Taga Stroller and Bike Combo Takes your Child Anywhere

Once people have kids, the bike often ends up in the garage, collecting dust until the kids are old enough to ride a bike themselves. You can equip your bike with a children’s seat, of course. But what to do when you arrive at your destination? There you’d like to have a stroller at your disposal, but how do you transport that with your bike? This stroller and bike combo from Taga is a great piece of product design, combining both functions in one.

Versatile Battery Charger – Eneloop USB Booster Stick

This device seems the best of both worlds. It combines the mobile charging abilities of the unique USB cell with the improved chemicals of the rechargeable Sanyo Eneloop NiMH batteries. On top of this, you don’t have to just use it to charge your batteries; you can also use the charged package to provide some extra juice to another battery-powered device that’s about to give up on you.

25+ Tips and Products to Travel Light and Compact

It’s hard to imagine what people (oops, I almost said ladies) take with them on a short business trip. Their luggage looks like they plan to travel around a continent for the next six months. A real vacation luggage assembly, in its turn, makes you consider calling the movers instead of the taxi company.

A golden tip that I read long ago goes as follows: Place everything that you want to pack on the floor next to your luggage. Then pack half of it and take twice as much money as you’d originally planned to. Traveling too heavy is no fun, and can be expensive if you exceed the luggage allowance. