Category Archives: Tech + Gear
Google Glass Gets Stylish Upgrade
Despite the Google Glass becoming a somewhat fashion week trend, the original futuristic/weird frame isn’t something for everyday style. So Google decided to up the ante and is releasing four “feather-light titanium frames” and two new sunglasses, all available with prescription lenses now. See the styles below:
Share:
In The Bag: Accessories For London Travel
In this edition of Vee Travels’ In The Bag series, essential accessories for travel in London. Shot in one of the luxury personality suites of The Savoy, these accessories are based on a blue color scheme, that also mix winter accessories with unique tech designs. Just in time if you’re headed to London early next week for the spring/summer 2014 menswear collections at London Collections: Men.
Backpack – Tumi
The Tumi Lejeune Backpack Tote ($445) is very versatile, and the camo pattern option got me several compliments during my time in London last month. Wear as a backpack or use as a tote with the backpack hide-a-way straps and its military-inspired, cord top handles Offering four pockets on the outside (three zips and two open), inside you’ll find several pockets (a large zip, large open and small open pockets) with an orange color scheme.
Share:
Contest: Win an iPad or Kindle Fire from Details (Enter Each Day)
Who couldn’t use a new tablet for the New Year and new travels! Details is currently hosting a daily sweepstakes in which they will be giving away two tablets, an iPad and a Kindle Fire, each day well into the New Year. Visit back and enter here each day through January 6th. Good luck!
Bonus: You’ll also receive a digital edition of the current issue, and there’s a special offer for new subscribers.
Follow Vee Travels and Andrew Villagomez on Twitter and Instagram: @AndyVeeNYC
‘Like’ and follow Vee Travels on Facebook
Share:
Gift Guide: Business Accessories You’ll Want For Yourself
Continuing Vee Travels’ gift guide series, while you are shopping for last minute gifts for a friend, family member or partner to be used in and out of the office, you’ll want to pick these up for yourself:
Coach – Legacy Utility Flap Colorblock Commuter
Available in three different colorblocking styles, this glove-tanned leather commuter bag with suede sides can be used both as a brief or a crossbody with its detachable strap. It’s zipper top is covered by a flap with golden turnlocks, and you can fit 15″ laptop inside. ($648, Coach)
Tumi – Alpha Tri-Fold Carry-On Garment Bag
For the man who needs to bring an extra outfit for an after-work event or to change into right away on a business trip, Tumi’s Alpha garment bag can easily be carried by handle or removable shoulhder strap, and feautres extra pockets on both side of the foldedable bag for socks, ties and any tech or travel documents needed. ($395, Tumi)
Trask – Jackson Tech Sleeve
Made of Italian wool and Norwegian elk leather, Trask’s slim portfolio fits tablets of all sizes, and features a flap cover with an exterior pocket. Available in a classic heather grey and a trendy teal. ($85, Trask)
Share:
In The Bag: Accessories For Traveling From City To Rural Ecuador
In this edition of Vee Travels’ In The Bag series, the essential accessories for traveling from Quito, Ecuador’s city life to its rural, mountain regions in the outskirts. Traveling light is key, but personal style can easily be implemented to the accessories selected as they all come in several design or color options.
For the bag, I selected the local find of a woven wool cross body, as the Andean pattern called my name. Other bags such as backpacks, duffles and satchels can be found throughout both the city and rural areas of Quito (and the rest of Ecuador), but often they will have the country or city’s name splattered on it. It was nice to find one that didn’t give away where I found it just be looking at it.
External Power – myCharge
One of the most important necessities for traveling from city to rural, an external power source. myCharge’s Hub 6000 ($99) comes in a sleek silver body and can add over 25 hours of talk time. Called the “Swiss Army Knife of portable power devices”, you can power three gadgets at once with the built-in Apple Lightning, USB port and micro-USB port (useful for my Sony Cyber-shot I used on the trip). It’s also very light and as you can see below, about the length and width of an iPhone.
