fully-featured laptop that weighs less than 2 pounds and who'se battery can last the whole way on a coast-to-coast flight (oh and has at least a 100G hard drive, tons of memory and a big, bright screen!)I've got one that comes close. My Fujitsu 7010D Lifebook weighs a bit over three lbs., goes close to six hours with the second battery loaded in the optical drive bay, and I ordered it with a 100GB HD and 1 GB of RAM. The screen is plenty bright and it has one of the loudest sound amplifiers I've ever seen in a laptop. On two occasions, I have tripped on its cord in a hotel room and pulled it off the table onto the floor while it was running. It shut down, then rebooted without a hiccup both times. I'd buy another one of these in a heartbeat,

A credit card with a chip in it that would replace all of the plastic that you carry. Debit card, FF card, Library card, driver's license etc.

Let's make sure you include an integrated biometric security mechanism that, upon failed authentication, instantly disables the card and triggers an alert with the major credit reporting services. Also include a "beacon" RFID function that, upon being activated by the cardholder, can alert law enforcement of being in peril.

Let's make sure you include an integrated biometric security mechanism that, upon failed authentication, instantly disables the card and triggers an alert with the major credit reporting services. Also include a "beacon" RFID function that, upon being activated by the cardholder, can alert law enforcement of being in peril.

the current plan is not for $$ based cards like credit and debit. Institutions have so much branding, I don't think they would go for it, and the $$ makes it too much to carry from a liability standpoint.

[QUOTE=nmenaker]
GPS watch, small portable on the wrist, nice. Screen would go back and forth from time to GPS display.
[QUOTE]

Garmin has four (at least) wrist-watch style GPS receivers. Here's a link to one:
http://www.garmin.com/products/forerunner305/
Just search the site for the other ones. They're a bit clunky but seem to do what you want and more.

[QUOTE=nmenaker]
GPS watch, small portable on the wrist, nice. Screen would go back and forth from time to GPS display.
[QUOTE]

Garmin has four (at least) wrist-watch style GPS receivers. Here's a link to one:
http://www.garmin.com/products/forerunner305/
Just search the site for the other ones. They're a bit clunky but seem to do what you want and more.


yeah, these are great, I saw them at CES. they are far better than the previous generation that Garminn released. I don't find the antenna that obtrusive at all.

That said, I want the think in regular seiko, breitling form factor and size, maybe a nice OLED display that does an analogue clock face, or digital but then BOOM swaps right over to a Copilot style GPS mapping device.

we WERE dreaming, right?

Smallest fully functional notebook computer:

Flipstart PC (http://www.flipstartpc.com/)

Well, without resorting to dream gadgets, what I'd really like is a Pocket PC with a good screen that supports the user of external hard drives - USB 2.0 or Firewire. When I travel for pleasure, I don't really need a full blown laptop - I just want some wireless internet connectivity, a word processor for trip reports, maybe some movies or ebooks stored electronically, MP3 player, image viewing and storage, and some document storage. The only thing missing from current offerings is a good way to store a large number (>20 gigs) of digital photos/movies/MP3s, etc... As it is, I have to use 2-3 devices to do all of this. I don't even need full convergence with a cell phone.

I'd also like to see better battery technology - smaller, lighter, longer lasting. Increasingly, this seems like one of the biggest issues in technology that is slow to develop.

Origami maybe... ? :p

Smallest fully functional notebook computer:

Flipstart PC (http://www.flipstartpc.com/)

Welcome to FT! I gotta admit, until I see one of these things put through it's paces I have my doubts. The OQO is horrid and the specs on this are identical so I don't have much hope.

I was posting in another thread about a laptop with no internal optical drive and was thinking how nice it would be to have an external CD-RW or DVD-RW with Wireless USB (yes, I know it's not out yet but Bluetooth is just too slow even with V2.0 and EDR). For working with itty bitty laptops on a coach tray table one could toss the drive in the seatback pocket and not worry about it. How nice would THAT be. What are YOU waiting for?

