New digital travel gadget takes a load off

OK, so it might not be the sexiest tech toy, but this $25 gadget might save you some time, money and aggravation. The Balanzza is billed as the first digital luggage scale designed for airline passengers. Its sole purpose is to tell you how much your suitcases weigh before you head to the airport -- so you can avoid that embarrassing clothing transfer exercise between the two bags as other passengers look on.

In fact, the timing couldn't be better now that struggling airlines have imposed a fee -- ranging from $50 to $150 -- for heavier or extra luggage. American Airlines, for example, recently implemented a $15 fee per bag, but it jumps to $50 if the weight is 51 to 70 pounds and $100 if the luggage is 71 to 100 pounds. Similarly, Delta charges $80 if the luggage is 51 to 70 pounds or $150 for luggage 71 to 100 pounds; a $25 fee is charged for a second bag.

Simply attach the 10-ounce Balanzza strap to your luggage, use the handle to lift it up with one or two hands and hold it until you hear a beep. Set it back down and read the LCD screen for the weight of your luggage in pounds or kilograms. This doohickey, which requires two AAA batteries, can hold up to 100 pounds.

Download free classic radio shows to your iPod

Last week, I blogged about podcasting and how popular those downloadable programs are for your iPod or PC. I thought I’d share one of my favorite types of podcasts. You likely won’t find vintage radio shows such as “The Shadow,” “Lux Radio Theatre” or “The War of the Worlds” on your local radio station, but you can find free podcasts of these classics.

Oh, sure you can pay for complete collections on a CD and have it shipped to your door (try OTRCat), but you can subscribe to “OTR” (Old Time Radio) podcasts at no charge, based on the genre you like (adventure, horror, sci-fi, comedy, western and so on) or by country (UK, U.S., South Africa, etc.). I’m a fan of these timeless predecessors to “books on tape” and subscribe to a dozen or so podcasts on iTunes (browse “OTR” under Podcasts). Some are added daily and others a few times a week. Some have commentary before or after, while others are just the episode.

It’s pretty amazing these OTR shows can be appreciated by a whole new generation of listeners. They’re particularly fun to listen to when you’re too tired to read and want to close your eyes and lose yourself in a great story -- one where your imagination fills in all the blanks. They’re even fun to listen to when driving to and from work or while surfing the Net.

Beware of smartphone failures

Smartphones are 50 percent more likely to fail compared to simple cell phones, says SquareTrade, a leading independent warranty provider. Since 1999, SquareTrade says it has provided more than 100,000 warranties covering cell phones. The company finds smartphones such as the BlackBerry, iPhone and Treo -- each offering advanced email, web browsing, bigger displays and PC-like functionality -- are twice as likely to conk out over regular cell phones.

SquareTrade says one in three smartphones malfunction within the first three years, compared to about one in five basic cell phones within the same amount of time. These findings do not include accidental damage, such as dropping the handset.

The report also says these phones are not only more expensive to buy compared to regular cell phones and tend to cost more each month for data fees, but they also offer lower reliability than regular cell phones.