http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/travel/aviation/air-flight-tips-10-really-great-websites-for-travelers.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/aviation/air-flight-tips-10-really-great-websites-for-travelers.html Sat, 11 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
1. SeatGuru.com – Started by a frequent traveler in 2001, SeatGuru is a repository of information on the difference between airline seats. The site offers detailed seat maps, specific comments and observations about the seats, color coding to differentiate between the quality in seats, information on seat pitch and width measurements in all classes, and icons that inform on in-flight services.


2. 1000tipsfortrips.com – Those who travel frequently know the ins and outs of air travel. 1000 tips offers advice from people just like you who travel and have learned from their mistakes and successes on their trips.


3. ASPCA.org – What could the ASPCA possibly have to tell you about air travel? Many pet owners often have to take their pets on airplanes, and their site offers top ten tips for safe air travel with your pet.

4. BudgetTravelonline.com – The magazine Budget Travel has a website that is filled with the same timely and budget conscious advice that the print magazine is filled with. For air travelers, there are the basic travel tips about packing, advice on frequent flyer miles programs, tips for traveling with children or for sending children alone on an airplane, and advice that falls in between all of these topics.

BudgetTravelonline also has up to the minute travel deals that have been handpicked by Budget Travel's editors. There is also a free newsletter that you can subscribe to that will keep you informed on timely deals and tips.

5. Flyingwithkids.com – What's the best FAA approved seat that converts automatically into a stroller? What advice do flight attendants have for parents who bring children on board? Where can I get a pre-made carry-on packing list for my kids? All of these questions and many more are answered at Flyingwithkids.

This site, which bills itself as a place for "air travel tips for families flying with an infant or small child" has product reviews, advice, packing lists, and travel stories for those who find themselves sitting next to a small one on board. There is even a place for visitors to the site to ask questions that they don't see already answered on the page.

6. Seniors-site.com – There are special considerations for senior citizens when they are traveling on an airplane, and this site explains what they may be. Tips on getting discounted airfare, combating fear of flying, and dealing with delays, overbooking and involuntary bumping can be found here.

7. USA Today's Today in the Sky blog – USA Today offers a column in the form of a blog that gives news and analysis about airlines, airports, and air travel. Ben Mutzabaugh posts news related to air travel several times a day on his blog that ranges from what laws the government is passing for airlines to which airports are cutting flights to which airline is beginning to charge for a previously free amenity. If it's timely air travel or airline news, Today in the Sky is covering it.

Since the column is a blog, readers can post comments and questions about the articles. The blog is also categorized so readers who interested in seeing the pieces just on one topic, such as baggage, can find all related entries easily.

8. Worldairportguide.com – Worldairportguide has taken the information from most of the major international airports in the world and put it all in one convenient site for travelers to find. The site gives basic information such as airports' addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

9. Smartertravel.com – Want to know which airlines offer the best ammenties? What's the best day of the week to book air travel? What are today's top air travel news items?

10. TSA.gov – Six years ago, most airline travelers would have never thought to visit the Transportation Security Authority's website for information before traveling. However, since 9/11, security has been increased for all forms of travel and especially for air travel.

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This article on air flight has been brought to you by daily travel air.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/the-powershot-g7-digital-camera-by-canon.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/the-powershot-g7-digital-camera-by-canon.html Sat, 11 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
Canons G series cameras all offer superior image quality but the G7 is one of their first to offer DIGIC III Image Processor with Face Detection Technology. Not only are images clearer and higher pixel count, but the processing and saving is twice as fast as previous technologies. You’d think such power would run your batteries dead in no time, but Canon addressed that as well by integrating low power consumption into the DIGIC III processor.

The Power Shot G7 6x zoom lens and compatibility with auxiliary lenses lets you snap shots in the middle of a soccer game without ever stepping on the playing field. You won’t lose brightness or clarity as you zoom in and out of the game, either. Meticulously engineered lenses reduce and correct aberrations while Canon's new SR coating technology (used here for the first time in a digital camera) virtually eliminates ghosting.

There are so many shooting modes on the G7 you’ll be hard pressed to use them all.

Auto mode lets you focus on your subject and makes all the decisions for you. It's great for everyday pictures in normal light and motion situations. The P program is a more advanced Auto mode with the addition of advanced exposure compensation. The AV aperture priority mode allows you to isolate your subject or, in the alternative, to add clarity to your entire picture. The camera chooses shutter speed on the AV setting.

If you like more control of shutter speed, the TV shutter priority allows you to adjust shutter speed and possibly add blur while the camera chooses the appropriate aperture. Canon’s noise reduction will reduce the noise when on the TV setting. For ultimate control, choose the M, or Manual, setting. You choose the ISO speed, exposure and white balance. Once you find a setting you like on M, you can save it as a C, or Custom, setting.

Do you build panoramas or want to start? The Stitch Assist will help align the images in order efficiently and neatly.

Movie makers will love the Power Shot G7’s options of shooting in XGA – 15 fps (frames per second); VGA and QVGA - 30 fps for up to 1 hour or up to 4 gigabytes; QVGA (60 fps) for up to 60 seconds or QQVGA (15 fps) for up to 3 minutes.

