24 AMERICANWAY
MAY 15 2007
T A K E N O T E
ProjectWireless
There are gadgets, and then there are useful
gadgets— like
NewSoft’sWMS 100 Image
,
awireless adapter that easily links aWi-Fi–
enabled laptop to a projector, thus ridding you
of that unsightly rat’s nest ofwires. Its zippy
frame-transfer rate and one-to-many capability
allow for easy sharing and transmission of con-
tent from laptops anywhere in the conference
area. $280,
PrimeTimeDining
Sure, it’dbegreat todine at thehottest spots
inNewYork, LosAngeles, andanyother city,
but— regretful sigh—whohas time towait
weeks for reservations?Especially if you’re only
in town for anight or two. Don’t despair: Now
you can crash the linewith
PrimeTimeTables
,
anew status broker. Youpick theposh eatery;
theypull the strings and land your table.
They charge$35 for reservationsmade
48 hours ormore in advance, $40 for reserva-
tionsmade24 hours before, and$45 for a
same-day table reservedbefore noon (payable
throughPayPal or by e-check). Not exclusive
enough?Opt for the$450/year premiumplan
andpay nothing for same-day reservations.
Check out participating cities and thefine print
atwww.primetimetables.com.
STAY¬NG ¬NFORMED…
New andUseful Bits of Information for theDiscerningTraveler
—CHRISTUCKER
BookmarkThis
Netflixmayhavepioneered theflicks-by-
mail/no-late-feesmodel, but it’s toogoodof
an idea to limit to justmovies. Enter
Simply
Audiobooks
,whichoffers ahugearrayof titles
byauthors ranging fromJamesPattersonand
JohnGrisham toHenryJames andFriedrich
Nietzsche. If theU.S.mail is too slow for you,
many titles areofferedbydownload. Plans start
at $12permonth for onebookat a timeand
include free shipping (bothways).www.simply
audiobooks.com
Don’tLeaveHomeWithout It
When amassive snowstorm closedDenver
International Airport last December, the only
people smilingmay have been the lucky few
who hadbought travel-insurance policies
—which can cover trip cancellation and inter-
ruption, medical bills, accidental death, and
other contingencies.
While it’s probably not needed for short
domesticflights, trip insurancemakes plenty
of sense for international travel and long, com-
plex itineraries. A few tips from experts: Use a
reputable company that has offices around the
world and24/7 service; remember thatmost
preexisting conditionswon’t be covered; and
don’t paymore than 10percent of the trip’s
cost for apolicy.
Info abounds on the Internet, so start by
browsing thewebsites of
SevenCorners
,
the
BerkelyGroup
,
InsureMyTrip
, and
World
Nomads
, where you’ll find clear explanations
andquick price quotes.
,
,
,
You, theGuidebook
LongbeforePDAs and laptops, creative types like
VanGogh, Hemingway, andPicassomused and
sketched in notebooksmade byMoleskine (say
mole-a-skeen-a), a family-owned company that
closed in the 1980s butwas revived in 1998.
The latest too-coolMoleskine product is the
CityNotebook
. Billed as “thefirst guidebook
youwrite yourself,” each notebook contains city
layout and subwaymaps, a street index, a tabbed
organizer, and, of course, plenty of blank pages
for capturing thosemoments of inspirationgreat
cities bring. Books for Berlin, London,Madrid, New
York, and others are available, withmore on the
way.
ILLUSTRATIONSBYRYANSNOOK
