Thursday 12 October 2006 by Edward.

You have a mobile web-enabled phone. You also are dying to have a coffee and need to find the closest Tim’s (Tim Horton’s coffee) or Starbucks. No poblem! Go to FindByClick and you can summon up the Great Canadian Coffee Map. I never realized how MANY Tim Horton’s coffee shops there were in Canada until I looked at this map — and I know not all are shown on the map.

Rule 7 “The Rule of Perpendicular Signs” in the book ‘The 25 Immutable Rules of Successful Tourism’ by Roger A. Brooks and Maury Forman states that ‘20/20 signage equals $$$.’ When you drive into a new town the most obvious signs you’ll see are the ‘perpendicular’ signs — the signs that best cross your line of vision. The best tourist maps are those that show a single theme, like the coffee map or the Toronto beer map. It’s simple, to the point and clear.

Posted in mobile phone, Maps, DURING the visit | 61 Comments »

Saturday 7 October 2006 by Edward.

I recently reported that train e-tickets in India could be purchased in cash at iWay cybercafés. The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is now working with banks and post offices to make eTicket purchases, by cash or charge card, as easy as withdrawing money or buying a postage stamp. This should make it even more convenient for tourists travelling the country.

Posted in Gadget/Idea/Webtool, DURING the visit | 231 Comments »

Friday 6 October 2006 by Edward.

Scandinavia Airlines is the world’s first airline to use biometric, fingerprint, recording at baggage check-in and boarding. While there exists concern for invasion of privacy, most passengers surveyed believe the security measure will increase airport safety and boarding efficiency.

Posted in Gadget/Idea/Webtool, DURING the visit | 56 Comments »

Wednesday 4 October 2006 by Edward.

London’s University of Westminster 499-seat Intermission pub has six touchscreen tables to allow patrons to order drinks directly from the bar. These RFID-enabled tables can also allow users to chat with those at other tables. Some users suggest going further — to have control over music selection, to send requests to the university radio station, to view webcams to see drinks being prepared, to play games, to stream sports videos to the tables, and to order taxis. These media-rich tables were built jointly by Compuware and Escapism Media using a Captive Audience Network system.

Posted in RFID, Gadget/Idea/Webtool, DURING the visit | 144 Comments »

Saturday 30 September 2006 by Edward.

For US$70.00 you can buy a 3-megapixel camera/video unit that fits on your keychain. I see this as a useful tool for tourists.
Specs:
2560×2048 sill camera mode resolution
320×240 video frame for 100 sec
8Mb DRAM
SD card slot
USB port
powered by one AAA battery
size 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ x 3/4″
weight 1/2 oz

Posted in Gadget/Idea/Webtool, DURING the visit | 3 Comments »

Friday 29 September 2006 by Edward.

During a 5-week period in August-September, Disney’s imagineers tested how a cell-phone game, Kim Possible, might enhance the tourist theme park experience, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Everyday about 100 visitors were randomly selected and handed the cell phone mystery game that centred about the UK pavillion. The idea was to solve clues in the game.

Imagineer’s R&D group are testing the concept of adding new technology (such as segways) to the park, but making sure these technologies do not detract from the essential theme park experience. They envisage the technology also being adopted elsewhere at other venues, destinations and activities.

Posted in Gadget/Idea/Webtool, mobile phone, DURING the visit | 2 Comments »

Thursday 28 September 2006 by Edward.

You need to locate your destination. A GPS system would really help but you don’t want to buy one. First, it’s expensive. Second, you only need it for a few days.

Boston’s Nav-A-Trip now rents units for US$9.95 per day ($US14.95 per day for travellers to Europe), reports the DailyNewsTranscript. Nav-A-Trip will send units to customers’ homes or hotels. Once done, customers can mail the units back in prepaid boxes.
The GPS units are portable and can be carried while walking around a strange new city — giving directions and pin-pointing features of interest.

Posted in Gadget/Idea/Webtool, GPS, DURING the visit | 3 Comments »

Tuesday 26 September 2006 by Edward.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp has launched their “Sound About Philly” iPOD walking tour. Audio tours take you to unusual and unknown places. Current podcasts include: My Philly, History Unplugged, and Philadelphia Flavorhoods. User-created tours are also available, such as Hands-on Fun, and Literary Philly.

What impressed my about Sound About Philly was its integration with GoogleMap. I clicked on the Philadelphia Flavorhoods podcast and was presented with ten tour segments, each displayed on GoogleMap. I love markets so I clicked on the South Philadelphia Italian Market icon, on 9th and Christian Street. “Joe Bubbles”, a long-time resident, introduces us to a cheese shopkeeper, a cookware merchant and an Italian baker (I yearn for good Italian bread!). The audio clips are more of an area presentation rather than a walking tour, such as the Toronto City Surf tour I noted in an earlier blog post. A neat feature is the “add to custom tour” button. You can create your own audio tour the visit Philadelphia.

Posted in Website/Event, Blogs/Podcast/eInfo, DURING the visit, BEFORE the visit | 1 Comment »

Sunday 24 September 2006 by Edward.

India’s 3,400 iWay cyber Cafés in 154 cities now offer internet, cash and credit card purchasing of rail tickets through Sify Ltd, reports CXOtoday.com

For both tourist and resident in India an eTicketing service in both cash and credit will meeth the needs of train  travellers.

Posted in Gadget/Idea/Webtool, DURING the visit | 1 Comment »

Friday 22 September 2006 by Edward.

A blogsite has been created between RealTravel, a social network of travel experiences, and T4G, an IT business solutions company, reports Yahoo.

Posted in Blogs/Podcast/eInfo, AFTER the visit, DURING the visit, BEFORE the visit | 1 Comment »