MacBook, iPod touch Make ‘The Best Travel Gadgets of 2009’

Time (in partnership with CNN) has compiled a list of gadgets that are most suitable for traveling, going by the magazine's standards. Although, for one reason or another, the Slingbox Pro-HD tops the list of ‘Best Travel Gadgets of 2009,’ Softpedia was happy to find Apple’s MacBook and iPod touch received their own spots in the ranking.

Noting that, “Apple recently updated its baseline 13-in. MacBook with a unibody polycarbonate shell for added strength and style,” Time goes to enumerate the benefits of using the device, citing “an efficient LED-backlit screen” as being able to “lift battery life to seven hours.” As Apple itself revealed when introducing the new, polycarbonate MacBook, the LED screen also provided instant brightness the moment you turned it on, something that Time also notes as a big plus.

“The new MacBook is greener than previous models, having eliminated harmful toxins like mercury and now using arsenic-free glass. Among its other consumer-friendly features is a spacious glass trackpad that registers multiple-finger inputs like two-finger swipes (for up or down) and four-finger swipes (to choose among open applications),” the magazine adds, although these aspects don’t seem to justify the MacBook’s value as a travel companion. Softpedia believes the description should have included notes regarding the MacBook’s media playback capabilities, the ability to run new, graphic-intensive games thanks to the 9400M solution from NVIDIA, and other computer-specific benefits.

Moving on to the iPod touch, Time claims that, “Big portable gaming devices are nearly obsolete as ever more high-quality games are developed for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which is why the 32-GB iPod Touch is perfect for long-haul flights or everyday commutes.” Now, that’s more like it!

“We like the 32-GB model over the 8-GB because it has four times the memory, a speedier processor and voice control to direct your music,” a more accurate description of the benefits of traveling with an iPod touch goes. “A built-in battery provides up to 30 hours of music playback or six hours of video playback, with storage for as many as 7,000 songs or 40 hours of video. Couple that with the MiFi hotspot, and you have instant access to more than one million apps and games like GeoDefense Swarm, Wurdle, ATV Offroad and Cooking Dash. It's got so much to enjoy, you may be the last one to leave the plane,” the analysis ends.

Are you a MacBook / iPod touch owner? Are you glad to have the device(s) with you on the go and, if so, how are you using it / them?