Summer is here and now is the time to get wet and wild. And Eliot Germanovsky of BoatsToGo talked with us about the new innovations in practical boats that can be folded, inflated and ready for the water. Best of all these boats are compact enough that they can be easily transported and stored when not in use. Continue reading Sunday Q&A: Eliot Germanovsky Talks New Boating Technology
Category: Outdoors
Pack It In (3 Ounces)
Imagine having a full size backpack that can carry 30 pounds or more, and yet it is small enough empty to fit in a pocket and weighs just three ounces? Well, that’s the PackBack form Trek Light Gear, which makes use of parachute nylon – so it is strong while also being resistant to mildew and rot.
Monster Watts Gives Your iPhone a Touch of Solar Power
Your iPhone may have a respectable battery life, but with today’s army of always-connected apps, keeping it fully charged can be a full-time job, especially when you’re on the go. Fortunately, Monster Watts’ Hybrid Solar Battery Case can harness the power of the sun to your iPhone’s advantage.
The case, which also protects your iPhone from everyday drops and scratches, sports a built-in solar panel charger along with a an embedded rechargeable 2400 mAh battery. Put the case under ambient sunlight, and it’ll replenish your iPod’s battery via the solar panel. (Alternatively, it can also be charged from any PC or standard phone charger via the built-in USB port.) There’s even an LED status indicator to inform you of how much battery life you have left. Continue reading Monster Watts Gives Your iPhone a Touch of Solar Power
Waterproof Phone Case Doubles as Speaker
If there is one thing that smartphone users have learned (after not to drop it), it is that water and phones don’t go together. There are plenty of cases out there, and even cases that allow a device to be attached to an external speaker. But now Grace Digital Audio – maker of waterproof speakers such as the Eco Extreme and Eco Terra – has created the next must-have gadget for the beach this summer in the guise of a simple package that allows the phone to be protected while also doubling as a speaker. Continue reading Waterproof Phone Case Doubles as Speaker
Columbia Sportswear Introduces Omni-Freeze ZERO
The heat is on, and rightfully so as June is here and that means summer – at least in the Northern Hemisphere. And Columbia Sportswear is talking about Omni-Freeze ZERO, the company’s new groundbreaking apparel technology, which is the culmination of a four-year development project.
The result is a new line of apparel that actually cooler in hot, moist conditions. It features distinctive blue rings, embedded and visible in the fabric to help disperse heat! How cool is that? About the only thing not cool is that we’ll have to wait until Spring 2013 to try it out.
BoatsToGo Paddle Boad Goes to Pieces
Going to pieces isn’t usually a good thing, but BoatsToGo announced a new Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) that will go to pieces in a good way – namely for transport and storage. That’s because SUPs are a lot of fun in the water but less fun to get to the water, and no fun at all to store when not in use. BoatsToGo has solved this problem with a foldable boat that breaks down into three equal pieces.
The concept sounds similar to the Origami Paddler that we profiled last month, but has the advantage of being carried in a single pack or being broken down and fit into snug places in a car or garage. Because the bags can be separated the pieces can be tucked away under beds or in closest. The new Tri-sect boards comes with a carrying case, removable fine, and the tools to go from pieces to board in no time. Video after the jump
Google Offer Hiking Trail Views
Google noted last week that it was “obsessed over building great maps for our users—maps that are totally comprehensive (we’re shooting for literally the whole world), ever more accurate and incredibly easy to navigate.”
We’ve seen this with Google Earth, which offers that bird’s eye view of just about everywhere. On the ground there has been Google Street View as well – but now the company is heading to the trails with Google Street View Trekker, a hi-tech backpack-contained system that will essentially bring Street View to places that can only be reached on foot. Video after the jump
L.L. Bean Celebrates 100 Years With 100 Person Kayak
Need to row down the river with 99 of your closest friends? If you do, outdoor retailer L.L. Bean might be able to accommodate you. The company built the world’s largest modular kayak – a 500-foot long version of Point65’s collapsible kayak. Of course this kayak isn’t actually for sale, but rather is just made to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary in business, and to get in the Guinness Book of World Records.
But for those who need to paddle with about 100 people there is always hope!
Bosavi LED Works as Bike Headlight and More
When camping bringing good portable lights is key. This is something that is sometimes very difficult to understand in our modern world where lights are readily available after the sun goes down. There are plenty of lights out there, but it can expensive and take up a lot of room to bring them all.
But now Bosavi has developed a light that can work as a bike light/head lamp and use its packaging to transform into lantern. The LED light is powered by a lithium-polymer battery, which can deliver 70 hours of illumination in low mode, 23 hours in 60-lumen mode and three hours in 110-lumen boost mode. This might be OK if you’re camping for a single night, but the Bosavi can also be recharged from various sources including solar chargers. Video after the jump
New GoPro Bundle Gives Hero Cams WiFi and Remote Capabilities
Looking for new ways to use your GoPro Hero camera? The company’s new WiFi BacPac + WiFi Remote bundle is designed to give your camera remote and WiFi capabilities, all with a simple upgrade.
The WiFi BacPac is a small module that attaches to the back of your existing Hero camera giving it WiFi capabilities. The companion dual-button remote (which is both weatherproof and wearable) then lets you control the BacPac-equipped Hero from a range of up to 600 feet. Even better, the remote can control up to 50 different GoPro cameras simultaneously. Video after the jump
The New 24/7 Bobble
A water bottle is now as much an accessory as an MP3 player or pair of running shoes for the exerciser. Bobble just created a new version of its popular filtered water bottle, the Bobble 24/7. The Bobble 24/7 is 24 oz (750 mL), and comes in magenta, blue or gray. Continue reading The New 24/7 Bobble
Runtastic Adds to Mobile Fitness Tracking Apps
Runtastic added two features to its activity tracking app. Ideal Weight 2.0 and Altimeter are now part of the Runtastic Pro apps, which cost about $3.99 in the Android and iPhone app stores. Continue reading Runtastic Adds to Mobile Fitness Tracking Apps
Solar Power Backpack Coming to the Military
The soldier on the modern battlefield is loaded down with a lot of equipment, but more and more of it is digital, and to power it the military is working on a way to use solar power. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has created a prototype of a solar power pack that could help recharge lithium-ion battery packs.
“One of the most significant challenges currently facing the Marine Corps is the need to supply sufficient electricity to individual Marines in forward operating bases,” said Robert Walters of the NRL Solid State Devices Branch. “Mobile photovoltaics are a technology that can address these needs by leveraging emerging, flexible, high efficiency photovoltaic technology.” Continue reading Solar Power Backpack Coming to the Military