Five must-have travel innovations from the Mobile World Congress
This week’s tech gathering in Barcelona saw a swathe of gadgets designed for travel, from the new Samsung Galaxy S9 to an unlimited-roaming MiFi gadget to a smart earpiece that can translate six languages in real time
Although it is mostly known for its announcements about new smartphones, Barcelona’s annual Mobile World Congress is also a great place to find travel technology.
It didn’t disappoint this year, with cutting-edge products on show promising easier and cheaper roaming, foreign language translation, an impressive new laptop for business travel, and perhaps the ultimate tablet for in-flight entertainment.
1. Skyroam Solis
International roaming remains an issue for frequent fliers, but so-called MiFi (mobile Wi-fi) hotspot devices with unlimited global data are beginning to impress. Despite being a garish orange colour, this palm-sized puck (US$149.99) offers global 4G LTE roaming for up to five separate devices.
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Working in more than 110 countries, Skyroam’s roaming charges are simple; continuous global Wi-fi costs US$99 /HK$775 for 30 days, while a single global day pass is priced at a reasonable US$9/HK$70. As a bonus, the Skyroam Solis has a 6,000mAh battery inside, so it also works as a portable power bank to recharge your phone.