GeekSugar

Paper Airline Tickets On The Brink Of Extinction

GeekSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:00:31 -0700

Luddite travelers may need to start making geek friends because the paper airline ticket will be all but extinct by the end of May.

Replacing paper tickets, and the elaborate global system that processed them, with electronic ticketing will save airlines $3 billion annually on the roughly 400 million tickets sold outside of the United States alone, according to the New York Times.

Apparently, 96.86 percent of tickets sold in the United States, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands last month were electronic, so it does appear that most people are able and willing to travel the digital way. Do you use electronic or paper tickets when you travel?

Source

HP Unveils the Web-Friendly Photosmart Premium Printer

GeekSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:35:29 -0700

This morning here in San Francisco, HP announced their first web-enabled printer called the TouchSmart. With a touchscreen control panel that has the look and feel of an iPhone, the TouchSmart will offer apps that make it easy for one-touch printing. HP has already teamed up with companies like Fandango (movie-ticket printing), Google (maps, calendar printing, etc.), USA Today (news article printing), and Nickelodeon (kids activities) to offer useful applications. The printer's API is completely open, so you can expect hundreds of more free apps - like RSS reader apps and airline apps - to become available by its Fall launch date.

To see what else I thought about the printer and to find out how much it will cost, read more.

The eco-friendly person that I am, at first I was perturbed by the fact that this printer will only promote more printing and unnecessary paper usage - when you can already buy your movie tickets online and pick them up at the theater without having to print them. But then there are those instances when you need your boarding pass printed up in an instant, or you don't want look at your laptop while following a recipe, so this printer is perfect for a variety of scenarios where you don't want to be computer dependent.

Seeing the printer in person, it sure isn't something you're going to be able to sit on the end of your kitchen counter (it's rather large), but it is wireless, so if you've got the room for it, even better . . . and keep in mind, it won't need to be connected to a laptop or computer. The Photosmart Premium printer will retail for $399.

Daily Tech: Rock Band Drops $20 at Target

GeekSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:10:51 -0800

From Feb. 17-23, Target will be offering the PS3 and 360 versions of the special-edition Rock Band bundle for only $149. - Joystiq
Alaska Airlines has decided to make the switch from ticket counters to touch screens. - The Gadgets Weblog
Rumor has it that the iPod Touch and iPhone may be taking a $100 price drop within the next two months. - CrunchGear
Toshiba has decided to pull the plug on HD DVD, practically ending the Blu-ray-HD DVD rival once and for all. - Crave
Starting today, the biggest mobile companies will be closing down their analog networks. - Engadget

T-Mobile to Offer Free Flights on Black Friday

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:00:09 -0800

From November 23 to 25, T-Mobile will be offering free airline tickets to new and existing customers-with one catch. New customers will need to sign-up on with T-Mobile myFaves plan to become eligible to receive a free flight from 59 major U.S. cities to one of 10 destinations. The Boy Genius Report has also pointed out that pre-existing myFaves customers can sign-up after extending their contract two more years to enter into a draw to win one of 5,000 free flights. I've seen alot of freebies in my day, but anything with free flights always grabs my attention. Maybe I'll show T-Mobile some love for a couple more years afterall.