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Hopper wants to challenge Airbnb with short-term vacation rentals
This week Hopper announced that it will be expanding its travel services with new support for short-term home rentals.
Luxury resort bans gadgets at swimming pool to create guest 'haven'
Look, as great as it is to have all these fancy laptops and smartphones around us, sometimes we can become too attached to them. And when you're on vacation, you just have to find a way to break free from technology. That's why a luxury resort in Bali, Indonesia is banning electronic devices from one of its swimming pools. With its "In the Moment" campaign, the five-star Ayana Resort & Spa wants to encourage its guests to unplug and fully enjoy their me-time, which it feels can be more easily accomplished if they're not worrying about calls, checking email or what's happening on social media.
Google Trips is a pocket-sized vacation guide
If you've ever visited a foreign country and realized that you're not quite sure what to do after hitting all the major tourist attractions, the new Google Trips app might be the digital tour guide you're looking for. The new app for iOS and Android helps build itineraries around the places you already want to see to help travelers get the most out of their vacation.
Recommended Reading: Is Instagram ruining our vacations?
Instagram Is Ruining Vacation Mary Pilon, Backchannel Instagram users, myself included, share many daily activities with the social channel's filter-driven photography and videos. That habit is only amplified when we go on vacation, nabbing photos of sights, meals and more. Is our desire to snap a picture actually ruining our ability to tune out the world and relax when we're away? It sure seems like it.
Plan your entire vacation with a single Google search
Google Search's latest feature makes it possible to arrange your entire holiday (flights, accommodation, itinerary) from a single search. It's the company's first foray into travel on mobile, mimicking the move that most of us are making with our browsing habits -- off PCs and onto our phones. You can start with a seriously broad outset (Google's video demo suggests Europe), and then you can dig down into cities and places, pricing on hotel rooms and flights are simplified for broad dates which you can specify further if needed. That name's a little familiar though...
Foursquare helps you ask friends for travel advice
It's a familiar problem: you're heading to an unfamiliar city and looking for things to do, but you'd rather not ask each and every friend in the area for advice. What do you turn to? Foursquare has an answer: it just launched Trip Tips. The site lets you give friends a custom link where they can suggest places to go based on where you're traveling and your own notes. Any locations they offer will go into a Foursquare list that you can use to plan your itinerary, whether it's on the web or in mobile apps. Your friends can even save the list for themselves, in case there's something they hadn't already tried.
Airbnb wants to book your whole trip
Outside of a limited concierge service, Airbnb hasn't done much beyond getting you a room -- you're on your own if you want a tour. That might change very soon, however. Airbnb is testing Journeys, a travel agent-like service that covers the whole experience. The fixed-price option covers basics like accommodation, meals and transportation, but also provides a hand-picked host who'll show you around town. You could visit locals' favorite eateries, attend parties or even go skydiving. About the only thing you'd have to worry about is getting to the city in the first place.
Konami says Hideo Kojima hasn't left, he's just on vacation
Please stop toying with our emotions like this, Konami. Yesterday, The New Yorker reported that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima officially parted ways with Konami on October 9th, following a farewell party at his in-house studio, Kojima Productions. Today, Konami denied Kojima's departure to Japanese site Tokyo Sports, as translated by Kotaku. "Currently, Kojima is listed as a company employee," a Konami spokesperson said, according to the translation. Apparently, the spokesperson said that Kojima and the team that developed Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain are all taking a long vacation. And that reported farewell party? "We're not sure what kind of thing this was," Konami's spokesperson said.
Amazon Destinations handpicks hotels in LA, NY and Seattle
Amazon's rumored new travel site has appeared and it's well, exactly as rumored. While the company previously sold flash-sale hotel rooms as part of Amazon Local, alongside steep discounts, Destinations is more about curated hotels. The service currently focuses on areas around LA, New York and Seattle, with the aim of selling short-term getaways that are near to those aforementioned transport hubs. There's no news on whether it'd roll-out the new service to other US areas (let alone other countries), but it wouldn't be a shocker if it did. The site is already accepting user reviews, but expanding the service will likely depend on how many people are looking to pay typical list prices - if only because it's paired with the ubiquity of Amazon.
Sounds of Street View takes you on a virtual vacation
You can only experience so much of a place by poking around it in Google Maps, and that's why Amplifon, a hearing aid company from the UK (seriously), put together a little getaway-in-a-browser called Sounds of Street View. The name really says it all -- once you pop on your headphones (trust us, it's important), you can virtually explore Place du Palais, Hawaii's Hapuna Beach and Balboa Park in San Diego complete with some much-needed aural ambience. It's a surprisingly comprehensive experience too: As you "cruise" down the streets of Avignon, France, you'll hear the lilting tune of an accordion give way to the din of a dining crowd and a church bell ringing in the distance. Is it just like being there? Erm, not quite, but it's way cheaper than a plane ticket at the very least. Alas, those are the only three locales available at the moment, so you can't vicariously experience the ceaseless thrum of Hong Kong or New York City... until a crafty developer uses the provided tools cobbles together the soundscape for you, anyway.
