The Genius swarm was unexpected. Who knew that carrying my MacBook Pro into the Apple Store in a BookBook laptop case would inspire such a flurry of questions: “Is that really a lapbook case?” “Where did you get it?” “Who makes it?” “Do they make one for the iPad?” “Can I look inside?” “Wow, cool!” I felt like a rock star.
I didn’t buy the cleverly disguised laptop case that looks like an antique book to be the chicest geek at the Genius Bar. Rather, I’d bought it to reduce the risk of having my MacBook Pro stolen.
But based on the number of blue-shirted Genius admirers, it looks like innovative Mac accessory designer, Twelve South, has tapped into the collective desire for originality that’s core among true Mac fans.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Which comes first the bicycle or the bike speaker?
I used to be a huge fan of cycling. Now, after nearly 2 bikeless years, a cool new gadget put me back in the bicycle seat again.
The Cy-Fi wireless sports speaker was created for cyclists who love to listen to music when they hit the road, but know that riding with headphones or earbuds is an accident (or ticket, in some states) waiting to happen.
Listen in (or read on) as I discuss the pros and cons of this innovative sports speaker.
The music capabilities alone appealed. But, the Cy-Fi also synchs to any Bluetooth enabled phone, PDA, MP3 player or laptop, turning the sporty little speaker into a wireless 4-oz traveling sound system. THAT, I love.
Attahcing the Cy-Fi to the bike handlebar using the provided mounting bracket is a no-brainer; no tools required. And, the controls are just as easy.
I love tooling around town and the bike trails spinning to the beat of my favorite playlists. The sound is great and if you’re trolling for a date, the Cy-Fi attracts as much attention as a chocolate lab puppy. Especially if you’re using the Cy-Fi’s speakerphone feature. Once people figure out your not a lunatic riding around talking to yourself, they want details. How’s it work. Where do you get one? People stopped me on the street wanting to learn more. I have a lot of fun with that.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Tune-Out to Tune-In With iFrogz Headsets
I never imagined I’d be sporting a whole lotta bling in my home office. But, hey, these groovy headphones offer serious sound at a reasonable price. Listen to my newest podcast and learn how I’ve used the iFrogz DJ-style headphones to create my own little desktop sound studio. And, you can too.
Available at iFrogz.com and The Travel Store at EllenBarone.com.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
I don’t know about you, but airline blankets gross me out. But, I’m not a huge fan of freezing either. So what’s a travel girl to do?
Fashionistas swear by a Pashmina for warmth, and for years I carried a woolly warm Mexican rebozo. But thanks to rising checked bag fees and shrinking carry-on allowances, those days are gone. Just too much bulk.
If you’re feeling my vibe here, then you’ll love my latest find; the COCOON travel blanket. When you consider that it squashes into it’s own tiny stuff sac, is lightweight and fits easily into my laptop bag, you don’t have to be germ-phobic to recognize that it’s a great travel staple.
Better yet, throw in one of their ultra compact air core, memory foam, or down travel pillows (my fave) and you’ll be the envy of coach class.
To learn more, visit www.cocoonusa.com.
You can also find COCOON products in stock in my new Travel Store.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
I’ve taken this little dynamo skiing in Utah, snorkeling in Baja and mountain biking in New Mexico. I even dropped it onto my ceramic tile floor - and it’s still shooting like the little pro that it is. Shockproof, waterproof (to 10-feet underwater), freeze-proof (to -14°F) and basically life-proof, if I can take it, so, it appears, can the palm-sized Olympus Stylus 1050SW.
The folks at Olympus seem to have thought of everything any adventurous shutterbug could ask for – rain or shine, underwater, on the slopes or on the run. Boasting 10.1 megapixel high-quality photography, image stabilized video, scene specific shooting modes, quick-access buttons for flash and exposure control, this svelte little number screams Yes You Can!
Favorite Feature: Topping my list is it’s pocket-sized convenience assuring that I’m never without a camera. Better yet, at 10.1 megapixels, if I do happen to snap the shot-of-the-century, it’s publication-quality. Did I mention it shoots YouTube ready video, too? Very fun.
Not-so-favorite Feature: No viewfinder means that I have to compose my shot in the LCD screen. But every shutterbug under the age of 30 that I voice this complaint to tells me to “get over it!” Okay, okay, I get it, viewfinders are sooo middle-age, but I still don’t like it.
Bottom-line: I wouldn’t even think of adventuring without it.
$299.00 suggested retail price: www.olympus.com
Also available at The Travel Store at EllenBarone.com powered by Amazon.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
My new Seattle Sling waterproof camera bag just arrived. I can’t wait to try it out!
Boasting proven dry bag technology, I’m thinking it should be perfect for any adventure near water: sea kayaking, skiff rides, wet landings, hiking in the rainforest, or even a trip to Seattle in the rainy season. Ingenious!
More to come soon, as I head off to Baja’s Sea of Cortez to put it to the test!
