Evolving Consumer: Happiness through shopping - electronics & fitness

Breathe Easy

When it comes to super heroes Aquaman doesn’t get the love. About all he can really do is breathe underwater and communicate with fish. While we don’t think we’ll ever be able to talk to the fish, the Easybreath Snorkeling Mask will let you breathe normally while snorkeling.

OK, so you can’t go very deep and you’re still using a hose to breathe this mask fits over the entire face and allows more natural movement. There is even a dry-top system that plugs the air intake when immersed, which prevents water from entering – that’s good because this thing won’t really turn you into Aquaman. Video after the jump

Tubbs Hits the Snow

Winter appears to be resilient this year, and if you’re itching to get out you might need to do some hiking in the snow. Fortunately Tubbs Snowshoes has you covered. This winter the company introduced the FLEX VRT and FLEX RDG snowshoes.

The FLEX VRT (Vertical) offer a new DynamicFit Binding with a Boa Closure system, that evenly distributes tension around a user’s boot for ultimate precision; while the FLEX Tail design puts less stress on the joints.

The FLEX RDG (Ridge) is engineered to give footing for all-mountain terrain, and these offer the company’s new CustomWrap binding with Boa Closure System, which also incorporates the heel-strap into the binding’s construction, creating exceptional precision with the simple twist of a dial.

Tubbs Snowshoes Official Website

Alarmed and Ready

You can’t always keep your eyes on your bike, but the RFID Bikealarm is the next best thing to having someone watch your bike. Designed by Dennis Siegal, this device attaches to a bike saddle and emits a 120dB alarm when moved. This isn’t meant to replace a physical lock but rather to provide a low-cost second line of defense.

The alarm is activated by holding an RFID tag close to the device until an audio acknowledgement is sounded, and deactivated the same way when the owner returns. Siegel opted to use RFID technology as opposed to Bluetooth as a way to keep the costs down. Siegal designed the RFID Bikealarm as part of his university studies at University of the Arts Bremen in Germany.

Dennis Siegal Official Website

Giro’s New Road

Giro is ready for spring with its additions to the New Road clothing line that features its first ever women’s offerings. The Giro New Road for Spring 2014 includes base layers, tops, bottoms and outerwear. New Road apparel coordinates with other Giro cycling products including helmets, gloves and shoes.

The company promises to offer the same freedom to mix and match for women that it has long offered for male riders. We hope to have more details soon.

Giro Official Website

Virtuous Rides

Patience is a virtue it is often said, and for those who can sit back and enjoy a ride to work Virtue Bikes might be the way to go. The company offers a number of bicycles that evoke the pleasures of riding and a return to simpler times.

The company offers a cargo bike, the Virtue Truck, which can be carry a total of 110 pounds, but what really turned our heads was the Virtue School Bus (above), a bike that can carry about 300 pounds (meaning a kid or two) in the front cargo container. Continue reading Virtuous Rides

Shields Are Up

Shark attacks are rare, but they do happen. Now Shark Shield has been awarded a government grant for a surfboard shark deterrent. The Western Australian State Government Grant has been presented to Shark Shield to develop a shark deterrent for surfers. The company, along with two Western Australia universities, have been award $967,161 (AU) in the second round of applied research funding. Continue reading Shields Are Up

Weekend Reading List (03.01.2014): Stay at Home Workout, Squirrel Hole, Looper

Stay at Home Workout

From GearPatrol: Great Home Workout Programs
Despite Mother Nature’s best laid plans to keep winter in full swing, spring and summer are on their way. Dropping some extra winter weight (we’re looking at you, Christmas and Thanksgiving) now can help jumpstart your fitness goals for summer, especially if you’re staring down something crazy like your first Ironman 70.3 or GORUCK Challenge. Sure, you could shell out some cash for a personal Jillian Michaels or Tony Horton lookalike at your local Globo Gym, but unless you want to feel like a boot camp recruit or Biggest Loser contestant, there are better options. We’ve been testing a few home workout programs this winter to help keep our edge. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (03.01.2014): Stay at Home Workout, Squirrel Hole, Looper

Will Counterfeit Bikes Put Riders at Risk?

We’ve touched on this topic before – counterfeit products hurt everyone. The maker of the real product loses sales and the consumer gets a cheap copy. With sporting goods there is a greater risk to the consumer, as the products can fail!

Our friends at BikeRadar recently noted that local shops in the U.K. are actually blending bike equipment with genuine parts to deceive the consumer. This isn’t a widespread problem, but it does show that things could get much worse very quickly.

By selling fake gear a retailer can make a short term profit, but it could hurt the industry in the long run as it costs tens of millions of dollars each year. Where it gets murkier is when shows that many small shops are also getting caught up in the fraud – and these shops aren’t out to deceive anyone. Instead they are buying from dubious third parties. In the end it could hurt the mom & pop retailers that don’t have deals with the big brands.

This will be a story to watch as it develops.

[Via BikeRadar: Local bike shops blend real and fake bike kit to mislead consumers]

The Ace of Spades

When heading to the outdoors a shovel can come in handy, but who wants to carry it? Gerber’s Folding Spade is inspired by military designs with a modern twist. It features a glass-filled nylon handle, a powder-coated steel spade head and a 7075 aluminum shaft. With its serrated edge it can do some light chopping, dig a hold and fold up and be ready to go.

Gerber Folding Spade Official Site

Seeing the Pixel

When it comes to TVs and other display technology what you don’t want to see are the individual pixels. This is why higher resolution looks better. However, there is another kind of Pixel technology that is being developed that is actually all about being seen.

Apparel maker Sugoi has introduced a new line of fabric that allows the entire surface of a garment to be reflective when hit with light. Instead of accents on the new Zap cycling jacket that work as reflectors, the entire jacket can light up at night and ensure that riders or runners can’t be missed. Video after the jump

Snow Trek

Winter still has some time left and if you’re looking to get out there you might think about deploying with the Deploy TR-3 poles, which feature a one-handed length adjustment system called the Trigger Release. This provides on-the-fly adjustability that can come in handing when hiking in deep snow, sidehilling, switchbacking or just when you need to change your footing. These poles feature a breakaway strap that allows for glove-friendly adjustments but will also force-release if pole gets lodged during a fall.

The Deploy TR-3 are made of 7000-series aerospace-grade aluminum and can collapse to a pack-friendly size after the hike.

MSR Deploy TR-3 Official Website

Bauer Plays Ball

This month it was announced that Easton-Bell Sports will sell its Easton baseball and softball business to Bauer Sports for $330 million. In addition Easton will sell its hockey business to a “third party,” which appears not to be Bauer – an odd decision given that Bauer has been mostly known for its hockey equipment.

Easton-Bell Sports will retain its Bell, Riddell, Giro, Blackburn and Easton Cycling, and will rename itself BRG Sports. Bauer will be acquiring the Easton brand name and will license it back to BRG Sports for use on its cycling and hockey products.

[Via Bicycle Retailer: Easton-Bell Sports sells baseball/softball business to Bauer]

Gone Fischer

The perfect fit can make all the difference on the slopes. This is where Fischer’s Vacuum Fit technology comes in. This line of ski boots utilize heat molding technology that provides a true custom fit, where the Vacu-Plast plastic outer boot material are heated and then molded to fit the curves of your foot, ankle and even lower calf, while the Ultralon liners are also heat molded. In just 45 minutes the boots are customized to the degree that they’ll feel like an extension of the leg! Video after the jump