If you like the blurred-background look of traditional portrait shots, choose the Portrait special scene mode. It will automatically focus on the subject while blurring the background. For sharpness from front to back, the Landscape scene mode will set a small aperture for a great landscape photo.

Nighttime shooting comes with a set of problems all its own. Canon realizes this and added a night scene mode for impressive nighttime pictures. When you choose this setting, the camera will automatically expose the background and use a slow flash. Sunsets will “pop” when you choose the G7 to shoot.

Soccer moms will love the super accurate auto-focus feature that comes in the form of the Sports scene mode. Capture little Johnny kicking the game winning field goal or smacking the ball for a home run.

Autumn foliage and blossoms won’t come of dull or muted when shot through the lens of the Power Shot G7. The Foliage scene setting will automatically pick up the brilliance of the colors of greenery and flora.

Snow shots have often come out looking bluish or darkened. Those days are over when you use the G7. Choose the Snow scene mode to fix the off-tints and darkened hues.

Clear beach shots might have been a sore spot in the past but Canon addressed this by adding a Beach scene mode. Gone are the darkened faces and blurred background waves with the Beach mode.

Fourth of July used to mean fireworks – and bad pictures of them. Not so when you set the G7 to the Fireworks mode. You’ll pick up the brilliance of the skyrockets and awe-inspiring ground fireworks on Independence Day.

Underwater photographers have been thought of as well. With the optional waterproof case (part number WP-DC11) and the Underwater scene mode, you’ll be able to encapsulate the beauty of the submarine world with reduced or even removed backscatter effect.

Indoor aquarium shots often come with flash exposures and unnatural hues. The Aquarium scene mode allow for flash-free exposure and natural colors you see in indoor aquariums.

The Indoor scene setting will reduce blur and pick up more accurate colors when shooting inside. With the ISO 3200 feature, you won’t have to use the flash in some indoor settings.

Children and pets are always on the move, making a family photographer’s job that much more difficult. The Kids & Pets setting reduces the time you’ll spend focusing by freezing fast-moving subjects like Sally and Spot. No more stories of the shot that got away.

The Color Accent setting will produce natural-looking photos with subjects lit by flash and beautiful bright backgrounds

Change that blue shirt to red or green eyes to brown with the Color Swap feature. This is possibly the coolest special effect feature you’ll find in Canon’s Power Shot G7.

You’ll find the G7 easy to use with dedicated dials for ISO settings and Scene Modes. The zoom is quick and easy. The camera itself is small, light and painless to carry. The price tag you should expect to see on the Canon Power Shot G7 is about $600, though you might find it a little cheaper at discount camera shops.

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The article on the canon camera Powershot G7 has been brought to your buy your consumer electronics.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/holiday-travel-tips%3B-planning-ahead.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/holiday-travel-tips%3B-planning-ahead.html Sat, 11 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
• Consider flying out of another airport. Sometimes the nearest airport does not have the best rates. Checking the rates at one or two of the next nearest airports may yield better airfare rates than the airport that is closest to you. It may be worth it to travel an extra hour to the airport to save hundreds of dollars.

• If you have a trip planned for the future, but you aren’t ready to order your tickets yet, sign up for e-mail alerts from all of the airlines that fly from the airport(s) near you to your destination. You never know when an airline may be running a special to your exact destination.

• If you are ready to order your tickets, order them as far in advance as possible. The cheapest airfares sell out quickly. The closer to the flight you buy your tickets; the more expensive the tickets are likely to be. This is especially true around the holidays.


• If you are booking travel during the holidays, consider flying on the holiday itself. The days prior to a holiday, airfares can be the highest they are all year. If you can fly on the day of the holiday, you can get some of the lowest airfares of the year. If you do decide to book on the holiday, try to book as early in the day as possible in case there are any delays so you don’t miss the holiday festivities once you get to your destination.

• If you are phoning the airline directly for your tickets, ask for the cheapest fare, not just the fare for coach. There may be a cheaper fare in a better seat, but you’ll never know if you don’t ask.


• Fly on the off days. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and sometimes Saturday are considered the off days (unless it’s around a holiday). If you can fly to and from your destination on those days, you are much more likely to get cheaper flights.

• Check out the fares on red-eye flights. Those flights don’t sell out as quickly as other flights and therefore may have less expensive fares. Sure, if money were no object, the red-eye probably wouldn’t be your first choice, but then again you may sleep your way through the whole flight. That’s always a good way to spend a flight. And if you combine flying on the off days with flying a red-eye on an off day, you may get a real deal.


• Do your homework by comparing rates on the different websites. Travelocity, Priceline, Expedia, Orbitz, Cheap Tickets and many other websites have discounted airline tickets as well as discounts on hotels, car rentals, and other things related to travel. Take the time to check out the rates for each website each time you book your travel.

• While you are doing your homework, don’t forget to check out the airline’s websites. Sometimes the airline’s websites have even better deals than the discount sites. All this homework takes some time, but it will pay off in the end with big savings.


• Go outside your comfort zone. You may be used to always flying the same big airline, but if you consider one of the newer smaller airlines, you may be surprised at the savings you can grab.

• Before you book your tickets, make sure that the price you have includes all fees and taxes. If you’re not getting the full price of the tickets including fees and taxes, you may not actually be booking the least expensive airfare.

