11 must-have gadgets for your next vacation

Your holidays will never be the same again!

Travel lovers rejoice! The NATAS (National Association of Travel Agents Singapore) Holidays 2014 kicks off this Friday, 29th August! The annual travel fair takes place at Singapore Expo, Halls 4, 5 and 6A, from 10 AM to 9.30 PM and will last until Sunday, 31st August. Admission is $4 per person.

Together with NATAS Travel (another fair held earlier in the year), NATAS Holidays is Singapore’s largest travel fair, bringing travel agents, national tourist organizations, and even airlines, hotels, and car rental companies all together under one roof. For those seeking feedback and opinions from other travelers on destinations, hotels, sightseeing and itinerary matters, there's no better place than our Travel forum.

Before you take off for your holiday, make sure you arm yourself with some essential travel gadgets. We've chosen 11 must-have gadgets for four of the most popular holiday breaks, each hand-picked for you to get the most out of your vacation. And don't forget, with Comex 2014 in town this week, there's no better time to score some great deals.

City Break

New York, London, Tokyo, Paris: no matter which big city you're heading off to, stay informed and connected when you hit the streets and take advantage of these gadgets to find the best shopping, dining and entertainment.

Sekonix DLP Pico Keychain Projector

Billed as the world’s smallest projector, the DLP Pico keychain projector will fit comfortably into any pocket or travel bag without weighing you down. It is able to project photos and movies onto any flat surface in nHD (640 x 360 pixels) quality, and you can easily connect the projector to your smartphone, tablet or laptop via USB, making it perfect for previewing holiday snaps or watching movies in your hotel room.

 

Google Glass

One of the most innovative pieces of wearable technology today, Google Glass is the ideal travel gadget for anyone planning to get lost in a foreign city. It features apps like Word Lens that can quickly translate signs in foreign languages and also navigation apps that can help you to get from one point in the city to another. Best of all, it looks stylish and weighs a mere 50g, which means it won’t weigh you down even after a long day of walking around.
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Huawei Miao Wang

The rather silly name aside (Miao Wang translated literally means Cat King), the Miao Wang is a mobile Wi-Fi device that lets travelers share their internet connection. It connects to the internet via 3G or 2G networks or through its Ethernet port. As for sharing, it can support up to 10 devices simultaneously, and even doubles up as a 5200mAh battery bank.

 

ASUS WL-330NUL Pocket Router

The ASUS WL-330NUL pocket router is not called the world’s smallest router for nothing. No bigger than your typical flash drive, the ASUS WL-330NUL can be used in a multitude of modes: you can connect it via Ethernet to create your own WiFi network or use it to share a a single Wi-Fi account; it can also double up as a USB Ethernet adapter or a wireless adapter for devices without Wi-Fi capability.
HWZ Review

 

Bowers & Wilkins P7 Headphones

The Bower & Wilkins P7 is a top class set of headphones that offers luxurious comfort thanks to the use of genuine sheepskin leather and speaker-like drive units that feature perforated speaker baskets lined with a resistive film that allows for greater control of the airflow. These are headphones tuned for musical enjoyment, evidenced by the wide sound stage that boasts excellent detail with just enough bass and treble kick to lift the mostly flat sound signature. The compact fold-up design makes them perfect for taking onboard long airplane rides.

 

Withings Activite

The Withings Activite is an activity tracker that has been seamlessly integrated into a stylish Swiss-made dress watch. The clock face of the watch comes in two colors; black or white, and even comes with matching watch straps for color coordination. Besides looking good, the Withings Activite connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and tracks your activity with an accompanying app. Perfect for monitoring how much you've walked around the city each day.