1. That'd be great. But I guess they won't let you use it on board!

2. A Mac OS powered PDA + a decent virtual keyboard

3. A 12'' MacBook Pro

4. A TSA certified corkscrew (now I'm dreaming)

Could there be a gadget to ensure that you have a witty, urbane, intelligent, and attractive (and single) seatmate? :D

Ditto. How hard is this one? Mnay probably don't need it, but I sure do. Cellphone providers have no clue what customer service is. They just don't care.

oh, and one more thing.

SIM CARD CLONING or DUPLICATES from the CARRIER so that I can leave one in the CAR KIT and carry one with me. This is not hard to do, I had this setup in europe uh, 12 YEARS ago.

Surprised no one has mentioned it: how about teleporting devices that would take you from where ever you are to where ever you want to be in the twinkling of an eye.

Paris for lunch? New York for dinner? San Francisco for a baseball game (GO GIANTS!) Work in Switzerland for the day, home for the evening in SFO with the family?

Presto!

And of course, every trip would be free, first class and have triple miles ... though I am not sure what we would use the miles for! :D

Ah yes, the beam theory. This is a fun topic of mine that I will bring up often in parties, or corporate retreats.

Assuming beaming was possible, in the future or from a human perspective, there would most likely be a carbon based limit to how many, how often or how far one could use them.

That being the hypothesis, when and where would you use them? How many would you save for that event where you HAD to be someone, death of a parent/child, or birth. Would there be some restriction to limit a "youts" use of them too early. I know we ALL would have probably used them when were all teenagers and the hormones were FLYING and we just thought we HAD to be with such and such person or we were going to DIE! Well, we DIDN'T die and that would NOT have been a good use of such a very limited resource.

So, where you gonna beam today!!

Surprised no one has mentioned it: how about teleporting devices that would take you from where ever you are to where ever you want to be in the twinkling of an eye.

And here I thought we were trying to be realistic

Fine

I also want the following


Lightsabers
Antigavity Boots
Food replicators
Jet Pack
Force fields
Photon Torpedoes
Ray guns
Millenium Falcon
Starfleet Command


And the transporter of course ;)

And here I thought we were trying to be realistic

Fine

I also want the following


Lightsabers
Antigavity Boots
Food replicators
Jet Pack
Force fields
Photon Torpedoes
Ray guns
Millenium Falcon
Starfleet Command


And the transporter of course ;)


uh, LEA!!!

Well, I didn't mean to derail the discussion. Some of the ideas already offered are in the category, "ain't gonna happen, fella."

But to be a little more "realistic" a device that would totally solve the jet lag problem with single dose and no side effects.

Well, I didn't mean to derail the discussion. Some of the ideas already offered are in the category, "ain't gonna happen, fella."

But to be a little more "realistic" a device that would totally solve the jet lag problem with single dose and no side effects.


just call, 1-800 JOIN NOW, (usarmy and armed forces) spend five years training and get into a special forces unit, then you'll be set.

just call, 1-800 JOIN NOW, (usarmy and armed forces) spend five years training and get into a special forces unit, then you'll be set.

Actually I use what I am told they use now: a drug called modafinal. It's pretty darn good.

'sides, they wouldn't take me.

Well, I didn't mean to derail the discussion. Some of the ideas already offered are in the category, "ain't gonna happen, fella."

But to be a little more "realistic" a device that would totally solve the jet lag problem with single dose and no side effects.

A TRUE hypersonic jet service would solve that problem.

LAX to NRT in 45 minutes would take care of any jetlag for good.

A TRUE hypersonic jet service would solve that problem.

LAX to NRT in 45 minutes would take care of any jetlag for good.

I guess that is assuming you would be doing the "home for dinner" route, and flying back and forth. But wouldn't that be REALLY expensive?

If you get there FASTER but still STAY there, I don't think it overcomes the phase shift componant of jet lag, just the "in the jet for 15 hours" componant, which is certainly measurable.

A TRUE hypersonic jet service would solve that problem.

