Economy Class & Beyond

SNAPSHOT: Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Rosemont

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Time for another Snapshot focusing on the hotel experience at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont. In case you’ve forgotten how we do travel write-ups on Economy Class and Beyond, I have two major travel writing styles: Trip Reports – These are full deep-dive reports taking you into the experience and the small things… as well as … [Read more...]

Travel Technology – Lenovo ThinkPlus XT88 Earbuds (Temu Tech Special)

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Welcome to another round of “Kevin’s Cheap Earbud/Headphone reviews”. On the bench today, we have the Lenovo ThinkPlus XT88 earbuds. Why these styles of reviews? I run this style of review as - and I know people may go into shock when they learn this - some people don’t have money for AirPods, Galaxy Buds, Bose Headphones or whatever the codename … [Read more...]

STORAGE ADVENTURES: So Drobo is about to fade out of existence. What next?

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For those who enjoyed my Data backup stories, there will be a new set soon. Why? The owners of Drobo have filed for Chapter 7 Liquidation in the USA. Good luck using these in the future when they finally brick themselves - Image, Economy Class and Beyond.  The state of play As reported by AppleInsider and ArsTechnica, StorCentric, owners of Drobo (as well as … [Read more...]

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: The Xiaomi Mii Band 7 – Worth spending the extra?

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Time for some more Travel Technology this time focusing on the Xiaomi Mii Band 7. We've asked the question if it's eWaste or useful for the Mii Band 6. But does spending the extra for a Mii Band 7 worth the difference? And why have I ditched it after a good 6 months or so? This is a longer term review - as evaluating health trackers takes real time to judge their … [Read more...]

The one thing I brought, before I checked my luggage in …

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Over the past few trips, I've found an item tracker of some sort has saved my bacon, more often than not. That could be a Tile or one of Apple's AirTags. In Hamburg, it helped me find my keys when I accidentally packed them in my suitcase - or even find which belt a bag was sat on at O'Hare. Both have strengths and weaknesses - I find Tiles to be a lot louder than … [Read more...]

Travel Technology – Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 – Evolution of a classic?

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Time for some more Travel Technology that has fallen in my lap - this time, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4. I have been daily driving a Surface Laptop for just under two years, so to say I have got more than a healthy interest in how the line has progressed - and is it still one of the best PC experiences going? Surface Laptop? The Surface laptop is a mid to high-level … [Read more...]

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Apple MacBook Pro 14 Review – Power, at a Price

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Time for a Travel Technology review I was hoping to put off for a long time, but alas, a laptop going out of service has forced my hand. Welcome to my review of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021), based on Apple’s M1 Pro Processor.  This has been a bit more of a long-term review, as I have had this unit for six months and reflects a lot more of living with the … [Read more...]

(Awful) TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY – Vido Sound Wireless Headphones

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Time for some (Awful) Travel Technology - featuring the Vido Sound Wireless Headphones with a microphone. Wait. You've pre-judged the review saying they're awful... That's because they are. I've listed to cheaper headphones that make these sound like mud in an echo chamber, with a storm constantly raining through it. Just don't buy these - no matter how rushed or … [Read more...]