When I ran into this marriage of eco-friendly travel and iPhone app – I fell in love. Both happen to be two of my favorite subjects in the whole world right now. I’ve always been a technology geek, and love how it’s used to increase productivity and speed. When it helps out the environment too – it’s simply a slam dunk.

I’ve collected an entire page of “green” applications on my iPhone over the years. (Probably installed at least two pages, but condensed it down to the applications I use most.)

Catherine Mack is responsible for creating a brand new application in iTunes called Ireland Green Travel. Catherine is a travel writer specializing in green, eco, responsible and ethical tourism. She also holds a Masters degree in Responsible Tourism Management. Her new application for the iPhone features the best green accommodations, activities and hiking adventures, along with eco-friendly places to stay in Ireland.

Green places to stay include lakeside lodges, yurt camps, island retreats, eco-castles, grand houses “with more than just grand green gestures”, yoga retreats, community-run hostels, switched-on hotels and activity centers throughout the island of Ireland, North and South of the border. The application also features how to get there without using a car.

Catherine wrote a book called Eco Escape: Ireland some years ago and wanted to update it. What she ended up with was not only an update on all the eco-friendly places and activities that are popping up all over the Ireland – but an update in technology with this cool new mobile app.

According to Catherine, she was a bit hesitant about creating an application instead of the tried and true guidebook. After launching the new application however, Catherine admits there are a myriad of benefits for both her and the end user. Her biggest surprise was how she could update the application with new tours and activities without having to re-write a new book or application. End users also have to capability to interact and connect through the application with Google Maps, YouTube videos, train timetables; links to walking trails, and eye catching photos.

The new iPhone app is moderately priced at $2.99 and can be found in the iTunes store. You can also search for the application directly on your iPhone under “Ireland Green Travel”.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

My apologies to my regular readers of this blog today. I need to head off into the realm of computer geek to help out fellow iPhone users who’ve upgraded either their phone or their computer in the last couple of weeks who ran a very annoying and troublesome syncing error.

The problem occurred for me more than a month ago, the morning we left for vacation, when I upgraded iTunes only to be greeted with an error after the upgrade that said:

“iTunes could not connect to this iPhone because an unknown error occurred (0xE8000065).”

So my search began for a fix.

It’s not that I haven’t run into syncing problems before – and a fix is usually a quick Google search away for the error code and a related solution found on the first page of results. I wasn’t so lucky this time – with a solution found in an area that very few were looking into.

The “blame game” began with the obvious (or most likely) players in the mix. That being iTunes or Windows 7. After getting a little more in depth the problem appeared to be narrowed down to 64 bit processors and more importantly the new P55 Intel chips that they run on. Patches and fixes were suggested but nothing appeared to work properly, and some solutions ended up causing even bigger problems or would actually slow systems down instead.

After researching the search results and the dates they were posted, the error has been extremely problematic for everyone involved dating back to late 2009. With so many having the same problem and posting their frustrations out on the world wide web for so long, any type of solution would be difficult to uncover at this point.

I even gave up for a time during the month due to some of the needless banter I was reading. I understand people get frustrated, but after the years of needless bashing I’ve seen the last couple of years from the travel industry and clueless anti-mlm folk, my tolerance levels are pretty much nonexistent these days. None of it contributes to a real solution people actually want or need.

But alas, iPhone’s are arguably the most popular smartphones on the market today. With so many phones out there a solution to this strange error would be found and resolved eventually.

Oddly enough, the problem was found in the P55 Express chipset’s USB controller. Newer PC’s with P55-equipped Core i5 / i7 chips and BIOS configuration couldn’t “talk” to the phone. Part of the solution came from those who bypassed the built in USB controller found on the chip for a more generic USB version. Other users were successful in solving the issue by deleting the iPodDevices.xml file from their iTunes folder, by disabling Bonjour or by turning on C-state capability in their BIOS.

While it worked for some, it wouldn’t for others. (Including myself.)

