Hot gadgets for summer traveling can help you chill

Summer-travel season is upon us, and whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, you will probably be bringing some gadgets with you.

Here are items that should make using your digital camera, computer, iPod or other device easier while you're away from home.

Eye-Fi wireless camera card ($80 to $130, eye.fi): One hassle of using technology while away is transferring photos from your camera to your computer or favorite Web site.

The Eye-Fi wireless camera card is an SD memory card for your camera, but it connects to a wireless network to upload your photos from your camera to your computer or favorite photo-sharing Web sites. There's no need for a cable or card reader.

The company has come out with other options since introducing the product. It now offers three versions of the card. All have 2GB of storage space and are compatible with PCs and Macs.

The entry-level model lets you wirelessly transfer your photos to your computer. The mid-priced version allows you to transfer photos to your computer and to a photo-sharing Web site.

The high-end model does all of that and gives you a year of free access to more than 10,000 hot spots to wirelessly upload your photos while you are on the road. It also adds location tags to your photos to help you organize them.

SanDisk Ultra II SD Plus camera card ($35 to $100, sandisk.com): Another option for easier photo transfers is the SanDisk Ultra II SD Plus, which morphs like a Transformer from one device to another. After taking your photos, pull the card out of your camera, flip it open to reveal a USB adapter and connect to a USB port in your computer to view and transfer your images.

Quik Pod ($25 to $70, quikpod.com): Traveling with your significant other is great, except for the photos. Because one of you has to take the picture, you end up with the same photos of each of you standing in front of the beach or a monument.

You could ask a stranger to take your picture, but who wants to bother somebody every time you see a photo-op?

The Quik Pod is an expandable little rod that attaches to your digital camera. You adjust the distance and angle of the camera; when you're ready to take a picture, set the camera's timer, hold it out and smile.

There's even a tiny mirror on it so you can make sure your hair looks good.

I used the Quik Pod in Las Vegas this year, and it produced nice photos of me and my fiancée. It did take some trial and error to get the positioning of the camera right.

Count on drawing attention to yourself while you use it. Several people came up and asked what it was and where we got it.

The Quik Pod fits all cameras and camcorders that have a standard tripod fitting.

Belkin Mini Surge Protector With USB Charger ($25, belkin.com): Ever unplug the lamp in a hotel room to charge your cellphone or plug in your computer?

Traveling with lots of electronics means having to find outlets to plug them in and charge them up when it's time to retire for the night.

Since most hotel rooms don't come with power strips, you often have to spread your chargers throughout the room (including the bathroom) or unplug something.

The Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger plugs into a single plug on an outlet and lets you charge up to five devices at once.

There are three outlets and two USB slots, which is great because many devices, including iPods, can be charged via USB.

It also comes with a mini USB-to-USB cable, which is compatible with many cellphones and BlackBerrys.