vacation

Rumor: Verizon iPhone to be released February 3

On the heels of Verizon's announcement of a special press conference on January 11, Boy Genius Report says a source has confirmed that Apple has blacked out retail employee vacation time for February 3 to February 6, covering a possible Verizon iPhone launch weekend.

When I was a manager at an Apple Store here in Portland, this was a fairly common occurrence for big launch days. Generally these employee vacation blackout days would come months in advance, allowing our staff to make plans around those dates.

This of course is only a theory, but in my experience we never … Read more

CNET to the Rescue: Leave the world behind

If you're heading out of town and leaving the electronic world behind, don't forget that your e-mail contacts, Facebook friends, and Farmville plants will still be expecting to see you around online, interacting with them. Here are some tips for managing your electronic world when you step away from it. Also: Your questions answered, including how to extend Wi-Fi range, and fix a Droid's messed-up contact list.

Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360)… Read more

Free: 13 Lonely Planet travel-guide apps

Is it just me, or does the planet seem really angry these days? Earthquakes galore, tsunamis, and now this ash-spewing volcano! We're doomed, I tell ya. Doomed!

Anyway, pity the poor traveler who's stuck in Europe until flights can resume. As we reported Tuesday, to help make those folks' lives a tiny bit easier, travel-guide publisher Lonely Planet is offering 13 European iPhone guides free of charge.

That's pretty generous, as they normally sell for $9.99 apiece. And, psst, you didn't hear this from me, but you don't actually have to be stranded in … Read more

HomeAway Super Bowl ad resurrects the Griswolds

I'm only moderately familiar with vacation rental exchange HomeAway.com because a few of my longtime friends use it to book the house for our annual ski weekend (outdoor hot tub absolutely mandatory!) But it looks like this online service is going to get a big boost in publicity: Not only will it be running a TV commercial during the Super Bowl, but the commercial will feature actors Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo in their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold from "National Lampoon's Vacation," the 1983 comedy about a holiday gone horribly awry.

A … Read more

USA Today releases...an iPhone travel app?

The App Store is already replete with travel apps, so what's the big deal about USA Today AutoPilot?

For one thing, it's free--despite offering such advanced features as TripIt integration, real-time flight status, and quick access to travel blogs.

Then there's the branding: Last I checked, USA Today was a newspaper (with its own news app). So what's with the travel software?

"USA TODAY is synonymous with travel. Travelers love us and we love being everywhere they need us with innovative new products," said Matt Jones, vice president of mobile strategy and operations for … Read more

Full-featured leave manager

Absence Management System is a complex program that allows users to track employee absences and many other workplace events. Although it's not the most intuitive program we've ever seen, we really like the way it automates a lot of workplace functions that have traditionally be handled with paper, verbal, or e-mail requests.

The program's interface takes some getting used to. We spent a fair amount of time in the built-in Help file, and just messing around with it, it gradually started to make more sense. The program's main functions are organized in a tree-style format down … Read more

Friday Poll: Welcome to the Hotel Gadget

Let's say you're staying at a nice hotel on vacation, and you'll have plenty of time to relax. As a reader of Crave, it's likely your relaxation has something to do with using gear. Hotels are starting to include gadgets (for free or for a nominal fee) as an incentive, and it's a great idea.

But we'd like to know which gadget offering would most entice you to choose one hotel over another next time you're on holiday. Vote in our poll. And if we missed anything, let us know in our TalkBack … Read more

Five must-have iPhone apps for your next trip

I'm winging my way to San Francisco in a couple weeks, so I've been rounding up apps that'll make my trip easier and more enjoyable.

Obviously I'll stock up on e-books and movies for the flight (Wondershare's DVD Ripper Platinum is proving a great choice for copying my DVDs to my iPhone), and I've already got old standbys like Urbanspoon and Yelp for finding local grub and businesses.

But there's more to a trip than just food and in-flight movies. Here's a list of the iPhone apps I've decided to pack:

HazelMail Postcards Sure, you can always e-mail photos of your trip, but doesn't grandma deserve a good old-fashioned postcard? HazelMail turns any iPhone snapshot into the real deal, then mails it (along with your custom wish-you-were-here message) to any address. First one's free; after that, each card costs $1.50 (or get 12 for $12). TravelTracker Pro A bit more robust than competitors SplashTravel and Travel Assistant, TravelTracker Pro helps you keep tabs on every aspect of your trip: flights, car/hotel reservations, weather, and even currency exchange rates. Plus, it integrates with the excellent TripIt service to automatically import/update your travel plans, and provides live flight tracking via FlightStats. Only gripe: It's a little pricey at $12.99. GadgetTrak A stolen iPhone could put a major damper on your trip. Free app GadgetTrak aims to help you get it back, and while it's not quite as effective as MobileMe, it can't hurt to install it before leaving.… Read more

Share your vacation with these online services

It's almost summer. Chances are, you'll soon be vacationing somewhere in the world. But what if you want to share that vacation with loved ones?

With the help of these vacation-sharing tools you'll be able to do just that. You can document where you've been, share pictures, and upload videos. And you'll probably enjoy reliving the experience.

Share your travel plans

EveryTrail EveryTrail populates your profile page with all the places you've been on vacation. But instead of requiring you to do it yourself, the site uses your GPS device and photos to do it for you. Whenever you go on vacation and bring your GPS device with you, EveryTrail will take your GPS tracks to plot where you've been. When you upload photos to the site, you can add them to the map to show where they were taken. You can also add descriptions to the locations and photos to provide more detail on what you've done. Although EveryTrail requires you to have a GPS device to enjoy it, I think you'll really like it.

Here or There? Here or There is a place to share all your travel experiences in a blog. You can post pictures, videos, and share your vacation with readers. You can also check out other travel blogs from other users to see how their vacations went. Here or There is a nice idea that works well.

myTripBook myTripBook lets you record and share all your travel experiences. For each trip you take, you'll create a diary detailing what you did on your vacation. You can add photos and videos to supplement your content. The site also boasts a recommendations tab so you can tell your readers which bars and restaurants you recommend. myTripBook is a nice service and its trip tracking is outstanding.

RealTravel RealTravel might focus mainly on the dissemination of travel information, but its blog page gives you the opportunity to share your travel experiences. Once you create your free blog, you can use the site's interactive maps to route your trip. You can upload an unlimited number of photos and share slideshows with friends through automatic e-mails that are sent whenever your blog is updated. You can also follow your friends' blogs. RealTravel's blogs section is worth trying out.… Read more