travel
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Universal Travel Adapter keeps jet-setters happy
Sure, setting out for a trek around the globe sounds like fun and games at first, but when you plop down in that Welsh hotel and realize your US power adapter is worthless, terror can quickly ensue. Fret not, fellow argonauts, as the Universal Travel Adapter with USB Port has arrived to clear your mind of worry and ensure that your wares can be juiced up from almost anywhere. For $17, you'll get plugs for the US, UK, Europe and Australia, but it seems you're on your own if heading to another galaxy.
Knapsack collects travel tools for Leopard users
I never had one of those big world maps as a kid, the kind you put pushpins in to indicate all the places you've traveled -- I'd been thinking about getting one for my children, but now I might as well go digital with Knapsack 1.0, a Leopard-only travel planning tool.Knapsack lets you build your itinerary (with the requisite pushpin world map), create checklists and postcards for each destination, and plan your daily activities for each trip. Once your itinerary is locked, you can send it out to family or colleagues so they can track you down if needed. Knapsack's got a clean, Bento-ish UI that soothes the travel-anxious brain (see the screencast for a sample). For $39.95, it's a bit of a unitasker -- if you're already using a notebook, organizer or task-management app, it may be easier to leave your itineraries with the rest of your stuff. One might have expected Knapsack to implement iCal sync or integrated search with Orbitz, Expedia, etc., but I imagine that there are plenty of future features in the works.[via Apple Downloads]
One Shots: Traveling in style
How we long for the days of the future when we'll be teleported where we want to go. Sure, ours will likely involve far less magic and be much more in keeping with Star Trek, but it's still a nice dream. (And just think of all the awesome news coverage we could give if we could just teleport around!) Today's One Shots brings us a screen of one of the places we can at least enjoy fast transportation today! This comes to us from Firelore, Level 50 Warden in EverQuest II, who appears to be hanging out on a flying carpet inside of a spire. (Did we mention that we want flying carpets too?)Do you have a cool screenshot of how you get around in your world? Or maybe something interesting you've seen while flying or riding around? Whatever it may be, grab those screenshots and send us a bunch at oneshots@massively.com! Let us know your character name, server, level, or whatever you'd like to tell us about you and tell us a bit about what's in the picture/what game it came from. It takes only a few minutes, and it's a lot of fun to see your adventures shared with everyone.%Gallery-9798%
Patch 2.4 has better ways to go
Blizzard has started to realize that travel (as in real life) can be boring in the game. On the Public Test Realm (PTR), they have put a few new ideas to good use when forcing players to travel long distances to get to new content.I copied my character to the PVE test server (once it started working again), and began a flight to Quel'Danas from Ironforge. First off, I already had the flight path, which was refreshing to start with. The odd thing is that upon reaching the gates of Ironforge, the bird rocketed straight up vertically which panicked me a little until I realized that it was on purpose. All the sudden, welcome to a loading screen appeared. I was dropped on the far side of the Ghostlands gate and continued my flight all the way north to the new content at Quel'Danas. This shaved off several minutes flying time and provided an easy way to bridge an old flight path to a new one easily. A flight path spanning from the original content to the content now in the expansion (technically a patch is both and neither) is the type of crossover innovation I knew Blizzard was capable of doing.Another new idea is to provide a quest reward to transport you to Shattrath, Darnarian's Scroll of Teleportation from the new quest Know Your Ley Lines. This is as opposed to the hearthstone you get. This item only has a 20 second cool down, so at least the outbound trip from Quel'Danas to Shat will be quick and painless. Blizzard is adding some creative ideas to help travel become a bit easier especially for those who have run around the world and picked up every last flight path during the course of their rise to 70, and now are tired of flying everywhere. Now what I wonder is how travel to and from the floating city of Dalaran will work, not to mention other destinations, once it has blasted off from Hillsbrad and begun to hover over Northrend. Perhaps travel will be done in much the same way. This isn't all that new, since boats already use a very similar mechanism from Darkshore to Azuremyst Isle. I imagine things will get even trickier to manage with 2 expansions up and running, from a technical perspective for Blizz, so it is nice to know that they are thinking ahead on how we will get there, get back, and generally move about the world we love. Nice to know indeed.
Hyatt Place gearing up to open 86 new hotels, bring HD to every one
Hyatt Hotels have long since been a safe haven for HD junkies on the run, so those who find themselves living out of a suitcase will certainly appreciate this news. Reportedly, a total of 86 Hyatt Place hotels have been approved for construction, and you'll find these new projects going up in a smorgasbord of American and Canadian cities. As expected, every single new Hyatt Place will offer guests complimentary WiFi, an eight-foot sleeper sofa, a 42-inch HDTV, at least 11 channels of HD programming, the firm's own Plug Panel and access to games on NFL Sunday Ticket and NBA League Pass to boot. For a list of cities where these gems are headed, be sure and give the read link a visit.
