Tag Archives: travel

Néit Collapsible Luggage at Gadget Show Live

Gadget Show, geek luggage, Interview, Special Media, travel accessories, , , ,

Neit LogoAlthough the march of technology has been towards miniaturisation and making gadgets smaller, there are some things that need to be big and there’s no value in making them smaller. For example, luggage and suitcases need to be big enough to get enough clothes and belongings in for the trip. This is perfect while the bags are needed on travel, but once home the bulk is unnecessary and a waste of space for those unfortunate enough not have storage in a garage, loft or attic. Nicky and the team at Néit have the answer with collapsible luggage.

Neit Collapsible Luggage

Winning a “Highly Commended” at the British Inventors’ Project, Néit’s collapsible luggage folds from a rigid suitcase to only 9 cm / 3″ wide. Once folded, the case can be stored anywhere convenient – upright in a cupboard, flat on top of wardrobe or hung from a clothes rail. Made from a polycarbonate shell and aircraft-grade aluminium, the picture shows the Néit case folded (the blue light strip is for effect only). In addition to space-saving, the Néit luggage has a couple of other tricks too. The handle has built-in scales, so there are no surprise excess weight charges at check-in. There’s GPS tracking too, so if the airline mislays the bag, the Néit smartphone app can track its location almost anywhere in the world.

The collapsible luggage comes in two sizes, a 90 litre hold bag and 38 litre carry-on and they’re available for pre-order from Néit’s webstore. Currently priced from GB£229 and £189 respectively, the bags are expected to ship in December 2016.

And in case you were wondering about Néit: he’s the Celtic god of War.

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Moochew Baby Seat and Lunch Box at Gadget Show Live

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Moochew LogoTravelling with children is akin to planning a military operation at times, with tons of gear and provisions catering for every eventuality. Looking to simplify maneuvers in the field, Moochew is a collapsible baby seat that doubles up as a cooler bag or lunch box. Taking part in the British Inventors’ Project at Gadget Show Live, Arun tells me more about the Moochew.

The Moochew is a backpack which can be filled with food, drink, wipes, nappies and toys ready for travel and adventures. The compartments are insulated to keep everything cool and once it’s time to eat, the Moochew unzips to change into a child seat which will attach to most standard chairs. Cleverly, the contents of Moochew can be extracted from the sides of the bag, so once the child is in the seat, he or she doesn’t need to be moved to get into the storage area. Genius!

Moochew Closed Moochew Open

The Moochew is available now for GB£39.99 from the webstore. My children are now a little too big for the Moochew but had it been around three years ago, I would definitely have bought one.

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Ohyo Folds Bag to Size at Gadget Show Live

Gadget Show, Green Technology, Interview, Special Media, travel accessories, , , ,

Ohyo_400x400Several areas of the UK now charge for plastic grocery bags as a green tax and reusable shopping bags have become very popular. Mind you, carrying round a scrunched up bunch of old bags is never a good fashion statement. Fortunately Ohyo has designed a good-looking accessory which morphs from a pouch to a messenger bag before completely opening up as a shopping bag. Participating in the British Inventors’ Project at Gadget Show Live, I chat with Guy from Ohyo about his thing for folding.

Ohyo Folding Bags

Guy and Ohyo has worked with designer Felix Conran, the grandson of Sir Terence Conran, to create a flexible bag that changes shape to meet changing needs. The bag can be arranged into four different configurations, a tablet bag, messenger bag, a back-pack and a grocery bag. Available in four colours, the RRP is GB£79, but Ohyo are currently running a Kickstarter campaign where you can get in at £59. There’s just two days to go, so get in quick.

Ohyo have a track record in folding things – Guy’s previous invention was a collapsible bottle, which sold over 700,000 units and might be familiar to parents in Britain as it’s been previously sold in Marks and Spencer’s and Boots.

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SleepSpace Travel Cot from BabyHub at Gadget Show Live

Gadget Show, Interview, Special Media, travel accessories, , , , ,

BabyHub logoLike me, many parents will remember the frequent struggles with travel cots: there was always that one rail that wouldn’t lock in place or the release handle that wouldn’t turn to disengage the mechanism. At times travel cots can be more frustrating than the tot!

Fortunately, the BabyHub team have worked hard to produce the SleepSpace, a travel cot  that can be put up and taken down easily with one hand. It’s lightweight (6 kg) and the clever folding mechanism is so simple it can even be setup while holding the baby. Here’s Catherine from BabyHub to explain more about the SleepSpace.

BabyHub SleepSpace

Uniquely, the SleepSpace travel cot is pyramid shaped rather than the more usual box and this gives additional stability plus the convenience of being able to drape mosquito nets or sun shades over the cot without worrying about the cloth falling into the cot. On travel, the cot can be re-purposed as a play space or tent during the day. It’s available in four different colours.

