Gadgets Archives - Page 25 of 33

Jun 23

Best running gear: top gadgets to keep you motivated | Gadgets

Running is a great way to keep fit this summer and needs a little more than some trainers and a pavement or a park. But even the most enthusiastic of us need some way to keep motivated for regular exercise when the couch, TV or sun lounger looks inviting.

These gadgets can help: from music on the go to the social power of Strava, they make pounding the streets a little more interesting.

Music

A woman running with a phone in an armband and earphones. — Strapping your phone to your bicep in an armband helps keep it secure and out of the way when you run. Photograph: Cultura Creative (RF)/Alamy

Music or podcasts can help you eat up the miles with a bit of entertainment, but holding your phone while you run is not a comfortable way to do things.

Armband phone pockets are one solution. Strapped to your bicep with Velcro and a clear pouch, they let you work your phone and listen to music. They cost about £6-10 and come in various sizes. Or you can use an old MP3 player such as an iPod Shuffle if you still have one around.

Better yet, switch to a wearable music player with a running or smartwatch. Most good smartwatches, including the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and others, can store music offline for playback straight to a set of Bluetooth headphones.

The Spotify app showing a running playlist on an Apple Watch. — Spotify and other music apps on smartwatches such as the Apple Watch can play music straight to a set of Bluetooth earphones without your phone. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

If you don’t already have a smartwatch and want something for running, there are many different options. One of my favorites is the Garmin 245 Music, which offers excellent tracking, can store hours of music offline from Spotify, Deezer or others, and can be picked up for about £200.

While you can run with almost any headphones, including AirPods or large over-ear sets, there are models that are better designed for running. I recommend Bluetooth sets that don’t block out the world, allowing you to remain aware of your surroundings.

Shokz OpenRun Pro

Bone conduction headphones send sound waves through your skull instead of your ear drum, making the music sound like it is coming from inside your head while maintaining your awareness of the outside world. Shokz makes some of the best, with lightweight, comfortable designs, long battery life and easy-to-reach onboard controls for playback and volume. They are the only headphones approved by England Athletics for races, too.

The latest £160 OpenRun Pro last up to 10 hours between charges, can Bluetooth pair to two devices at once, weigh only 29g and are IP55 water-resistant so you can safely sweat all over them. They sound good, with more bass than previous models, but bone conduction technology can’t match regular earbuds for low notes. The older £130 OpenRun are similar,

Jun 23

Marvel Just Brought Back One of Iron Man’s Weirdest Gadgets

Over the past few years, Tony Stark has turned from a lesser-known superhero in Marvel’s arsenal to a bona fide cultural phenomenon, with the iron Avenger’s storylines being brought to life on the page and on the big screen. Along the way, the Iron Man armor has had some unique and incredibly specific upgrades, ranging from the deadly to the hilarious. The most recent issue of Iron Manwhich has provided a sort of back-to-basics take on Tony’s whole status quo, proved to have the latter in spades, bringing back one of the silliest elements he’s ever added to his costume. Spoiler for Iron Man #20 from Christopher Cantwell, Angel Unzueta, Frank D’Armata, and Joe Caramagna below! Only look if you want to know!

While the issue opened with Tony leaving rehab and proposing marriage to Patsy Walker / Hellcat, the events then turned to him attending an unveiling of the newest piece of Stark technology — a supercomputer that could hypothetically win a game of chess versus an incredibly smart gorilla. When the gorilla tried (and failed) to procure a job offer from Tony on the spot, they got angry and began fighting them through the city. Tony put on his Iron Man suit for protection, and at one point activated a set of skates on the boots that would allow him to escape faster. Tony then remarked that he should use them more.

Iron Man’s skates originate all the way back to a mention in the character’s second-ever appearance in Tales of Suspense #40, before being shown across comics in the 1960s and beyond. While they since have faded away as Tony’s armor has gotten a bit more practical, the essence of their origin definitely shines in Iron Man #20, but with a modern flair, as the story is even titled “Skate or Die.”