After pinpointing the culprit of the error (that being the Core i5 / i7 chips) I found an update from Dell that was released in the middle of the month. (July 13, 2010) Other motherboard manufactures who now install the Core i5 and i7 chips have also released BIOS updates to fix the problem. These manufactures include (and I have a link to for each download) Gigabyte, MSI and Asustek)

If you’re running a Dell machine like I am, I’d recommend downloading directly from Dell here.

Please note, there were two files associated with this chipset update from Dell, and I have no idea if both are required to fix the USB issue or not. I’m pleased however that the patch was extremely easy to install directly from the desktop, and there’s a noticeable difference in speed and processing time on the plus side.

Oh, and yes, it resolved my sync error with my iPhone once and for all. ;-P

With any luck, this post will find its way to the top of the search engines for other folks who have the same sync problem so they can resolve it in a matter of minutes instead of days like myself.

I’ve always joked about “Ain’t technology grand?” when things go awry. This problem was no joke however and far more problematic than any would have ever imagined.

Hope you find it quick and that it helps.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Since purchased my iPhone last month, I’ve become a HUGE fan of podcasting. I’ve subscribed to a number of podcasts via iTunes that automatically download into my iPhone. I listen to these gems either on a daily basis or weekly basis depending on how often they’re updated. There are a number of reasons why I’ve fallen in love with this new format.

One, I only listen to programs of my choice, and have found several that feed me knowledge to continue to learn and grow, and motivates me to help in areas of personal growth and professional development.

Two, I can listen at times that are convenient for me. I don’t have to stop what I’m doing simply to listen to a show that I enjoy, these shows are ready at any time I am.

Three, multitasking. My schedule can get very busy and hectic at times, but there are times that I can easily listen to a podcast while doing something else, such as driving, doing the dishes after dinner, or working out in the yard. (Which got ramped back up again this past weekend.)

The vast majority of these programs come free of charge which is a bonus and like your favorite radio stations or television stations they have regular schedules when these shows are available for downloading. By subscribing to shows that interest you, iTunes goes out to cue up any new podcasts that are available to download into your iPhone or iPod when you hook it up to your computer. The player also knows if you’ve finished listening to shows, and will erase the programs you’ve finished with, replacing it with the new updated show. (If you hadn’t had a chance to listen, no problem, it saves it on your mobile device so there no need to worry about missing any shows.)

A couple of podcasts that I’ve fallen in love with are “The Daily Boost” with Scott Smith, who is a new C.M.O. (Chief Motivating Officer) Scott comes from the professional broadcasting arena, and his polished rhythm, positive energy, and words of wisdom and motivation make this a top show that always puts a smile on my face and creates a positive vibration that I carry with me throughout the day. Another show that I really like is Morning Coach with JB Glossinger. JB comes across as one of the “average guys”, but after listening to him for the last several weeks, he’s far from average. (Exceptional is more like it.) JB’s down to earth style and personal experience make him “one of he guys” who I can relate to and if he can overcome some of the same obstacles he’s overcome, so can I.

I also TiVo Joel Osteen, but find it easier to bring him with me during the week via my iPhone via his podcast of the show to get my week first thing Monday morning off to a good start. This past week, I actually found myself accessing his podcast a few times because the message was meaningful and I enjoyed his perspective. It was just the pick-me-up I needed to keep me focused on the task at hand instead of getting wrapped up in subjects designed to distract and derail me.

But the best news of the week was finding out you can now subscribe and download The Saturday Morning Leadership Show to either listen or watch right on your iPhone, iPod, or other MP3 player. I don’t know if you caught the word “watch” or not, but for those of us who have video capabilities like I do on the iPhone, the same streaming video we watch each Saturday morning is also available right on the phone. I’ve got to tell you, the video is about as pristine as I’ve ever seen on any device. It’s like a mini Hi-Def player and I’ve been showing it to a number of prospects and team members this week who have been blown away at the quality of this video. The one word I’ve heard most is “impressive”.

Once again, YTB has embraced the technology available and uses it to it’s advantage to help those of us out in the field. I have to give a huge shout out to James Tackett for this gem. He’s the one who put this Leadership Show format together, and with YTB’s blessing, and podcasting already available, now all of us have news, events, and motivation to bring with us throughout the week. 