 

Xiaomi 10,400 mAh Mi Power Bank

Priced at a can't-miss S$13.99, Xiaomi's 10,400 mAh Mi Power Bank should be the first item you pack for your holiday. This compact, aluminum, power bank has a 2.1A output and 2A input for fast charging and recharging, and holds more than enough juice to charge any-size smartphone or tablet more than a few times over. Unfortunately, you can only charge one item at a time, but at this price, you could just buy two!
HWZ Review

 

Microsoft Surface Pro 3

If you can't avoid checking in with the office while you're overseas, but don't want to be weighed down by a laptop, look no further than the Surface Pro 3 tablet. Running a full Windows 8.1 OS and armed with an Intel Core processor, the Surface Pro 3 also has one of the best tablet keyboards around, ensuring maximum productivity with minimum weight and bulk. Not to forget is its pen input sidekick that works swell for taking notes or doodling.
HWZ Review

 

Quik Pod

According to Quik Pod, they're the inventors of selfie poles for digital cameras more than 10 years ago. To keep up with the times, the company now has a selfie pole designed for smartphones. This version has a universal adapter so it's compatible with all models of the iPhone, and Android phones no bigger than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Weighing 110g, it can be used for either landscape or portrait shooting.

 

Bellroy Travel Wallet

When you're travelling, two of the most important things to keep safe are your passport and local currency. And Bellroy's understated travel wallet will not only hold your passport and the local currency, but also has a small slot to store a spare SIM card. The wallet is long enough for you to throw in your boarding pass as well. Even if you aren't leaving the country, you can still use this versatile travel wallet as your everyday wallet.

 

Samsung Galaxy K Zoom

You might want to travel light on your holidays. And if all your pictures are going to end up on Facebook, then perhaps you can leave your digital compact at home and opt for the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom instead. With 10x optical zoom and an image sensor that's slightly larger than the norm (for smartphones), the K Zoom doubles up as a smartphone and compact camera that will fit in your pocket. Just don't forget to bring along a power bank to last the cause.
HWZ Review

 

Sightseeing Tour

If you're working your way down your bucket list, visiting the world's most famous and historic landmarks, your most important gadget is probably your camera, so we've included a few great choices in this category - as well as some quirky alternatives you might not have considered before.

Apple iPad Mini with Retina Display

Share the sights with your friends back home as you Facetime with them on your iPad Mini with Retina display. Small and light, with a powerful 64-bit A7 processor that will handle anything you can throw at it and a gorgeous 7.9-inch, 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution display, the iPad Mini with Retina display is the perfect travelling companion.
HWZ Review

 

Re-timer Glasses

Beat crippling jet lag before and after your vacation with the Re-Timer glasses. Worn 50 minutes a day for three days a week, Re-Timer emits a green UV-free light to stimulate the part of the brain that regulates your internal body clock, letting you adjust to your new time zone faster so you can get back to enjoying a full night's sleep, and wake up bright and early to hit the sights the next day.

 

LG G3 Smartphone

With the LG G3's 13MP camera, you'll never miss capturing the perfect moment again as its laser-assisted autofocus can focus and shoot in a mere 0.276 seconds, even in low light conditions. Its optical image stabilization also minimizes blur and shaking to ensure that photos always turn out perfect. It also boasts dual-LED flash with two different colored lights for producing a more natural color tone.
HWZ Review

 

Prolink PCL3000 3-in-1 camera lens

The only camera you own is your smartphone? No problem. The Prolink PCL3000 includes three interchangeable lenses: fisheye, wide angle and macro. Just choose the lens attachment you want and clip it onto your smartphone or tablet to begin shooting right away. The set also comes with a convenient carry pouch so you can bring all lens attachments with you wherever you go.

 

Sony ZX-1

Sure, almost everyone listens to music on their smartphones. But if you're an audiophile, then compressed MP3 files just don't cut it. Bring along the Sony ZX-1 and listen to your high-resolution FLAC files while lounging by the pool or exploring the back streets of the city.