BabyHub SleepSpace

The BabyHub SleepSpace is expected to go on sale with national retailers in the autumn for around GB£139. Looks like another success for the British Inventors’ Project.

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Keep In Touch with GoTenna at CES

ces, Interview, smartphone, Special Media, travel accessories, video, , , , , ,

goTenna LogoThere are still parts of the country where there is no mobile (cell) phone coverage. There are those who would say this is a good thing, especially when it comes to wildness areas and places of outstanding beauty. However, there are times when it’s good to be able to get in touch with others when out hiking or skiing, especially if people get separated. Aylee talks about the great outdoors with Jorge Perdoma, co-founder of goTenna, about their solution to this problem.

goTenna is a small radio transceiver that pairs with smartphones to provide point-to-point communication when there’s no cell tower in range. It’s a bit like converting your phone into a walkie-talkie but with modern features like text and GPS. The goTenna app on the smartphone works with the goTenna itself to handle all the communication and the transceiver doesn’t need to be in the hand at all – it can be stashed in the outer pocket of a backpack. Range is anywhere from a mile to a couple of miles depending on the environment.

The goTenna has been shipping for a few months and it’s US$200 for a pair of units from goTenna.

Aylee Nielsen is a video producer at F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

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JAQ Fuel Cell Battery from MyFC

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JAQ fuel cellIt wouldn’t be CES without a fuel cell-based smartphone charger making an appearance, and as expected Swedish company myFC turns up with the JAQ, the world´s smallest pocket-sized fuel cell charger. CEO Bjorn Westerholm shows Daniel and Todd the colourful charger.

The winner of a 2016 German Design Award, the charger consists of two parts; an inner replaceable PowerCard (orange) and the outer JAQ fuel cell (blue). The PowerCard is made from water and salt and when mixed, hydrogen is produced which is then combined in the fuel cell with oxygen from the atmosphere to generate electricity along with waste water. The card is thrown away once discharged.

A single PowerCard provides 1800 mAh though with additional PowerCards, more power is available. The best use case for the JAQ and the PowerCards is when the owner is far away from an electrical power source, say, camping.

The PowerCards are expected to retail for under US$2 and the fuel cell itself will be rented for around $5 per month as part of a phone contract. JAQ is expected to be available soon.

Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com.
Daniel J. Lewis is the host of the award-winning podcast about podcasting, The Audacity to Podcast. Daniel helps others launch and improve their own podcasts for sharing their passions and finding success.

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Magellan Leads With Four New MiVue DashCams for CES

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Magellan LogoFor those who want to record their travels for pleasure or have to keep their insurance premiums down out of necessity, GPS pioneers Magellan have announced four new affordable MiVue DashCams for the upcoming CES 2016. To be clear, these aren’t navigation devices, but instead record video of journeys, accidents and other unexpected events. The new MiVue 320, MiVue 420, MiVue 430 and MiVue 450D are all designed to be unobtrusively located on the dash, while having a comprehensive base set of features, including

  • Magellan 420 DashCamMiVue Manager – Intuitive interface to browse recorded videos. Video recorded from the Impact Sensor can be reviewed for post-accident analysis. Video may be shared on social media sites like YouTube and Facebook
  • Parking Mode – In situations where there’s an impact while the car is parked, the DashCam wakes up to record the event. You can even choose to have the device always recording with vehicles that have constant power supplies.
  • Impact Sensor – Records impact forces, which show the direction and magnitude of a collision.
  • Night View Enhancement – Automatic day or night light adjustment assuring the best picture quality regardless of lighting conditions.
  • Impact Event Recording – When the 3-axis sensor detects sudden changes in motion, the device instantly saves protected files to prevent them from being overwritten.
  • Camera Mode – Switch to Camera Mode to collect photo evidence or create lasting memories. With the built-in battery, the device can be taken out of the car to get close-up photos.
  • Rotating Mount Design – Mount easily pivots to any desired angle assuring you never miss an important moment.
  • GPS Tracking – The built-in, high-sensitivity GPS receiver automatically records your driving information on the video, so you have both a location and time stamp during playback.
  • Wide Angle Lens – The 140° wide-angle lens provides an enhanced peripheral view to record the entire street.

The top-end 450D comes with dual cameras to record a wide 240° view or both inside and outside of the vehicle, and has WiFi connectivity. The 420 and 430 DashCams provide additional safety with Lane Departure warnings and Front Collision Avoidance alerts.

“Magellan is excited to expand its award-winning line of MiVue DashCam models. Our four new models are designed with superior image quality, large storage capacity and extended battery life,” commented Stig Pedersen, Magellan Associate Vice President of Product Management.

The new Magellan MiVue DashCams will be available from Q2 2016 at retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as online at www.magellangps.com in with prices expected to start at $109.99.

If you want to know more, the DashCams will be on show at CES 2016 in the Magellan Booth, LVCC South Hall MP25441.