Rapid phone charger worth the long wait
Handy Cobra Joyride arrives months after trade-show debut
Like many tech companies, Cobra Electronics relies on big consumer trade shows to debut its wares, but the sizzle that comes with a big release can fizzle if the product is not available in a timely manner. Today, a marathon 10 months after it first “debuted” at the Consumer Electronics Show, the Cobra JoyRide, a product dubbed “the smart charger for smart drivers,” is now available. Was the wait worth it? As the Europeans succinctly put it, “Sure, why not?” A 2.1-amp rapid phone charger, the JoyRide plugs into the vehicle’s cigarette lighter adapter and quickly charges Android phones with a free downloadable app that provides all sorts of car-friendly functions including automatically launching apps used most when driving, sending customized auto replies to received text messages and phone calls on behalf of drivers, as well as a car finder feature that offers GPS directions back to a parked car. The functionality is nothing that cannot be accomplished with a generic charger and various apps, but credit Cobra for bringing it all together and making it its own. $40; visit cobrajoyride.com.
GOOD PRODUCT, BAD NAME
For drivers who operate big rigs comes Garmin’s dezl 760LMT seven-inch GPS navigator designed for trucks and recreational vehicles. But before we get to the features, let’s reflect on how ridiculous it is to select a product name that requires advanced knowledge of alternate language keyboard shortcuts to type correctly. Who could have possibly come up with the name “dezl” and what possible arguments could have been presented to support its implementation? It’s a good thing the people designing the product were probably not the ones that named it because the 760LMT itself is very intuitive, feature-rich and worthwhile for its target market. It records fuel usage and other trip-related data, features an Active Lane Guidance mode that identifies the ideal lane in which to travel, offers specialized routing to support truckrelated restrictions in Canada and the U.S. and even lists road grade data to help drivers anticipate descents and ascents and shift accordingly. With many further worthwhile benefits, the dezl does dazzle in the feature department. $400; visit garmin.com.