Gadgets: making travel easier

Rethinking the torch, the car sat nav and the bicycle wheel

ZeroHour Battery Back-up Flashlight
There are other products with this not unexpected combination – a torch and a battery back-up, however this has a higher spec than most. Boasting a 1000 lumen LED bulb for 500m light throw and a 10,000mAh recharger with a pair of USB ports, it can power-up multiple devices.

The recharging section is encased in a shockproof, waterproof aircraft grade aluminium body, so quite the toughie too. Indeed, they're happy to add that you can leave the innards and just use it as secure container, albeit a rather pricey one.
Available March, from $130; zerohourxd. com



Magellan RoadMate 6230T-LM PND Dash Cam
Some brands just can't seem to get their heads around the fact that consumers aren't really bothered remembering a string of characters to identify their products. Like Magellan, with a whole range of RoadMates with obscure codes, including this new model. Its big point of difference is the integra- ted dash camera. The built-in camera here also kicks in automatically with sudden changes in speed or direction, recording onto an SD card.
$230 from magellangps.com in April


Copenhagen Wheel
Yeah, they have sort of reinvented the wheel. A spin-off (oh) from MIT, the Copenhagen Wheel fits onto your existing bike, turning it into a smart, electric bike. The red unit harvests power when you're going downhill or braking and then doles it out when you want to cruise or get a push uphill. It learns from your cycling and adapts, controlled from a smartphone app. It could be a game changer. About $800 from superpedestrian.com, available to preorder.
betweenideas.blogspot.com