With the purchase of a Sansa MP3 player, there was an invitation to join audible.com, online purveyors of audio books. Somewhat skeptical of what they might have to offer, we still joined up and selected a monthly membership which comes with a free credit each month. This credit can be used to select one title for download for free, and the membership also comes with substantial discounts for the purchase of audio books.

After selecting a title from the site, the Audible Manager software downloaded it and loaded it into my MP3 player. The handy thing with the Audible Manager software was that it not only loaded the book, but showed a nice summary of the length of the title, and where the current bookmark was set in the player. It makes it very easy to manage the space on the player and see how far through the title has been already played.

It seems that the quality of the recordings has improved from those we remember from years past on audio cassettes. The narrators are getting quite good at varying voice and tone which adds color and interest to the story.

Sometimes when traveling abroad, it can be quite difficult to obtain a new book in countries where the language is not english. The selection may be limited, or in more remote areas nonexistant. The great thing with audible is that you can select a title and download it from anywhere and get access to the latest hot titles. Of course, the selection is not the same as going to Amazon and looking for titles in print, but it seems to be getting better all the time.

If you already have a player, then you can try Audible.com for free, download their software and get started. If not, check out our previous article on the Sansa MP3 player, which is our current favorite for listening to audio books.

Click on picture to get one on sale from Buy.com

One of the really great things about the web and blogging has been the creation of audio content that is downloadable from literally millions of sources. My favorite morning radio program is downloadable from their website sans commercials for a small monthly fee. Many other programs ranging from news to New Age are available for download to your MP3 player.

We have an iPod and love it for its capacity to hold music by the bucketful and play songs by artist, album, genre, etc. It is a bit trickier to use it for the aforementioned MP3 content. For one thing, the iPod does not do a good job of managing the bookmarks in content, and it can be real bear to locate your spot in an audio novel that is 8 hours long.

 Fortunately, there are affordable options available to use as dedicated readers of this material. I got the Sansa MP3 player with 2 GB of memory and have used it constantly for nearly a year. I can download a week at time of my favorite monring drive time comedy show and listen while sitting in an airport or a country where I cannot understand the programming on the radio and long for something in English. It is easy on batteries and the headphones that come with it are usable, albeit easy to replace and never look back as well.

The controls are simple to operate and best of all, it keeps its place in every file on the device, so you can listen to a book, then go to the radio show and it knows where it left off. Some things are a little odd, I have yet to figure out how it selects the sequence to play multiple files, almost seems random, but it is easy to navigate to just the file you want.

There are other features, such as an FM radio and a recorder, but these are just “me too” features and frankly not that well implemented or useful. The real magic is in having a way to just pick it up, turn it on and start listening to an audio book right where you left it.

By now, everyone has probably seen or heard about TSA approved locks. These have a great new feature which makes you wonder why they never thought of it before. When the TSA uses their special key to open this lock, the indicator on the front turns from Green to Red. Eliminate doubts as to whether or not someone has “searched” you bag by unlocking your special locks, because unless they know the combination, they cannot reset the indicator. Opening the lock with the regular combination will turn this off, so check it before opening.

Another unique version is the one shown in the photo with the very thick hasp on it. This one will not fit a standard suitcase, but is perfect to fit on the previously featured Pelican 1510 rolling case. We are on our way to Africa for some photo safari with this gear for the second time.  We found the heavy duty TSA lock on padlocks4less.com. These and many other TSA compatible locks are available at Magellans.  Click here to visit Magellans.com.

When traveling abroad, there are many great experiences and cultures to explore. Part of the magic of working from another country is being able to enjoy the daily lifestyle of a new place. Even the little things stand out, the faucets in Japan turn the opposite direction of those in the U.S., sandwiches in Denmark are open faced, and in Germany, most people seem to drink fruit juice or water with their lunch.

Television and entertainment in other countries can be a particular challenge unless you are fluent in the local language. It is not difficult to learn the words necessary to conduct minor business, such as shopping or going to a movie, but listening to the news requires a grasp of the local language. Many countries provide very little English language programming, even in top hotels.

Online newspapers have been slowly emerging on the web as a supplement to the daily print edition. One that we have found to be outstanding is the Washington Post online. The news coverage is thorough and you can even get your daily fix of the funny pages! The registration is free, and they will even email you the top stories of the day, which can be directed to your cell phone for extra convenience.

Belkin CableFree USB Hub*

In mid December 2006, Belkin was due to release in the U.S. a new wireless USB hub that allows connectivity between a computer and its USB peripherals, the CableFree USB Hub.  If it delivers as promised, the hub, priced at $199, could be a handy device for business travelers. We haven’t tried it yet but will be keeping an eye on it.

Described as the first wireless USB, it received Laptop Magazine’s Best of CES Award. It was one of eight recipients of the award.  

Last year, Belkin was scheduled to offer a four-port hub and dongle set to enable immediate high-speed wireless connectivity for any USB device without requiring software. The CableFree USB Hub promises desktop computer users the freedom to place USB devices, such as printers, scanners, hard drives, and MP3 players, anywhere in the room without running cables. Laptop users gain the freedom to roam wirelessly within a room while still maintaining access to their stationary USB devices.

The Belkin CableFree USB Hub also received the 2006 CES Popular Mechanics’ Editor’s Choice Award and the CNET Best of CES Award.

Belkin Corporation offers a diverse product mix for computer and consumer electronics users seeking integration in their homes, cars, and on the go. Founded in California in 1983, Belkin is a privately held company. 

*Photo: Businesswire