Don’t have an iPhone or iPod? Not to worry, you can still download iTunes to you desktop to watch at home when it’s conveniant for you, or this could be just the ticket you need to go out and get yourself and iPhone or iPod. You could also register to win one, but you’ll have to actually learn something in return. Wyndham Hotel Group is holding a Webinar on Monday, April 6th, 2009 at 2:00PM EDT. Thier new travel agent Specialist Programs will enable you to earn a diploma and continuing educational units along with special offers and promotion at over 7,000 properties.

It really doesn’t matter how you access this show, simply that you access it to stay plugged in and up to date on what’s going on. It’s been one of the best tools I’ve used for years and I’ve been extremely impressed with how it’s evolved with the times and the technology to stay on the cutting edge.

That’s the YTB way.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

I’ve been surfing around the last few days and about all I can say is “yuck”.

So rather than get caught up in the childish bantering, the market collapse, sad Annual Reports, and more job losses, we’re going to shift gears (maybe from here on out?) and focus on something positive. Personally, I just don’t like participating in doom and gloom, which has escalated into even more absurdity. It’s not only unproductive, and when negativity is all you focus on, what do you get more of?

More negativity.

So for now, we’re going to focus on something positive. Something meaningful. Something important.

My new iPhone!

Oh COME ON! It’s important to me, and this IS my blog, and I had no idea how useful this phone REALLY was until I got myself one a week ago. The screen on my old phone blanked out on me, and with the hundreds of contacts I had saved on it, and because I had saved the settings to silent due to the Directors meeting last week, I had no idea who called or even if they called. With my phone being my left arm, (laptop being my right) it was time for a new phone.

I’ve had team members who have raved about the iPhone for some time, and while I’ve always wanted one (actually wrote about how slick Google integrates with it), until I had a chance to see it and get first hand experience with a number of the applications, features, and benefits I truly had no idea. The only problem I have with the iPhone right now are my kids who can’t keep their hands off it wanting to play games. They’re rather upset that their father doesn’t have any games loaded and while I told them that it’s not a toy, my wife had the nerve to brake out in uncontrolled laughter. (What’s up with that?)

The iPhone 3G combines three products in one – a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device. It features 3G, built-in GPS, push email, calendar, and contacts. (You can also talk to people!)

Technology also has a way of making life easier, saving both time, money and space. I remember buying books on tape, which graduated to books on CD, and now I can download thousands of audiobooks on iTunes within a matter of minutes with a digital format that takes up very little space. I’m also thrilled with literally THOUSANDS of niche iTunes Podcasts that I can subscribe to and are downloaded automatically to the phone before I head out for the day. While I did listen to the radio a couple weeks ago during the Super Bowl, I rarely listen to the radio, opting for biographies, motivational, or personal developement CD’s instead. Now with the ability to listen via my iPhone for both books and broadcasts that empower me and nurish my mind instead of bombarding it with negativity and useless chatter, I’m more focused and prepared to take on the day.

Another area I just LOVE is the 3G feature for internet and GPS. This combination built right into the phone is absolutely amazing to me. If you throw in a couple of iPhone applications, that give you instant access to traffic delays, flight delays, and where to find the lowest gas price in your area you’ve got yourself some kind of power in your hand. While the Flight Track Pro is used for clients with air while I’m out and about, I can also access the Atlanta Traffic Cams right from my phone either before I head out or while I’m trying to decide the best route to take home. Another very cool application is Cheap Gas, which takes your current GPS location and not only posts the gas prices of surrounding stations, but when you find one you like, and not sure about the best route to take to get there just hit the “map” feature for turn by turn directions.

Of course the same can be done while you’re out and about using Google Mobile App that I wrote about some time ago. It’s been quite some time since I’ve toyed with voice recognition software, and I have to admit, either Google did their homework, or technology has finally caught up with this type of application making it virtually error free. There’s no training involved like the old days, and results come back surprisingly fast even if it hits the servers and comes back with results. Another application I really like is “Say Who” that accesses the names from you contact list, which is a real time saver when you have as many contacts as I do. Just say the name, it pulls it up and dials the number automatically. No more setup, and no more voice training which now opens up my entire list of contacts, not just the most used or the only the ones I’ve manually trained and programed.

