The Complete 2011 foXnoMad Travel Gadget Gift Guide

The only thing that moves faster than you and your traveling peers is the rate at which new gadgets are released, updated, and desired. Buying any electronic, whether it’s a laptop or digital camera, is largely a personal decision – there is no one “best” in many cases. Just like there’s no one “best shoe” for every lady but there is one out there your mom is sure to love. It comes down to asking the right questions, knowing how your traveler gets their gadget on, and having a few suggestions to help you narrow the choices down.

I’ve got the categories of tech you’re most likely to be looking at, along with my personal favorites added in for good measure. From expensive to cheap, you’re sure to find the perfect gift for your traveling techie.

Laptops: From Small To Ultra-Small

When it comes to laptops for travelers we often think smaller is better; but really it depends on how you use it. For some background reading you can catch up with the traveler’s guide to choosing the right laptop, but when it comes to size, most travelers go with either an ultra-light netbook or a laptop in the 13-inch range.

The major difference for a traveler? Screen and keyboard space; photo editing buddies may prefer an extra 3 inches of screen to work whereas your email-only/Facebook types would probably prefer ditching 3 pounds from their backpack. (Shopping for backpacks? – I’ve got you covered there too.)

13-Inch Laptop Category

  1. Toshiba Portege R835-P81 (~$799) – An impressive mix of power and size in a 13.3 inch laptop; this Toshiba only weights 3.2 pounds (~1.45 kilos), has an effective 7 hours of battery life (9 hours by manufacturer specs), and comes loaded with 6 gigabytes of RAM.
  2. 13-Inch Macbook Pro (~$1199) – If given the choice between a Macbook Air 13.3 inch and the 13-inch Macbook Pro; I’d go with the $100-less Macbook Pro. Sure it’s a little thicker (.3 inches extra) and weighs about a kilo more, but you get much more machine with components that can be upgraded for less.

Netbooks

  1. Dell Mini 10v (~$399) – This older, heavy (1.9kg – 4.4lbs), netbook might seem an unusual choice to go at the top of this list. The Dell Mini 10v is here because it’s hardware still holds up for casual use but more interestingly, that hardware is compatible with Mac OS X. That means the Dell Mini 10v can act as a poor man’s Macbook without the added $600 investment. (Here’s how to hackintosh your netbook.)
  2. ASUS Eee PC 1018-P (~$410) – For all of their faults (poor instruction manuals, manic-depressive customer support), the Acer Eee line of netbooks are durable little machines. They’re not the fastest (typically the processor’s are lagging behind other brands by 15%) but they’re not meant to be overworked with photo-editing or graphic-intensive games either. One bonus is they’re particularly efficient at dissipating heat; good for laptop longevity – especially if you’ll be hanging out in the tropics or be that guy who’s always working on the beach.

Laptop Accessories

You might not be the one buying a new laptop for a friend but can help spice up the one they’ve already got with these (much) less expensive accessories.

eReaders: The Nook Vs. The Kindle

It wasn’t so long ago that there were some important differences between the Kindle and nook for international travelers. Since that time though things have mostly evened out – and you’ve got Amazon’s Kindle line competing with Barnes & Nobles’ nook – both taking up most of the eReader market. Things are quite even between the two – if you’ve already got a Kindle or nook and looking to upgrade best advice is to stay with the same company – otherwise these are the major selling points of both.

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Non-Color Display Winner: Amazon

Color Display Winner (With Geek Award Bonus): nook Tablet

Digital Cameras And Accessories

Let’s take a short look at 3 categories of digital camera, starting with the point and shoot I use.

Point & Shoot

Micro 4/3rd

DSLRs

This is a gigantic category that I could devote multiple websites to; these are just some suggestions that might fit what you’re looking for and if they don’t – can help you get started.

  1. Nikon D90 Body (~$1,100) – Many travelers I’ve spoken with have or are using this as their first DSLR on the road. But while preference of the Nikon bodies vary, nearly all frequent travelers will tell you the 18-200mm Nikkor lens (~$879) is the most versatile they’re carrying.
  2. Canon 550D Body ($1,299) – When it comes to video the Canon’s tend to be much better at picking up audio, and this camera came highly recommended by several of you when I asked on Facebook.

