Wireless Gets AMPED Up

If you’re away from the office that can be a good thing, but getting out to nature – such as in a boat or RV – can be a real drag if you need to rely on wireless.

But AMP Wireless has announced a new high power solution for indoor and outdoor application for use in boats, recreational vehicles, buildings and more. The UA600EX High Power Wireless-N 600mW Professional Series USB Adapter provides extreme range for Mac or Windows computer.

The Amped Wireless UA600EX High Power Wireless-N 600mW Pro USB Adapter is the first of a full line of Professional Series high power indoor and outdoor WiFi solutions for users who require demanding WiFi performance and range for their Windows or Mac based laptops and desktop computers. The high performance, High Power Wireless-N 600mW Pro USB Adapters allows PCs and Macs to connect to 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi networks from extreme distances indoors or outdoors. The UA600EX will have a MSRP of $119.99 and an estimated street price of $99.99.

Amped Wireless Online Store

Shift Into Gear With Hydraulics

Hydraulics have long been used in heavy industry, but in bikes the technology has been limited to braking. Now the technology could put you in high-gear – or really any gear at all. German component-maker Acros recently unveiled it’s AG-E hydradulic shifting system at the Sea Otter Mountain Biking Trade Show in Monterey.

This technology is used for both the front and rear shifters and works with a single push-activated thumb paddle. Sealed hoses carrying mineral oil run from the cylinder to the respective derailleur. According to reports the system will work with 8-, 9- and 10-speed cassettes. The company notes that this should cause less friction and that the oil can’t stretch over time – meaning that adjustments and tweaks shouldn’t be necessary.

The catch is that if air should get in the lines the system won’t be user-serviceable. The other downside is that while the system is said to weigh far less than the Shimano XTR or SRAM XX, it is also far from light on the bank account. The system will cost a reported $2,320!

[Via BikeRadar.com: Sea Otter 2011: Acros bring hydraulic shifting to market]

Custom Bikes Built to Fit Rider Like a Glove

Most bikes are bought off the shelf. You may special order a bike, but you order it to your size just like clothes on store racks. Then there’s couture, or custom orders that are built to the rider’s specifications. They’re built to height and body proportions, and custom designed for the type of riding planned for the bikes.

One company, KGS Bikes based in San Antonio, TX, uses a custom trainer to determine the rider’s exact requirements. The trainer is called BalancePoint. It looks like a trainer with a seat, handlebars, a rear wheel, but it has cranks and dials to adjust the bike while riding. KGS then takes measurements to build the bike.

“Our clients fly to Texas for the experience of creating the ride of their lives. We invented our BalancePoint positioning system with the custom bicycle owner in mind, so there is no reference to any existing bike. It takes a few hours and is a hard workout, but the data we get in the process allows us to work remotely from then on,” said company president Kevin Saunders.

KGS takes measurements, and typically works with high-end bike manufacturers to build the actual bike. The company offers frames from Parlee, Passoni, Cyfac, Co-Motion and Eriksen. It then builds the frame with components to further adjust the custom ride.

Many will suffer from sticker shock. While prices vary for custom bike orders among different shops, four bikes recently sold by KGS for roughly $27,000 each. In addition to measurements fit to each rider, the bikes were designed with steering and balance for climbing and descending mountain passes since they will mostly be ridden in and around Vail, CO.

For more information check out KGS Bikes

Old Sport Continues To Make a Comeback

What do you need to play polo? Well, you either need a large field and a lot of horse or a large swimming pool. But there is another game, namely bicycle polo. The Minnesota Daily, the sport is starting to make a comeback, and not just in the land of a thousand lakes. The paper notes that the Minneapolis Bike Polo team placed fifth our of 36 teams in a tournament this past March in Little Rock, Ark.

The first match was reportedly held back in Ireland in 1891 when bicycles were used in place of horses. Cyclist Richard J. Mecredy may not be of the Abner Doubleday notoriety but perhaps one day he’ll be as famous – at least to the players of bicycle polo.

