Gillian Shaw
Sun
Handsfree Rearview Mirror Speakerphone, Yada
Beamer, Quirky
Endeavor HX1, Motorola
1 Handsfree Rearview Mirror Speakerphone, Yada, $150
‘Tis the season to find a solution to that pesky problem of trying to talk on your cellphone and drive at the same time. While the most effective solution is it to simply lock your phone in the trunk of the car while you’re driving, there are hands-free Bluetooth options and this one from Yada doubles as a rearview mirror. It clips over the mirror of your vehicle and works as a speakerphone, linked via Bluetooth to your cell or smartphone. It comes with a car charger and fully charged offers 25 hours of talk time and 650 hours of standby time. Only available through Canadian Tire. www.letsyada.com.
2 Beamer, Quirky, $38 US
A new idea from the collaborative design Quirky community, the Beamer is an iPhone case with a built-in light. It can be a flash for your iPhone’s camera or just act as a regular flashlight when you find yourself floundering around the dark. The LED is incorporated into a hard plastic case and it can flick on for 10 seconds for a photo shot or press the button twice in a row to leave the light on. It comes with a replaceable coin cell battery that gives up to 10 hours of light.www.quirky.com.
3 Endeavor HX1, Motorola
Motorola’s new Endeavor HX1 is the first Bluetooth headset to use of true bone conduction technology, making it possible to be heard even in noisy environments, like construction sites or nightclubs. Under regular background conditions, you can rely on Motorola’s CrystalTalk technology to deliver clear sound but if your work (or play) finds you trying to shout into your headset under impossibly noisy conditions, you can switch to the headset’s stealth mode in which the ear sensor uses bone conduction to tap your vocal vibrations and convert them to speech. It’s the same technology used by special military forces, so it’s up to the task of making you heard over the noise of your local club on a Friday night. www.motorola.ca.
4 Broadband2Go, Virgin Mobile Canada, $150
Virgin Mobile Canada has its new Broadband2Go, prepaid wireless 3G data without a long-term contract.
Broadband2Go is available with a Novatel Wireless USB modem priced at $150 through the Virgin Mobile website and at Future Shop. As part of the launch, buyers get their first month or one gigabyte of data at no charge if they activate the modem online. After that, data costs $45 for one gigabyte or one month of use, whichever comes first. It’s pricey compared to pay-as-you-go data offerings in other parts of the world but it’s a no-contract option for those who don’t want to be locked in to a long-term deal.www.virginmobile.ca.
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