I also love the voice mail features. In the past, people would leave a voice mail, and when I saved it for later because I couldn’t write down the dates or itinerary when I went to access it again, I’d have to scroll through several other saved voice mails in order to get to the one I wanted. It was frustrating and time consuming to say the least.

GONE! Now I can access any voice mail in any order, with a slick GUI interface that provides a name, date and time stamp, and I even have the ability to stop mid stream and call a client or friend back right from the voice mail area to clarify or reply with a quick answer. When done, simply delete.

One area that I know gets a lot of use from others, that I haven’t gotten the hang of just yet is typing on such a small screen. Put a full featured keyboard in front of me and I’ll type for hours, but this tiny keyboard does take some getting use to. I’ve never been one for texting and don’t intend to start now, but I can do like to respond to e-mail on the fly. I can also “Tweet” and update Facebook with many other Social Networking sites on the go. Yes, there are several applications for Social Networking and while I haven’t decide which one works best, (basically because I don’t use them that much) I do like the feature and ability to post on the fly.

Lastly, the browser used was a big surprise to me. I couldn’t imagine being able to read posts like this on such a small screen, but found out that while it is smaller, it’s surprisingly easy to read. It is different navigating around, and you certainly don’t have the space to read without scrolling, but I was surprised at the clarity and ease of use of the built in browser. I wouldn’t recommend it be your only connection to the internet, but it certainly does the job in a pinch when you need to access something on the go.

Bottom line for me is that this phone absolutely ROCKS! The ease of use, stable platform, and incredibly useful and intuitive applications make the phone the best toy, errr, “tool” I’ve seen in a long, long time. The features, benefits and usefulness are amazing and provide real time savers, increased productivity and service to those I associate with.

I give it two thumbs up!

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Back in my Home Automation and Theatre days, I played with a very cool voice recognition program called HAL 2000 here at the house. With “Ellie” (My name for the virtual assistant) I could turn on and off lights, control the security system, HVAC and home theatre. Although “Ellie” has been long gone, I still have all the control equipment in place and control the house on a pre-programmed schedule. Even the Christmas lights I’ll be putting out in a few weeks run on a schedule year round. All I have to do is plug them in.

Google is expected to release a free application today for the iPhone that lets you search for information, directions, or virtually anything else by speaking into the handset, eliminating need for the keyboard entirely. This new voice recognition takes your spoken words and passes them over the Internet to one of Google’s servers. They’re then interpreted by artificial intelligence, translated into a traditional data query, and the results are bounced back to your phone in a matter of seconds if you’re on a fast connection.

Google made the decision to launch this new App on the iPhone. They had the choice of launching on the iPhone or their own Android device, yet they decided go with the iPhone and launch in the App Store. Surely pushing out the app for Android would have boosted Android G1 sales, but they opted for what is best for the user, for now.

Google was under the impression that the application would be live on the App Store on Friday (obviously, since they pushed all significant press attention to it). Sometime Friday they found out Apple wouldn’t be pushing it, despite the fact that Google submitted it for review earlier in the week and got a thumbs up for Friday. One source says they’ve had little direct contact with Apple during the review, instead getting their updates via the standard iPhone developer tool, which has said “in review” for the last few days.

So with any luck today, you should be able to download this free App and then simply place the phone to your ear and ask virtually any question, like “Where’s the nearest Starbucks?” or “What were the REAL travel sales for YTB?” The search results will be displayed in just seconds hands free. And because it has GPS the iPhone will at times include local information, taking advantage of iPhone features that let it determine its location.

Could search results for flights, hotel, or a cruise via voice be that far behind?

Hummmm?

Here’s a cool video on the new application, and I’m sure technology geeks like me will be chomping at the bit to get this downloaded and start using it.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Book Your Travel & Vacations With