Yukemuri Suspense's real-world adventure
Zenrin's Yukemuri Suspense (Steam Suspense) uses real-world locations and maps of Japan in its mystery story, sending players (virtually) to landmarks and hotspots. More screens of the investigative adventure game have come out showing the digitized, realistic style of the game, and, well, we don't know what to say. We had this vague hope that the total-realism approach would imbue the game with a serious, dramatic tone. But it doesn't! It's just kind of goofy. We suppose you still have to hire realistic actors.The latest Famitsu post about the game mentions that not only are the locations in this murder-mystery real, but so are the lodgings and the food served. It's a mystery game as a travel guide! We can look past silly faces and appreciate the innovation.
Continental rolling out DirecTV, IM, and email to 225 planes
In another mostly positive step for in-flight entertainment options, Continental Airlines will be rolling out DirecTV along with email and IM service on 225 of its planes starting next January -- the majority of its domestic fleet, according to Reuters -- although watching some tube will reportedly cost economy passengers six bucks-a-pop. Continental is teaming up with LiveTV on the venture, a subsidiary of JetBlue which also provides that airline with DirecTV, XM, and, more recently, limited Yahoo email and IM services courtesy of its 800MHz bandwidth acquisition. LiveTV will both provide and install a majority of the in-plane hardware in exchange for most of the revenue from economy section TV viewers; the 36 DirecTV channels will be free to first class passengers, and anyone with compatible devices and a Yahoo account can connect to the flying hotspots.[Via Reuters]
Travel channel's Bourdain hits EA Vancouver studio, lands role in Boll's Far Cry
Anthony Bourdain is probably the flyest guy you've never heard of -- he's a life long student of the culinary arts, star of the popular show "No Reservations" on the unpopular Travel Channel, and is smarter and better-traveled than a handful of Ernest Hemingways. On top of a stack of best selling books and a successful culinary career, Bourdain now has a few more feats to tack on to his resume following his show's recent trip to Vancouver -- he's a special guest in EA Sports' FIFA Street 3, and and extra in Uwe Boll's next box office train wreck, "Far Cry".Yes, during his trip to the Great White North, Bourdain not only had the opportunity to have a (hideous) character modeled after him at EA Vancouver's swanky headquarters, he also got to drop by the Far Cry set (check it out after the jump), where it seems he received a fairly cold reception from Boll. That's okay, though -- before taking the stage as "Dr. Gets Shot in the Chest", Bourdain added his own commentary about Boll's burgeoning career -- "Perhaps you know his work from such films as 'House of the Dead' and 'Bloodrayne'.""And then," he says with a smug grin, "maybe not."
Second Life Israel
Second Life Israel is a location in SL geared toward presenting some of the cultural and social landmarks that the real world Israel provides, from the Dead Sea to the Eilat Underwater Observatory. Creator Chaim Landau says of the build "We wanted to present Israel as a very modern country that is rooted in its history. We hope to present Israel outside the box." That would explain the poseballs found on the Dead Sea beach that read 'tan dat back!'Co-created with Beth Brown, who built the Temple Beth Israel, a synagogue, SL Israel is a wonderful example of how the two worlds, real and virtual, can coincide. To visit it, search for 'Israel' in-world, or click here.%Gallery-14157%
Ask Massively: The beginning
Ask Massively is a brand new feature here on Massively-- it's your chance to take control of the little conversation we've got going on, and ask us MMO experts whatever you want. Want to know what MMO you should be playing, or why something in your favorite MMO is a little strange? Have a question about the site, or need an MMO standby explained? We're here to explain and elucidate the answers to all your queries, whatever they be.To ask a question of Ask Massively, you can either put it in the comments on this post (for next week's edition), or drop us a note on the tipline. And this column will run entirely on your questions, so please let us know if there's something you want to know, no matter how complicated or how silly.Click the link below to check out the first edition of Ask Massively! A warning: for the first edition, I cheated a little bit-- these are all questions from my friends. But next week, you'll have the chance to get a question of your own answered.
DS Daily: Taking it with you
... or, more specifically, taking it with you to family gatherings over the holidays. As in, will you be carrying your DS around? For holiday travel, it's a real boon; the DS can help with the monotony of long plane trips or drives (so long as you're not actually driving), or help deal with jet lag or insomnia from changing time zones. It can also be fun to share the joy and wonder of the world's best handheld with the uneducated masses. Did you do that last winter? If so, you may not be the only one sporting a DS at this year's holiday gatherings. Hey, maybe you'll be able to get some download play in!
MagShoe, the "portable footwear weapons detection system"
Thanks to that freaky would-be shoe bomber dude, we're all now forced to endure the embarrassment of exposing foot odor and sock holes to our fellow passengers every time we take a flight -- but thanks to a company named IDO Security and its MagShoe metal detector, this long national nightmare at airport security lines may soon be at an end. The high-speed portable device allows folks to simply stand in its dual foot bays -- shoes on -- for just a few seconds before the all clear is given, and has already been tested successfully overseas. Military Tech goes on to report that a US deployment is almost a done deal, according to the company, with the TSA currently evaluating the MagShoe for domestic use. Now, will someone please come up with a way for us to bring a bottle of water on the plane?
