Well-travelled tech
Whether you’re stuck in traffic or taking your car on holiday, here are some tried and tested auto gadgets to make your journey go a bit more smoothly, writes POLLY WEEKS (£20, from johnlewis.com) TRAVELLING with a new baby, it can be tough to keep an eye on them in their rear-facing car seat. That’s where this gadget is handy. The 360-degree rotating mirror simply attaches to a head rest and you can see your baby in the rear-view mirror. Also comes with a remote control, so when it’s dark, you can turn the mirror’s own light on and see your little one. It lights up gradually so baby won’t wake up.
DRAPER TOOLS 12V DC VEHICLE TO VEHICLE BOOSTER
(£29.99, from machinemart.co.uk) THIS vehicle-to-vehicle booster works in a similar way to common jump leads. However, instead of lifting up the bonnet, you just connect this device to both cars’ 12V DC sockets (the cigarette lighter socket) and a few minutes later your car will be raring to go. The lead is six meters – easily long enough to stretch between two cars.
OLIXAR TRIPLE USB SUPER FAST CAR CHARGER (£14.99,
from mobilefun.co.uk) WHEN you’re going on a long journey and your passengers are using their phones/tablets, it can be helpful to be able to charge them en-route. The Olixar Triple USB Super Fast Car Charger comes with three USB ports – including two that are strong enough to charge tablets (2.1amps each) – the other is a 1 amp port for Smartphones. It’s worth noting the 1 amp port is on top (with the two 2.1 amp ports sitting below) as it’s not clear on the actual device.
NEXTBASE INCARCAM DUO, £179.99 (from halfords.com)
THE DUO is said to be the UK’s first dash-cam with both a camera for the front and rear of your car. While the front records in 720P HD, the rear lens comes with a 50m zoom. If you find yourself having to supply footage to an insurance company, you can rest assured the camera will have recorded the whole incident – it comes with g-sensor technology that will recognise an accident and store footage safely for insurance purposes. You’ll need to invest in a Micro SD card for it, but everything else comes with the camera – including the window mount and power cable.
GARMIN NUVICAM LMT-D, £299.99 (from garmin.com)
THE nuviCam is a two-in-one satnav. In addition to the usual easy-to-read maps and clear directions that you’d expect, it also comes with a built-in dash-cam that automatically records if your car is involved in an incident. The device also comes with a lane departure warning and forward collision warning notifications. You can even use the Bluetooth enabled device to connect to your Smartphone so you can talk safely.
BUZZARD 2 FROM EE (£49.99, from amazon.co.uk)
ONE to use on home soil rather than abroad (where you’d be at the mercy of roaming charges), this will keep the family entertained on long car journeys without using up your internet data. EE’s Buzzard 2 provides in-car 4G wifi – which up to 10 devices can connect to. The Buzzard 2 comes with either 6GB or 24GB of data (the latter costs £103.20 on Amazon) or you can get it for free by signing up to a monthly mobile broadband plan at ee.co.uk. Before you set off on your journey, you’ll need to register the sim, but then you’re good to go.