Now that you’ve saved money on your airfare, there are some things that you can do to help save money in other areas of your flight.

• Find out what the maximum luggage weight is for the airline you are traveling, and make sure you don’t exceed it. If you check in luggage that is over the weight limit, the airline can charge you a fee for each bag that is over the limit.

• If you are driving to the airport, plan to leave early enough so that you can park at one of the off site parking facilities that are close to the airport.

• If you’ve got a college age niece or nephew, next door neighbor or someone in that age range who lives nearby ask them to drive you to and from the airport. You can pay them $25 each way and save a bundle on airport parking, and get door to door service to the airport.

• Take your own snacks. If your airline does serve food, they may charge for it, and chances are it won’t be very good. You also won’t be tempted to pay the high price for the snacks you buy at the concessions after security because you’ll already have what you’ll need on the plane.

• Same goes for your reading materials. Bring your own that you already have at home instead of buying them from the airport stores. A flight is the perfect time to read that book you’ve been meaning to read.

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This article on holiday travel has bee brought to you by daily travel air.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/the-kg800-chocolate-gsm-by-lg-phone.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/the-kg800-chocolate-gsm-by-lg-phone.html Sat, 11 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
This phone is highly fashionable with a mirror-like shine that screams "Fifth Avenue." The sleek, black design of this sliding phone with its glowing red buttons works well as both a women's accessory or a man's toy. Its design has actually earned the LG KG800 Chocolate the 2006 IF Design Award in Germany. Good luck keeping fingerprints off it, though.

LG brings into the forefront a new keypad feature that uses conductivity, rather then pressing, to activate a button. This is great if you are super careful with your phone but metal objects and wet fingers, or even moistness in the pouch, can damage the sensors. The keypad deactivates when the phone is closed and when you have connected a call to avoid accidental rubbings against your cheek or inside pockets.

Slider phones are often mistaken for clam-style but not so with the Chocolate. The sliding mechanism locks when it is closed so there's no grabbing the top half and yanking it open.

The only real problem with the keypad, save the moisture or metal sensitivity, is that the buttons are rather small. Ladies (or men) with dainty, small fingers won't likely notice this but men (or women) with large fingers and hands most definitely will. The 1-2-3 buttons are difficult to press for large fingers as well, since the top slides up so it just uncovers this top row of buttons. Some users won't notice, others will. Make sure you test drive it before you sign a contract.

Of course, if you are looking into picking up the LG KG800 Chocolate to use as a phone, in addition to a fashion accessory, then you'll want to know about it's functionality. The battery life is far less than LG advertises, but that's to be expected with almost any mobile phone these days. LG claims 16 days standby but you'll probably only see half of that. Charging the phone requires opening the phone, making it susceptible to damage.

You'll be able to see a wide range of vivid colors on the Chocolate, more than many other fashionable phones. LG offers 262,000 colors compared to just 65,000 on other models. Corners are sharp and images do not suffer from cell-phone haziness.

The buttons and menus aren't intuitive, even if you are familiar with LG devices. Expect to spend some serious time – up to 4 hours – fiddling around with the phone while reading the manual. For the first few days you might find it a bit cumbersome but you'll probably catch on pretty quickly. Once you get it down and know how to use it, you will find the menus response time is very fast. This phone isn't plagued with the slow menus of other phones on the market.

As for application features, there isn't much new here. You'll get the standard messaging, file browsing, games and a variety of included sounds. You can download more games, MP3s and other music files in addition to ringtones and menu sounds relatively simply. You will get email, a quality-sound MP3 player and a web browser in addition to Java, still photograph and video capture. The phone book holds up to 1000 contacts. The LG Chocolate is Bluetooth enabled.

The camera, now pretty standard in the cell phone aisle, is 1.3 megapixel with resolutions up to 1280x960 pixels. There is an integrated LED flash for snapping pictures in low light and a night mode that reduces noise. Use the 2x digital zoom whilst snapping photos or the 4x zoom to crop and resize your images once the photo session has ended. You can also choose from a few color modes, including black & white, negative and sepia. The biggest complaint about the camera mode – there is a very noticeable delay between pressing the button and actually capturing the image.

Video capture is considerably better than taking still photos. Night mode works on video as do the color settings. The Chocolate also allows for 4x zoom while shooting video.

Music files must be in MP3, WMA or mPEG format so it takes a bit of work to load audio from your iPOD to your LG Chocolate. The sound quality is very good for a phone. Standard 3.5mm headphones aren't compatible, though; you'll need to either purchase a pair of 2.5mm headphones or an adapter. The FM radio, becoming a standard in the mobile phone industry, was oddly left out of the Chocolate's applications package.

Installed memory is 128 megabytes. If that isn't enough or you just like keeping your data separate from your phone, you can pick up a 2 gigabyte microSD card for about $100 (often bundled at Verizon for $70 after rebate.)

Synching to your computer or accessing email is effortless with the Chocolate. While other phones have intermittent access via Bluetooth, this LG phone has a solid connection. Check your email or surf the web from the café or Trump's house.

Jet setters will be disappointed with the omission of airplane mode on this phone. Other LGs offer this new feature, it's beyond me why it was overlooked when designing the Chocolate.