“#20 and issue #21 are kind of one-shot stories that harken back to the old heyday of one-and-done issue stories that I love, but there is scaffolding being laid in the background for a larger story,” Cantwell explained in a recent interview with Marvel.com. “The whole arc is called “Source Control,” and it’s grittier…more noir in feel. Very Denny O’Neil inspired. It’s also a more intimate story character-wise, focusing primarily on Tony and Rhodes, with just a few other folks. More tight-knit, and rooted in classic Iron Man themes of technology and weaponry. But there are still plenty of Bronze Age references that I can’t get enough of.”

Iron Man #20 is now available wherever comics are sold.

Jun 19

Amazon Prime Day 2022: Best deals on travel gear, gadgets and more

Amazon Prime Day 2022 is almost here, which means you’ll soon be able to score deals on travel gear and other items on Amazon.

Amazon Prime Day 2022 is almost here, which means you’ll soon be able to score deals on travel gear and other items on Amazon. For this year’s event, Amazon is touting its “lowest prices ever,” with exclusive member deals already rolling out.

You’ll likely spot discounts at other stores such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Backcountry, too, all of which have offered their own version of Amazon Prime Day in the past (in some cases continuing their sales post-Prime Day).

Read on to learn about the biggest shopping event of summer.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day is an annual two-day event when Amazon and its sellers offer deep discounts on items like home appliances, tech, toys and more. Like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s meant to stimulate spending and reward consumers (or in this case, Amazon Prime members).

Do you need to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of Prime Day deals?

Yes, the online shopping event is exclusive to Amazon Prime members. If you’re not a member, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial (if you haven’t been an Amazon Prime member in the last 12 months) to take advantage of the deals. Unless you cancel within 30 days, your membership will automatically be renewed for $14.99 a month (or $139 a year). Prime membership perks that are useful for travel and at home include:

— Free one- and two-day shipping

— Two-hour grocery delivery service

— Access to streaming services, such as Prime Video and Amazon Music

— Prime Gaming with free games and a Twitch channel subscription

— Kid-friendly books, educational apps and more via Amazon Kids+

— Amazon Photos for unlimited (vacation) photo storage and 5GB of video storage

When is Amazon Prime Day 2022?

Amazon Prime Day 2022 will take place on July 12 and 13, 2022, though deals have already begun to roll out. On June 21, the retailer will release pre-Prime Day offers on select Amazon devices, with up to 55% off the Kindle Paperwhite, the Amazon Fire 7 Tablet (2019 edition) and more.

Below are the best Amazon Prime Day deals available (so far) on items that are useful for travel. We will continue to update the list as new offers are announced.

The Best Amazon Prime Day Deals on Luggage

TravelPro Platinum Elite

Named the best soft-sided carry-on bag for 2022, the 21-inch TravelPro Platinum Elite is going for up to 32% off on Amazon in this pre-Prime Day deal. This expandable carry-on spinner features a USB port and power bank pocket (power bank sold separately) for staying connected on the go; accessory pockets including a removable wet bag for toiletries; and a built-in garment suite to keep clothing wrinkle-free. This carry-on bag also meets most airline carry-on luggage size restrictions, and according to previous purchasers, fits perfectly

Jun 19

‘Why are we heating the air?’ Australians turn to warming gadgets as cold and energy costs bite | Homes

Dave Southgate is toasty in his chilly Canberra home – and he pays no power bills.

A USB-rechargeable heated vest, worn underneath a jumper, and a heated scarf wrapped around his neck offer all the warmth he needs. His heat-loving wife prefers an electrically-warmed seat. They keep electric throw rugs on the couch.

A cyclist mate uses heated socks, Southgate says, while hand warmers – either disposable heat packs that use a chemical reaction to give about 10 hours of warmth, or battery-powered gloves – are great in pockets for going outside, and in bed instead of a traditional hot water bottle.

“They’re using bugger all energy,” he says. “And you can get yourself beautifully warm.”

Australia is in the middle of an energy crisis, a broader cost of living crisis, and an uncommonly bitter cold snap across much of the land.

Google data show searches for “heated blanket” and “heated socks” have soared to their highest rates ever in the past couple of weeks. In recent years, the range of personal heating devices available, usually made with small filaments threaded through fabric, has also increased.

