A Travel Tool You’ll Never Want to Be Without Again

- January 04, 2007

Photo Courtesy of ARA

Spring will be here before you know it, and if you’d like to go on a trip this year, now is a good time to start planning. Once everyone has packed away their scarves and mittens, the most popular get-away spots are likely to be fully booked.

Whether you’ll be heading south for tropical fun in the sun, up a snowy mountain for downhill thrills, or voyaging overseas so you can get away from it all, you’ll want to be able to cut costs and travel light.

Not so long ago, smart travelers brought along a phone card and bulky laptop so they could make relatively inexpensive phone calls and send emails, but all-in-one devices have really changed the game. Called “smartphones,” the new incarnation of a cell phone/organizer/camera/media player is so affordable now that millions of American families have at least one, and they’re bringing them along for the ride. Communications, entertainment and convenience have merged into a single device that easily fits in a pocket, purse or backpack.

Today’s cell phones can be used as a digital calendar, phone book and calculator. They also have games and music players on them that can be used to keep the kids entertained, and are equipped with digital cameras that can capture “wish you were here” moments. Many are also mini-computers capable of logging onto the Internet and sending and receiving email and instant messages from virtually anywhere in the world.

If you spend a lot of time traveling, the next time you upgrade your cell phone, consider Palm’s latest offering, the Treo 680 smartphone. It’s a world phone available for about the same price as a standard smartphone yet offers some significant upgrades, including an integrated keyboard, 64MB of user-available storage, improved web browser, enhanced email and messaging, built-in dial-up networking over Bluetooth. The Treo 680 also works with Google Maps for mobile, a free application that lets you easily find driving directions and access traffic updates in more than 30 U.S. major metropolitan areas, and partial information in many others.

The phone is available in four colors: crimson (red), copper (orange), arctic (white) and graphite (silver). You can find them in Palm’s online store and U.S. retail stores. To learn more about the Treo 680 or find a list of retailers near you, log on to www.palm.com.

Traveling smart has gotten easier. Whether you choose trains, planes or automobiles, all-in-one devices can help you save money and lighten your load.

Courtesy of ARA Content