Daimler's solution for annoying out-of-office email: delete it
Sure, you can set an out-of-office auto-reply to let others know they shouldn't email you, but that doesn't usually stop the messages; you may still have to handle those urgent-but-not-really requests while you're on vacation. That's not a problem if you work at Daimler, though. The German automaker recently installed software that not only auto-replies to email sent while staff is away, but deletes it outright. If there's a meltdown at the workplace, you may not have to deal with it at all. The move affects about 100,000 employees, so it's clearly going to make an impact.
Breakfast Topic: Do you take WoW breaks?
Though we all enjoy World of Warcraft -- we wouldn't be here otherwise -- sometimes even the things we love can become a bit tired over time. This is particularly evident now, while we wait for Warlords of Draenor without any new content on the horizon. Going through the same old daily grind can get old quickly, and when the game stops feeling fun and starts feeling like work it may be time for a break. Maybe that break means visiting another game, catching up on your reading list, or even just playing an new character or a new faction for a change of pace. For some of us, these occasional breaks are a necessity to keep our gaming time fun, while others prefer to stick with it and use downtimes like this to catch up on professions, collections, or achievements. So tell us, readers -- which of these categories do you fall in to? Have you ever taken a WoW vacation, however brief?
Royal Caribbean uses 80-inch HDTVs to create 'virtual balcony staterooms'
Every cruise-goer wants the ability to recreate the Jack and Rose experience of "flying" on the bow of the ship from their room, but unless you book a window suite early, getting that experience can pose a Titanic-sized challenge. For latecomers who want the waterside experience, Royal Caribbean is offering "virtual balcony staterooms" with 80-inch floor-to-ceiling HD displays framed to look like an actual balcony. The TVs display close to real-time video from the bow and stern of the ship shot on RED Epic HD cinema cameras, complete with audio. Guests can set the mood by switching between cams using an in-room remote, or close the curtains on the display if it gets too romantic. Sound nauseating? Control Group, the company behind creating the rooms, worked with experts from M.I.T and Harvard on a special fibre-channel delivery system to make sure the experience of moving differently than what you see on the screen doesn't make you want to toss your cookies. Eighty of the new rooms set sail for the first time February 5th on Royal Caribbean's ship Navigator of the Seas. You can book a romantic television-side stay for future voyages now on the company's website.
Gmail for Android gets a vacation responder, printing and universal attachment support
Many workers are about to leave on holiday trips, and Google is more than willing to help them avoid the office with an updated Gmail app for Android. The new release includes a vacation responder that will let fellow employees know that you're off the clock. If you're running Android 4.4 KitKat, you can also print email to avoid checking your phone during family gatherings. And if you simply must deal with that company report right away, you'll be glad to know that Gmail now supports file attachments of all types. The new app is gradually rolling out as of this writing, so don't be disappointed if you have to wait a little while for an upgrade.
Tim Cook thanks Apple employees, gives them Thanksgiving week off
Apple CEO Tim Cook knows that the company wouldn't be in the enviable financial state it's in right now if it wasn't for the hard work and dedication of its employees. Cook today sent a company-wide email to employees thanking them for that work and letting them know that they'll get some extra paid time off during the Thanksgiving holidays. Apple is shutting down on November 25, 26 and 27 so that employees can have the entire week off. While retail and AppleCare employees will still be working those days during the all-important buildup to Black Friday, they'll get that extra paid time off at a later date along with employees at international locations. Cook's full email to employees can be read in its entirety below. Show full PR text Team- It's been an exciting summer. For the first time, we've launched two new iPhone product lines. iOS 7 was created from a deep collaboration between our design and engineering teams, bringing to our customers a stunning new user interface and amazing new features. We unveiled OS X Mavericks and the most powerful Mac ever. The App Store celebrated a new milestone - 50 billion downloads. And we continued to express our love for music with iTunes Radio and the iTunes Festival. I had the opportunity to visit a few of our stores during the iPhone launch. There is no better place to see and feel why Apple is special. The best products on Earth. Energy. Enthusiasm. The best customers in the world. Passionate team members focused on enriching people's lives. Innovative products that serve humanity's deepest values and highest aspirations. And I am proud to tell you that Apple is also a force for good in our world beyond our products. Whether it's improving working conditions or the environment, standing up for human rights, helping eliminate AIDS, or reinventing education, Apple is making a substantial contribution to society. None of this would have been possible without you. Our most important resource is not our money, our intellectual property, or any capital asset. Our most important resource - our soul - is our people. I realize many of you worked tirelessly to bring us this far. I know it required great personal sacrifice. In recognition of your incredible efforts and achievements, I'm happy to announce that we're extending the Thanksgiving holiday this year. We will shut down with pay on November 25, 26, and 27 so our teams can have the whole week off. Retail, AppleCare and a few other teams will need to work that week so we can continue to serve our customers, but will receive the same number of days off at an alternate time. Please check with your manager for details. Our international teams will schedule the vacation days at a time that is best suited for their specific country. I hope you find the extra time restful and relaxing. You deserve it. Details will be available on AppleWeb soon. I am exceedingly proud of all of you. I am in awe of what you've accomplished and couldn't be more excited about the future. Enjoy the time away!