So, how did this black, not brown, phone earn its name Chocolate? In the Korean market, where this model was pioneered and debuted, the phone was made to smell of – you guessed it – chocolate. The name stuck as did the scented design. Apparently LG didn't like the competition between cell phones and chocolate so they decided to double-team their potential customers by combining the two.

The LG KG800 Chocolate is a great phone for those on the cutting edge of fashion – or those who want to be. Don't abuse it and you can take calls from your agent for a long time while getting faint whiffs of delicious chocolate. Don't eat your phone, though, it doesn't taste as well as it smells.

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The article on this lg phone was brought to by your consumer electronics.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/nokia-7380-love-at-first-sight.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/nokia-7380-love-at-first-sight.html Sat, 11 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600
The first question you'll ask is "Where's the keypad?" The answer – there isn't one. What you get is a menu button on the left, a Send and End button on the right and a circular dial that iPod users will be very familiar with. There is an additional Select button in the center of the iPod-esque dial. That's it for navigation.

Making a phone call, if the name isn't already in your contact list, requires you to navigate to the Call menu then scroll through a number line to select the seven to ten numbers you need to make a call. Scroll, select, scroll, select, scroll, select… The process easily takes three times as long to dial than on a traditional keypad phone.

Text messages are just as difficult, if not more so. Without a keypad, you have to navigate through the alphabet for each letter you want to input. Nokia did try to make this easier by adding a recognition feature that lists the five most-used letters at the start of the alpha scroll. Still, sending a text message is a real pain on the 7380.

To counter the text messaging deficiencies, Nokia added voice messaging. This is great if you want to tell someone something without giving them a chance to talk back. If you text message to avoid making a sound, voice messaging doesn't help. If you text message because the recipient can't access sound features on their phone, voice messaging won't help. You'll probably find it easier to just call someone than to send an voice or text message.

The camera feature is much easier to use than basic and even mid-line mobile phones. Snapping shots is just two quick button pushes and one scroll away. The 2 megapixel camera takes a good picture in sunlight, though the contrast is a bit on the heavy side. Night mode is so-so. Pictures up-close of friends in a pub or nightclub are better than many other camera phones but don't expect to catch Kodak quality moments on this (or any) mobile.

You can record up to an hour of video, which is quite surprising for this little bugger but the quality is, well, that of a mobile phone. Mediocre compared to camcorders but pretty good for a phone.

If you can overlook the complexity of dialing calls and sending text messages then you probably will fall in love with the Nokia 7380. Voice dialing and a hands-free speaker feature are both included. The phone supports tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz networks.

The voice dialing feature has made momentous strides over prior generational phones. Gone is the steep learning curve for both the user and phone. Gone are most of the problems associated with background noise. This almost makes up for the lack of keypad…almost.

As a music device, the 7380 is sufficient. The included bud earphones double as an FM stereo antenna. The sound quality is better than nearly all mobile phone devices on the market. An integrated music player supports MP3 formatted music files. Don't give away your iPod just yet, though, since the measly 52 MB of storage won't allow you to use the 7380 as tune storage.

The included browser would be wonderful if the screen size wasn't smaller than the diameter of a dime. The colors of the screen are sharp and resolution of 208 x 104 pixels. The horizontal positioning of the rectangular display makes it easy to view landscape pictures and menus but it's quite awkward to navigate web pages with portrait orientation.

Speaking of the display screen, at first glance you may think they forgot yours. It's behind the reflective finish of the face of the phone, much like a one-way mirror. You will have almost zero screen visibility in direct light and only marginal visibility in natural sunlight. In the dark, though, it is bright, colorful and crisp.

Bluetooth is included and is the only out-of-box connectivity option. There's no USB port on the 7380. Bluetooth connections are strong and stable.

Battery life doesn't live up to Nokia's claims, no big surprise there. While Nokia declares 3 hours of talk time and 10 days on standby, tests demonstrate a 1.5 hour talk time life and just 3 days on standby. Nokia uses their standard battery charger cable and port, great if you've upgraded to this model from another Nokia.

Now onto what you'll really amore about this model – its high-fashion sense. This device doesn't look like a phone, it looks more like a television remote or lipstick case. About four and a half inches long, one and a quarter inches wide and an inch thick, this sleek new design will make any owner stand out. Weighing in at less than three ounces, it's not only small but light.

The design and construction of the phone is much more solid than you might think when you pick up this little phone. While you shouldn't abuse this mobile, it does stand up to regular usage.

Nokia packed a suite of typical applications in this little gadget. The phonebook holds 1000 names and it synchronizes with Microsoft Outlook flawlessly. Calendar, alarm clock and to-do list are all included. Games and Java applications are noticeably absent. Word processing is nearly impossible on this phone so Nokia excluded that feature as well.

The faux leather backing looks fancy but is really much more like a dashboard cover than leather. The included carrying case isn't top of the line but it is easy on the eyes and smooth to touch. Lining the carrying case is a felt-like fabric that makes it a breeze to remove the many fingerprints the phone seems to attract.

All in all, this is a phone for those who want to stand out in a crowd or the casual user but not a business person. The price tag of $500 might be a bit more than you want to spend on a fashion accessory, though.

