Google's Flight Search -- which was conjured up after its acquisition of ITA -- has been giving Kayak and Bing Travel a run for their respective dollars here in the States, but an airline search engine is only as good as its reach. This week, the company announced that over 500 airports outside of the US are now being included in the results (but, sadly, only if you start in the US), and while no specific promises were given, Google says that it's "working hard on expanding [its] global coverage and adding more routes in the future." Oh, and for those looking to disconnect in Samoa, APW totally made the cut here. Happy trails!

[Thanks, sciwiz]

Google's Flight Search engine adds 500 international destinations, more on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those kind folk at Skype already served up plenty of glorious WiFi waves across US airports this Christmas, and now it's New York City's turn. From noon on the 31st until January 1st, if you spy a "Skype WiFi" network, those tasty bytes are yours for the taking. The VoIP don has teamed up with WiFi provider Towerstream for the give-away, and recommends you load-up on the latest version of its famous software to make sure you don't miss out. If you pack an iDevice, then it's the Skype WiFi app you'll be wanting updated in the lead up to midnight. Just make sure you don't miss that kiss, just for a festive freebie.

Skype gifts NYC with NYE WiFi, so you can miss the ball drop while Skyping the ball drop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Relying on satellite imagery collected from the internet instead of a camera, artist Hubert Blanz created these mind-bending images of airports for his X-planation collection. I rarely get motion sick, but browsing through these images makes me want to puke. More »

They don't call this the "giving time of the year" for nothing. A couple of years back we saw Google hook up the traveling masses with gratis WiFi, and today Skype is matching the big G's kindness by giving you a holiday gift of its own. Starting on December 21st thru the 27th, you'll be able to cling to an hour of costless internet access while you're waiting on your flight -- as long as you're in one of the 50+ airports included in the deal (map shown after the break). Aside from being outside of the lounging areas capable of accepting the courtesy, Android users are being left out of the equation, as the present can only be used by those who own a Mac, PC or iOS device. Now, the nice gesture would be even better if we knew that our fellow travelers wouldn't be hogging all the bandwidth...

Continue reading Skype turns into Santa, gives you free airport WiFi during the holidays

Skype turns into Santa, gives you free airport WiFi during the holidays originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As malls get bigger and more cluttered, it's getting harder to find the Hot Dog on a Stick or the shoe section at Macy's. Well, mall rats rejoice; Google's My Location feature just got an indoor upgrade to help navigate your way through malls, airports, and department stores. More »

$99? For a portable speaker? Yup, that was our reaction too -- especially when the Mini Boombox's larger sibling boasts four times as many drivers (eight instead of two) and costs just $50 extra. But then we gave this more suitcase-friendly version a whirl and discovered that it's actually loud and balanced enough to do some justice to your tunes while you're on the move. In fact, it could well make a smarter purchase than those $30 speakers you keep buying in airports and then deliberately losing. It's available now, works with any Bluetooth-equipped smartphone or tablet and incorporates a mic for handling calls -- plus its rechargeable battery is claimed to last up to ten hours. Ears-on video and a quick round of 'name that tune' right after the break.

Continue reading Logitech's Mini Boombox is a $99 Bluetooth speaker, we go hands-on (video)

Logitech's Mini Boombox is a $99 Bluetooth speaker, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friend suggestions on social networks may already be a little too eerily accurate for some, but a team of researchers from Cambridge University now say they can do one better. They've devised a method that doesn't simply rely the usual friends-of-friends approach, but on where those people tend to hang out. According to researcher Salvatore Scellato, "it turns out that the properties of the places we interact can determine how likely we are to develop social ties," and that places like offices and gyms are better indications of potential friends than football stadiums or airports. That notion was borne out in their research (conducted over a period of four months using Gowalla), which found that "about 30 percent of all new social links appear among users that check-in to the same places." With the two prediction methods combined, the researchers say they're able to account for 66 percent of all new social ties. No word if they've moved onto predicting crimes next.

