Blackberry

Blackberry Announces New Phone With Physical Keyboard. Are They Toying With Me?

February 25, 2014By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

Thanks to reader Jessica R for pointing this out to me. Blackberry has announced their new Q20, which will feature a physical QWERTY keyboard. This really isn’t travel news, but I was surprised at how many folks viewed my recent post on “Blackberry-like” keyboards for my iPhone. I didn’t end up buying one of the keyboards, but Blackberry sure is tempting me with this. The device is supposed to have a 3.5 inch screen which is bigger than previous keyboard Blackberrys but smaller than my iPhone. I’m okay with my […]

What Do You Think? Am I Crazy To Buy One?

January 15, 2014By Edward Pizzarello18 Comments

I like my iPhone. I really do. There was a time where I used to have to look in the mirror and practice saying it. But now, it flows smoothly off my tongue. But, while it’s a device I rely on heavily (and couldn’t do without) and I really like it, I consider it more of a “best of breed”. Bottom line? I’m not in love. With it or any other smartphone. I’ve tried a handful of Android devices and found them all to be significantly harder to use consistently than the iPhone. Sure, […]

The One Credit Card I’ll Be Using On Black Friday

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Help Some Tiny Wings Fly

I’m getting ready to do something crazy again and I hope you’ll consider helping. The two best ways you can help are by sharing this story with a friend and donating to our fundraiser. Let me give you a bit of background. Give Kids The World is a fabulous charity organization located in Central Florida. They’re not terribly well-known, unless you’re a Disney nerd like me. But, they perform a very important missions. They house the Make a Wish kids who come to Disney World. Thanks to the generosity of […]

The One Key Factor That Has Made Hundreds Of Trips Easy For Me

It’s crazy to think that I’ve been a road warrior for over 20 years. Prior to that I loved traveling for fun but only occasionally traveled for work. Over the years, I’ve had more elite status than I can probably remember. The very first loyalty program I signed up for was the Best Western Gold Crown Club. Even back in the early 90s I understood these loyalty programs had value. Along the way, I’ve had top tier elite status with: American Airlines (I think that was the first program I […]

Why This September 11th Is Just A Little Bit Different For Me

It’s a day to stop and think about the bravery it must have taken for first responders in lower Manhattan to watch the first tower collapse, then run up the stairs into the second tower to try to rescue survivors. I started forming the thoughts for this story a few weeks ago. My plan was to publish it last week, but as with so many things lately, time got away from me. So, here we sit on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. In some ways, September 11th is just another […]

The Canada-US Border Is Open. Here’s What Crossing By Land Is Like Right Now

If you’re thinking about crossing the Canadian border, I’ve got plenty of details on what to expect. Our family recently crossed the border into Canada and then back into the US. If you prefer to listen to the story than read it, you can check the whole thing out on my podcast. If you just want the quick and dirty, here are some key links: The ArriveCAN app (you need to complete an online application to enter Canada) Nova Scotia pre-arrival application Link to order Abbot BinaxNOW tests (rapid test […]

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]