LAX to NRT in 45 minutes would take care of any jet lag for good.

Really?

My understanding of jet lag is not that the amount of time spent flying is the problem, but that the discrepancy between time zones means that one's system is trying to shut down for sleep when the new locale is demanding that it wake up. My understanding is that the "daily rhythms" of the organism is prompted by cycles of sunlight and darkness, and further reinforced by rhythms of eating, sleeping, peeing, etc. etc. on a 24 hour daily pattern. And that it takes time for the organism to adjust all the functions of the various sub-systems to a new time cycle.

Jumping from SFO to CDG, for example, would still mean a 9 hour adjustment to the "biological clock."


I don't do so much travel north and south, but mostly east west. I am told that while one may have a kind of travel fatigue from going north south, it is nothing like what one gets in jumping a large number of hours from day to night or vice versa.

Back to OP: How about a helmet that provides fresh air uncontaminated by the flus and colds of those around you while also providing a noise elimination and IFE - like with a heads-up visor which will show movies?

A TRUE hypersonic jet service would solve that problem.

LAX to NRT in 45 minutes would take care of any jetlag for good.
LAX-NRT is 5,500 miles

You need the take off, flight, approach and landing

30 minutes takeoff and flight and 15 approach and landing

That means that in 30 minutes you would need to fly around 5,000 miles, which means you need to be flying at 10,000 miles and hour :eek:

Speed of sound is 760 miles an hour

Maybe I should add "inertia dampeners" to my scifi list, otherwise everyone in the plane will turn into ground beef :D

I know, I know, the whole premise is to go to space and wait until the earth moves and you reach your destination, and then head down :p

Surprised no one has mentioned it: how about teleporting devices that would take you from where ever you are to where ever you want to be in the twinkling of an eye.

Paris for lunch? New York for dinner? San Francisco for a baseball game (GO GIANTS!) Work in Switzerland for the day, home for the evening in SFO with the family?

Presto!

And of course, every trip would be free, first class and have triple miles ... though I am not sure what we would use the miles for! :D
I did mention it. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5371644&postcount=12) See the last option in the link.

I did mention it. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5371644&postcount=12) See the last option in the link.

Ah, I did not recognize what a Star Gate is/was/will be (?)

Kudos, Fellow Travelller, most perspicacious.

A product that legally allows me to kill the obnoxious cell phone conversations around me. I don't need a 'cone of silence', but my biggest traveling pet peeve is loud, uncouth cell phone users. They have the most inane, curse laden, ego driven phone conversations.


Noise-cancelling headphones? I'm bothered by any cell phone conversation: people talk louder into their phones than they do to a companion and most conversations are inane. I use earplugs now but have been seriously thinking about headphones (thanks for all the threads listing pros/cons, FT-ers!).

How about a light-weight, compact thing that slips over the seat which
*supports your head as you sleep (head support of course would be adjustable)
*provides the exact amount of lumbar support you want
*has adjustable armrests, at least one has a cupholder built in for your drink
*has adjustable footrests (adjustable to the extent that the airline seat allows, of course)

*includes extremely lightweight but durable heat-reflective blanket (which when flipped over, provides less warmth - because it's not the heat-reflective side)
*has built-in pocket in which gadgets to block out noise and light may be kept

Ok, if we are dreaming:
[snip]
-a cell phone that allows me to have multiple numbers active at the same time, oh and that works in every country of the world (including Japan...)



I know that's at the top of MY wish list! Cell phone rentals are so expensive over there, and I've heard rumors that it's no longer possible for non-residents to get short-term prepaid phones, which are much cheaper.

My cell phone Nokia 6230 is pretty good but I think it could be better.

It has bluetooth; alarm; MP3 radio; camera; IR; To Do List; Games FM Radio;

But it could do more; bigger screen; built in GPS; then is could act as a road map, and faster data rate so I could connect it to the laptop to surf the internet.

Technology is getting better all the time but then you end up with more complicated stuff which takes twice as long to learn and you end up with a heap of features you don't use.