Tagged With "Google"
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Re: Expedia lifts the veil on airline fees
I like transparency and think this is welcome news for travel consumers. Also a smart move on the part of Expedia, I think.
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Re: Staying In Touch on the Road: Part 4
Great Info! Skype is great but I found Magic Jack versatile when the other person is not sitting on a computer. I am also a fan of Google Voice ,but I don't think I'm using all their features.
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Re: Google Relaunches Zagat, minus content and search
I used to find Zagat an extremely helpful aid in planning out special meals on my travels. Not so since Google acquired it. Seems almost as botched as what they did to Frommers.
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Re: Google Relaunches Zagat, minus content and search
I know what I think: I think that the ads should be so distinct (and funny, or pithy, or whatever tone) that no one could ever mistake them for user content. I'd hate to have to explain over and over that no, Gumbo is NOT recommending luggage sellers or tour companies, or--for that matter--kitchen remodeling in Britain. The creep over the line is so evident in the newspaper sales pitches for "rare" coins and various remedies dolled up to look like news articles.
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Re: Google Relaunches Zagat, minus content and search
Interesting. So ads that look like user generated content seem to strongly imply that the site is directly pushing the product. I will need to drop by Verizon or an Apple store, I suppose, to see how such ads appear to the viewer. Happily iPad and iPod free. iMan Overboard
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Re: Visiting Oslo? You can go today...or yesterday
Thanks, I enjoyed comparing my own photos to the historic ones
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Re: Staying In Touch on the Road: Part 3
PH - You are explaining so much about mobile communications. Thank you for putting it in words non-geeks like me can understand. I am learning a lot by reading this series.
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New competitor for TomTom, Garmin and Google Maps
There's a new GPS app asking for attention. Scout, from skobbler, a subsidiary of map supplier Telenav, is free like Google, and offers offline functions like the dedicated GPS boxes. The free version provides online use and offline use...
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Google vs. Uber? With no one in driver's seat?
Wait for it...Google is on the verge, apparently, of offering a ride-share app that would compete with Uber (a company it previously invested in). In the long run, Google hopes to pair it up with its longstanding driverless car research, which company...
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Google's Street View takes on the Loch Ness Monster
Whether for fun, fantasy or serious purpose, Google recently mounted one of its Street View cameras on a boat and teamed with a diving team to explore he surface of Scotland's Loch Ness and its famously elusive (and unlikely) underwater resident....
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Wearable technology finding a niche for air crews
More and more technology is coming in wearable form: watches from Apple and Samsung, Google Glass, and more to come. And airlines and other aviation companies are starting to see a place for it onboard. Instead of using a wired phone to contact...
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Liberland awaits: who will be the first tourist?
Taking advantage of a small (only Monaco and the Vatican are smaller) piece of Europe that is apparently unclaimed by either of its neighbors, Croatia and Serbia, a Czech politician named Vít Jedlička has proclaimed the Republic of...
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Apple Maps still trying to find its way
A fleet of Google's mapping cars...now Apple is doing the same Photo: westbayhomes.org Apple, whose 2012 Maps application got no love as a replacement for Google Maps on Apple devices, is...
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Google Street View goes vertical on El Capitan
We're used to using Google's Street View tool to walk around cities all over the world, and even through locations such as airports and shopping malls, but now Google has opened a new frontier with its first vertical set, the iconic face of El Capitan...
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Google Tests Price Drop Alerts for Hotels
Google Now had a internal test experiment that told if a hotel rate dropped after one booked. Right now Yapta, Tingo and Dreamcheaper are some main players in listing price drops. If you book a refundable fare and see a...
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Expedia lifts the veil on airline fees
In a move possibly intended to show a little difference from its rivals, Expedia will now display typical airline fees, including baggage charges and change fees before the final purchase of the ticket. Typically, up to now, those charges are...
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TripAdvisor, Booking.com book a deal
TripAdvisor just took one giant step forward in its plans to be a one-stop review and booking site by a deal with booking.com which will allow TripAdvisor to directly book customers into booking.com's 436,000 rooms. It's part of a series...
