New Trent has introduced its PowerPak Ultra, which allows users to keep their USB-based devices juiced up even in the most extreme environments. It features a rugged exterior, and has an IP-67 rating, which means it can survive most drops and can even be temporarily submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. It packs 14,000 mAh of power or enough to store 700 percent of the average smartphone’s battery. With two USB ports it can simultaneously juice up almost any combination of smartphones, tablets and other USB-based devices.
Category: Gadget
CES Preview: Striker Strikes Again
Whether lightning strikes twice in the same spot is still open to debate, but Striker will strike again at next month’s CES in Las Vegas. The company looks to introduce for 2014 the Capsule Task Light, a four-in-one light that can work as a headlamp, flashlight and more. It promises to offer all illumination you could use while out on the go! We’ll be sure to check out all of Striker’s offerings at CES.
Center Stage
Stages Cycling is powering up again, with an update to its mobile app and firmware on its crankarm-based power meter. This will add new features including a high-speed data analysis tool that could be useful for BMX racers and track sprinters who want to look at a very small sample of pedal stroke data. The meter, located on the left crank arm, records force and torque data 64 times per second. The data is sent via Bluetooth to the iOS app, which can then email the data in a .csv file.
The company further added pedal smoothness and torque efficiency data gathering, which can be used with Garmin’s 510 and 810 cycling computer models.
There is also new battery level features to its iOS mobile app, which when the app is connected via the Bluetooth LE wireless system will show the power meter’s battery level; when connected via the ANT+ wireless system. The app will further present a low battery warning when there is about 10 hours of battery life remaining.
The app includes a Fahrenheit/Celsius toggle to use during device calibration and a “Tools Page” that shows the meter’s calibration data and other settings.
Kinetic Gets Training Partner for Winter THAW
This month Kinetic announced that it has teamed up with training experts at Carmichael Training Systems (CTS), and this will provide cyclists who use the innovative Kinetic by Kurt trainers access to indoor training advice and coaching that can help them go the distance this winter.
The new partnership, which runs through all of next year, kicks off with a special Winter T.H.A.W. (Train Hard And Win), which includes a new Kinetic Road Machine Trainer, three months of CTS full-service coaching and a Train Right Climbing series DVD set. This also includes a 100 percent personalized training schedule, power file analysis and schedule adjustments.
Can Your Mobile Phone Really Keep you Healthy?
Modern western societies are swamped with the most advanced communication technology the world has ever seen. They’re also – almost universally – suffering from epidemics of obesity and preventable deaths from related conditions like diabetes. Are the two related? Well possibly. Certainly, we live more sedentary lives than when we were chasing our dinner. However, mobile technology can be a good guy as well as a villain in this story, with plenty of apps offering to keep an eye on your exercise program, monitor your health and help the disabled live more active lives. Continue reading Can Your Mobile Phone Really Keep you Healthy?
Close Encounters
LEDs are everywhere, and for good reason. They’re bright, they’re small and they run forever on a little power. This is why we’ve seen LED added to things such as skateboards.
So it is no wonder that Third Kind Skate Lights has created a business out of adding some illumination to the traditional skate deck. The company has created a simple – but apparently effective – kit that provides a rechargeable battery pack that easily mounts to the truck hardware, along with a 20-inch light strip that will provide a warm glow as you ride. Video after the jump
Going to PowerPot X
Things are really going to pot – and we mean that in the best way possible. The PowerPot X, which is being developed through a Kickstarter crowd funding project, has met its goals with just under a month to go. This 10-watt portable generator is designed to create electrical power while camping or otherwise out in the wilds.
Simple fire and water create power! The original PowerPot V was launched via Kickstarter in April 2012, and now the company is looking to bring it up a notch.
“We are astounded by the amount of support the PowerPot X has received in such a short time,” said Matt Ford, CEO of Power Practical. “We used Kickstarter to launch our inaugural PowerPot and Practical Meter, so we’re not new to the concept of crowdfunding, but we didn’t expect such preliminary success. This gives us a head start on getting the next generation in thermoelectric power manufactured and shipped to all our devoted supporters.”
This bigger, lighter and even strong addition to the PowerPot X Series emits 10 watts of power but has no moving parts. It can also be used to charge up to four devices (such as GoPro cameras) simultaneously, and can power up smartphones and even a tablet computer. It produces electricity in any weather, day or night. Video after the jump
Hand Signals
When riding a bike we know that drivers can’t read our minds when we need to make a turn. The best option – really the only option – is to use hand signals. The problem is that many times drivers still don’t take notice, and at night it can be hard to see these signals.
The Zackees Turn Signal Gloves, which are being developed by San Francisco cyclist Zach Vorhies, a former software engineer at Google, could help make the signals a little clearer to drivers. The gloves are washable, utilize a super bright LED light, and offer a long battery life. The Zackees are now being developed by a Kickstarter project and could be just the thing to make your intentions known.
The Nex Big Thing
Mighty Cast is looking at the next big thing in wearable social and fitness gaming, the Nex Band. This band employs Bluetooth technology to connect to the cloud providing users with real-time social, fitness, mobile and gaming notifications.
“The Nex Band seamlessly connects Mod charms with social, mobile and gaming applications to make tracking notifications as simple as the blink of a charm,” said Adam Adelman, CEO and co-founder of Mighty Cast. “Imagine being able to tailor the capabilities of your band. While most wearables lock users into one application, the Nex Band creates dynamic, ever-changing experiences. By creating a console on the wrist, the Nex Band is bringing an entirely new social experience to consumers.”
We look forward to hearing more about the Nex Band next year.
CES Preview: vFit Fits the Bill
Velodyne will unveil its new-for-2014 vFit in-ear workout headphones at next month’s CES Unveiled in Las Vegas, taking place on Sunday, January 5. The company already highlighted the vFit in its blog, noting that the “vFit is my most anticipated Velodyne product release to date.”
We’ll be sure to check out the vFit and much more in a few weeks at CES.
[Via The Velodyne Voice: Work Off Holiday Excess With The vFit]
Holiday Gift Guide: Give the Gift of Light
Light can be precious this time of year, and the TerraLux allows those heading out for a hike or to hunt to not so much get extra daylight, but this headlamp will shine the way back home. The TLH-50 utilizes LED lights that deliver up to 540 lumens for up to three hours, and it offers single operation functionality that makes it easy when wearing gloves. This model offers four light levels, and even a search-and-rescue friendly strobe.
The TerraLux TLH-50 is made of durable corrosion-proof aluminum, plus it is water-and impact-resistant.
Jim Beam Lights the Way
While Jim Beam probably isn’t something that will help the ride home, the Jimmy Beam Down Light will help cyclists be seen at night. Designed for numerous uses including trucks and autos, the bike version casts light around a cyclists so that riders can be seen from a distance. This helps drivers better judge a safe distance when passing riders at night.
TRAINR Links Wearables to Fitness Regime
Wearables have become popular. Juniper Research forecasts $19 billion in revenue for the market by 2018. But with many health monitors and wearable devices there is a divide between fitness monitoring (and smart wearable devices), and getting coached on a training regimen. FOCUS: TRAINR is a newly-released app that links between your Samsung Galaxy Gear watch and compatible smartphones. Continue reading TRAINR Links Wearables to Fitness Regime