luggage
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Airbus Bag2Go smart luggage wields GPS, RFID to skip airport hassles
Many of us avoid flying with checked baggage when possible, and for good reason: even a simple delay can sour a whole trip. Airbus' new Bag2Go prototype could save us from having to pack light, however. The smart luggage carries a raft of sensors that work with an iOS app to bypass the usual airport drudgery. Its RFID chip lets travelers check in their bag and link it to every step of their itinerary; in theory, couriers can ship baggage to the hotel at a lower cost than usual. Bag2Go should also provide some reassurance through GPS tracking and alerts to any possible tampering. Airbus is still early into development, but it foresees a business model where customers can either buy a Bag2Go suitcase at a premium or rent one for a long vacation. As for us? We'll just be happy if our luggage avoids an unexpected detour to Belize.
Ben Heck's wireless luggage will draw R2-D2 comparisons, stares from the TSA
Rolling your luggage through the airport with your arms? There's got to be a better way! If you're a lucky fan of everyone's favorite console modder Ben Heck, you could win the freshly-built hands-free robotic luggage lovingly nicknamed "Doug." Or you can just catch the latest episode of Heck's show to figure out how to build an obedient wheeled suitcase of your very own -- and wink at all of the requisite R2-D2 references. Old Doug here will follow its master (whoever happens to be holding its transmitter) up to 20 feet away, speeding up when he or she is further away and stopping when within a foot. The 'bot's desire to follow is fully disabled when you pick it up off the ground. Click the source link, if this happens to be the luggage you're looking for.
SiMo BoomCase vintage suitcase speaker rocks your androgynous hair style
Lube up the fixie and adjust your oversized glasses kids, the perfect hipster accessory for your journey of ironic self destruction has arrived. Created by the San Francisco-based Mr. SiMo, BoomCase is a series of portable speakers with batteries and headphone jacks pieced together from vintage suitcases. The one-of-a-kind case above features two main speakers and a top-side tweeter bunged into an old Samsonsite. The 8-pound case pushes a total of 30 Watts for up to 10 hours off an internal rechargeable battery when fed audio from your portable device's headphone jack. $295, that's how much. And for $20 more, Mr. SiMo will integrate a USB charger. Check the gallery for other variations although only the case above is currently for sale.%Gallery-102973%
TravelTeq's 'The Trip Sound' luggage boasts integrated speaker, USB charging port
Heaven only knows if you could actually squeeze this thing into the overhead bin of an Airbus A319, but darn if we wouldn't give our left arm to try. TravelTeq's newest piece of luggage makes just about every other average piece of zip-up cloth look downright antediluvian, but with a price tag well north of $700, that's certainly to be expected. It's engineered to be toted onboard your aircraft, with the top doubling as a seat and a set of pull-out wheels ensuring that you never tip it over whilst darting from one end of PHX to the other. It's fairly clear that the technophile was in mind during this unit's creation, as it touts a dedicated laptop pouch, a reinforced aluminum exterior, inbuilt speaker system (two drivers and 15 total watts of power), a 3.5mm auxiliary input, and a port for charging your mobile (or anything else with a USB port, save for an iPad). The Trip Sound is up for order right now, and we're guessing the toughest decision of all will be deciding between white or red wheels.