Share:
Gift Guide: Portable Bluetooth Speakers For Travelers
Continuing Vee Travels’ gift guide series, this week features an article for Details.com I wrote on new bluetooth speakers that are now available in all kinds of odd, oblong and sexy shapes. The added bonus to these well designed speakers selected, they are all travel-friendly and would be perfect for the globetrotting techie in your life. See a few below, with the full set on Details.com:
Logitech UE BOOM
Providing 360 degrees of quality sound from up to 50 feet away, this cylindrical design works well both indoors and out. The body is available in six different colors and is protected by a plasma coating, which means it’s both water- and stain-resistant. The gadget doubles as a speakerphone and can last 15 hours on a single charge. ($199, Ultimate Ears)
Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell 2.0
Sporting a rugged, shock- and water-resistant decagonal shape, Outdoor Tech’s Turtle Shell 2.0 come in seven possible colors (including purple, orange and sea-foam green). Offering 12 hours of play and talk time, the device functions at a range of 32 feet. There’s also a built-in mic and an all-purpose mount available so you can attach it to one’s bike. ($129, Outdoor Tech)
11+ Sound1
Korean start-up 11+ released this small, minimalist speaker in September with eye catching angled surfaces. The shell is just three inches tall and play time lasts up to 20 hours. To connect the speakers, one must use the provided audio cable, making them essentially wired speakers to your wireless devices. ($85, Leibal.com)
ALSO READ:
Gift Guide: 6 iPhone 5/5s Cases For Every Style & Need
Share:
Gift Guide: 6 iPhone 5/5s Cases For Every Style & Need
The holiday shopping season is among us, which means it’s time to start thinking gifts. Continuing Vee Travels’ gift guide series, this week features seven iPhone 5/5s cases for each different style and need out there:
Bespoke & Natural Enthusiast: Carved
Design one of kind wooden smart phone skins to give as a gift or purchase a case with one of Carved’s beautiful artwork to give an iPhone the personality to match the owners. Each skin is handmade with the artwork laser-engraved on the wood, with adhesive applied to back which you can add right on your phone. Carved’s skin leaves no adhesive residue when removed, or select one in a case format for easy phone wardrobe change as need. ($24-$49, Carved)
The Mind Easer: Prong’s PocketPlug
For the guy who always forgets his charger, this cool black case comes with flat folding plugs inconspicuously stored in the back of the case. There is an added micro USB port on the side (a bonus but you won’t really need it), and the phone’s speaker is not buffered. Easy to slide the phone on and off, the PocketPlug will soon be available in white and the colors blue, red and pink. ($69, Prong)
Share:
In The Bag: Traveler’s Global Style Accessories For The Weekend
Photographed at the Tcherassi Hotel in Cartagena, Colombia
Accessories that can work anywhere in the world are essential for a traveler to showcase a global style, especially for the weekend when you are packing light and need an easy transition back to your day-to-day routine. Once you’ve picked your travel companion—for this trip to Cartagena, Coach’s Bleecker Legacy Weekend Tote ($658) for its modern heritage design and spacious body—its time to pack the necessities for your journey. So what do you bring in the bag?
The Bleecker Legacy Weekend Tote has a fabric lined interior with a large zip-pocket on one side and two open smaller pockets on the other (each fit a iPad Mini), a zip-top closure, and a small exterior pocket for your smartphone
If you’re only going to be traveling for a short time, no need to bring that laptop of yours obviously, but if you need to get some sort of work done or you need to catch up on your shows while in transit, a tablet is the way to go. However for any international trip, the first thing you need before that is to style up your passport:
Passport Cover – Men In Cities
From Yuvi Alpert’s Men In Cities (an edited, limited collection of accessories each month with each item costing the same price), this beige Global Nomad Passport Cover ($40) has a vintage inspired charm to it. With two large pockets on each inside flap—one for a passport end and the other for your ticket—and a smaller pocket on the right flap (not pictured).
With the mini earth imprint on the cover, it’s a testament to Alpert’s simple and stylish designs
Share:
Travel Download: YPlan App For Last-Minute Events In New York
Pharrell Williams performing at the YPlan release party in the Bowery’s Finale – Photo by Andrew Villagomez
After making a big splash across the pond in London, the YPlan app sets its sight on the Big Apple now. Created for those who find themselves with free nights and wanting something last minute to do, with an array of options further than dining or concert events a Tech Crunch points out, the app provides 10 to 15 curated events for users to select from. Users also have options for the next night and a couple events later in the week, and subjects range from theatre to nightlife and sports to comedy. Making the app suitable for not only locals, but travelers to New York as well.
Share:
Your Next Chic Bluetooth Speakers, Beacon’s The Blazar
Portable speakers for your next desk or adventure just got a whole lot more attractive with Beacon Audio‘s upcoming speaker, The Blazar.
With a chic, cube shape design, The Blazar connects to your smartphone, tablet or laptop via Bluetooth to fill your office or hotel room with sensational, 360-degree sound for up to 12 hours. If you are having a party or just want more sound, you can pair with another Blazar for a dual-stereo system.The soft, top controls and built-in mic are also other nice upgrades from last year’s hit, The Phoenix.
Along with the color options of silver aluminum and deep graphite (above), Beacon also paired with Lzzy Hale from Halestorm, Aaron Bruno of Awolnation, and Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees to each give The Blazar even more personality with individual color schemes:
When can you buy one? Beacon just launched a Kickstarter for the product where you can pre-order a speaker for an early estimated delivery of September/October. These little guys are on fire, with already almost half of the goal met. Go and claim yours now!
Follow Andrew Villagomez on Twitter and Instagram: @AndyVeeNYC
Vee Travels 