 

Seagate Backup Plus Fast

Modern cameras are shooting at higher than ever resolutions and an unintended side effect of this is that photo files are consequently getting larger and requires more storage. Fortunately, Seagate’s latest external hard disk drive, the Seagate Backup Plus Fast, is available with a whopping 4TB of storage, which is good for about 800,000 photos. The Backup Plus Fast actually consists of two smaller 2TB drives configured in RAID 0, which also improves performance.
HWZ Review

 

Panono Panoramic Ball Camera

The Panono Panoramic Ball Camera takes panoramas to a whole new level (literally) by capturing images in every direction and merging them together into one very high resolution image. The best part? Unlike other cameras where the photographer is stuck behind the camera, the Panono works by being tossed into the air. An accelerometer determines when the Panono has reached its apex, and no less than 36 cameras are simultaneously triggered, capturing a full 360° x 360° image that’s sent to your phone.

 

Canon PowerShot SX520 HS

Packing an incredible 24-1008mm (35mm equivalent) f/3.4-f/6.0 42x optical zoom lens into a compact, lightweight body, the Canon PowerShot SX520 HS has your holiday snaps more than covered. Powered by a 1/ 2.3-inch 16-megapixel CMOS sensor with Canon’s Digic 4+ image sensor, the PowerShot SX520 HS uses Advanced Zoom Framing Assist to help track and maintain focus on your subject - even when it leaves the frame - while Canon’s intelligent IS minimizes blurring caused by shaky hands.
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Polaroid Socialmatic

Think of the Socialmatic as a bridge between two worlds. You get polaroid snaps out of it just like any other Polaroid camera, and it keeps a digital copy on its internal 4GB storage that you can upload to your favorite social media site via Wi-Fi or through your mobile device (via Bluetooth). Memory is easily expandable via microSD cards, and the camera is Android-based so you can easily connect and share pictures via your favorite photo apps.

 

Sony Handycam HDR-PJ820E

The HDR-PJ820E is a camcorder choked full of high-end specs, including a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, 64GB of flash memory, 12x optical zoom lens, and Balanced Optical SteadyShot image stabilization. While its high-res, 3-inch screen looks great, to show off what you've captured there and then, you can turn to its built-in 50-lumen projector. A 100-inch projection in a dark hotel room? No problem and it works like a charm!

 

EE Buzzard 4G Wi-Fi Dongle

This 4G dongle plugs into your car's 12-volt power socket and turns the vehicle into a Wi-Fi hub. It allows for sharing of 4G broadband connectivity with up to 10 Wi-Fi enabled devices. Perfect for those long road trips as you make your way out to remote tourist spots.

 

Outdoor Adventure

If you're more inclined towards diving off a waterfall than sipping pina coladas by the beach, you'll want to ensure that your gadgets can keep up with just as much action as you can. 

Samsung Galaxy S5

With an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the perfect companion for any weather condition or situations involving sweat, rain, liquids, sand and dust. It also boasts the enhanced S Health app, which offers more information about the activity you are engaged in, such as calories burned, speed, duration and walking distance and you can check whether you are over-exerting yourself during an activity with its heart rate sensor.
HWZ Review

 

Thureya SatSleeve

With the Thuraya SatSleeve, you can transform your Android phone or iPhone into a satellite phone capable of making phone calls even when you're miles away from the nearest cellular network signal. It is supported by the most robust and powerful satellite network which covers 161 countries, allowing you to stay connected at all times and even has an Emergency Call Button that lets you make a call to a pre-set number even without your smartphone docked in it.
HWZ Article

 

Casio G-Shock Rangeman

Going into the wild? Then you need a watch to match and few watches are as tough and durable as a Casio G-Shock. New this year is the GW-9400 Rangeman, which is also the first G-Shock watch to feature Casio’s triple sensor technology, which incorporates altimeter, barometer, compass and thermometer functions, allowing the wearer to make full sense of his or her surroundings.

