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2011 Holiday Travel Gift Guide

Featured Posts, Gadgets & Gear, Shopping — on November 28, 2011 7:55 am
2011 Holiday Travel Gift Guide

With Cyber Monday specials across the internet, today is the day to score deals on travel as well as travel products. Gadget guy Phil Baker shares his pick of holiday gifts for your favorite traveler this year.

I’ve looked at dozens of products over the year and here are some of my favorite travel gadgets that make great holiday gifts.

Compact computer bag – Seattle-based designer and manufacturer Tom Bihn has introduced the Cadet, a laptop briefcase designed to carry your laptop or iPad, a few files or magazines, power supplies, pens, notebooks, and other small accessories. The Cadet, made in America, is also a checkpoint friendly laptop bag. It has a slide-out protective laptop sleeve as well as an ultrasuede-lined phone pocket, designed specifically to fit iPhones. ($170)

Portable scanner – One of my favorite tech products is the Fujitsu ScanSnap, a portable scanner that works with any computer. It’s great for scanning receipts, sketches and documents, turning each into a PDF that can be emailed or saved. ($199)

The bomber jacket electronics case is designed for carrying travel essentials in your briefcase, but also makes a great man’s bag that lets you carry your phone, medicine, business cards and keys. It’s full of pockets and is made from an ultrasoft pebbled grain mocha colored leather. $59 from Levenger.

LifeProof case – One of this year’s most popular iPhone cases in the LifeProof iPhone case that protects the iPhone from 7-foot drops and immersion in up to 3 feet of water. What’s so special about it is that it’s no bigger than an ordinary iPhone case and everything functions normally. Now there’s no need to be concerned with spilling coffee on it or letting your kids or grandkids use your phone. ($80) The company has also developed a line of accessories for mounting the case on a bike, motorcycle or belt.

Canon PowerShot S95 – The Canon S95 is one of the new breed of pocket-sized cameras that take pictures that are superior to normal compacts. It has an oversized sensor, a 4 to 1 zoom lens with full autofocus. I took it on a trip to Europe this summer and used it more frequently than my DSLR and got images that were nearly as good. It’s being replaced in a month or two by the S100 ($429), with a few improvements including a longer zoom range. But that means the S95 can be purchased now for $289, making it an incredible deal.

Jawbone’s Jambox wireless speaker provides incredible sound from a small brick-sized box that’s great for a hotel room or office. It connects to your music player or smartphone by Bluetooth and doubles as a speakerphone. Two drivers and a small dome speaker produce a wide audio spectrum. It can be updated with apps, software and new features. Plays for about 8 hours using an internal rechargeable battery. ($199)

P5 stereo headphones – Bowers & Wilkins, a British audio company, has created headphones that are beautifully designed and provide excellent sound. Made of steel, aluminum and leather, with no visible plastic, it folds into a thin, padded fabric case less than an inch thick, making it great for travel. While they’re sound-isolating headphones, they have no electronic noise cancellation as do the Bose Quiet Comfort series. But they sound better and reduce outside noise somewhat by sealing on your ears ($300). On the other hand, if you’re looking for noise reduction earphones, you can’t beat the Bose Quiet Comfort 15 at the same price.

While you may get stares from the restaurant’s sommelier, the Vinturi Travel is a portable version of their wine aerator that lets you aerate your wine, one glass at a time. Weighing just 4 ounces, it comes in a case and costs $40.

The Cambridge Explorer duffel bag made in England is a huge carry-on bag that can hold your clothes and most anything else. It’s made of smooth, full-grain tobacco leather and opens wide for packing. 23”W x 12”D x 13”H for $599.

Are you shopping for a traveler this holiday? Tell Peter and Phil what’s on your list…

For more gift ideas, check out:

By Phil Baker for PeterGreenberg.com. Phil Baker has more than three decades of experience in consumer and computer technology product development and program management. Check out his blog at www.philipgbaker.com.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XZZ2KVWLGEACG2SSWELBL3ITNA Sadie Heldberg

    The
    Holidays are here and everyone is deciding what to give to the ones they love. I
    can speak from the experience I have had from the gift I received last
    Christmas and have been using all year, which is delightful! As a frequent flier,
    there are a few obvious concerns that can be pointed out right from the start.
    Long waits in lines, layovers, and missed flights with all work and no play.
    Stir all this together and you have a recipe for a nervous breakdown at least
    for some. I have always tried to look at the glass as half full and use the
    creative side of my brain as a tool of progression to avoid a blended brain. My
    passions and hobbies have become even more important since I have started traveling,
    more which is your basic living without scenario. Therefore, I realized that I
    needed to bring about a peace of mind both for my health and for the sake of
    the film blog that I had put so much effort into in the past. I started doing
    research on the plane, which I found wonderful but I was not getting the
    resources I needed to really fulfill the quality I was use to producing in my
    writing. Then I shook hands
    with new technology called the Sling Adapter available through Dish Network
    bought by my fiancé. This is now free through a rebate to qualifying new and
    existing customers. This resource has changed an important part of my life. The
    Dish Remote Access app is free and downloads to iPads, laptops, and Smartphones
    plus there are no additional monthly charges and it is that simple. It has
    given me the ability to have unlimited access to all my subscription programming
    and I need those movies. With the online content I can get access to tons of more
    movies and thousands of TV episodes but I can also schedule my DVR events
    remotely if need be and utilize the recordings. I found it strange that other
    companies restrict programming to their customers then charge for the app and
    the Sling technology. This technology is important because it challenges my
    creative side to blossom. My work for Dish Network will always require travel,
    which will take me away from my blog, but I can research everything I need
    while I am away. Then when I get home, I am prepared to write. This technology
    is awesome, for someone who just wants a distraction they can sit back and
    enjoy movies or catch-up on TV shows, sports. It is cool, now I finding out
    that live streaming is available which is even more resources for my cause.
    Awesome!
     

  • http://www.visitfloridakeys.com/ Florida Keys

    Thanks for passing along such an awesome list on gifts to be given this Christmas, I loved the Cambridge Explorer Duffel Bag the most amongst all of them. Nice one…!!