Bad Service About to Get Worse at Circuit City

If you think you'll need any help whatsoever when going out to buy an electronic travel gadget, you'd better avoid Circuit City. The company said this week it plans to lay off about 3,400 in-store staff members, and has said outright they will hire lower-paid employees to replace them. In other words, people who at least know a little bit and can speak in coherent sentences will be replaced by workers who couldn't get hired at Taco Bell or Jiffy Lube.

The company plans to replace all 3,400 workers "as quickly as store directors are able," a spokesperson said. Obviously the company is in trouble and is getting hurt by better service at Best Buy and online sources. The company closed about 55 stores in February, and more closings are coming.

If you're trying to figure out the best digital camera for your needs, forget the store people and go surf the web for an hour. Start at CNET and branch out from there.

Small Travel Adapter and Surge Protector

Sometimes I'll run across an item that looks like it was just made for this travel gear blog and I find myself saying "I've GOT to have one of those." The latest example is this fine little gadget: The 150-Country Auto-Detecting Travel Adapter And Converter. As long as that name is, it still doesn't point out everything this multi-use gadget does. It's also a compact surge protector, which is a good insurance policy in developing countries with fluctuating current.

The beauty of this device is that it lets you leave a lot of other stuff at home. It provides multiple plug adapters. It works as a USB plug-in. It automatically detects the voltage and converts it to 120 if needed. And check this out: "The device allows simultaneous AC and USB connection to charge two devices at once."

I'm all for traveling with as few gadgets as possible, but sometimes you've got to lug around a laptop, a cell phone, a music player, and a camera. This handy item makes all that a bit less painful. I haven't tested it out yet, but assuming it works as advertised, this is a breakthrough and a bargain at only $39.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer. Hey, sometimes browsing through that SkyMall catalog on the plane ride really is worthwhile!

CVS One-time Video Camcorder

I've always snickered at people lugging around a camcorder when they travel, but now that anybody can post short videos online for others to see, it makes a little more sense. If you can carry a camera that's only as big as a digital camera even better. How about if it's only 30 bucks? Now we're talking.

There's a catch of course. This one-time video camcorder available from CVS only holds 20 minutes of footage and, as its name implies, once it's full you're done. You can delete along the way though, so if you do it right you've got 20 minutes of good stuff once you take it into the store for processing. It's dead simple to use, with just a few key buttons, a lens on the front, and a LCD screen on the back with crisp images. It's small, it's light, and it's unobtrusive while you're filming.

After you finish, you take it in to CVS and pay $12.99 for processing. In theory they can do it in an hour, but the first store I took it to told me to come back the next day, while the second said "an hour and a half at the minimum." When completed, they keep the camera and hand you a DVD with your videos on it. You can watch this on your TV, play it on your computer, and save the videos to your computer hard drive as MPEG-1 files. You can also upload them to the Web as well, but I found that the compression really kills the image quality for these when doing that. Here's an example of one that looked great on the DVD, but pretty bad after uploading to YouTube.

Apart from that flaw though, this is a nice little gadget. It delivers as promised and would be a great thing to take along on a vacation or to capture a kid's recital performance or ball game. Nobody wants to watch more than 20 minutes of home video anyway, so this preserves the event without making you go out and spend a fortune on a digicam. This is not high-def video by any means, but good enough for a regular TV.

Kid-friendly Luggage Tags

Snap a fun kiddie luggage tag to his/her suitcase and give the little one something to watch for.

Standing at the luggage carousel ranks up there as one of the most trying times in the life of a traveling parent. You've already endured a cramped flight, everybody's tired, your kid wants nothing better than to ride and run on that moving belt, and you're just waiting. And waiting. Then all the bags start rolling off and half of them look exactly the same.

Next time my little tyke will at least have a reason to help watch for her bag. The folks at Stuck on You sent me a batch of kids' luggage tags to check out and my daughter's eyes lit up like it was Christmas when I showed them to her. The one pictured here is a flower, but they've got mermaids, wizards, dinosaurs, trains, and more---18 designs in all. At $3.50 each, they're a cheap diversion.

The company also makes all kinds of other items in the same whimsical designs. You can even get custom labels with your child's name on them that you can stick on anything and everything they own. Good for camp or the kids' club at your hotel. They ship internationally too, so check it all out at StuckOnYou.biz.

T'Pod Table-top Camera Tripod

On every long travel trip I've ever taken, I've managed to find room for a small camera tripod. I may not use it that often, but when you need a tripod to get a specific shot, being without one can be a real drag.

