Expert Tips on Travel Tech Tools for Spring Break
Newswise — TORONTO, Mar. 3, 2011— Spring Break is an opportunity to escape the winter blues and soak in the rays, whether it’s on the slopes or on the beach. No matter your destination, tech gear can prove a handy carry-on for your travels. So if you want to make the most of your Spring Break let Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone tech experts help you gear up with these essential travel tech tools:
Travel Apps:• Travelocity app - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/travelocity/id284803487?mt=8Travelocity‘s app helps you find hotels, flights, destination guides from wherever you are – without looking like a tourist. • iSpy Game http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/ispy-game/id305900217?mt=8 Nothing helps pass the time on a road trip like iSpy. This app brings the classic game into the digital age, giving you a list of things to look for on your travels and tracking your progress.• Cheap Gas app http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cheap-gas/id290765007?mt=8 You’re on a road trip and you need gas. This app will tell you the nearest gas station, sorted by price, then give you the directions to get there.• WiFi Finder http://www.jiwire.com/iphone Save time while you’re on the road, by eliminating the need to hunt down an “internet cafe” or “wifi available here” sign; the Wifi finder does it for you! • Burstn http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/burstn/id384172494?mt=8Let your friends back home tag along on your current trip in real-time with Burstn. With DMZ’s very own Burstn real-time photo sharing app, you can share your latest pictures with your customized social network the moment you take the photo.
For the kids:• VTech V.Reader For some down time for you, and reading practice for them, the V.Reader Interactive E-Reader system teaches children to read wherever they are. The bright illustrations and interactive screen brings reading to life. With an array of age-appropriate story options for your reader, V.Reader has the flight time covered. • Fisher-Price Kid-Tough DVD PlayerFor long flights or to keep backseat squabbles to a minimum, a portable DVD player and a few movies are priceless. But turbulence, security screenings and juggling a lot of luggage are all threats to this tech toy...and its peacekeeping mission. But the Fisher-Price Kid-Tough DVD Player can handle being dropped, jostled and spilled on, plus it has big kid-friendly buttons and a headphone jack for you.• iPadWhether you pack the first generation or run out and pick up the second generation as soon as it hits stores, the iPad is great entertainment for kids. Between YouTube, shows, movies and games from iTunes, interactive children’s websites, kids’ e-books and the plethora of apps available, the iPad is your child’s perfect travel companion.• Bright Bunny: Road Trip Bingo and Gwen’s Picnic http://www.brightbunnystudios.com/games.htmlThese mobile apps for preschoolers are educational, cute and developed right in the DMZ. Compatible with iPad or iPhone, Road Trip Bingo deals a random bingo card and then your child starts looking for road signs, vehicles, animals and more. Gwen’s Picnic is a memory matching game where cute little Gwen gets to eat what you match.• Nursery Jam http://soundselecta.com/apps.html#njAlso for preschoolers on iPad and developed in the DMZ, Nursery Jam combines music, art and technology for an immersive, entertaining experience. Kids can make their own music while identifying shapes, symbols and animals, as well as letters and their sounds.
For Your Carry-On:Apple iTouch An iPod Touch is essential. Not only does it contain all your music, it is also a pocket size browser, a place to store your class readings and your email connection. Helpful for the airport, the beach or the library!
TuneBug Audio Speaker http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/d4e6/ This tiny portable speaker runs on an internal battery that charges just like your iPod, so there’s no need for an outlet. Shares your music with your travel buddies like a flat panel speaker, but takes up no room in your carry-on.
Kodak Zx1 Pocket Video Camera http://store.kodak.com/store/ekconsus/en_US/pd/Zx1_Pocket_Video_Camera/productID.145117100 This mini video camera captures all your memories in HD, and comes with its own edit suite so you can make full videos with texts, titles, transitions and music, then share it right away on YouTube for all your family and friends to see.
Go PRO Digital Camera http://gopro.com/ Create vacation memories like a pro with Go Pro camera hero HD. Capture your trip in high definition with 60 frames per second, and a super-wide 170 degree lens that creates the panoramic or fish eye look. This camera is water proof, shock proof, and can be mounted anywhere get you the right angle.
N Power Peg http://www.npowerpeg.com/ Whether you’re walking, running on the beach, or hitting the hills, this little gadget allows you to charge your phone or cameras just by moving. Placing the NPower Peg vertically in your bag or briefcase stores the kinetic energy created by your movements into the Peg, so when your phone or laptop is about to die, you can revive it with your own energy.
Opened in April 2010, Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone (DMZ) is a multidisciplinary workspace for young entrepreneurs infused with the energy and resources of downtown Toronto. Set atop Yonge-Dundas Square, this hub of digital media innovation, collaboration and commercialization is home to both entrepreneurial start-ups and industry solution-providers. With access to overhead and business services, students and alumni can fast-track their product launches, stimulating Canada’s emerging digital economy through spending and job creation. In its first year of operations, the DMZ helped nearly 100 innovators to incubate and accelerate 20 start-ups and to launch 42 projects. For more information on the DMZ, visit www.ryerson.ca/dmz.
Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers close to 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to 28,000 students, including 2,000 master's and PhD students, nearly 2,700 tenured and tenure-track faculty and staff, and more than 130,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca.
RSS