Samsung's New TL220 and TL225 Camera

I absolutely love taking pictures, especially of my friends and I at parties and of my boyfriend and I when we go on vacation. However, when trying to take a picture of myself with a group of friends or with my significant other, I always tend to cut someone out of the picture no matter how far I extend my arm to try and get everyone in the picture. This can be very frustrating, especially when there is no one around to take a picture for you.

The New Samsung TL220 and TL225 camera has made this problem a thing of the past. The Samsung TL220 and TL225 are the first cameras to have two LCD screens- one on the back, and one on the front. The LCD screen on the front is 1.5 inches and simplifies self portraits and group shots by allowing the photographer to see the exact picture that will be taken at arm's length. The 1.5 inch screen can be turned on with just a quick touch of the screen and features a countdown timer on the screen for timed shots.

The LCD screen on the back is approximately 3.5 inches and is a touch screen. The touch screen offers many features to enhance pictures such as red eye reduction, blink detection, and image retouching. Shortcut features such as a touch delete are also offered. To delete a picture, an "x" can be swiped over the image on the screen during the playback with a finger, and the camera will delete the picture. However, a delete button is also offered on the touch screen for those who don't prefer to use the shortcut. Another shortcut feature offered is to view pictures. Instead of pressing the arrows on the screen, sliding a finger across the screen will scroll over to the next picture.

My boyfriend bought me the Samsung TL220 for my birthday and I absolutely love it. With the front LCD screen, I will now be able to take great pictures of my boyfriend and I when we are traveling and laying on the beach on vacation, and of my friends and I when we are out having drinks together. For those who enjoy taking self portraits and taking pictures of themselves and friends or significant others while traveling or just out on the town, I would highly recommend the Samsung TL220 or TL225 camera.

Check out the link below for a video about all the SAmsung TL220 features:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuuKiLKlAa0

iPhone Makes Travel More Conveinient

The iPhone has made traveling easier and enables vacationers to get the most out of their trip with travel applications that iPhone users can download at their convenience for a minimum cost. Some of the most useful travel apps that were rated in the top ten apps for travelers by National Geographic Adventure include: Next Flight, HearPlanet, UrbanSpoon, and World Customs.

When traveling, catching your flight on time is always a concern. with the iPhone application Next Flight, iPhone owners can use this app to track scheduled departures from more than 4,200 airports and 1,100 airlines. This app allows travelers to easily determine if their flight has been delayed, is on time, or may have been canceled. This app can be purchased for $2.99.

Once Travelers arrive to their destination,it is sometimes difficult to decide what are the best attractions to visit during their stay. Many vacationers will pick up brochures about local adventures and excursions offered, other vacationers will ask locals which attraction they recommend to visit, and some vacationers will just find out for themselves which attractions are the best. The iPhone application HearPlanet, simplifies a vacationers search for nearby attractions by telling them which ones are closest. The app even reads a Wikipedia description of the attraction out loud. This app can be purchased for $5.99.

Along with determining the best attractions to visit while vacationing, most vacationers want to know where all of the best restaurants are located. The iPhone application UrbanSpoon, will display the best guide to local restaurants just by simply shaking your iPhone, which will then spin a dial and reveal the closest restaurants. What is great about this app is that it is free!

For those international travelers whom may encounter situations in which they are unsure what the proper etiquette is, there is an i Phone application that will provide the traveler with international do's and don'ts. This app is called World Customs, and it can be purchased for $0.99.

If you travel a lot, and do not have an iPhone, maybe it is time to upgrade your phone plan. An iPhone can help simplify your travel experience and make it hassle free, which will make the trip go very smooth and allow the traveler to enjoy their vacation without any worries.

Geocaching Travel Adventure

A new and emerging technology that involves traveling is called geocaching. I was not aware of this technology until this past week when I learned about it in my new and emerging technology communications class. However, it is quite interesting.

Geocaching is a high-tech "treasure hunt," which is played throughout the world by individuals with GPS devices. The goal of the game is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. The containers are usually waterproof and are filled with a logbook and inexpensive "treasures" that can be traded once found.

