I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of Apple’s new iPad because I was absolutely convinced it would be a “must have” product for me. As I watched the Keynote event where Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad this past Wednesday, I was initially very impressed.

iPad's 9.56 inch high by 7.47 inch wide touch screen can be used in portrait or landscape orientation

The sleek design and giant touchpad screen had me salivating. Since I’m an avid reader, I’d intended to buy a Kindle before leaving on my next extended trip, which would eliminate the need to carry heavy books. With the iPad’s new iBook reader and built-in iBookshelf store I no longer need to buy a Kindle. I also appreciated the full size digital keyboard on the touchscreen, as well as the portable keyboard and docking station that makes data entry a breeze. As I would have expected of an Apple product, the iPad features total integration and syncing between iMail, iCalendar, iPhoto, Address Book, iTunes, and Notes, as well as supporting web browsing, video, YouTube, Google Maps, and Multimedia content such as full-length movies.

Docking station (right) and docking station with external keyboard (left)

One of the most impressive features of the iPad is its 3G connectivity. Apple has partnered with AT&T to provide 250 Mb of data transfer for $19.99 per month, or unlimited data for $29.99 per month. Best of all, this will NOT require a contract and users can cancel the 3G service at any time. Since I currently pay $60 per month for an Air Card, the iPad would save me $30 per month. I could also turn off the 3G Read the rest of this entry »

Because I blog about my travels, I carry a lot of equipment with me when I am on the road. Most of this equipment stays in my backpack, where I can keep a close eye on it, and with a laptop, camera, lenses, cell phone, iPod, AirCard, cords, etc., the pack can get pretty heavy.

I have often thought about traveling without my laptop and blogging on computers in Internet Cafes, but the problem has always been what to do about my photos. I shoot high quality, large format photos because they are sometimes used in printed publications, so I need a photo processing software to reduce the size of the photos for use on the blog. Since I prefer taking shots with saturated colors and high contrast, when I shrink them down to blog size, my photos often ‘block up’ – the blacks become too dense and the colors too intense – so I also need to do some post processing to tinker with the levels in the photos before I use them on the blog. When I carry my laptop, that’s not a problem, as I simply use Photoshop.

Without a laptop, I’d have to find a way to do post processing on the Internet, but I’d never found any online software that offers the tools I need. Until yesterday, that is. Yesterday I discovered Picnik.com, an online photo editing program that works in your browser. I tried it and Read the rest of this entry »

Bill Hogan, a freelance journalist from Falls Church, Virginia, was returning home to the U.S. from Germany last February when a customs agent at Dulles International Airport pulled him aside and said he had been chosen for “random inspection of electronic media.” The TSA kept his computer for about two weeks. Fortunately, it was a spare computer that had little important information.

Maria Udy, a marketing executive with a global travel management firm in Bethesda, said her company laptop was seized by a federal agent as she was flying from Dulles International Airport to London in December 2006. Udy, a British citizen, said the agent told her he had “a security concern” with her. The agent copied her log-on and password, and asked her to show him a recent Read the rest of this entry »