Top 8 Luxury Travel Gadgets for a Sailing Holiday Part I (From Guest Blogger Fraser Strand)

Whether you’re touring around the BVI on a Catamaran, or to the Bahamas on a luxury super-yacht, make sure you’re prepared with these 8 must-have gadgets. Whether functionality is your main criteria or you just fancy the latest quirky gizmo, we give you the lowdown on next year’s top ten exciting gadgets:

1. Pebble portable charger

If you are embarking on an intrepid voyage or you think you might be away from a power socket for several days then the Pebble Portable Charger is the ideal travel accessory. Retailing at only £39.99, this heavily anticipated gadget has enough power to charge your phone 4 times over. This serious and essential bit of kit can charge anything from an iPhone, iPod to any other USB-friendly gizmo. What’s also great is that it is compact, highly functional and will even tell you how much charge you are on.

2. Breitling Transocean Chronograph

Wherever you are in the world, don’t lose track of time. Breitling’s stunning Transocean Chronograph Unitime 18-carat Rose Gold Chronograph watch is an indispensable travel gadget. This luxury Swiss watch made by watchmaking supremo Breitling reinstates their reputation as a leading luxury Swiss watch brand. This timepiece is a harmonious marriage of spectacular engineering, exquisite design with the finest materials.

The most exciting feature of this watch is its ability to show the time in all 24 time zones at the same time, an innovative and highly practical characteristic. Made from Rose Gold this watch oozes luxury and sophistication. It is also made with 56 jewels, has a minimum power reserve of 70 hours and glare-proof scratch resistant sapphire crystal as well as being water resistant to 100 metres-perfect if you are going sailing or scuba diving. The Unitime has a stunning brown crocodile leather strap with a rose gold pin & buckle.

3. Apple iPad

An iPad. I know it might be a cliched option but there is a reason why Apple remain at the forefront in terms of technology as their extensive portfolio of gadgets and gizmos are not only exciting and practical but also affordable. The key features of the iPad are the truly wondrous, crystal clear display, the processor, the cameras and the wireless connection. All these features work together to create a magnificent experience for the user and with 10 hours battery life, this will give you ample quality time with your Apple gadget. Discover a world capable of so much more than you ever imagined. With so many exciting features built-in, watch a movie, read your favourite newspaper, magazine or even a best-seller, send messages or check your emails – the options are endless and with over 275,000 apps to choose from, there is something for everyone.

If the iPad is too big for your liking then the iPad mini has all the same features of its counterpart but is more compact, fitting into the palm of your hand.

4. Izzi Orbit

Transform your iPhone with an Izzi Orbit. This state of the art camera accessory is the latest and greatest way to jazz up your iPhone. It features 3 lenses: the Fish Eye, Wide Angle and Telephoto options to enable you to create an extensive and diverse portfolio of images. These skillfully crafted lenses will revamp your iPhone in no time allowing you to take high quality, wide, super zoomed photos, quirky angles and dramatic perspectives. The newest addition to iPhone photography and a must-have travel accessory, invest in an Izzi Orbit to ensure you capture the greatest moments of your holiday.

Author Bio

Fraser Strand is an avid technology writer with a passion for traveling and sailing around the world. On his own blog (UK Gadget Review) he writes about luxury watches, premium sailing gear, and innovative technology.

Posted on November 15, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

More on iPads and Kindles for Yachting and Yacht Charters

I had a very interesting email exchange with Kim Kavin, editor of Charterwave and one of the most technically savvy people I know in the charter business. She’s a Kindle lover and didn’t really agree that the iPad would be that revolutionary for yacht charters. For reading a book on on a yacht, the Kindle, as a single purpose tool, has no peer – especially given that it has an LCD screen that is easy to read outdoors, while backlit screens common to computers and presumably the iPad may be more difficult to read in direct sunlight. She also felt that an iPhone, which has a smaller footprint but plenty of uses, can be used for games, videos, etc.

Everyone will need to make their own decisions about what electronic devices they choose to bring on their charters. If you want a great tool to read books, a Kindle may be for you. If you want a multipurpose tool that is not too large, bring your iPhone, and if you want a bigger screen that will be excellent for charts, games, videos, pictures and yachting apps, an iPad may be perfect, especially if someone makes a waterproof case!

Posted on January 30, 2010 by Tom Virden — No Comments ↓

iPad for Yacht Charters? We say “yes”!

The Apple Ipad will be great for boats, charters and yachting — Photo courtesy of Apple, Inc.

The raging debate in tech land today is whether the iPad has enough features or is revolutionary enough to truly change the world. Looked at from the perspective of yachting, my feeling is a very strong yes. Its big, beautiful screen, ease of use (no mouse or keyboard to flop around the boat) and ability to process graphics so quickly will make it a fantastic tool to bring along on any charter or yachting holiday.

We see it with multiple uses: reading charts and mixing basic chart data with images, videos and user information about the ports and cruising areas, keeping track of your expenses and other trip records, researching your itinerary, entertaining the kids at night on their personal movie viewers, checking weather, tides and wind forecasts, and showing everyone your gorgeous pictures as you progress through your charter. I did this on my last charter with my MacBook Pro, but was constantly worried that I’d ruin it. Not so with an iPad – there aren’t really any moving parts.

Added to the above, there will be amazing apps written for sailors and yachting that we haven’t even thought about but that will become indispensable as soon as we try them. That’s the nature of technology, and why the iPhone is the number one phone in the world right now. We’ll certainly be following these events with interest, and may even release an app or two of our own 🙂

As a disclaimer, I worked for Apple Computer for 10 years (back when it had a colored logo with stripes), so I’ve had a serious dose of Steve Job’s reality distortion field.

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Tom Virden — No Comments ↓