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Where is Gumbo? No, the question is "Where were you?"
Our long-running geography-culture-nature puzzle has been running for months now, sometimes weekly and sometimes twice a week, but always with the question "Where in the World is Gumbo?" Well, that started me on the next question: How much...
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Google Relaunches Zagat, minus content and search
http://www.businessweek.com/ar...letely-botched-zagat
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Staying In Touch on the Road: Part 3
GETTING YOUR PHONE READY TO GOThis is part 3 of a report on communication for travelers. In the first two parts, we discussed the kinds of service available, and how to choose the one you want. Obviously, using your own smartphone is the best...
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Staying In Touch on the Road: Part 4
ET—HERE’S HOW TO CALL HOME! Right! I promised you alternatives to paying high cellphone call rates for calling back home. Using one of these low-cost strategies lets you spend more on data (or dinner!) and lets you choose a SIM by the best...
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Ryanair's new wrinkle: PayPal
Ryanair, the low-fare airline that's been trying to change its poor-customer-service image by eliminating some fees and adding some benefits, has now teamed up with PayPal to make paying for tickets and fees easier--and it's reported to be working...
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Choosing a map app? There's lots new, lots to kow!
Even confirmed map addicts (me included) find ourselves relying on digital maps for many uses, including transit directions, traffic conditions and more. It's no surprise that there are rival apps and constant updates and changes in what's available....
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Airbnb raises $555 million in new funding- now it is worth for $30 billion
Airbnb has raised $555 in order to reach the expected value of $850 million; this is a sign to show that the company is growing globally. A source which is close to the company confirms its earlier reports. The funding round is reported by the company named Alphabet, which is the parent company of Google. This $550 million has risen towards $850 million, and the field is about to rise, because of this act. The round valued Airbnb at $30 billion and it has become one of the biggest startups...
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Visiting Oslo? You can go today...or yesterday
For virtual time travelers, a historic tour of Oslo links old pictures with Google Street View.
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Russia threatens Google over Ukraine map names
With Russia and Ukraine both claiming to be the rightful government of the Crimean Peninsula, Google's been caught in a war over place names.
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Street View? In the Faroe Islands, it's Sheep View
A tiny territory of rocky islands in Arctic waters takes matters into its own hand to get its roads and byways into Google Street View.
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Google's latest: Virtually visit Loire Valley chateaus
Google has signed deals with 18 Loire Valley chateaux to create virtual tours of the popular and historic area, using StreetView and ArtCamera technology.
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Bing pulls in Trip Advisor Reviews
It looks like Bing is taking a different approach than Google. It's actually listing TripAdvisor ratings in their search results.http://www.computerworld.com.s...for-travel-searches/
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Google's Street View Now Goes Beyond Streets
Google has launched extensions to Google Street View that now can give you a photo-view of airports and train and subway stations. Not that many yet, but it will grow. Here's the STORY on Skift.com
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Google tests 'Trips' App
Google tests 'Trips' app that recommends sights, restaurants, ground transportation options, and more.
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California cops: How do you ticket a driverless car?
That's the puzzling question faced by cops in Mountain View, CA the other day. Mountain View, where Google...oops, Alphabet...is the most prominent corporate citizen is also one of the areas where Google's driverless cars are being tested. The...
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Switzerland tries new buses with no drivers
If Google's self-driving cars seem a bit futuristic (even if one got pulled over by a cop for going too slow), consider this: starting next spring, Switzerland will actually put passengers on driverless buses for a two-year test. The buses will...
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GPS: All roads lead to...a tiny Austrian village
Since July, the software for Garmin's popular GPS devices has tried to direct a bonanza of tourist traffic to Preitenegg, Austria, seen above. Perhaps you've never heard of Preitenegg? No surprise: It has fewer than 1000 residents and sits in...
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On the road with your phone? There's apps for that
Getting ready for a road trip still calls for packing and getting in the car, but when it comes to maps and routes and where to stop and where to stay…well, there’s an app for that. Quite a few, in fact.
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Hilton's app now looks out the window for you
Hilton adds a Google Maps link to its apps to let you see what the view from your window will be.