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The article on the nokia 7380 has been brought to you by your consumer electronics.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/passport-regulations-and-services-are-you-fully-prepared.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/passport-regulations-and-services-are-you-fully-prepared.html Sun, 15 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0500 The Changing Passport Regulations

At the moment, if you are traveling to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Panama or the Caribbean, a passport is not necessary. But that will be changing soon. Due to The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, on January 8, 2007, all travelers coming from or returning from these destinations will need a passport to enter the United States.

This January 8, 2007 date is for travelers entering the United States by air or by sea. For travelers entering the United States across a land border, they will be required to start providing passports as identification on January 1, 2008. All of the new regulations are required for adults and children alike.

Currently, the regulation states that any traveler wishing to enter or re-enter the United States from these destinations needs to have a valid driver's license and a birth certificate. Those documents will not be enough once January hits. They will still be accepted if you are returning from a U.S. territory such as Guam, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since they are U.S. territories, it is not considered leaving the United States when you visit there.

If you are planning to travel outside of the United States or its territories after the New Year and don't have a passport, now is the time to be applying for one. The average time for processing a passport is six weeks. The busy time for passport applications tends to be between January and July. You are likely to get your passport more quickly if you give in your application between August and December. So now is the time to do make your application. If you need your passport more quickly, there is an expedited service for an extra fee.

You may be wondering about the fees associated with a passport in general. Actually, they aren't so bad when you think about it. A passport is good for ten years, so when you divide the cost of the passport by the number of years it is valid, you're getting a pretty good bang for your buck. Much better than say the $50 or so you probably have to pay every year to register a car in most states - even if none of your personal information changes..

So, what are the fees exactly? For children under sixteen, a passport will cost $82. For those sixteen and older, a passport will cost $97. To get a passport renewed, the fees are $67. So for an adult with his first passport, the cost ends up being $9.70 a year. Pretty cost effective, huh? Of course, those fees don't include the price paid for getting your passport photo or for the added fees if you want your application expedited.

If you have never applied for a passport before, there are some things you will want to know before applying.

• You must apply in person. There are over 7,000 facilities in the United States that can issue passports. To find the one that is near you, you can go to www.iafdb.travel.state.gov and type in your zip code. The website will direct you to the facilities that are nearest to you.

• You will need proof that you are a United States citizen or proof of your nationality. For U.S. citizens born in the U.S. you will need a certified copy of your birth certificate issued by a government office (not a hospital). For U.S. citizens born outside the U.S., you will need a Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship. An expired U.S. passport can also be used as proof.

• Have your passport photos taken before applying. The type of photographs you need are very specific, but that is to ensure that no one else can use your passport. You must have two identical photographs that have been taken within the last six months. The size of the photographs must be 2 x 2 inches. Your picture within the photo must be between 1 and 1 3/8 inches. The photo must be on a white background. You must be facing forward, showing your full face and not wearing a hat or dark glasses.

• You will need a photo ID with your signature. This can be an expired U.S. passport, a Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, a valid government ID card, a valid military ID card, or a valid driver's license.

• Once you have all of your documents and photos in order, you can fill out an application for a passport known as a DS-11. Do not sign the application unless you are in the presence of the person who will be executing your passport. If you do sign it without the executor, your application will become invalid.

• You can download an application and have it filled out before you visit the facility that will issue your passport. To download the application, go to http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/forms/forms_847.html.

If you already have a passport, but it has expired you can renew your passport by mail if you meet the following requirements.

• Your passport must not be damaged.
• It must have been received within the past 15 years.
• You must have been at least 16 years old when it was issued.
• You still have the same name as the one in the passport (or a legal document proving your name change).

If you do not meet the above requirements, you must apply in person for a new passport.


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This important message on passport services was brought to you by daily travel air

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/is-this-travel-discount-package-really-gigantinormous.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/is-this-travel-discount-package-really-gigantinormous.html Sat, 14 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0500
• You save $100 instantly off your reservations when you book one of their Flight+Hotel TotalTrip packages or one of their Last Minute Deals packages. The reservations must be for two people or more and there is a three night or longer stay required.
• The package must be booked by November 16, 2006 and travel must be done before January 7, 2007.
• To get the $100 discount, you need to enter the promotional code GIANTSALE when checking out.
• After you make your reservations for your initial travel, Travelocity will send you another promotional code good for $200 off your next qualifying Flight+Hotel TotalTrip package for two or more people with a minimum stay of five nights.
• To take advantage of the $200 off offer, you must book by March 31, 2007 and the trip must be taken by July 31, 2007.

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So it’s time to do a little comparison shopping. How does their Gigantinormous sale hold up against their competitor’s prices? Since I’m wondering if this is a way to save on holiday travel, I’m going to find the price for a fictional family of four (2 adults plus 2 kids – ages 5 and 8) to fly from Chicago to Philadelphia for Christmas.

Travelocity’s Deal

Plane Reservations – American Airlines leaving Chicago O’Hare at 10:55pm on December 23rd, direct flight to Philadelphia International; American Airlines leaving Philadelphia International at 11am on December 29th, direct flight to Chicago O’Hare
Hotel Reservations – Best Western in Center City – one room, two double beds
Travelocity’s bottom line after Gigantinormous discount $1568.01 for flight, hotel, taxes and fees.