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There are app-controlled “body furnaces” that can be strapped to limbs or torsos. Trendy heated scarves come in a rainbow of colors and sport jaunty bows.

Remote controlled insoles offer three levels of heating inside your shoes. Chemists sell cheap, disposable hand heaters, while a heated computer mouse will set you back a little more (and only help one hand at a time).

There are waist warmers that sit on the hips like corsets or fluffy pink bustles complete with rabbit tails attached, and retro-futuristic heated shoulder pads.

A corset-like waist warmer, a warming shoulder pad and a warming bustle with a bunny tail. — Heated waist and shoulder warmers from Ozsale, Zarkie and Japan Trend Shop. Composite: Ozsale/ Zarkie / Japan Trend Shop

Southgate, 74, describes himself as a “frustrated climate change bureaucrat”, who has been documenting his family’s transition away from fossil fuels over about a decade.

Solar panels now provide more than enough power for the family home. He started by sealing the house from any drafts, and installing energy-efficient infrared panels.

“Then we started asking, why are we heating all the air?” Southgate says. “What’s the point if you only want to heat people?”

So he started experimenting with personal heating devices, and landed on his preferred outfit.

“My wife’s from Malaysia, she wants things very hot. The heated seat is a great favourite,” he says.

“We’ve left the hot water bottle for heated hand warmers – they last all night and on a cold day I’ll … put them in

Jun 19

5 New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar

For more of the latest and greatest product releases, check out our full collection of the best new gear.

This week, Google rolled out an update to Google Maps so that the app now factors in the cost of tolls during your journey. Adobe announced plans to launch a free version of Photoshop. Apple won the rights to broadcast every MLS soccer game come the 2023 season on the Apple TV app. And Internet Explorer officially went kaput.

A bunch of cool new gadgets were announced as well. Here’s what you need to know.

Sony NW-WM1ZM2 and NW-WM1AM2

Sony

Sony added two portable hi-fi players to its Walkman line, the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 ($3,700) and the Sony NW-WM1AM2 ($1,400), both of which are designed for music lovers with large music libraries or subscribe to the one of lossless music services. The biggest upgrade is that both the NW-WM1ZM2 and the NW-WM1AM2 run on Android 11, rather than Sony’s own operating system; this allows them to be more future-proof (Android updates are way more consistent), but more importantly gives them access to all the latest lossless streaming services including Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Tidal and Qobuz.

(The main difference between the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 and the Sony NW-WM1AM2 is that the former costs more because it has a gold-plated body and comes with double the on-board storage.)

Prices: $1,400 — $3,700

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Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2

Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s newest portable printer, the Instax Mini Link 2 ($100), connects to your smartphone and allows you to print any photo from your photo library; it basically allows you to use your smartphone just like one of the company’s separate instant film cameras. The Instax Mini Link 2 is a new-and-improved version of Fujifilm’s 2019-released Instax Mini Link, with the major upgrade being that it has a new “rich” printing mode that adds extra color saturation and highlights to the print to make it really “pop.”

Prices: $100

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Ikea Obegränsad Record Player

Ikea

Ikea announced plans to release a record player, called the Obegränsad, this coming fall. Designed in tandem with the famous house music group Swedish House Mafia, the record player will come with a built-in pre-amplifier for easy connecting to a powered speaker or sound system. There’s no word on pricing yet.

Prices: TBD

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DJI RS3 and RS3 Pro

DJI

DJI announced the RS3 and RS3 Pro, which are its newest gimbals that are designed for mirrorless and cinema cameras, respectively. The main upgrade over their predecessors, mainly the 2020-released RSC2, is the new gimbals have an updated and improved automatic locking system so you don’t need to spend as much time balancing the camera during setup. They also come with a larger touchscreen display and support for a Bluetooth shutter button.

Prices: $549+

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Kasa Smart WiFi Plug Mini

TP-Link

TP-Link’s newest smart plug, the Kasa Smart WiFi Plug Mini, is unique because it’s the company’s first (and one of the few out there )