I'm just an amateur hack though, with a not-so-expensive camera. If you are a serious photographer or just trying to be one, you might want to pick up this very nice T'Pod compact tripod that sits on any flat surface. This is no flimsy plastic and velcro job like the one I usually carry: it's a serious and rugged piece of equipment. We're talking cold hard steel, powerful magnets, and a carrying case that looks like it will stay together for years. It has two different mounts depending on the kind of camera you have: a light one or a heavy professional SLR one with a big lens.

It's not all that light and it lists for $80, but it doesn't take up much room. The tripod breaks down into two pieces and fits in a case that's a tad larger than two cigarette packs stacked end to end.

For the average person shooting snapshots on a pocket camera with image stabilization, carrying this heavy-duty tripod around may not make much sense. But if you're trying to shoot in low light or get some nature close-ups, this would be the ticket. If you're a pro or serious photographer who still tries to leave the house without 50 pounds of gear, this tabletop tripod would do for a lot of situations and still keep the pack relatively light. (They also make a larger stand-up version that doubles as a walking stick, for the hiker/photographer.)

The magnets provide a lot of stability and are the key to how it packs up and reassembles, but they're not for the clumsy or those with heart enhancements. "The magnet is a powerful rare earth magnet that can pinch fingers, and could possibly, in close proximity, cause damage to the electronics in a pacemaker."

Get the tabletop T'Pod at Amazon.

Pelican's Micro Cases

Pelican Products came about over 20 years ago as a company that made things to solve scuba divers' problems. Some of that technology works elsewhere, like these nifty Micro Cases that can hold whatever valuable small gadgets you want to keep protected. They come in different sizes, with the smallest one just about right for a pocket digital camera, a PDA, or a mobile phone (a Treo fits too). It's watertight, crushproof, and dustproof.

I got a sample to try out, but wasn't about to test its waterproof claim with my phone--I've got calls to make today! So I stuck one of my kid's little dolls in it, along with a handful of coins to make sure it would sink. Five minutes later, I removed the case from the sink and the inside was as dry as before.

OK, now I will trust it with my phone next time I go on a canoe trip or I've got to carry my digital camera around in the rain. And should you find a compelling reason to go diving with one of these strapped on (please don't tell me you might have to check your crackberry), there's a purge valve to equalize the pressure.

This small one has a listed retail price of $13.95 and they make lots of larger ones for different needs. They come in a variety of colors and have a lifetime guarantee. For the whole array, go to the Pelican Cases section at CableOrganizers.com.

Aeromexico Ups Baggage Limit to 70 Pounds

If you're a professional photographer or documentary filmmaker heading to Mexico, skip Spirit Airlines and hop on Aeromexico. In a move running counter to the trend of squeezing passengers for overweight bag fees, Aeromexico is now allowing two bags of up to 70 pounds. Go business class and you can take another one just for good measure. (And, we assume, have a gaggle of porters waiting for you at the other end to lug it all around.)

There are very few cases where the average traveler should be bogged down with this much baggage, but it's still nice to see an airline leaving that decision up to the passengers. Also, this could come in very handy on the way back from Mexico if you have loaded up on souvenirs you want to take home. Considering that it takes a month for a letter or postcard to make it from Mexico to the U.S. or Canada, carrying goods back from there is definitely preferable to shipping them.

Judging by this photo from AirlineMeals.net, the breakfast spread isn't too bad either...

Mini Maglite Solitaire

If you're doing some hardcore hiking through the backcountry, you need a real flashlight with some power. But if you're traveling around the world with a light load and just need to find your way to the squat toilet outside now and then, you only need a basic beam of light. This little Maglite can be just the ticket, with only one AAA battery needed and a sweet retail price of $5.99.

The Maglite Solitaire is not much bigger than a cigarette and though it's metal and feels rugged, it weighs next to nothing. It has a keychain hookup that can also be used to hook it to something more substantial. Otherwise the worst drawback of this little torch would be how easy it would be for it to get lost in your pack.

This Maglite has the usual wide-to-spot adjustment and a bulb that can be replaced. It comes in blue, silver, red, and black. You can find it at the usual travel gear stores, but I got mine at Home Depot, for $5.99 plus tax.

Carry this in conjunction with a cheap MP3 player that also uses AAA batteries and you can use a portable battery charger to keep from adding more acid to the world's landfills and trash dumps.