Leaderboard: Do you make time for MMOs on your vacation?
This week's Leaderboard comes to you live from the middle of my vacation. OK, it's not actually live, but I am AFK in theory. I say in theory because I still managed to play an MMO this week despite my sabbatical from the cushy confines of the Massively yacht. Anyway, enough wordcount filler. Let's talk about your vacation! More specifically, do you make any time to play MMOs or do you disconnect entirely? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Hawaiian Airlines will offer iPad minis to passengers
Hawaiian Airlines this week announced that it will begin offering iPad minis to passengers flying between Hawaii and 14 routes that encompass destinations in the US, Asia and the South Pacific. The iPad mini will offer a full-fledged entertainment experience and will enable passengers to pick from upwards of 100 hours of movies and TV shows. Further, the iPad minis will come pre-loaded with a smattering of gaming titles as well. I suppose leaving the fun and sun of Hawaii can be a harrowing experience, so what better way to soften the blow than to provide passengers with a first-rate entertainment experience as they leave the islands? In a statement on the matter, Hawaiian Airlines VP of Product Development Blaine Miyasato said: Hawaiian Airlines' signature on-board hospitality is already very popular with travelers, but we wanted to go even further to ensure our customers' travel experience is more enjoyable. With the help of Bluebox Avionics, we're building on our acclaimed inflight service by incorporating the latest in popular consumer tech products to enhance our in-flight entertainment options. As for the logistics of the iPad mini rollout, the program will begin early next week. Passengers flying business class will be given complimentary iPad minis while passengers flying economy class will have the option to rent an iPad mini for US$15 if reserved at the gate or $17 if reserved on-board the flight.
Free for All: My top four MMOs for relaxation
Say you come home from a long day's work, dreaming about the vacation that you've yet to take and how nice it would be to turn off your brain for a while, to kick back and watch the wide world walk by. Unfortunately, vacations cost a pile of money. You have to pay someone to watch the dogs and water your plants and work is a real pain about letting you out of the shackles even for a week. The good news is that much of the benefit of vacation comes from the mental release. Sure, nothing beats the real, true feeling of pressing your toes into warm water and sand, but it can be fun and relaxing to visit virtual worlds, to take in virtual sights and sounds. MMOs are perfect for blowing off some steam, for taking a moment to realize just how nice it is to have access to such landscapes from the comfort of your desk. Here are some of my favorite virtual worlds that bring on that feeling of relaxation.
Wii U goes hands-on in six summer vacation hotspots around the US
Nintendo is taking the Wii U on vacation, hosting hands-on exhibits in six cities across the nation now through September 2, starting at Disney restorts in California and Florida. The tour brings Wii U games including Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, Lego City Undercover, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Need for Speed Most Wanted U to a "living room setting" filled with various Nintendo props. The Wii U exhibit stops by Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, from June 5 to June 23, and it's live now at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, also through June 23, according to the event page. Next up are stops at the Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois, and in Bloomington, Minnesota, from June 28 to July 21. From August 10 to September 2, the tour goes to Boston, Massachusetts, and Hollywood, California. If your vacation plans include any of these cities during the Wii U tour, maybe bring some extra hand sanitizer and give the console a whirl.
This Is the Modem World: Review Sites Are Broken
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. I'm about to walk into my favorite restaurant in the world. The food is yummy, healthy and fits my budget. The staff knows my name and rarely has to ask how I'd like something served. And the location couldn't be better. It's the perfect place. But before I can pass the threshold to nosh nirvana, a stranger on his way out gives me a sideways glance and whispers, "This place is horrible. Don't bother." This place? My place? The best restaurant on earth? How can this be? Perhaps something has changed. Did the chef leave? Is the cute hostess gone? Have I been wrong this whole time? But I have faith. I follow through, and the best restaurant in the world is still just that, just as I remembered.
