Last Minute Gifts for the Tech Savvy Traveller

Christmas is just a few days away but you’ve still got time to scoop up a few great gift items for the tech savvy traveller in your life. (He or she is probably on a plane or train anyways!) Now you could just get him or her an iPad, but they probably already have one, and if not, I would definitely hold out for the iPad 2 .

Every connected traveller must have a mobile WiFi device. The Verizon Fivespot is so good looking, it may even make your iPhone jealous. The slim device works on the 3G network, weighs less than 3 ounces and provides users with up to five Wi-Fi connections for netbooks, tablets and gaming devices. It hands down works better than the Sprint Overdrive. The Fivespot comes with a pre-installed SIM card, VPN support and supposedly provides global data service in more than 200 countries, although I haven’t had luck getting it to work outside of the U.S. Verizon customers will need to choose from one of two price plans to connect to Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband network within the U.S.: either $39.99 per month, with a 250-MB monthly data allowance and $0.10/MB overage fees; or $59.99 per month, with a 5-GB monthly data allowance and $0.05/MB overage charges. Buy it here . (*The device costs $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.)

One of the coolest gadgets we’ve seen this fall is the Swiss Army Knife known as the Victorinox Swiss Army Flash Laser 4GB. In addition to scissors, a knife, a nail file, a screwdriver, a pen and a flash drive, it has a laser! Just make sure to take the flash drive out of the casing before boarding the plane, or tuck this into your check bag. Buy it here .

As an established international brand of luxury and business travel, Tumi offers quality that is hard to beat (although their prices can be steep). If you’re taking your laptop on the road and want to avoid the thumb clenching feeling from using a track pad all day, Tumi’s mini Travel Mouse ($75) is your new best friend. It operates via a wireless nano receiver which tucks into the mouse for easy storage. Grab a AAA battery and insert the receiver’s USB plug into your laptop and you’re good to go. Buy here .

The LifeStudio Plus drive provides ultimate flexibility for a connected traveler with an integrated 4GB USB flash key that allows users to quickly sync important files and folders for use on multiple devices.

Face it, we all have those files that we just can’t live without, no matter where we are. The LifeStudio external will let you take them with you without breaking the bank. It’s probably the last external you’ll grab for years. Buy it here .

FLIGHT 001, (pronounced flight one) has a whole line of great travel gear. Conceived by business travelers John Sencion and Brad John as a “travel store as streamlined as flight itself,” Flight001 offers a slew of retro inspired, tech travel gear. The company has an inspiring mission platform called “001 Country Per Year,” which encourages people to experience new cultures. Their motto is, “Everyone is born with the number 001, go away and grow your number!” In addition to their online store, they have shops in Berkeley, San Francisco, Chicago, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Australia. Here are a few of my favorites:

This a woven catchall of elastic bands is made specifically to hold objects like cameras, MP3 players, chargers and cords firmly in place. It’s slim and fits conveniently into a laptop bag or travel case and features a rear zippered pocket for additional storage. Buy it here .

USB chargers have never, ever looked this cute. The Logiix USB Power Cubes come in three colors and feature a plug design that folds up when you arent using it to power up your iPod, iPhone, camera or any USB device.

We love gadgets. If we didn’t, then we wouldn’t recommend the Grid-It system. But honestly, who needs to carry around more than one USB charger? Get this one, stick it in a bag and get going. Buy it here .

iHome’s iHM60 Capsule speaker is a small, travel friendly speaker that extends accordion style for your iPod, iPhone, laptop or any MP3 player through the headphone jack. It features a built-in lithium ion rechargeable battery, vacuum bass expansion, USB charging, and comes with a protective carrying case. Fun, right? Buy it here .

Finishing off with a classic.

Owning these is a right of passage in any connected traveller’s life. They are undoubtedly the best noise cancellation headphone you can get. They’re extremely comfortable and deliver a bright, encompassing sound. The headphones come with an annoyingly bulky carrying case, AAA battery and an airplane adapter. Buy them here .

HTC Scribe to be Android 3.0 powered, launching in February according to suppliers

Digitimes is reporting that HTC will look to launch the HTC Scribe, a 7-inch Android 3.0 powered tablet, in February at the Mobile World Congress, skipping CES altogether as it looks to its partners to help showcase its new smartphones.

HTC doesn’t have a stand at CES, taking the same stance as Apple, choosing instead to allow Verizon and to market its new Android LTE smartphone, the Droid Incredible HD, allowing Sprint to demonstrate the new Evo Shift 4G. That is if industry sources based in Taiwan are to be believed.