Expedia’s Deal

Plane Reservations - American Airlines leaving Chicago O’Hare at 12:40pm on December 23rd, direct flight to Philadelphia International; American Airlines leaving Philadelphia International at 4:15pm on December 29th, direct flight to Chicago O’Hare.
Hotel Reservations – Expedia could not get me reservations at my hotel of choice Best Western in Center City – so I choose a comparable three star hotel in Center City – Club Quarters.
Expedia’s bottom line - $1,760.58 for flight, hotel, taxes and fees. Almost a full $200 more than Travelocity’s price.

Hotwire’s Deal

Plane Reservations - American Airlines leaving Chicago O’Hare at 2:15pm on December 23rd, direct flight to Philadelphia International; American Airlines leaving Philadelphia International at 8am on December 29th, direct flight to Chicago O’Hare.
Hotel Reservations – Hotwire could not get me reservations at my hotel of choice Best Western in Center City – so I choose a comparable three star hotel in Center City – Doubletree Inn

Hotwire’s bottom line - $1864.00 for flight, hotel, taxes and fees. Almost a full $200 more than Travelocity’s price. Almost a full $300 more than Travelocity’s price.

Priceline’s Deal

Priceline’s best price with undisclosed flight details (including a possible plane transfer) and a comparable three star hotel in Center City was $1,659 for flight, hotel, taxes and fees.

The winner – Travelocity by a Gigantinormous $200-$400 savings.

Now, the savings are just on the initial trip booked with Travelocity. If you add the additional $200 savings on a future trip booked with Travelocity the savings may be even greater. Of course, any wise traveler would comparison shop even with the $200 discount.

US Air’s Offer - Not Quite Gigantinormous, but a Savings Non-the-Less

US Airways is extending an invitation to its frequent flyers to escape from the chilly fall weather to the warmer climate of the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America. They have special fares to these destinations if you book now and travel before December 15th. There is a minimum three night stay associated with the offer.

In addition, you will receive a $25 gift card for each seat booked that can be used for a later flight with US Airways or one of its affiliates. The e-mail said that this offer is only good for members of their frequent flyer program.

So it seems as if this season’s deals are coming in the form of save a little now, save a little more later. The deals may be truly good for those who are planning to travel both sometime this fall and again later on in the year or early next year.


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This article on discount travel packages has been brought to you by daily air travel.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/nokia-are-they-on-top-to-stay.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/product-reviews/nokia-are-they-on-top-to-stay.html Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0500
The fact is Nokia, with headquarters in Finland, is on top for a reason. They not only listen to what the consumer wants-they do something about it. They are the world's leading cell phone manufacturer and if things continue the way they have been, they will continue on their roll. With a global market share of approximately 34% in the second quarter of 2006, they're aiming higher by releasing new and improved models.

Nokia's new release, the Nokia 5300 XpressMusic holds about 1500 music tracks on their 2 GB microSD card and users can listen to their music while they use other features, like texting or the camera. If you want to listen to music in a public place, just plug in your headphones and if you prefer to listen to the music you've saved on a stereo, you can simply utilize their Nokia Wireless Audio Gateway AD-42W and you can play your music on any stereo. The Nokia 5300 also has other top quality functions such as a 1.3 mega pixel camera and high-resolution video ring tones. When it becomes available, the consumer should be able to purchase for just over $300.

The Nokia 5300 XpressMusic, however, is not the only music phone they've come out with. The Nokia 5200 also gives the consumer top quality music functions and will cost the consumer approximately $250. The Nokia 3250 XpressMusic is of a different design, giving it a more unique look and consumers will still be able to hold about 1500 music tracks. More expensive, it will retail for approximately $500.

Nokia has come a long way from when it came out with the first mobile phone in the 1970's in the form of field radios for the Finnish Defense Forces. However, it wasn't until the late 1980's that the mobile phone technology allowed for international calls and the cell phone craze began. From then on, Nokia has remained on top, even with some difficulty it faced in 2004 when they failed to adapt to the market trends. While they have been behind others in new design innovation, Nokia is working to reestablish themselves among their competitors as has plans to retain their number one position in cell phone technology.

While cell phone technology may one of Nokia's top income producing departments, Nokia has their hands in many different things. Nokia Enterprise Solutions provides a wide variety of businesses with a vast array of business solutions. They also have divisions in multimedia and networking, putting them at the forefront in the technology of today.

Nokia has the right outlook-they want to keep the consumer happy and the consumer continues to be the top priority for Nokia. Their continuous goals are to: create top of the line devices to be used by the consumer, include top quality Internet services as part of their offerings, provide enterprise solutions, build scale in networks, and expand their line of professional services. Their strategies for providing all of this-by prioritizing and investing in brand and design and commitment to the customer.

The fact is Nokia top priorities are to be the number one provider of customer service and products. They don't just want to sell the most cell phones or provide the most service, they want to make certain the consumers are happy with what they are receiving and they want return customers. They understand that in order to design the best-of-the-best, they need to understand what the consumer wants from a product or service. While they did have a small downfall in 2004 in following the direction they had set for themselves, they are back in line to provide the consumer the best possible experiences in today's technology.

