Gadget Guru November 2012

The recent political debates have created a lot of TV gazing and couch surfing, so now’s the time to get out of the house for a bit and enjoy yourself. Consider the following new gadgets as a little incentive. RYAN THOMAS

 

Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes

Actually, put those shoes back on and go for a bike ride. The new Footloose from Mando is a combination bike and scooter, and more importantly is a two-wheeler  that is environmentally friendly. Pedaling powers an internal alternator, which generates electricity for the motor. Once charged, riders can go about 20 miles on a full battery.  And if the battery dies (or if you just feel like eschewing the motor and getting some leg work in), those pedals work to move the bike. Perhaps the best attribute is that sensors in the frame will recognize the grades of any slopes and adjust the speed accordingly.  When you’re done riding, fold it up and store it away. The footloose is debuting in European markets to start, and will move overseas. No price as of yet but Mando says it will be a premium. (www.mandofootloose.com)

 

Happy As A Lark

Take charge of your healthy habits with the new Larklife wristband. Essentially, the Larklife is a bracelet that tracks your walking and running activities, and manages a food calorie diary for you. It’ll also track how long you sleep, when you fall asleep, and dish out healthy advice based on the results you’re getting. For instance, if it sees you’re downing too many calories, it may suggest new food alternatives. Other additional features include alarms and bonus content like notification and badges dished out for good behavior. Unlike older similar devices from previous years, the Larklife works wirelessly with iPhones to store all your data. It retails for $150. (www.lark.com)

 

Tap Dancing

Music is readily at hand these days with smartphones and touch pads. Those ear buds they come with are a great invention, but they’ve always had the downside of that annoying set of wires dangling in front of your face. (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally ripped them out of my ears because my hand gets caught up in the wires.) The audio wizards at Koss have created a set of in-ear wireless ear buds that connect via Wi-Fi to your device. If no Wi-Fi is available, the ear buds come with a Content Access Point (CAP) that can be plugged in, and there’s no need to even hold your device as the buds themselves can be tapped with a finger to scroll through songs and even create playlists. Don’t have a mobile device? No sweat, they will also connect to any Internet radio you can find. For $500 you get the buds, the CAP, a carrying case, and an AC adapter. (www.koss.com)