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Auto-connect to airport WiFi with FLIO app
"There's an app for that" was the big tagline not long ago, but for some things there just wasn't—and FLIO neatly fills one of those gaps. If you have an iPhone; no Android version for a couple more months. And it's free. FLIO is "all-things-airport," with the kind of information you could otherwise find only by searching airport websites, or at best, by downloading individual airport apps. The publisher has worked with over 180 airports, and is adding more, to allow app-users to...
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They Googled WHAT? 2015's Top 10 Travel Questions
You can google just about anything—note the lower case 'g'—but only Google is keeping track of what people are looking for, and releases annual lists of the top searches in dozens of categories. For last year, the U.S. list of top travel questions seems very basic and location focused, whereas last year's top questions had more of a "How-To" flavor. Here's the 2015 list: What to pack for Cancun? Where is Disneyland? What airport is ORD When is whale watching season in San...
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Google offers flat $10/GB for data in 120 countries for travelers
Google has a bargain $10 per GB data plan in 120 countries. Read details.
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Re: Liberland awaits: who will be the first tourist?
This may actually turn out to be a tax haven. It might be very successful.
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Re: On the road with your phone? There's apps for that
In the US, I use the Scout GPS app. They seem to listen to feedback and have made several improvements in their updates of the app. Overseas I use Google Maps, but will try others
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Re: On the road with your phone? There's apps for that
UPDATE: There's an important update to Google's navigation and maps: it's now possible to download the Google Maps for most areas and then use them for turn-by-turn navigation while off-line. Considering that there are still areas where cell service is weak and that many people don't have generous data allowances when abroad, this can be a BIG advantage. Available now for Android users, and soon for iPhone.
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Re: Google offers flat $10/GB for data in 120 countries for travelers
This plan might be good value for travelers crossing a lot of borders, but those visiting one country will find many cheaper alternatives. In Italy, for instance, €10 will buy you 2Gb of 100 Mbps data, and €20 will buy 5Gb.
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Re: Google offers flat $10/GB for data in 120 countries for travelers
Looking at the link, it seems to mostly be intended for tablets, rather than phones. But that may come with time, I guess. I tend to travel with a phone and my laptop, so data for a tablet is not very useful to me.
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Re: Google offers flat $10/GB for data in 120 countries for travelers
Definitely so! In fact, reading the online discussion on their forum, it becomes clear that using the data-only SIM disables all normal voice-and-text uses of a phone; if you want to make calls from it, you have to use Google Voice or other app. I’m really not convinced it’s a great deal—especially for those who have T-Mobile (one of Google’s underlying carriers for this process) since we already get unlimited free data as part of our regular phone plan…and in the same countries as Google’s...
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Re: Google offers flat $10/GB for data in 120 countries for travelers
Below is a good review of Googles Project Fi's Cell Plan too. It switches between T-Mobile, Sprint and Wi-Fi. I have Republic Wireless, which is Hybrid calling plan also and I've found it so useful to use Wi-Fi for calling when the cell signal's weak. If the cell signal is blocked inside a building, or because of weak rural cell coverage, you can still phone or text if you have Wi-Fi. http://techaeris.com/2015/12/1...roject-fi-in-action/
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Re: They Googled WHAT? 2015's Top 10 Travel Questions
I'm a little surprised that Missoula made the cut. Nice small city to visit, but far from a main travel destination.
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Re: They Googled WHAT? 2015's Top 10 Travel Questions
These things are always puzzling...hard to see why Lamar Odom would be the all-world, all-year top choice, and to have ISIS, Putin, Obama not even listed there. As for Missoula...maybe people searched for that, while in larger cities the questions were spread over a wider assortment of topics than just "what to do in...?" Or, maybe...Missoula is the new Paris...I'm always the last to know...
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Re: They Googled WHAT? 2015's Top 10 Travel Questions
No, Pheymont, Missoula is not the next Paris. But it is fun to visit and you're likely to see both elk and moose while there. We did a Missoula write up on TravelGumbo which you can find at this link: https://www.travelgumbo.com/blo...na-home-of-grizzlies