The same component suppliers have also noted that HTC will be using the 2011 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona to unveil the HTC Scribe, HTC’s 7-inch tablet that is to run Android 3.0.

It’s an interesting tactic by HTC, perhaps the company is biding its time to see what its rivals create before officially announcing the capabilities of its own device. With Apple touted to unveil the iPad 2 around the same time, HTC might be purposefully distancing itself in an attempt to generate buzz but also demonstrate the company is not willing to rush a product to market like many other manufacturers that are utilising non tablet-specific versions of Android.

HTC is yet to confirm the existence of the HTC Scribe, we expect more information to become available very soon.

UGH! Apple’s AirPods Pro firmware update has messed up noise-canceling

One of the best features of Apple’s new(-ish) AirPods Pro is their active noise-cancelation (ANC) functionality. While this has existed in a fair number of true wireless headphones before, the inclusion on an Apple bit of kit has made life better (and quieter) for a whole load of people.

Unfortunately though, it looks like this comfort has been short lived. Recent posts on Reddit have claimed that AirPods Pro firmware update has made the earbuds‘ noise canceling worse.

After seeing this, RTINGS retested the headphones , to see if the AirPods Pro firmware update had actually impacted the sound. And, spoiler, it had.

[Check this out: Don’t believe everything you read about AirPod sales ]

The outlet found that while the software change had improved some elements of the AirPods Pro’s performance (specifically the earbuds‘ frequency response), they discovered a “significant drop” in the noise-canceling performance — especially when it comes to bass.

To put it simply, this AirPods Pro firmware upgrade means things like train and plane noises won’t be blocked as efficiently as before.

I have a pair of AirPods Pro and did notice the intensity of the noise-canceling drop — most obviously when I wasn’t listening to music and was just using them to block out sound — but I thought it was a “me thing” — so the discovery that other people have had the same thought is validating.

Oh! And annoying. Really, really annoying.

Is Apple doing anything about this AirPods Pro firmware issue?

Yes and no.

Basically, the most recent update (AirPods Pro firmware 2C54) has been pulled by Apple.

Unfortunately, if you already have this version installed, there’s no way of rolling it back. In fact, the entire AirPods Pro firmware upgrade cycle is pretty opaque. Updates happen without users’ knowledge, as the firmware is installed when they’re plugged into charge and near your phone. There’s never any option to deny a firmware change.

While some people might be lucky enough to not have downloaded the 2C54 version of the AirPods firmware that has caused the ANC issue, many people online think the problems actually started with the 2B588 update. This means that even if you avoided the 2C54 version, you might still have some firmware that delivers less than impressive noise-canceling.

Hopefully, Apple will release an update to the AirPods Pro’s firmware soon — but there’s no word on when this will happen.

How do I check what firmware my AirPods Pro have?

It’s hidden away in some menus, but isn’t too tough to find. We actually have an entire article dedicated to doing this right here . But, because we love you, we’ve put a shortened summary below.

First off, connect your AirPods to your phone, open Settings and select General. From there, click About.

If you scroll down you should see a section that includes things like Wi-Fi Address, Modem Firmware, and EID. At the base of that section you should see the name of your AirPods. Click on that section and you’ll be able to see your firmware version.

What should Apple do about the AirPods Pro’s firmware in the future?

Before this issue, I didn’t really have any problem with the AirPods Pro’s noise-canceling. Some manufacturers give you the option to alter the level of ANC, but generally I found this to be kinda off-putting — especially if you have to cycle through several options while on the go.

No, for me, Apple‘s simple intelligent and automatic ANC was great. But this debacle has led me to believe one thing: I want the ability to change noise-canceling levels on my phone.

Basically, one of the things I use the Apple‘s earbuds most regularly for is concentration. As I pretty much always have them in my coat pocket, they’re perfect to quickly throw on if I need to block out the world and get some work or reading done.

This latest AirPods Pro firmware update has reduced the effectiveness of that.

So, Apple, why don’t you give us the option to change the level of the AirPods Pro’s ANC? Of course, still keep the option for them to alter it on the fly, but there are plenty of situations I’d like to whack it up to the highest setting to block out the world — and I’m sure there are lots of folks who feel the same.

Well, until that happens, let’s just hope Apple rolls out a fix for the AirPods Pro firmware soon. All I have left to say is UGH.