travel

Kayak tortures logic in withdrawing from 'All-American Muslim'

This is a tale of communication and miscommunication.

Which so often happens when religion, education, fundamentalism and reality television attempt to achieve co-existence.

You might be aware that pressure has been applied to certain companies that happened to advertise on the TLC reality show "All-American Muslim."

The squeeze, coming as it did from the Florida Family Association, persuaded Lowe's to withdraw its constructive commercials from the show.

Online travel site Kayak also appeared to feel a shuddering frisson and withdrew its ads for the coming season.

As the clip I have embedded reveals, the FFA was upset … Read more

Pioneer intros smallest, lightest Blu-ray burner

Pioneer's new BDR-XD04J contains a mind-numbing array of disc burning and playback options that should cover you for the next several years.

Perhaps the biggest highlight is support for BDXL BD-R discs, which means you can burn those fancy triple-layer 100GB and quad-layer 128GB Blu-ray discs in a tiny package. This is supposed to be the world's smallest BDXL-compatible portable drive. … Read more

Get a 15.6-inch Core i3 laptop for $329.99

I firmly believe that most people can get by just fine with a dual-core processor. But if you can get a faster one for the same price? Heck, yeah!

For a limited time, Best Buy has the Gateway NV55C56U Core i3 laptop for $329.99 shipped, plus sales tax. That is without question one of the best deals I've seen on a non-refurbished Core i3 system.

(In case you're not up on your processor studies, the Core lineup is part of Intel's current newer generation of processors. In this case it's the Core i3-370M, a first-generation … Read more

Execs would rather go virtual than to Houston, study says

Houston is a wonderful place.

I've always wanted to write that sentence and here, finally, is an opportunity.

For America's executives have decided to dump their irrational loathing upon a city that tries its very best, despite a climate the devil would reject, the 72nd best public transit system in America (out of 100 metropolitan areas), and freeways that seem to go on longer than former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

You see, ON24, a Webcasting and virtual events company decided--no doubt in its own self-interest--to discover which cities business executives would most prefer to avoid for a … Read more

President Obama travels through time in Google Maps

I've seen some bizarre Street View images on Google Maps, but this time the satellite feature has leaked government secrets about Air Force One's flight arrangements: time travel.

Well either that, or Air Force One commercial airplanes can fly faster than the speed of light. This image from the unofficial Google Maps blog shows the official USAF aircraft emerging out of a crack in time. If I had to guess, I'd say around 99 percent of us don't have access to this technology.

Not sure what's going on in East Lake-Orient Park, Fla., that … Read more

Get a refurbished MacBook Air for $699 shipped

So about yesterday...

The Epson all-in-one printer deal turned out to be a train wreck. Apparently Epson's systems were down all day, meaning no one could place an order.

What caused the problem? According to an e-mail CNET received from Epson, the promo code was meant for a "private offer," and was never intended for publication. Thus, the big push from sites like this one might have overloaded Epson's servers.

In any case, I apologize for the snafu. How ironic that it wasn't the usual early sellout that tanked the deal.

Perhaps in an effort … Read more

Get a triple-core Blu-ray laptop for $399.99 shipped

I tend to post a lot of cheapie laptops, largely because I like things that are cheapie, but also because I think most users can get by with a dual-core processor, minimal RAM, and so on.

Of course, sometimes you want a bit more power, like for games and video editing. Maybe you even want to get your Blu-ray on. That brings us to today's deal.

Newegg has the refurbished HP Pavilion dv6-3259wm 15.6-inch laptop for $399.99 shipped. Among the highlights: a triple-core processor and a built-in Blu-ray drive.

I'll be the first to admit this … Read more

Holiday gifts for world travelers

Every winter, I fly out to England to join my in-laws for the holidays. As a result, I'm always packing a one-week supply of the gadgets I'll need to survive in the countryside, fully entertained, yet not overburdened.

It's a careful science: travel gadgets have gotten easier than ever thanks to devices like the iPad, yet you're more likely to pack redundant devices, too. The more options, the more headaches.

Here are a few of CNET's holiday recommendations for world travelers. Kindle? Check. iPad 2? Double-check. Battery-packs, surge protectors, headphones, cameras, and laptops? Of course. … Read more

How to get on a sold-out flight

If you've got a little flexibility in your travel schedule, you can try to hit the optimal flight even if it's booked. Cancellations happen more frequently than you may realize, but it's crazy-making to keep checking back with the airline's Web site. ExpertFlyer lets you select a flight, then sends notifications if a seat opens up. Here's how to use it: 

Head over to the  ExpertFlyer Web site and sign up. The free version lets you keep one seat alert active at a time. Once you've validated your account, click "… Read more