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
The techie in your brood will love this new twist on the classic Swiss Army knife; the Swiss Army Multitool with USB Drive. With the addition of a detachable USB drive and LED mini-light no self-respecting digital traveler will want to leave home without one. Use it to transfer and share your vacation snaps, illustrate your Power Point presentation with its red LED light ray, screw a battery compartment shut, file your nails or snip the tag off that new dress, female or male, this is the ulitmate geek gadget. $69.95; National Geographic.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Let your style roar…
Set off for college, the office, or the road with this season’s hippest accessory and protect your mobile tech from taking a hit in style. All about style and function, this fashionable line offers all the features any on-the-go Gadget Girl craves: external pockets to carry the extras; non-slip carry straps; a slim, snug, durable design; and graphics that roar with personality. From $34.95; www.designersleeves.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Go ahead, trade in those goofy lighted slippers from Aunt Sally for the gizmo you really wanted, PlanOn’s new mobile Printstik. I won’t tell. Promise. After all, what self-respecting gadget geek wouldn’t want to add a Printstik to their portable arsenal? It’s Bluetooth enabled, lightweight, fits in your pocket and syncs with your PC laptop, PDA, and mobile phone, and prints “on the spot” wirelessly. From $199.00; www.planon.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
This day bag by Tilley Endurables is the perfect city carry-all, yet tough enough for adventure. I prefer the ease of access of this padded, rainproof shoulder bag to that of a backpack. Not to mention the handiness of eleven pockets, inside key-clip, conveniently located pen pockets, Velcro-closed side pockets perfect for a water bottle and cell phone, and waterproof interior pockets that’ll keep important documents dry even in a downpour. It’s spacious enough to carry a bulky zoom lens and conceal an expensive SLR while you dine or in a pub, where you’d rather not rest it on the tabletop or sling it over a chair back, while its school-bag look doesn’t scream camera bag to thieves. It also passes macho-muster with my husband who I’ve finally trained to carry his own stuff (no more, “honey, can you put this in your purse?”).
$185.00; www.tilley.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
By now you probably suspect that if I can go ga-ga over a laptop bag, the right suitcase could probably send me over the moon. You wouldn’t be wrong. My husband and I both own this bag and won’t even look at another. Why would we? We’ve watched our Patagonia Freewheeler take a fall from the top of a heap from a makeshift luggage cart on a rustic airstrip in Myanmar, without so much as a torn corner or bent frame. It’s trailed after us over cobbled streets and bounced up railway station steps, been dropped roughly from the rooftops of third-world buses and lashed to camels in the Sahara. And, when it finally did, after a decade of traveling the world, tear slightly along a seam, when we returned it to Patagonia for repair, they sent us a new one - free.
Made from tough ballistic cloth nylon, this water-repellent free-wheeling suitcase sports the same wheels as those found on the best inline skates. The designers at Patagonia seem to have thought of everything a traveler needs: Its duffle-style top compartment collapses snuggly into a hard-sided bottom to slide easily under a ship’s bed or the floor of a hotel closet and a zippered lower compartment keeps your shoes and dirty laundry separate. $350.00; www.patagonia.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Don’t let its plain-Jane looks fool you. My quest for the perfect computer case ended when a fellow road warrior turned me onto this winner. The glazed look in my friends eyes as I rhapsodized about the distinguishing qualities of the bag pegged me as the hopeless gadget geek I am. I can’t help myself. I’m prone to extolling the bag’s virtues – superior padded protection, rugged ballistic nylon construction, convenient compartments for files and data media storage, front loading access to AC adaptor cables and cords, a multi-pocketed easy-access organizer panel for cell phone, iPod, GPS unit and other accessories, felt-lined quick-access pocket for sunglasses or tickets, and wheelie strap for attaching to wheeled luggage – with the zeal of a religious convert. Oh, and did I mention that it’s ‘carbon balanced’? All purchases on Brenthaven.com will be offset with carbon credits. Hey, quit rolling your eyes! $99.95; www.brenthaven.com
About Ellen Barone: Consumer travel expert Ellen Barone is the founder and publisher of EllenBarone.com and YourLifeIsATrip.com. Learn more here and connect on Twitter at,Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
No matter where my travels take me, I gotta have my morning java jolt. Try scoring a take-out cup anywhere outside the coffee crazed U.S. and you’ll understand my affinity for this go-anywhere, leak-proof, shatter-proof, 14-ounce, stainless steel travel mug. And, I’m not the only one to appreciate its appeal. Thanks to its convenient carabiner that lets you hang it from your backpack, purse strap or belt, a slick fingered pickpocket in the Nairobi airport grabbed my morning cuppa. Now, as I grip the rubber padded handle of Nissan travel mug number 2 and sip the caffeine nectar, I imagine a happy thief somewhere in the world enjoying a savory brew, and smile. $23.99; www.thedailymug.com
About Ellen Barone: Consumer travel expert Ellen Barone is the founder and publisher of EllenBarone.com and YourLifeIsATrip.com. Learn more here and connect on Twitter at,Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Lugging a bulky, rigid tripod has never been a practical alternative for the type of on-the-go shooting that traveling photographers like me encounter. Thanks to the cleverly designed pocket-sized Joby Gorillapod, I’ll never have to choose between sharp shots or carrying a tripod again. The cleverly designed pocket-sized gorillapod - a bendable tripod that secures to any surface, has legs that bend and rotate 360 degrees, and rubber feet for extra gripping power – is all I pack these days. Slip it into a pocket, purse or day pack and capture those artsy low-light shots of Paris at night, dimly lit tango clubs in Buenos Aires or the final glory of a tropical sunset and impress em’ at home with your postcard-perfect vacation snaps. Available in 4 sizes; www.joby.com
About Ellen Barone: Consumer travel expert Ellen Barone is the founder and publisher of EllenBarone.com and YourLifeIsATrip.com. Learn more here and connect on Twitter at,Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Discover your ‘visual DNA’, and lots more, with this cool online quiz at Imagini.net.
It’s easy and fast. Simply select the picture that best answers each question, then read Imagini’s version of your personality profile. Fun stuff!
See my quiz results below…
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".