Samsonite Creates Smart Luggage That Can Check Itself In At The Airport

Luggage maker Samsonite has teamed up with Samsung to bring you smart luggage. That's probably not what it's actually called, but let's be honest here, the term is coming. And everyone remember that I said it first. According to The Daily Mail, the luggage that the two companies are working on will let you track the location of your bags, tell you if anyone is opening them, and somehow they will actually be able to move themselves. You will be able to track all this from an app that you will be able to install on any smartphone.

Other cool features include sending you alerts right when the luggage is taken off the plane or moved to the carousel. The companies are also working on being able to have the bags check themselves in automatically when you get to the airport. Pretty soon you won't have to do anything when  you get to the airport.

Another crazy thing they are working on is a bag that will be self propelled and will actually be able to follow you anywhere you go as you make your way around the airport. It will be able to follow six inches behind you at all times. They will have their own remote control too. This is either really cool, or really creepy. I feel like airports are about to look like an episode of The Jetsons.

Apparently it's going to be a little while before all of this takes off though. The company is still working on everything, and still trying to make the motor and remote control small enough to fit into the bag without taking up too much valuable room.

Is this the future of luggage? Is this what we can expect to see in airports in the next few years? Will it even be that cool? Who knows, but it is still a pretty neat idea. And, Samsung doesn't really disappoint with anything they are involved in, so at least we know it will be a serious product.

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Air Travel Set to Increase in 2012 Along with Airfares

According to a hypothesis by AirpotParkingReservations.com, an airport parking aggregator, the new year means new opportunities for travel, and U.S. travelers are going to take to traveling via air a lot more in 2012. Air travel in the United States increased around 6% in 2011 and that increase is likely to continue well into 2012 as U.S. citizens schedule more trips and increase their overall travel budgets.

AirportParkingReservations.com has seen an upturn in reservations in many different markets. Owners believe that the increased air travel trend will also be supported by increased enplanement figures at a lot of the major airports when they are released by the Department of Transportation later in the year. TripAdvisor's annual travel trends survey saw 79% of participants saying they will spend a minimum of $3,000 on travel in 2012 with 57% saying they will spend $5,000. These increased budgets will be essential since airfares are predicted to increase with the decrease in airlines on the market.

The second quarter of 2011 foreshadowed the higher ticket prices when the average domestic airfare increased by 8.5% over 2010 to $370 per ticket. In addition to that, American Airlines' recent bankruptcy announcement illustrates the industry's financial burdens, which will continue to take their toll on travelers in the form of increased ticket prices.

New mileage-based fees will also go into effect in 2012, which will only serve to further increase ticket prices. The good news is that the Department of Transportation's new rules on disclosing all airline fees upfront are scheduled to begin in the next few months, so passengers will no longer be unaware of all the "extras" they are paying for.

The economy is in the toilet and airfare prices are increasing, but that isn't stopping hard-working Americans from going on some well-deserved vacations this year. Maybe the economy is doing slightly better, allowing for these increased vacation allowances, or maybe people just don't care about money because they believe that the world is going to end this year? Hopefully it isn't the latter.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle - 2012 Air Travel Forecast Predicts Increases in Travel and Airfares

Computer Service Now

Airports Starting to Sell Ad Space on Control Towers

It is no surprise that in these tough economic times, companies are looking to put advertisements anywhere. Any surface that can house an ad for a company is being sold so that struggling businesses can make some quick cash. However, officials at an airport in Medford, Oregon have done something truly bizarre. Officials have recently given approval to place giant corporate logos on the airport's control tower.

The Medford City Council took a vote during the week to amend city code, allowing these gigantic adds to be placed. Each ad measures 25-by-25 feet with one being placed on each of the four sides of the 100-foot tall control tower, a landmark to the city.

The combined revenue of the ads is said to generate $3,000 per month and Councilor Al Densmore has said that even though he would love to keep public buildings free and clear of advertising, the money will help reduce landing fees and, in turn, make the airport more attractive to new airlines.

Medford's city planning commission actually voted against the proposal last month, which prompted the director of the airport to go directly to the council himself. Allen Adamson, Managing Director of the global branding firm Landor, stated that the idea to put advertising on the control tower is a "no-brainer" and that he expects many airports to follow the Medford's lead.

Personally, I have always found control towers to be a bit boring. Now that Medford is selling ad space on theirs, I can only hope that I will one day be flying into an airport only to see a giant advertisement for the McRib on the control tower. A 25-by-25-foot rib sandwich sure would be something to behold.

Source: MSNBC - Oregon airport to put ads on control tower

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Traveling Safely with Your Data

When you travel, you probably take all sorts of precautions. After all, you'll be in a place you're not familiar with, with people you don't know. You probably stay on guard, keep your luggage locked up and don't keep large amounts of cash on you. But what about your data? Most people take their laptops and cell phones along when they go on trips, or they use public computers, but what are they doing to keep these items safe?

Most people may take a few precautions at home or the office to make sure their data is secure, but when you're traveling, there is a whole new set of things to worry about. For example, using public computers in cybercafes and hotels may seem like a convenient option, but most people don't realize most of them have malicious malware on them. This can include keylogger programs that record your strokes or capture screenshots of what you're doing. Both can lead to someone stealing your log-in information. Before you using one of these computers, ask an employee or attendant what sort of security measures are used on the computers or see if you can't find a security program icon and check it out yourself. If you can't find a secure computer, avoid doing anything that involves your financial information and if you check your email, change your password when you do get to a secure location.

Using public Wi-Fi on your own personal laptop is a safer option but it can cause some problems, as well. There is free, easy to get software on the market that allows people to view and analyze Wi-Fi traffic. Your data could be read by the wrong person using this software. Use a firewall for protection. The most recent versions of both Apple and Microsoft operating systems come with a free one. You'll also want to make sure your information is encrypted. You can check this by making sure your website addresses say "https." Also, while using your laptop or smartphone in public, you may want to consider purchasing a privacy screen. This will prevent nosy neighbors from getting a glance of what you're doing.

Even when you're not using it, you'll want to protect your laptop from potential thieves. Stealing laptops is big business these days, especially at airports. According to the New York Times, over 12,000 laptops are lost or stolen each week in airports. Make sure you've protected and backed up important data. Also, never leave your laptop alone. Take it to the bathroom with you if you need to and never check it with your luggage. Even if you leave it in a hotel room, you'll want to invest in a lock to prevent dishonest hotel staff from doing something they shouldn't.

Switching gears from laptops to smartphones, a smartphone is often a safer alternative for checking email and other data that you may use your laptop for. If you use your iPhone, Blackberry, or other device to connect to Wi-Fi, though, you have the same worries as you do when you use your laptop. Also, some people can use Bluetooth to snoop into your text messages and contact information. And don't forget there are apps you can buy that will help you find your phone if it's lost or stolen. MobileMe for iPhone allows users to locate missing devices on a map, set a password lock from a remote location, display a message on the screen and erase data from a remote location, as well as making your phone ring, even if the ringer is turned off.

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