[Image credit: Gowalla]

Cambrige researchers tout new location-based method to predict friends on social networks originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Aug 2011 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After all the touching and feeling that went down this past fall, international airlines have bee hankering for a way to get back into passengers' good graces. This checkpoint, along with eye scanners and souped-up passports, might be the ticket. More »

I'm sure a few of you out there are stuck in an airport right now, dreading your annual Christmas trip home. You might as well eat right before you board that plane. Esquire has you covered. More »

Here we go: Verizon's LTE network is launching on Dec. 5 in 38 markets and 60 airports, with two USB sticks from LG and Pantech supplying the superfast goodness. More details coming live in a few minutes. More »

Verizon is set to officially unveil its LTE launch plans in just a few minutes. Ahead of that scheduled announcement, the company has gone live with its 4G, LTE website, which includes details on launch markets (38 cites, 60 airports), available devices (currently two data sticks), and a handy service locator (so you can see if you’ll be covered). The LTE network, along with the LG VL600 and Pantech UML290 4G data-sticks will all be available starting on December 5th. Hit the read link to check it out for yourself.

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According to tweeting travelers, many backscatter and millimeter-wave AIT scanning machines at airports are not in use at all, making opting out impossible. We've asked DHS/TSA for comment, but you can help us confirm. More »

According to the TSA, there are currently 385 full body scanners in 68 different US airports. Check to see if your local airport is using these scanners to sneak a peak at your goodies. More »

October 4th-10th

• Motorola DROID Pro world-phone detailed
• Samsung Galaxy Tab launching November 14th on Sprint for $399?
• AT&T’s early upgrade smartphone program detailed. Spoiler: they made it $125 more expensive
• Verizon: 38 cities, 60 airports to be blessed with LTE by end of this year
• WSJ: Apple to begin mass producing iPhone for Verizon Wireless by end of 2010
• Verizon Wireless announces Motorola DROID Pro and CITRUS
• Verizon Wireless will have ‘interactive launch’ of BlackBerry 6 on October 14
• Google Goggles released for iPhone
• T-Mobile myTouch gets reintroduced, 1GHz Snapdragon, 3.8″ display, 4G speeds
• Facebook rolling out site redesign, download my data, and updated privacy settings

At the same event where Google introduced voice calling in Gmail, the search giant also announced that it would be placing Google Voice phone booths in select U.S. locations. The GV stations, which will closely resemble the iconic red telephone booths in the U.K., will begin appearing on college campuses and in airports in the next few weeks. The purpose of the old-fashioned booths is to get people more acquainted with Google Voice, allowing them to see how GV’s voice call-quality compares with more traditional landline services. Google said they would release more details about the telephone-towers in the coming weeks.

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D

on't call it a comeback. Or do, because that's precisely what this is. After Clear shuffled its final incorruptible passenger through a speedy security lane in June of last year, the company closed up shop and forced even the nicest of travelers to re-join the herds. Thankfully for us all, Alclear has decided that life's simply no good without a hasty security option at airports, and it has plopped down $6 million in order to acquire the assets of Verified Identity Pass out of bankruptcy protection. According to our hombres at Gadling, that purchase price doesn't include individual airport contracts, so it'll be an uphill battle getting these lanes back into the places in which they're needed. If all goes well, we could see the first Clear avenues reopen this fall, with pricing set at $179 per year for unlimited individual use or $229 per year for unlimited family use. Head on past the break for more details on reactivating old subscriptions and the full presser.

Continue reading Clear security lanes storming back to airports, principled travelers high five one another

Clear security lanes storming back to airports, principled travelers high five one another originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First question: How hard are Thinkpad notebooks? Hard enough to be installed in buses and tram shuttles as seats and keep working just fine. Second question: Are the trackpads scrotumsensitive? I like to think they are.

The notebooks—part of a campaign created by Ogilvy Frankfurt—were installed in buses and tram shuttles that lead prospective buyers to Lenovo Roadshows all over Germany. The buses were waiting by train stations and airports to get visitors to the events, offering them the possibility to either surf the web or sit their buttocks on. I would like to do both things at the same time. [Direct Daily]