The game had made a comeback throughout the 1990s with a variety of rules, but in 1999 players in Seattle moved to the hard-court version, and since 2007 has seen a spike in players – with the game now being played around the world, including the United States, Ireland, England, Germany, France and even far off places like Indonesia, Argentina and Pakistan. Cycle polo was even recognized by the International Cycling Union in 2001.

The game is currently played on both grass fields and on the hardcourt, but alas no water bicycle polo version… yet.

[Via Minnesota Daily: Bikers gear up for polo season]

Nintendo to Wii 2

Sony and Microsoft have reaffirmed their commitment to their current generation consoles, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 respectfully, and made it clear that it will be 2014 before either company brings out a next generation console. Both Sony and Microsoft gave their current hardware significant makeovers, notably the PlayStation Move and Xbox 360 Kinetic respectively; both of which came out last fall.

Nintendo’s Wii, which was released in 2007 – just days after the Sony PlayStation 3 arrived at retail – hasn’t seen the similar upgrade. While it dominated the gaming arena thanks to its innovative motion controller system, the hardware was far less cutting edge than either the Sony or Microsoft consoles. The Wii doesn’t support HD and doesn’t provide the same streaming opportunities as the PS3 or 360. Likewise, Nintendo has been hit on the handheld front too, as Apple’s iPhone and more recently the iPad have stolen some of the Nintendo GameBoy’s thunder. Continue reading Nintendo to Wii 2

American Military Looks at More Padding in Helmets

ast week FoxNews.com noted that the researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Labs have been testing the current issue helmet, the MICH, which is used by the U.S. military. It was noted that just a quarter-inch, or even an eighth of an inch of additional padding would helmet greatly reduce the force to the skull when there is an impact to the helmet. The findings suggest this could be as great as a 24-percent reduction.

The researchers also looked to the helmets used by professional football players, as concussions are a big concern amongst the players. It was noted that a thicker foam system is used by the NFL players’ helmets than the spongier pads used in combat helmets, and that the NFL’s helmet padding worked better. Continue reading American Military Looks at More Padding in Helmets

Texas Power Company to Pretty Up Trails

Richardson, Texas is about to get some new hiking and biking trails, courtesy of Oncor Electric Delivery Company. The Oncor Texas Trails program will turn the company’s transmission rights-of-way into hike and bike trails.

Oncor worked with la terra studio, a Dallas-based landscape architectural firm to develop a design template for the Oncor Texas Trails project. Oncor employees will volunteer their time to support this program and follow the landscaping template to beautify the trails.

“We are in our communities listening to our customers and they tell us that community trails are important to them,” said Oncor Chief Customer Officer Brenda Jackson. “The Oncor Texas Trails program is a way we can truly give back to our customers throughout our communities. It will also give our employees another opportunity to support community needs.”

The power company already has a number of hike and bike trails in its transmission rights-of-way. New templates for the trails include recreational use of transmission rights-of-way, including native and low maintenance landscape designs.

The Oncor Texas Trails program is a part of Oncor’s commitment to supporting health and fitness initiatives.

Oncor Electric Delivery Company

Trek to Recycle Old Carbon Cycles

All good things come to an end, and that means today’s hot new road bikes will someday be old news, outdated technology and just ready to be replaced (even Lance Armstrong’s road bike at the left). It might be hard to even think about it, especially when we see the sticker price on those new carbon bikes – but carbon isn’t exactly as timeless as a diamond, at least not in the processed form.

The downside is that many space age composites are designed not to degrade so easily. Carbon fiber doesn’t rust like steel, but unlike steel, aluminum or titanium carbon can’t be melted down as scrap metal. In other words carbon fiber isn’t exactly a “green” technology, but now it seems Trek is just one bicycle maker looking to get on the recycling band wagon. Continue reading Trek to Recycle Old Carbon Cycles

Bay Area Residents Say You Can Bike There

The League of American Bicyclists calls May National Bike Month. It makes a lot of sense. For a large part of the country, cyclists are just getting back on the saddle. And many of us are itching to do so. We don’t need an excuse such as Bike Month, but it’s nice motivation.