In order to become the number one provider to the consumer, approximately 36 percent of Nokia's workforce is in Research and Development, where they have centers located in 11 different countries and employ over 20,000 people. Their Research Centers are responsible for the increasing technological advances in the industry but also for adapting to changes in market trends and responding with knowledge and innovation.

Second in line to Nokia is Motorola. Working Mother magazine has just announced this month that the company made the 2006 Working Mother 100 Best Company list. This means a lot to those all over the world and you'll find that Motorola employees are happily trying to beat out Nokia's number one position. They, too, have prioritized and are working diligently to beat out all their competitors in offering top quality products and services. Whether its Bluetooth products, home networking, dispatching products, or virtual private networks, Motorola will have it, as they are known for their vast array of services in the United States and many other countries.

Motorola has just come out with several new products, including the Motorola SLVR. This sleek designed cell phone has many features that consumers demand and they are top quality. The Motorola SLVR is able to store music tracks and has Bluetooth technology. Again, however, Nokia has outdone Motorola with the Nokia 5300 XpressMusic. Not only does the Nokia 5300 XpressMusic allow for more music to be downloaded, it has several more advanced features and capabilities than the Motorola SLVR. Consumers know this but all it will take is one slip up for Nokia to lose its place.

So what will it take for someone, such as Motorola to take over the number one position in cell phone technology? The most important thing that Nokia can do is stay on top of the market trends and listen to what features the consumer wants. Without their top-quality Research and Development, they will not be able to stay where they are and they must continue to excel in this area. Motorola, in fact, could easily overtake their position if Nokia makes another mistake like they did in 2004.


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Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/hail-nokia-n80-the-king-of-cell-phones.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/hail-nokia-n80-the-king-of-cell-phones.html Sun, 08 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Speak No Evil
Voice activation has come a long, long way and the Nokia N80 shows off just how far. Simple commands that used to confuse phones of yesterday now do exactly what they're supposed to. If you say "Call home", the N80 dials your home number instead of calling "Paul Knome". With super easy set up, voice activated calling and other commands like "Calculator" or "Email" won't leave you throwing your manual into the fire.

The integrated hands-free speaker is pretty standard nowadays, but Nokia shows off their advancements with the speaker on the N80. Talking while driving won't require any special equipment or earpieces with the ease of the N80's sensitive speaker. You won't have to take your hands off the wheel to lock your keypad once your conversation is over, either, since you'll have the option of the hands-free keypad lock command.

Hear No Evil
Ring tones range from cute to relaxing to downright annoying. We all know a very important person with the most irritating, loudest ring tone. You can download your best friends favorite song as the ring tone when he or she calls and your mother's dogs bark as the tone when Mom calls. The audio features of the Nokia N80 are good for much more than ring tones, though.

Download MP3, AAC, m4a, eAAC and wma files to listed to stereo audio on the integrated digital music player. Quick USB hook up to your computer allows for speedy drag and drop of music files to your phone from your PC and back again. Not into downloading music? Do you like to listen to local talk radio? The N80 also has a stereo FM radio receptor, all you have to do is plug in a headset.

Music videos more your style? Would you like to download episodes of your favorite TV show to watch on your cell phone? Now you can, with the Nokia N80. Streaming video can be played on the RealPlayer multimedia player in the N80. Just download your favorites in 3GPP or MPEG4 formats, transfer from your PC to your phone with the USB connector and watch movies, videos or television shows on your morning commute (unless, of course, you are driving.)

See No Evil
Besides the ability to watch videos and television shows, you can take photos that flirt with professional quality. A 3 megapixel camera is integrated in the N80. The flash is LED with an optional red-eye reduction mode. A 20 x digital zoom will assure you can snap a shot from high up in the bleachers at a football game. A close up mode will help cut down on blurry face shots. Your pictures will save as JPEG (.jpg) format, easily readable by any computer and any camera phone on the market.

The scene setting will adjust the flash and color capture based on the setting you choose. Scene settings include: auto, portrait, landscape, night portrait, night landscape, sports, candlelight, user programmed, close-up and document close-up mode. Other camera features include a timer, contrast, sharpness, brightness, color saturation, white/black hue balance, exposure compensation, color adjustments, image quality settings.

Besides still snapshots, you'll be able to capture high quality video with your Nokia N80. Save it as MP4 or 3GP format, upload to your computer if you wish or send via the email messaging service. The 5x digital zoom is smooth and easy to use. Of course, if you find you need to edit out some not-so-flattering shots, the image and video editing features will allow you to make your changes, save them and send them along to anyone you wish. The video stabilization feature will keep your captures from being too jumpy.

Web Access and Messaging
The Nokia N80 offers an Internet browser, email access, multimedia messaging (MMS) and SMS (essentially, text messaging) to facilitate communication. Surf the net, download Java games and applications and check your email without plugging into a PC.

Integrated wireless Internet access is included, as is UPnP (Universal Plug and Play). Bluetooth technology comes standard in the N80

Other Features
Possibly my favorite feature of the N80 is the super simple Bluetooth wireless transfer and printing of my photos. While it does require Nokia XpressPrint, it's worth the savings in time of formatting, cropping, cutting, adjusting, etc. Just lay the N80 in the docking station, press a few buttons and BAM! my photos are printed. Print email, documents and calendar, including contacts, within seconds. Nokia Xpress Solutions and Xpress Transfer make office management and data transfer and storage a snap.

