Jul
12
Author: GidgetLewis
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Amazon Prime Day 2022 is almost here, which means you’ll soon be able to score deals on travel gear and other items on Amazon.
Amazon Prime Day 2022 is almost here, which means you’ll soon be able to score deals on travel gear and other items on Amazon. For this year’s event, Amazon is touting its “lowest prices ever,” with exclusive member deals already rolling out.
You’ll likely spot discounts at other stores such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Backcountry, too, all of which have offered their own version of Amazon Prime Day in the past (in some cases continuing their sales post-Prime Day).
Read on to learn about the biggest shopping event of summer.
What is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day is an annual two-day event when Amazon and its sellers offer deep discounts on items like home appliances, tech, toys and more. Like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s meant to stimulate spending and reward consumers (or in this case, Amazon Prime members).
Do you need to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of Prime Day deals?
Yes, the online shopping event is exclusive to Amazon Prime members. If you’re not a member, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial (if you haven’t been an Amazon Prime member in the last 12 months) to take advantage of the deals. Unless you cancel within 30 days, your membership will automatically be renewed for $14.99 a month (or $139 a year). Prime membership perks that are useful for travel and at home include:
— Free one- and two-day shipping
— Two-hour grocery delivery service
— Access to streaming services, such as Prime Video and Amazon Music
— Prime Gaming with free games and a Twitch channel subscription
— Kid-friendly books, educational apps and more via Amazon Kids+
— Amazon Photos for unlimited (vacation) photo storage and 5GB of video storage
When is Amazon Prime Day 2022?
Amazon Prime Day 2022 will take place on July 12 and 13, 2022, though deals have already begun to roll out. On June 21, the retailer will release pre-Prime Day offers on select Amazon devices, with up to 55% off the Kindle Paperwhite, the Amazon Fire 7 Tablet (2019 edition) and more.
Below are the best Amazon Prime Day deals available (so far) on items that are useful for travel. We will continue to update the list as new offers are announced.
The Best Amazon Prime Day Deals on Luggage
TravelPro Platinum Elite
Named the best soft-sided carry-on bag for 2022, the 21-inch TravelPro Platinum Elite is going for up to 32% off on Amazon in this pre-Prime Day deal. This expandable carry-on spinner features a USB port and power bank pocket (power bank sold separately) for staying connected on the go; accessory pockets including a removable wet bag for toiletries; and a built-in garment suite to keep clothing wrinkle-free. This carry-on bag also meets most airline carry-on luggage size restrictions, and according to previous purchasers, fits perfectly
Dave Southgate is toasty in his chilly Canberra home – and he pays no power bills.
A USB-rechargeable heated vest, worn underneath a jumper, and a heated scarf wrapped around his neck offer all the warmth he needs. His heat-loving wife prefers an electrically-warmed seat. They keep electric throw rugs on the couch.
A cyclist mate uses heated socks, Southgate says, while hand warmers – either disposable heat packs that use a chemical reaction to give about 10 hours of warmth, or battery-powered gloves – are great in pockets for going outside, and in bed instead of a traditional hot water bottle.
“They’re using bugger all energy,” he says. “And you can get yourself beautifully warm.”
Australia is in the middle of an energy crisis, a broader cost of living crisis, and an uncommonly bitter cold snap across much of the land.
Google data show searches for “heated blanket” and “heated socks” have soared to their highest rates ever in the past couple of weeks. In recent years, the range of personal heating devices available, usually made with small filaments threaded through fabric, has also increased.
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There are app-controlled “body furnaces” that can be strapped to limbs or torsos. Trendy heated scarves come in a rainbow of colors and sport jaunty bows.
Remote controlled insoles offer three levels of heating inside your shoes. Chemists sell cheap, disposable hand heaters, while a heated computer mouse will set you back a little more (and only help one hand at a time).
There are waist warmers that sit on the hips like corsets or fluffy pink bustles complete with rabbit tails attached, and retro-futuristic heated shoulder pads.
Southgate, 74, describes himself as a “frustrated climate change bureaucrat”, who has been documenting his family’s transition away from fossil fuels over about a decade.
Solar panels now provide more than enough power for the family home. He started by sealing the house from any drafts, and installing energy-efficient infrared panels.
“Then we started asking, why are we heating all the air?” Southgate says. “What’s the point if you only want to heat people?”
So he started experimenting with personal heating devices, and landed on his preferred outfit.
“My wife’s from Malaysia, she wants things very hot. The heated seat is a great favourite,” he says.
“We’ve left the hot water bottle for heated hand warmers – they last all night and on a cold day I’ll … put them in
For more of the latest and greatest product releases, check out our full collection of the best new gear.
This week, Google rolled out an update to Google Maps so that the app now factors in the cost of tolls during your journey. Adobe announced plans to launch a free version of Photoshop. Apple won the rights to broadcast every MLS soccer game come the 2023 season on the Apple TV app. And Internet Explorer officially went kaput.
A bunch of cool new gadgets were announced as well. Here’s what you need to know.
Sony NW-WM1ZM2 and NW-WM1AM2
Sony
Sony added two portable hi-fi players to its Walkman line, the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 ($3,700) and the Sony NW-WM1AM2 ($1,400), both of which are designed for music lovers with large music libraries or subscribe to the one of lossless music services. The biggest upgrade is that both the NW-WM1ZM2 and the NW-WM1AM2 run on Android 11, rather than Sony’s own operating system; this allows them to be more future-proof (Android updates are way more consistent), but more importantly gives them access to all the latest lossless streaming services including Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Tidal and Qobuz.
(The main difference between the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 and the Sony NW-WM1AM2 is that the former costs more because it has a gold-plated body and comes with double the on-board storage.)
Prices: $1,400 — $3,700
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Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2
Fujifilm
Fujifilm’s newest portable printer, the Instax Mini Link 2 ($100), connects to your smartphone and allows you to print any photo from your photo library; it basically allows you to use your smartphone just like one of the company’s separate instant film cameras. The Instax Mini Link 2 is a new-and-improved version of Fujifilm’s 2019-released Instax Mini Link, with the major upgrade being that it has a new “rich” printing mode that adds extra color saturation and highlights to the print to make it really “pop.”
Prices: $100
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Ikea Obegränsad Record Player
Ikea
Ikea announced plans to release a record player, called the Obegränsad, this coming fall. Designed in tandem with the famous house music group Swedish House Mafia, the record player will come with a built-in pre-amplifier for easy connecting to a powered speaker or sound system. There’s no word on pricing yet.
Prices: TBD
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DJI RS3 and RS3 Pro
DJI
DJI announced the RS3 and RS3 Pro, which are its newest gimbals that are designed for mirrorless and cinema cameras, respectively. The main upgrade over their predecessors, mainly the 2020-released RSC2, is the new gimbals have an updated and improved automatic locking system so you don’t need to spend as much time balancing the camera during setup. They also come with a larger touchscreen display and support for a Bluetooth shutter button.
Prices: $549+
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Kasa Smart WiFi Plug Mini
TP-Link
TP-Link’s newest smart plug, the Kasa Smart WiFi Plug Mini, is unique because it’s the company’s first (and one of the few out there )