The shot below from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey can only be gotten if you throw yourself off the top balcony (ouch) or use an xShot Extender (~$25). This monopod lets you take good photos of yourself with background and company included – perfect for the solo traveler who only has photos of their face close-up from a million places around he world. Also, like I mentioned above, you can get photos above a crowd and over physical barriers as well.

You’ll notice I haven’t jumped into video here and that’s for two reasons. The first being that I don’t do much video work and the second being that for general shooting when traveling, a digital camera or newer smart phone does a pretty good job. That said, what makes any travel video better is good sound and a wireless lapel microphone ($20-250) can be your first big improvement.

Mobile Phones

Although I’m someone who hasn’t had regular mobile phone service in over 3 years, I test, take apart, and crack a surprisingly large variety of them. (Mostly companies sending them my way for testing.) So which phones are the smartest? Well, the one you pick of course…

  1. iPhone 4 ($679 – no contract) – Forget about the “S” for now because as sexy as Siri is, she’s getting an upgrade in a few months. Take this with a huge grain of salt…but back in August Apple is rumored to have sent iPhone 5 specs to China for manufacturing. Apparently scrapped due to design flaws, a potentially “radical” redesign in the iPhone 5 may appear next June at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Event (WWDE).
  2. Samsung Galaxy S II (~$549) – Thinner but with a larger screen, this is one of the slickest mobiles I’ve come across in a long time. The screen resolution is incredible and the apps run remarkably smooth on its Android 2.3 operating system. Add a 8.1 megapixel camera and 1080 HD video and it’s a powerful phone package.
  3. HTC Amaze 4G (~$650 – no contract) – Lots of processing power under the hood in addition to a vibrant display.
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Whichever phone you go with, if it’s got a fancy screen you ought to invest in good protection for it. The ZAGG Invisible Shields (~$20) for phones and more were once used to protect the blades of military helicopters and do a heck of a job on digital screens.

Connections, Coils, And Cables: Going MacGyver

It’s the little, simple items in our backpacks that go unnoticed but work so hard to make our techie lives easier on the road.

  1. Organize Your Cables – Keep those cables organized so they’re easy to manage using either Applecores (~$7) or UT Cord Wraps (~$7).
  2. V-MODA Vibe Earbuds (~$35) – I’ve been using V-MODA to listen to my music, movies, and podcasts for several years now. They eliminate outside noise extremely well and provide exceptional audio quality.
  3. Duct Tape (~$5) – Combined with dirty socks can help reduce mosquito bites, along with countless other uses.
  4. All In One Charger (~$3) – A permanent resident in any frequent international traveler’s bag as is this Belkin mini-surge protector (~$12), turning one outlet into 3 plus 2 USB ports.
  5. Alfa USB Wireless Antenna (~$40) – Geek out and extend your laptop’s wireless range by 3-5 times.
  6. Stereo Audio Cable (~$1) – Anyone who spends a decent amount of time in rental cars will appreciate being able to plug their iPod or mobile phone in to listen to their own tunes.
  7. Garmin Forerunner 405 Water Resistant Running GPS (~$175) – Wherever I am in the world I run, and I run a lot. These GPS come in handy for athletic, hiking, and calculating travelers who might want to keep up with how many calories they burned sightseeing.
  8. Flip-It Plugless USB Charger (~$16) – That outlet isn’t really full; a great find on Legal Nomads’ resources page as is the JuiceBar Pocket Solar Charger (~$50).

Travel eBooks That Come In Paper Too: Recommended Travel-Nerd Reads

Of course the best gadget in the universe sits between your ears – and enthusiastic minds deserves some good hacking too. These are books (all come in handy digital Kindle, nook, etc. formats) that are a bit travel and a bit geek; some of my favorite recent reads you may enjoy as well.

Finally, I’d like to show you over to my eBooks page with more of my recommended reads (and two written by me.)

Accept What You Buy Will Get Old Fast But Keep Receipts In Case It’s Too Fast

Keep in mind that there never is a “best” gadget – it’s more like a “best for the moment and best for you” gadget. Technology gets updated quickly but it doesn’t mean that a previous model isn’t the perfect deal and if you do happen to buy a large ticket item, keep the receipt as occasionally new versions get released a bit sooner than any of us anticipated.

Have any questions or gadget recommendations? Add you additions to the comments below!