Summer travel season can easily create power struggles in airport terminals, as the gaggle of geeks seeking to recharge laptops, cell phones, and other gear outstrips the supply of working outlets.

I had first-hand experience of this last week when I was waylaid in Terminal C at Logan International Airport in Boston after a flight was canceled. Over four or so hours, in a terminal choked with travelers, I saw (and, I confess, perpetrated myself) some quasi-military tactics to take and hold functional, well-located outlets.

But I also witnessed some random acts of power-sharing kindness, and had time — plenty of time — to gather the following tips for energy-seeking air travelers:

Gather intelligence. During my delay, I was blessed by the company of many friendly Coloradans (we were all waiting for flights to Denver). They shared their knowledge about where outlets were and which actually worked (only about half, it seemed). There’s also the AirPower Wiki, which details outlet availability airport by airport – even terminal by terminal, in some cases.

Several devices to charge? Bring a multi-outlet wall adapter. Packing an adapter that allows you to plug several devices into a single outlet increases the chance of getting the power you need, and frees up extra outlets for others. A single outlet should have no problem handling the power demands of two portable-electronic devices. If you’re traveling abroad, you’ll likely need another adapter to handle differing voltage, plug design, or both. Sites like the World Electric Guide can be helpful.

Investigate in-flight charging. As seasoned road warriors know, many planes have power outlets under seats. But only certain seats on certain planes are so equipped, and a 12-volt, cigarette-lighter-style adapter may be required to access power. Fortunately, there’s a website, seatguru.com, that details which seats on which planes have a power supply, and of which type.

Share and be nice. I’m partly addressing myself here since, during a bathroom break at Logan, I used the ethically-dubious tactic of holding a coveted outlet by leaving my power adapter plugged in while taking my netbook and bags with me.

My Coloradan neighbors, meanwhile, shamed me with their Western niceness. A woman seated next to a four-plug power supply dubbed herself the “hub coordinator” and cheerfully plugged people in and out of the outlets. One guy offered me time on the outlet he was using. The young woman next to me confessed to guilt at tying up an outlet to play video games on a laptop, when “people like you are working.” (I quickly offered absolution, since she’d been waiting for six mind-numbing hours.)

How do you handle the power requirements of your gear when traveling, by air or otherwise? Share your stories and tips below. —Paul Reynolds. 

Google or Bing? Been wondering which search engine is right for you? Now, you can put them to the test yourself with Bing-vs-Google.

As the name implies, the site puts the two side-by-side for a real-time search engine showdown. Merely type in your query, and a split screen page (see image) with live results from both pages comes up, letting you simultaneously view the results of both searches and see which one is best for you.

Bing, Microsoft’s new search tool, claims it provides a context for searches, making results more pertinent to users. Bing also has a versatile taskbar that displays related searches and a search history (which can be turned off), and offers a no-click preview of the first few paragraphs on a page.

But do any of Bing’s additions make it better than the reigning search champ, Google whose name has become synonymous with Web searching? (“Let me Google that.”)? And will those features help Bing dethrone Google? Time will tell.

In the meantime, give Bing-vs-Google.com a try, and let us know which site’s search results you prefer and why. —Will Dilella

Vizio recently announced its first Internet-enabled LCD TVs which will be able to stream content from Netflix. (Click to enlarge.)
[ Photo courtesy of: Netflix.com ]

Internet-connected TVs were somewhat of a novelty last year, when the few sets available offered mostly basic news feeds, but they’ve rapidly become big news. Several major TV brands now have sets offering access to countless thousands of movies and videos on Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, and YouTube, plus weather, stock updates, financial news, photo-sharing sites, and other content accessible through Yahoo widgets.

Sony, which already had a deal making Amazon’s 40,000-plus videos instantly available through its Internet-enabled Bravia sets, just announced that viewers will be able to access Netflix content (some 12,000 titles strong) starting this fall. A few weeks ago, Vizio announced that its first Internet-enabled sets, due out this fall, will offer content from Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, and more. Panasonic added Amazon to its list of partners a few months back. Meanwhile, LG has deals with Netflix and YouTube, among others. Samsung has a number of partners, including YouTube, but as yet hasn’t announced a deal with a major movie provider for its Internet-connected TVs. (Samsung Blu-ray players, like those from LG, can stream Netflix movies.)

We’re getting more and more of these TVs in our labs and will be testing their connectivity and other features down the road. In the meantime, if you’ve been using any of these sets and services, let us know what you think about them. —Eileen McCooey

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