 

Griffin Survivor Case

Let’s face it, your smartphone and tablet were never designed to survive the wild outdoors. All that sand, dust and rain, is going to ruin your favorite mobile device. But if you can't live without them, you had better bundle them up with some protection, and the Griffin Survivor Case might be just what you need. Certified to MIL-STD810G standards, this special case makes your device water and dust resistant and even lets it survive a drop of up to six feet.

 

SteriPEN Classic

If you're going to places where the water systems are suspect (or if you just have a weak stomach), consider investing on a SteriPEN. This pen-like device zaps the microbes in the water that could make you ill. For travels, we suggest the SteriPEN Classic. It's capable of purifying 200 half-liter servings of water on just a set of four AA lithium batteries. 

 

Tylt Energi+ Backpack

With 1,450 cubic inches of internal space, a hidden trolley slot, a headphone carrying compartment on the backpack strap, and a full length zipper pocket right on the front, the Tylt Energi+ makes for a great bag for travelers. But its secret sauce is the removable 10,400mAh rechargeable battery and a charging system that routes the cables to any one of the five external pockets or two internal pockets.

 

Victorinox@work 32GB USB Swiss Army Knife

A pocket Swiss Army Knife is a must-have whether you're going on holiday at the beach or hiking up the Grand Canyon, because you never know what kind of sticky situations you'll get into. Now, this 58mm diameter jack-of-all-trades tool has a new-found power: the ability to store your data, thanks to its built-in 32GB USB 2.0 flash drive. Just don't forget to pack it into your check-in luggage, because airport security will confiscate it if they find it in your carry-on.

 

Sony DEV-50V

With specs like a 20.4-megapixel CMOS sensor, 25x zoom lens, image stabilization tech, support for full HD and 3D video recording, and an OLED electronic viewfinder, you might think that the DEV-50V is either a digital camera or a camcorder. On the contrary, it's a pair of digital recording binoculars, perfect for capturing all the sights of your travels. Furthermore, being rainproof and dustproof makes it the ideal 'camera' to bring along on any outdoor adventure.

 

Soulra Rugged Rukus

This IPX4-rated water-resistant Bluetooth speaker can play up to 8 hours of music from its built-in lithium-ion battery. The speaker has solar panels on top that allow the battery to be fully charged with just five hours of direct sunlight, ensuring you're never without your tunes, even if you're in the middle of the desert and miles from the nearest power outlet. It delivers crystal clear audio with its pair of full-range speaker drivers in a convenient and drop-proof (up to 1m) package.

 

GoPro HERO3 Black Edition

Small and light, the GoPro HERO3 Black Edition has a longer battery life than its predecessor, letting you indulge in longer outdoor adventures. It's also compatible with a myriad of mounts and housings, so you can mount it onto your helmet, or bring it underwater, making it the perfect gadget for video documenting all of your travel adventures.

 

Nikon AW-1

The Nikon AW-1 is an interchangeable lens camera, which gives you the versatility to decide which lenses you want to bring out each day with you. What sets it apart from other mirrorless cameras is that the AW-1 is also waterproof and dustproof, which means you can bring it underwater up to a depth of 15m and you don't have to worry about dirt or dust clogging the lens. And since it's also shockproof up to 2m, you can be sure that the AW-1 is capable of withstanding a bump or two on the road.
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Rest and Relaxation

Whether you're enjoying a staycation at Siloso Beach or travelling to a more distant location like the Maldives or Hawaii, everyone needs to take a break and recharge from city life once in a while. Pamper yourself with these gadgets that will ensure you return from your break, relaxed and refreshed.  

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

Holidays are the perfect time to catch up on your reading. Take up to a thousand full length books with you on an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite e-book reader. The latest Kindle has excellent readability in all kinds of light, including bright sunlight (perfect for reading by the pool or on the beach), and the battery lasts about eight weeks, so one charge can last the whole vacation. It’s small and light, and page turns are fast and smooth.

