I love Skype! I’ve been a user for years now but a new company with a funky name is giving them some competition. Oovoo has incredible technology. Think: Skype on steroids. With Oovoo, you can have a live teleconference with up to six people! It’s perfect for people who are trying to save on business travel because they can have that all-important meeting now from each person’s office. You can also record video messages like this one that the company’s PR maven Pamela Johnston did while I was visiting her office last week in New York City. (Yes, I know I look very ADHD.) Small print: The two-way service plan is free and so are one-minute video messages. However, if you want the good stuff, such as a three-way teleconferencing, at least one person has to be a member, which is $7.95 a month. That price also includes five-minute video messages, 500mb video storage and 10mb file transfer. The six-way plan comes with everything listed above, 1000mb video storage and 25mb file transfer and that goes for $17.95 a month. It may seem steep but it sure beats the price of airline tickets, taxis, hotel, meals and, of course, schlepping through security.
This website has to be the ugliest and the most basic one we have ever featured – but there’s method to our madness. You see, tougher ID requirements begin June 1 for citizens returning to the United States. GetYouHome.gov breaks it down since the U.S. Government and, more specifically, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative department run it. This website informs citizens which entry cards they will now need when returning home from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda, by land or sea. In some cases, you can use the new U.S. Passport Card or an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) instead of carrying your passport.
What an incredible video. This German guy documented his 4,600 kilometer (2,858 mile) journey across China in still pictures and videos. Watch him transform from a clean-cut guy to a cave man along the way and see the sights and characters he encounters on his journey.
TRAVEL PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
iPhone APP - Flight Control
I don’t have an iPhone because it will be way too much of a distraction for me but plenty of my friends do and most of them have an application called Flight Control, which I think any traveler would love. It instantly gave me a new appreciation for air traffic controllers. The strategy is to create flight paths for the airplanes and helicopters coming into land so they don’t crash into each other. It’s a lot more difficult than you might think. Everything is done by a swipe of the finger (it’s touch screen). It’s nerve racking and addictive. Here’s a tech review and a video to help explain it better. The best part? It costs just $0.99.