The user interface and inputs are very familiar and user friendly. Instant camera activation with a dedicated camera key – great for catching the kids during their "Kodak Moment." Other keys include two softkeys, send key, multimedia key and a 5-way scroll key.

Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents can be viewed with the included viewers. A calendar, contact list and task list are included with the advanced S60 PIM application. Internal storage of up to 40MB available for storing all your pictures, video, messages, calendar notes, contacts, email and documents. If 40 MB isn't enough, there's a slot for miniSD card to expand your storage capacity.

Bad News
The most noticeable disadvantage of the Nokia N80 is the short battery life. While Nokia reports 3 hours of continuous talk time and 8 hours of standby time per charge but with all the other things the phone does, you'll likely run out of juice each and every day. A back up battery or portable charger is a must-have for this all-in-one camera, video, wireless communication cell phone.

What You'll Pay
It slices, it dices, it even takes video! You won't pay $1000 for the Nokia N80. You won't pay $800 for it. For under $650, you'll get this 4.7 ounce phone that measures 3.76 x 1.97 x 1.02 inches. Another $40 for a back up battery or portable charger and $100 for other accessories and you'll be ready to go.


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This article on this Nokia Cell Phone has been brought to you by your consumer electronics.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/technology/we-can-all-hear-you-now-cell-phone-etiquette.html http://www.articletrader.com/technology/we-can-all-hear-you-now-cell-phone-etiquette.html Sat, 07 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0500
While cell phones have made our lives easier, they have also made it possible to annoy others. Many individuals think nothing of using their cells phones in public places, such as the subway, restaurant, or even a live performance. The most important thing to remember, however, is that it is not the cell phone that is causing these problems. It is the cell phone user. If you are the owner of a cell phone, you may want to consider getting to know the proper cell phone etiquette.

When you have a cell phone, it is very important to not talk on your phone when you are in restaurants, museums, libraries, or other places where quiet is expected. Such places include hospitals, churches, and waiting rooms. The fact is if you are in an enclosed public place, be safe and do not use your cell phone. If, however, it is an emergency and you must talk to on your phone, it is best to keep at least a ten to fifteen-foot distance from anyone else while you are talking. The most important thing to remember is to use common sense when you have a cell phone.

With the wide availability of ring tones for your phone, many people are often choosing those that are loud and unique. However, just because you like it, doesn't mean anyone else will. If you are going to have your cell phone on in public, make sure you choose a ring tone that is not too loud and one that is not too annoying. It's important to remember that while you may need to take a call, you don't need to annoy anyone or disrupt someone's concentration.

Another important thing to consider when using your cell phone is to keep your conversations short and simple. By telling the person on the other end that you are on a cell phone, they should understand you wish to keep the call short. You will also want to remember that if you are in a public place, you do not want to talk about your personal business or say things that others should not hear or that you don't want repeated. You never know who could be listening in when you talk on a cell phone in public.

There are several countries, including Australia, Germany, and Japan that have banned the use of cell phones while driving unless you have a hands-free unit. Many states in the United States have banned cell phones when driving, as well. If you live in a state that does allow the use of cell phones while driving, make sure you take proper precautions to allow for your safety and the safety of others.

With the invention of text messaging, many find communicating with others in public much easier and definitely more private. However, there are certain guidelines you should follow when text messaging, as well.

First of all, you know that annoying little sound that states you have a new text message? The best thing you can do is to put it on mute. This is how kids in classes get away with texting during classes without getting caught. You can prevent yourself from annoying anyone by simply silencing your message alarm. With the advanced technology of the cell phone, you'll find many are also able to download music and users can play their music anytime and anywhere. It's important to remember that while you love a certain type of music, others may not.

Is it within proper etiquette to send someone a text message when you are in a public place such as a restaurant or library? Generally, you need to remember that if you are not bothering someone, don't worry about it. If, however, you're sitting in the front row of a lecture and you're bent over texting someone on your cell phone, the lecturer may get a little irritated that you're not paying attention and you may want to put your cell phone up and plan to text message someone later. If it is one that must be sent, gracefully exit the room and find a quiet spot to send it.

One of the worst possible things you can do when text messaging is to be driving. Believe it or not, there are people who try to make sure they are pressing the right buttons and completely forget they should be looking at where they are going. This needs no explanation to say what could happen.

The fact is text messaging is a great way to communicate and you do not have to bother someone when you communicate this way. No one has to listen to a one-sided conversation or be interrupted by someone yelling, "Can you hear me now?" Text messaging has definitely made life much easier for all.

While many states have issued laws regarding talking on your cell phone while driving a vehicle, there are cities and towns that are discussing the possibility of regulating cell phone usage in public places. Some cities have even gone through with these laws and while they are having difficulty enforcing them, they are placed there in case anyone wishes to pursue the matter of annoyance in court. However, if you are like many, you may not want your cell phone usage regulated. In order to stop this, you must take it in your own hands and practice proper cell phone etiquette and inform others to do so, as well.


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