abroad

iTranslate Voice lets you speak to translate in 31 different languages offering excellent speech recognition so you don't even need to use the keyboard. Great for learning new languages or acting as your personal translator when traveling, this app has a great layout for quick translations on the fly.

iTranslate offers a clean intuitive interface that only requires a couple of steps to translate in the languages you want. Simply touch the gear icon (settings) in the upper-left corner, then choose your spoken language and the language you want to translate to. You also have options for having the … Read more

SayHi Translate is a surprisingly accurate voice translation app that could be the tool world travelers have been looking for quick translations. Using the app is easy. Simply touch the wrench icon to choose your language, then the language you want something translated to, then return to the main interface. From there you can either touch your language button to speak or touch the smaller keyboard icon to type a sentence and SayHi Translate will translate the sentence and speak it back to you (or whomever your trying to communicate with). It doesn't get everything right, but if you … Read more

I don't mean to be a hater, but if the National Geographic Talk Abroad Lite weren't attached to the Talk Abroad international cell phone SIM card, I'd have to wind caution tape all around my review.

So why wouldn't you run from this handset, given my less-than-glowing recommendation? Its two saving graces are the travel plan that gives you a U.S. and U.K. number, so friends and family can always reach you while abroad, and the fact that for an unlocked phone, its $59.99 price tag is extremely affordable.

Let's face it, … Read more

Those fake Apple stores in China that created so much buzz in recent days have only just come under investigation by authorities in the city of Kunming, and now it's being reported that two of the stores have been ordered to close for lack of the proper business licenses. Three of the five unauthorized Apple stores in Kunming are said to remain open.

Reuters reports that Chinese investigators also determined the products being sold in the faux Apple stores were genuine Apple products purchased from other resellers, not knock-offs.

The media storm in the past week started when an American blogger living in the city posted pictures of the stores online. Since then, numerous customers have apparently returned to the Kunming stores to demand proof that their purchases aren't counterfeit.

While China does have laws against outright copying of a store's design and brand, enforcement can be spotty, and officials in Kunming seemed to be more concerned with emphasizing that the Apple products found in the stores are genuine, according to reports in Chinese media. … Read more

When traveling abroad, one of the most important things to consider is how you will charge your Apple devices. Apple's World Travel Adapter Kit provides the most elegant approach to doing just that.

Power issues can be detrimental to electronic devices and Apple's devices are no exception. Ensuring that your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod has proper power while traveling abroad is essential to the longevity of your battery.

Apple's World Travel Adapter Kit is the perfect precautionary purchase when planning your trip. It is compatible with every Apple MagSafe Power Adapter, including those provided with iPhones, … Read more

We promised it to you last month, and here is CNET's first review of a dual SIM card cell phone. We know the Duet D888 from Beyond E-Tech is not the first dual SIM phone ever, but it is the first one we've reviewed. Even better, it is the first dual SIM card phone widely available in the United States. You can get it for $199 from National Geographic and Cellular Abroad.

With the D888, you can make calls and send texts from two numbers on the same handset. Outside of a few usability quirks, the arrangement works … Read more

Though dual SIM card cell phones have been around for a while, I've only seen them while traveling abroad and at trade show booths. The premise is simple and very attractive: with slots for two SIM cards, a single phone can have two phone numbers. You can receive and make calls on both lines and the SIM cards can even be from separate carriers.

It's a great option for anyone who wants to combine their work and personal phone and it's perfect for frequent international travelers who want a local number while retaining their U.S. number.

With such advantages, it's no surprise that a lot of CNET readers have asked how they can get such a phone. But outside of a handful of unlocked models, and a few crude adapters for regular handsets, dual SIM card phones remain relatively scarce in the United States. No U.S. carrier sells them and you can bet that no carrier would give up that kind of control.

But leave it to National Geographic to come up with another option. The organization has partnered with Cellular Abroad to offer the Duet D888. Made by Beyond E-Tech, the unlocked Duet accommodates two SIM cards: one for the Cellular Abroad intentional SIM card and one for another card of your choice. You could use your own SIM card for a GSM carrier like AT&T or T-Mobile or you could buy a prepaid card during your travels. … Read more

This seems odd at first, but I think I get where National Geographic is coming from.

For decades National Geographic has been delivering fantastic photography (and more recently, TV footage) that has moved people to jump on planes and travel to the farthest corners of the globe where our cell phones promptly refuse to cooperate. Now it seems like they're trying to make up for that.

The educational and scientific society announced Wednesday that it is partnering with Cellular Abroad to make the National Geographic Talk Abroad Travel Phone, a bar-style GSM phone that operates in more than 100 … Read more