Additional incentive is Bike to Work Day, Thursday May 12. It’s the 17th Annual of such days for the Bay Area. This year they’re hosting sign-ups on the YouCanBikeThere.com web site. Get a few friends and coworkers together to sign up as a team of 2-5 people. The Team Bike Challenge officially kicks off May 1. Log your rides on the teambikechallenge.org site to compete. You can check your team’s status through the personalized Facebook Friends Leader board.

For the Bike to Work challenge, every member of the top scoring team in each county will receive a bike-related prize valued over $50. The top scoring team in the Bay Area receives a bike-related prize valued at over $1,000.

Even if you’re not in the Bay Area, the weather is starting to lend itself to biking to work and other places you may be headed. The Bike to Work challenge says “It’s a fun and easy way to see just how much biking does for your health, budget, and the environment.”

League of American Bicyclists

Bike to Work Day’s You Can Bike There

Log your miles at Team Bike Challenge

Composite Carbon Bamboo Surfboard Ready to Catch Some Waves

Last week we noted a surfboard that added solar power, and this week we noted something almost as unique and certainly just an interesting. It is a board that is made of composite materials – combing space age carbon with the natural grass of bamboo!

This is the result of a five year R&D project from Tiki International. The company has now unveiled its first production models that utilize Carbon Bamboo composite technology, build around a high density EPS core, with bamboo layers and carbon rails. The result is a board that has strength yet weight gain. The board will be available in three shapes created by world renowned surfboard shaper Bruce McKee.

This new Feather Foil, as it has been dubbed, offers the natural feel of a bamboo board with the responsive performance of a carbon deck. Consider it the best of both worlds the meeting of old age and space age.

[Via Global Surf News: Tiki launch carbon bamboo composite technology]

Geigerrig Hydration Packs Win Outdoor Retailer Award

Spring is finally here, but for Geigerrig, winter went out in a big way. The company, which is maker of hydration packs and hydration systems, won the best new product award at the 2011 Winter Outdoor Retailer Show, and was selected as “Editor’s Choice” from Adventure World Magazine:

“These are the best hydration bladders on the market. They have plenty of well deserved awards to prove it. The bladders are actually called engines because, while they look similar to a regular bladder, they actually spray water. Just pinch the bite valve with your teeth or fingers and the water sprays right out so that you can keep the oxygen flowing into your lungs while you drink. You pump up a separate chamber in the engine to pressurize it with a ball similar to that of a blood pressure cuff which is stowed in a pouch on the shoulder strap of your pack.”

These packs are noted for their pressure pumps that mean users aren’t sucking water out of a tube. All you have to do is bite or pinch down and the water will flow. The result is that because water flows, users tend to drink more often. And staying hydrated is the key.

There is even a video of how easy this system is to use (video after the jump) Continue reading Geigerrig Hydration Packs Win Outdoor Retailer Award

Surfboard That Catches Waves and Rays

Surfers like to catch waves, and typically do so where there tends to be a bit of sun. There are times that people surf in less than sunny locations, but not a new innovation will want them to catch waves, and catch some rays of the sun as well.

Tony Jones of Coral Reef Wetsuits essentially added a solar panel to his custom board, and it adds power to the deck, enough to just up cameras, flashlights, mobile phones and portable radios. So while he’s out riding the waves, the solar power charges a 2200 mA lithium battery. The solar panel doesn’t even need direct sunlight to charge efficiently, but with the board on the roof it could even trickle charge the car’s battery.

This is certainly an interesting twist on getting positive energy!

[Via Earth Techling: Solar Surfboard Lets You Catch Waves, Power]

Near Field Communication Used to Track Sleep

This week iMPak Health announced the launch of its new SleepTrak, the first such product to use Near Field Communication (NFC). The enabled mobile health and wellness application will launch on Nokia’s Symbian platform, including the Nokia C7 Smartphone, where users can download the free app from the Ovi store.

“NFC and Cypak technology enable SleepTrak to bring many aspects of a professional sleep assessment session to the consumer market for a fraction of the price,” says Per Nathanaelson, iMPak Health President and CEO. “With iMPak Health’s provider expertise from Meridian Health, the SleepTrak data will be useful when presented to a trained medical professional.” Continue reading Near Field Communication Used to Track Sleep