Man files $1 million lawsuit against US Airways for lost Xbox 360
A Yale student is suing US Airways for $1 million in compensation for his lost Xbox 360 and the emotional toll of attempting to recover it. He claims he had an Xbox 360 with a "specialized hard drive" and other fancy components worth more than $1,000 (is that the kind with the really, really loud drive noise?) in his checked luggage, and when he went to pick up his luggage it was considerably lighter than before, with the Xbox 360 and components found as the only thing missing. Sounds like no-fun-at-all, and the "run-around" he got with speaking to five different airline employees sounds equally painful, but we're not sure how that all adds up to $1,000,000 -- the maximum allowable by law in his state. US Airways says that not only does the federal limit of liability for lost luggage top out at $3,300, but that electronics checked in luggage are specifically excluded from liability. How kind.[Via Joystiq]
Power assisted Live Luggage ready to "world premier"
Well, well... three years and change have passed since we first told you about power-assisted Live Luggage. Now it's finally coming to market -- at least that's what we think they mean by a June 26th 2008 "world premier." The PA series of checked baggage features a 12V NiMH rechargeable battery pack supplying power to the wheels when the handle is gripped and the bag is tilted. The bags weighs 10.6kg (23-pounds) which is about 3kg (6.6-pounds) more than standard hard luggage, according to the manufacture. The cases are good for about 1.5 miles of assisted travel under a 32kg load. Of interest, the bags are now 2.6kg heavier than the original case which also featured a more powerful (and possibly exploding?) Lithium Ion battery pack capable of 2.5 miles on a single charge. We guess that was the concession made to get, "all the required accreditations and approvals from the global airport authority." No price was announced so we'll have to stick with the £397 (about $782) until we hear more on Thursday.Update: Oh boy, after poking around the site a bit we find a price of $1,365 -- twice as much as originally planned.%Gallery-25978%Read -- press release [Warning: PDF]Read -- Live Luggage
DOT bans checked, loose lithium batteries on flights
If you've been feeling like you didn't already have enough zany and / or pointless Department of Transportation rules to abide by, you're in luck! Starting January 1st, 2008, you can no longer pack "loose lithium batteries" into your checked luggage on flights. If your battery is attached to a device -- or is packed into a plastic bag -- you're okay. According to the report, "Common consumer electronics such as travel cameras, cell phones, and most laptop computers are still allowed in carry-on and checked luggage," though, "The rule limits individuals to bringing only two extended-life spare rechargeable lithium batteries, such as laptop and professional audio/video/camera equipment lithium batteries in carry-on baggage." The new ban is related to lithium batteries' propensity to explode, and not due to any terrorism concerns. We're not sure what they're getting at with that plastic bag rule, but this should make everyone's already complicated travel plans just slightly more annoying.[Via Gadling, image by rbrwr]
RFID, robots aim to handle luggage more effectively
RFID and luggage have certainly been used in the same sentence before, but IBM and Vanderlande Industries are hoping that their efforts will "cut down on the amount of baggage lost as it is being transferred between connecting flights." Truth be told, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is likely most concerned with travelers' baggage, as it has allowed the aforementioned firms to implement a "baggage management system to control and track each bag using robot handling software." Reportedly, a half dozen bots will manage the bags, which will purportedly "improve the working conditions of the people" -- the people who've yet to be replaced by machines, that is.[Via InformationWeek]
A BlizzCon packing list
Elizabeth's guide about what to bring and what not to bring onto the show floor at BlizzCon was helpful, but if you only brought what she suggested, you'd show up naked and without your ID. Those of us packing right now to travel across the country and spend the weekend in Anaheim need a little more guidance than that!And so we've put together a checklist, so you can make sure that from the second you leave your hometown to the second you return, you're well equipped for everything you need to make this BlizzCon perfect. The checklist, perfect for cutting, pasting, and printing as you pack, starts right after the jump.
RFID Limited unveils designer BagChip luggage tags for the elite
It's not like we haven't seen RFID in luggage before, but a highly focused company is looking to make that niche blossom into a thriving industry with its latest BagChip system. RFID Limited is currently marketing its chipped luggage tags to airline industries as a means of reducing human error and decreasing the amount of luggage lost in transit. Additionally, the company is adding a dash of glitz and glamor to its BagChipElite lineup, which will reportedly be designed to match luggage crafted by the likes of "Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton." Of course, there's nothing like a little knockoff material to grace the side of your entirely overpriced luxury bag, but unless the company lands approval to use the branding of these high-end boutiques, we guess you'll end up with second rate pattern mismatches. Nevertheless, there's no hard details regarding when we can expect to see these hovering around in airport kiosks and travel shops, but until RFID Limited sweet talks the airlines into providing support, we doubt this gets very far.[Via BoyGeniusReport]