Geocaching can be as simple as tracking these hidden containers in your local community, or for the more adventurous seeker, geocaching can be an elaborate treasure hunt that takes place across the country. Anyone can place a geocache anywhere in the world. So far, geocaches have been placed in over 100 countries and on all seven continents.

According to the website http://www.geocaching.com/, there are 917,115 active geocaches around the world. Individuals who are interested in geocaching in their community, can visit the geocaching website and type in their address to find a geocache near them. The website even offers steps on how to get started geocaching.

So next time you need an adventure, whether that is locally around your town, or traveling across the country, try to track down a geocache and share your adventurous stories and pictures online with others.

Emerging Technologies and Hotel Travel

Many people love to travel, especially when traveling for leisure. With new technology always emerging, traveling has become easier and more hassle-free over time.

When traveling via airplane, customers can pick up their flight vouchers from a kiosk in the airport without even coming in contact with an airline employee and engaging in communication. A similar feature has been implemented into several hotels including the Hilton and Hyatt to test out the system of electronic check-in.

In the near future, if the testing of these electronic check-in kiosk systems in hotels become a preferred method of checking in for hotel guests, many more hotels could implement this check-in feature for their hotel guests. The hotel electronic check-in would allow a guest to check in without going through the front desk and dealing with a hotel employee.

The electronic check-in at hotels would work by allowing a customer to insert their credit card into the kiosk, which will then allow the customer to choose a room from the touch screen. After selecting their room preference, the kiosk will provide the customer with a key card to their hotel room from the kiosk and provide them with their room number.

In conclusion, emerging technology continues to improve travel and pretty soon everyone may be able to experience the ease and convenience of checking into a hotel through electronic check-in kiosks.

HP Mini 1000 and Travel

When traveling, it is important to keep connected online, especially for business. The HP Mini 1000 is the perfect size to take on the road (or plane) with you while traveling. the HP mini 1000 is a netbook that is approximately 10.2 inches and weighs less than 3 pounds. The HP mini 1000 laptop also costs approximately around $400.

Most laptops are too heavy or too big to lug around in a carrying case, but the HP mini 1000 is the perfect size to bring with you while traveling- whichever your preferred method of traveling may be. Unlike smart phones which allow you to check email and stay connected, but have very small screens which can be tedious when trying to work on business, the HP mini 1000 has a screen that is a convenient size and allows you to comfortably view the text on the screen. Also unlike most laptops, the HP mini 1000 won't weigh you down, which is a plus while traveling.

As I have mentioned, the HP mini 1000 is a great size laptop to purchase for travel. The only drawback about the HP mini 1000 is that it does not have much memory space. However, more giga bites can be purchased in order to upgrade the amount of memory on your HP mini 1000 which wil be beneficial while traveling.

Check out HP's website to learn more about the HP Mini 1000

http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mini1000/index.html#/Main/

GPS Technology and Travel

Thanks to emerging technology in today's society, traveling has become simplified. Before global positioning systems (GPS), people had to stop at gas stations to ask for directions to their destination when they became lost. Thankfully that has become a thing of the past.

GPS makes traveling less of a headache and allows a trip go more smoothly. Traveling with a GPS allows individuals to plan specific stops along their trip and eliminates the possibility of getting lost. Whether it is a drive to an unfamiliar location, a weekend trip, or a long cross country road trip, a GPS will help ensure that the driver will not become lost along the way.

According to CNet.com, the top five GPS systems include:
1) Garmin Nuvi 880 for ($799.00)

http://reviews.cnet.com/car-gps-navigation/garmin-nuvi-880/4505-3430_7-32815498.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

2) Navigon 7200T ($202.00-$365.00)

http://reviews.cnet.com/car-gps-navigation/navigon-7200t/4505-3430_7-33229603.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

3) Magellan Maestro 4370 ($106.99-$409.55)

http://reviews.cnet.com/car-gps-navigation/magellan-maestro-4370/4505-3430_7-33367409.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

4) Mio C530 Navigation Receiver ($340.00)

http://reviews.cnet.com/car-gps-navigation/mio-c520-navigation-receiver/4505-3430_7-32461192.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

5) Tom Tom ONE 125- GPS Receiver ($163.54-$179.99)

http://reviews.cnet.com/car-gps-navigation/tomtom-one-125-gps/4505-3430_7-33401031.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody