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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Several
chip
manufacturers
are
in the running to become the leading player in
the mobile marketplace. Executives say the race for market
dominance will be expensive because of the high cost of development and
the pressure to cram high-level performance into a chip that works in
smartphone or small laptop. "The first one out there with these types
of products is really the one that wins in the marketplace. This is a
game changer," says Jim Ballingall of GlobalFoundries, which is
completing a chip factory in Dresden, Germany. Feb 23, 2010
Apple Inc. reported earnings that topped analysts' estimates, buoyed by
record sales of the Macintosh computer, as Chief Executive Officer
Steve Jobs shifted attention to a new product to be unveiled tomorrow.
Apple gained as much as 2.6 percent in extended trading yesterday after
the company reported a 50 percent jump in first- quarter profit to
$3.38 billion, or $3.67 a share. Sales advanced 32 percent to $15.7
billion.
Jobs said yesterday to expect a "major new product" to be unveiled this
week. Apple may offer a device with a 10-inch (25-centimeter)
touch-screen display that delivers music, movies, Web pages and other
content, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley and Piper Jaffray
& Co.
"All eyes are now on the announcement," said Michael Yoshikami, an
analyst at YCMNet Advisors in Walnut Creek, California. The firm owned
7,582 Apple shares as of Dec. 31, according to Bloomberg data.
Apple, based in Cupertino, California, rose as much as $5.26 to $208.33
in late trading, after closing at $203.08 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The shares more than doubled last year.
What to Expect From Apple's Tablet
Unveiling. While
the invitation - "come see our latest creation" - is broad and vague,
it's fairly obvious that the biggest news will be the widely
anticipated tablet. It's about time. Tech observers have been
anticipating an Apple tablet for several years, churning out report
after report of rumors and speculation. And Apple has been considering
tablet designs since at least 1983. Now, perfectionist CEO Steve Jobs
finally seems satisfied enough with the product to show it off in
public.
Explora
After two years of development, proofs, and implementations, the new
Chilean website of Explora is ready. Among the novelties, there is a
possibility of booking and checking the availability of the rooms in
real time. Also, the website offers some details of geography, history,
fleet, and fauna of each region where the hotels are placed. Also it
offers architecture and design data of the hotels.
http://www.explora.com/
ExploreHawaiiTours.com
Silver week brought the highest number of Japanese tourists to Hawaii
since 2005 according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority vice president,
David Uchiyama. ExploreHawaiiTours.com experienced a similar influx in
the number of tours scheduled during the time period termed Silver
Week. It's the term applied to a string of Japanese National Holidays
that leaves workers with 5 consecutive days off; promoting travel and
leisure opportunities. ExploreHawaiiTours.com and other area businesses
dependent upon tourism noted the drastic increase and see it as a sign
of positive changes that will continue to occur within the Hawaiian
tourism industry. Silver Week is created by the following Japanese
holidays: - Respect for the Ages Day which is the 3rd Monday of
September - Autumnal Equinox Day which is astronomically determined,
but typically ends up as September 23 - Kokumin no kyujitsu, which is
the day between the two other holidays.
GetThere
GetThere has announced its new Collaboration Suite -- a patent-pending
collection of solutions enabling corporations and the travel agencies
that serve them to maximize their Return on Investment (ROI) on travel
and virtual meeting services. GetThere unveiled its Collaboration Suite
to customers at the European Customer Summit in London. GetThere is
driving development of the Collaboration Suite in tandem with new
algorithmic technology from Sabre Research, the same group that played
a significant role in the invention of yield management for airlines in
the past. The Collaboration Suite represents the first set of solutions
designed to help corporations manage both business travel and other
types of collaboration such as web, audio and video conferencing, as
well as business-oriented social media. Collaboration holds economic
benefits.
Hillgate Travel
UK-based Hillgate Travel has joined GlobalStar Travel Management, a TMC
with head offices in every major world region. GlobalStar said Hillgate
joins at the "highest tier level membership in the UK and will
therefore become a steering factor in the organisation." Hillgate's
chairman and ceo Jeremy Bull said his clients would now have access to
a "true multinational travel management solution." Hillgate, founded in
1983, has three UK offices and its headquarters in London.
www.globalstartravel.com www.hillgatetravel.com
HotelREZ
HotelREZ has partnered with Trust International and developed the new
CentralREZ system utilizing Trust's yourVoyager CRS. Trust will supply
global representation provider HotelREZ's member hotels with a bespoke
central reservations system, a customized web booking engine and direct
connections to numerous online agencies. Multiple new PMS Interfaces
will also be launched. HotelREZ's member hotels will upgrade to
CentralREZ the first week of November. CentralREZ is the first system
to give hotels total control of their electronic distribution, from
rate build to reporting. The new simplified rate builds are a key
feature, enabling hotels to build a rate on the GDS, all in just one
simple page, and make it live without having to queue the rate to
HotelREZ for checking. For more information, visit www.hotelrez.net or
www.TrustInternational.com.
hotels.com
According to the hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI), Florida cities
were among the most popular U.S. destinations for domestic and
international travelers. Orlando ranked third most popular travel
destination for Americans, and Miami was the eighth favorite among U.S.
travelers and sixth most popular travel U.S. destination for
international travelers. Florida and Georgia experienced the greatest
drop in lodging prices among southern states with a 14 percent decrease
in both states over a year. South Carolina was not far behind with a 13
percent fall. Knoxville, Tenn., had the lowest average price per room
in the South at USD 83, placing in the top five least expensive cities
in the country. Conversely, Panama City, Fla., had the highest average
price per room in the South at USD 154, landing in the top five most
expensive cities in the country. Six Florida cities -- the most in any
one state -- were among the top 10 U.S. cities with the greatest drop
in hotel rates. These cities included Orlando, Miami, West Palm Beach,
Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Naples, three of which -- Orlando,
Miami and Ft. Lauderdale -- also ranked among the most popular
destinations for U.S. travelers. In addition to Florida destinations,
Southern cities Atlanta and New Orleans also placed in the top 20 U.S.
destinations for Americas at positions 11 and 14, respectively. Orlando
ranked 10th in the U.S. for lowest hotel rates. Other Southern cities
with the lowest rates included Knoxville, Tenn.; Tallahassee, Fla.;
Pensacola, Fla.; and Lexington, Ky. Mississippi had the lowest average
price per room per night among southern states, dropping 11 percent
from last year. For more information, visit www.hotels.com.
Hotwire, TripIt
Hotwire and TripIt, the trip management company, have announced a
partnership to help travelers more easily organize and share their
travel plans online. After booking travel on Hotwire.com, travelers
will be able to click a new "Add To TripIt" button and automatically
have their travel plans added to a free TripIt itinerary. TripIt
itineraries are easy to customize with other travel plans, as well as
weather, maps, directions, activities, events, reservations, notes and
photos. They can be accessed online, from mobile phones, personal
calendars and social networking sites. Travelers can also easily share
and collaborate on TripIt itineraries with their family, friends and
fellow travelers. Hotwire will also be offering the new TripIt Pro
premium service to frequent travelers. TripIt Pro automatically
monitors TripIt itineraries, provides mobile alerts, alternate flight
options, frequent traveler program tracking and automated trip sharing.
For more information, visit www.hotwire.com or www.tripit.com.
Jetsetter
Jetsetter is a new flash-sale website that sells upscale travel
experiences hand-selected by world travelers at prices not available to
the general public. The site is designed the commoditization on online
travel retailing. The site includes a range of first-person accounts,
blogs and photography, bringing each experience to life on the screen.
Sales are limited to Jetsetter's invitation-only community and last
only two days or until inventory runs out. Lead by two of the online
travel industry's best-known innovators, CEO Drew Patterson and
Creative Director Amy Ziff, Jetsetter enlists a team of international
trip curators -- including seasoned travel writers and industry experts
-- to conduct primary research and perform on-site visits. Members will
receive regular email alerts announcing evening sales that begin at 8
p.m. EST. Each sale will be available only for a two-day window or
until dates are sold out. A given sale will, as a rule, include no more
than a handful of select properties, yachts or high-touch tours, and
will feature experiences and prices that cannot be found elsewhere. For
more information, visit www.jetsetter.com.
LeisureLink
LeisureLink, Inc., a distribution and revenue management platform for
specialty lodging suppliers, is publicizing the success of its ongoing
relationship with Kees Vacation Rentals. Kees has increased bookings by
an average of over 38 percent year over year for the 22 resorts that it
manages, even in the midst of the recession. Jeremy Grogg, CEO of Kees,
said that each property has its own website with online booking
capabilities. The company has created its own portal as well as
microsites. For example, in the Williamsburg area, where we manage
several properties, we have created ReserveHamptonRoads.com, said
Grogg. This allows us to showcase our properties including the
attractions of their local market and creates one more channel for the
consumer to book with us. For more information, visit
www.LeisureLink.com or www.keesvacations.com.
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