LET TECH KEEP YOU TOASTIER THIS WINTER
Now that Halloween is here, we have to think about getting ready for winter. How about starting with a heated down jacket that doubles as a phone charger?
Ravean heated charging jacket
Clearly cold is on the minds of a lot of consumers these days with Ravean’s Kickstarter crowdfunding project for its line of heated hoodies, vests, jackets and gloves reaching more than $450,000 US in funding, well over its $100,000 US target, three weeks into its campaign. What sets Ravean’s flagship jacket apart is that it’s downfilled, promising to keep you warm when temperatures dip as low as -20 C. In addition you can plug Ravean gloves into the coat — touchscreen-enabled, so you don’t have to take them off to use your smartphone — and they’ll stay toasty as well. The jacket is part of a lineup that includes down vests and a heated hoodie. The hoodie, with a five-volt battery charger, starts at $89 US on Kickstarter, and the full down jacket starts at $159 US. Find it on kickstarter. com.
Mujjo touchscreen gloves
It’s always warmer keeping your gloves on to talk or text, and Mujjo has updated its touchscreen gloves with a leather wrist strap and band on the cuffs, magnetic snap closure and double-layered versions for colder climates. The gloves are knitted but if you’re not on a budget (and not averse to wearing leather), they also come in lambskin leather at $110. The single layer version is just over $30, while double layered is $37. Visit mujjo.com.
PowerShadow battery case
If you don’t want a down jacket with your phone charger, check out Spyder’s new PowerShadow case, billed as the thinnest, lightest battery case on the market. At 12.5 mm, it’s thinner than some regular cases, it weighs 85 grams and delivers a 2750 mAh battery for an extra 120 per cent boost for your iPhone. It’s water-resistant, which is useful if you’re planning a winter of snow sports. And you may not have realized you need antimicrobial protection, but with Spyder pointing out a phone could carry 18 times more bacteria than a public washroom, you might appreciate the company’s addition of its Silver Seal antigerm tech. They’re colour-coordinated with the iPhone 6 and 6S lineup. $99 US. Check out spyderstyle.com for details.
Sanho Hyper iShowFast flash drive
Another crowdfunded project, this one on Indiegogo, follows up on Hyper’s successful $1-million campaign for the iShowFast’s predecessor, the iStick. The iStick was the first USB flash drive to have an Apple lightning connector, and the latest entrant is the first USB 3.0 flash drive able to transfer files at speeds up to 140 megabits per second with a Mac or PC. With the USB connector at one end and with the lightning connector at other end, transfer up to 30 Mbps with iPhones, iPad and iPod touch devices. It’s the latest in sneakernet, letting you bypass the cloud or other online methods by making the transfer with a physical drive. With a couple of weeks to go in its Indiegogo campaign, the iShowFast has raised more than three times its original $50,000 US goal. Priced from $49 US for the 16GB model up to $319 US for 256GB with several sizes in between. Find it at indiegogo.com.
Intel battery optimizer
It’s not all about Apple. Android users may want to check out Intel Security’s newly released update to its battery optimizer for Android. Despite the name, it’s not just about optimizing battery life. The updated app will clean up your memory and storage so if your Android has been sluggish, you may notice a difference. It’s also designed to help monitor your data usage, which can be an ever-growing problem what with trying to keep up with Canucks games, streaming music and all our other mobile entertainment. Find it at the Google Play store — play.google.com.