Everyone travels with gadgets these days. Some actually help you on your vacation, while others need protection while you are swimming or diving off a cliff. Here are some gadgets and accessories that will withstand the most adventurous holidays, and some that will help you deal with harsh conditions.
$9.99 (around Rs.620), plus shipping
It is not always easy to access clean drinking water while travelling. The Bobble bottle solves that problem. It is fitted with a carbon filter that filters out the chlorine in the water. Each replaceable filter is good for 300 complete refills. Bobble is available in multiple colours and three sizes: medium, large and classic.
Trunkster is a trolley bag with a sliding door that can be opened quickly and takes up less space than a zipper system. The handle stretches from one side of the bag to the other, helping you manoeuvre it better than a regular periscope handle would. Trunkster is GPS-enabled, letting you track its position in case it is lost or stolen. It has a 12,000 mAh battery pack that allows you to charge your phones and tablets, and a digital weighing scale that allows you to weigh your bag just by lifting it.
Trunkster is currently in the pre-order stage, with shipping scheduled for late 2015. It will be available in two variants: 22-inch Carry-On and 27-inch Checked. A combo is also available.
€129 (around Rs.8,770), plus shipping
This bracelet tracks your exposure to ultraviolet rays through the day. It syncs with the JUNE app on your Android phone or iPhone, and based on the measured exposure to the sun, offers real-time suggestions on protection—right down to which SPF cream to use or when to wear a hat. JUNE has multiple sensors, which keep reading the live statistics. The safe UV range is adjusted in accordance with your skin type—you feed this data while setting up the app. JUNE is available in platinum, gold and gunmetal colours.
Rs.17,950
This camera is waterproof up to a depth of 18m, and the shockproof construction means it can survive a 2m (6.5ft) drop. The AW120 is dust-proof and can survive cold climates better than most other cameras—it will work in temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius. The 16-megapixel sensor with Nikon’s EXPEED C2 image processing feature allows for crisp and vibrant photos. The camera also has built-in Wi-Fi, letting users transfer and share images on smartphones and tablets easily.
Krusell SEaLABox Waterproof Case 3XL
£24.99 (around Rs.2,320), plus shipping
This is a universal waterproof smartphone case made by Swedish company Krusell. The dimensions are 139x76x16mm, which makes it compatible with a variety of screen sizes, including the BlackBerry Z10, HTC One, Microsoft Lumia 920, Asus Padfone 2 and Sony Xperia Z. The waterproof capabilities are rated as IPX7, which means the case can stay in 1m of water for up to 30 minutes without any damage to the phone inside. There is a neck strap as well, in case you don’t want to hold the phone in your hand.
This flat multi-tool, made from heat-treated steel, is as slim as a credit card. Incredibly, this variant packs in 16 different tools, including a ruler, peeler, screwdriver, bottle opener, box opener, nail puller, hex wrenches, a smartphone stand and a can opener.
$249.95, plus shipping
This flask-shaped camera is shockproof—it can survive 6ft falls. The camera can stay under water up to a depth of 10m for 1 hour. It can work in sub-freezing temperatures of minus 10 degrees Celsius also. The WG-M1 has an impressive 14-megapixel sensor and a 1.5-inch LCD screen, and can record Full HD (1,920x1,080-pixel) videos. The large control buttons on the camera make it easy to switch between different shooting modes even while wearing gloves. The WG-M1 also has a smartphone app, letting you control the camera, and what it captures, from a distance.
For those who cannot get away from work even on vacation, this is a tablet that can withstand the elements. The FZ-M1 has an IP65, US military rating for dust- and water-resistance and is 150cm shock-resistant. This rugged Windows 8.1 tablet packs in an Intel Core i5-4302Y processor, 4 GB RAM, a 7-inch (1,280x800 pixel) touch-screen display and a 128-GB solid-state drive. It weighs 540g.
$99.99, plus shipping
This portable Bluetooth speaker can take your music wherever you want it to. The BRV-1 is adequately protected against direct rainfall, powerful water jets aimed directly at it, and splashing water. It can also be immersed in 1m of water for up to 30 minutes. This is a 2.1-channel system—there is a 70mm-wide subwoofer for bass, and each speaker provides 3-watt audio output. The built-in microphone allows you to use this as a speakerphone for calls. If the phone you are streaming music from is running low on battery, the BRV-1’s built-in battery pack can charge it while the speaker continues playing music.