Community cartographers take on Kunark
EverQuest II forum member Lenefir created a traveler's map of Kunark for players who are just getting started with exploring the new expansion. If you're one of those players, the map will help you locate the docks, the Wizard spire, both Druid rings, all zone lines, and the Sokokar Posts for fast travel around the continent. Another forum member named aprilweeks posted several zone-specific travel maps as well. It's always nice to see players creating deep, complete game-play guides. Not that long ago some LotRO players created a huge guide to housing decorations, too. It's those sorts of community things that make this genre of games special.
Wii Warm Up: Portability
We all know that the DS is easy to lug around, but how about your Wii? Does it ever leave your house? Do you take it on planes, trains, and automobiles? Maybe your Wii has been all over the world, or maybe it's never left your living room. Simply put, do you ever travel with your Wii?
LotRO landmarks: Ost Guruth
The environments that Turbine have created for Lord of the Rings Online are obviously crafted with love, always including intricate little details for the fans, so we don't blame them for wanting to show them off. The official LotRO website is running a series called "Exploring Middle Earth" where different landmarks in the game are showcased and described for aspiring travelers. If you've been occupied with the flood of brand spanking new content, this is a nice way of revisiting the roots of the game. The most recent episode features the fortress-ruins of Ost Guruth.Ost Guruth is situated in the Lone-lands, and is a questing hub for levels 20-30, featuring portions of the game's Epic storyline -- but it's more than that too. Exploring Middle Earth hopes to give players an understanding of the lore and history of their favorite zones, and to that end, we learn that the ruins you see now at Ost Guruth belie a mighty past. They were in fact a castle that ended up being a casualty of war... but we won't spoil the details here. You can enjoy the full article via the related story link.Oh, and since we're just now catching up on Exploring Middle Earth (and the earlier entries were from prior to Massively's launch), check out others in the series such as Barad Gúlaran and The Eavespires.
Talismoon's travel-sized, retractable sensor bar
Talismoon, the same company behind the swappable Wii slot gates and ninja-themed replacement shells, tinkered with Nintendo's sensor bar design to make it more compact for travel. The resulting $24.95 Sensor Wiire requires even less space than the already-low-profile standard bar and, thanks to its retractability, packs up without leaving a frustrating tangle of thin wires.As an added bonus, you could probably use it as a pocket-sized garrotte if you don't have any other assassination tools handy. Protect ya neck and jump past the post break for more photos of Talismoon's Sensor Wiire setup.
Super Trackstick covertly logs joyrides
Gizmos such as the Super Trackstick have been around for a tick, but the newest creation from Telespial Systems makes logging those late night trips to wherever a lesson in simplicity. This diminutive device touts 4MB of built-in storage for tracking "weeks or even months of travel histories," including records of the "exact routes, stop times, speed and direction, and other valuable information." Additionally, the GPS-equipped device gets powered from just two AAA cells (which last about a month), and users can expect the Google Earth integration to make for some pretty precise results. All of the data tracked can be easily uploaded to your PC via the built-in USB 2.0 connector, and while we're not exactly sure it's worth the $274.98 asking price, be sure and check out the promo video after the break.[Via The Raw Feed]
Travel Channel HD coming in '08
Well, it's about damn time that the Travel Channel hits high-def. Their programming was always a welcomed addition to the sometime stale lineup on Discovery HD Theater, but then the programming disappeared after Cox Communications bought the channel. None of that is going to matter though when the HD station hits in the first quarter of 2008. 95% of their programming is already scheduled in HD, and according to the TV Week article, the station seems committed to high-def. Channels such as these look stellar in high definition ,so hopefully the station will launch as scheduled.
Merian rolls out 3.7-inch Scout Navigator for Europe
As the flood of new gizmos continues to pour out of IFA, a new GPS handheld has emerged for the European market. Merian's Scout Navigator touts a 3.7-inch VGA touchscreen, four to eight hours of battery life, NAVTEQ maps of Europe, and traffic notification support. Most notable, however, are the built in AudioGuides, which "automatically play when you pass by any one of more than 800 places of interest in Germany, be it in a vehicle or on foot." For those intrigued, watch for it to land next month for a staggering €779 ($1,047).[Via Messe-Berlin]
Vibrating GPS rings could make traversing foreign lands easier
To be quite honest, there's been an awful lot of gadgetry lately tied to rings, and while it's a curious fascination, you won't find us griping over the latest ring-based device. Gail Knight's vibrating GPS hoops are nothing short of a traveler's dream come true, as these fanciful finger adornments work in conjunction with a neck-worn GPS controller to direct you to your destination via simple buzzing cues. The rings vibrate in a variety of manners to instruct the wearer which direction to go, which could certainly help an English tourist in Japan feel a lot more at home. Granted, even the inventor admits that the current design is entirely more suited for a lady, but we can envision quite a few macho gents putting their pride aside in order to refrain from being lost.[Via NaviGadget]