 

Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

With a 10.1-inch Full HD (1920 x 1200 pixel resolution) display and front-facing stereo speakers, the Sony Xperia Z2 tablet is the ideal personal movie watching device. It's also IP58 rated, which means its fully dust and water resistant, so you can take it down to the pool or beach without fear of dunking it accidentally.
HWZ Review

 

Trakdot Luggage Tracker

Having your luggage (and all of your travel gadgets) go missing before you even start your vacation is one of the most stressful things that can happen. But slip this tiny gadget into your luggage and you'll be able to stay informed about its location via text message, email or app. You can set a notification to alert you when your suitcase arrives in your destination city or even program it to alert you when it’s on the baggage carousel.

 

Vertu Signature Touch

Its hefty base price of US$10,000 opens up a world of exclusive benefits and services including its renowned Concierge. Concierge offers a 24-hour worldwide assistance, recommendations and priority bookings with a personal touch experience. Vertu claims that Concierge is able to fulfill any request using its unique expertise and inside knowledge. It also has another service, Vertu Life that provides access to invitation-only events, exclusive clubs and closed-door shopping experiences.
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Netatmo June

Sunbathing at the beach or by the pool may be a relaxing activity, but the sun rays can be very harmful for the skin. With Netatmo June wristband, you will be given the most appropriate SPF cream for your skin based on the current UV levels you're being exposed to. It also provides reminders for when to put on a hat or a pair of sunglasses, and when to move into the shade.

 

NapAnywhere Travel Pillow

Long flights and cramped aircraft seating can be unpleasant and leave you tired and cranky when you get to your destination. It's often hard to sleep on a plane, and traditional U-shape travel pillows tend to either feel like a neck brace or don't provide enough support. The NapAnywhere is a sophisticated head-support pillow designed by a physician specifically for comfortable sleeping in an upright seated position. It consists of a thin foam disk with a strong but flexible middle and a supportive top part that molds to perfectly support your head and neck.

 

Bose QuietComfort QC15

It's hard to chill out and relax by the pool when all you can hear is the screaming children of other hotel guests running around and torpedo bombing the deep-end. Fortunately, Bose has a solution - the QuietComfort QC15 active noise-canceling headphones. These headphones can effectively cancel out the droning noise of even the loudest underage brat. And as a bonus, they sound great while playing music too.
HWZ Review

 

Sony NWZ-W273/L

Load up your favorite chill out playlist and head to the pool with these IP58-certified water resistant headphones/mp3 player. The headset gives approximately 8 hours of playback on a full 1.5 hour charge, while the quick charge function gets you 60 minutes of playback on just three minutes of charging. 4GB of internal storage - that's about 990 songs - will give you enough music to last your entire day.
HWZ Article

 

Creative MuVo Mini

With two full-range micro drivers and one oversized bass radiator, the MuVo Mini is primed to offer you quality audio in a lightweight, portable wireless package that goes with you wherever you go. Engineered to withstand the elements, the MuVo Mini even has an IP66 Ingress Protection rating, so feel free to bring it with you to the beach, a national park, or to use it to make calls home while you’re on a road trip.
HWZ Article

 

Casio EX-100

You don't want to have to deal with changing lenses or bringing a heavy DSLR on a relaxing holiday. The Casio EX-100 is suitable in this situation as it lets you shoot at F2.8 throughout its zoom range for those blurry backgrounds that everyone loves. And it also comes with 10x optical zoom so you don't have to sacrifice reach for shooting at F2.8.
HWZ Review

 

NomadKey

The NomadKey is a smartphone cable in the shape of a house key, so when you hook it up to your keychain, it blends in with your other real keys. Unless you misplace your bunch of keys, you now no longer need to worry about whether you packed in your smartphone cable or not - charge and sync from any USB port, anytime, anywhere. To ensure durability, the NomadKey is made from engineering-grade polycarbonate from Bayer and a stellar rubber elastomer from Dupont.

 

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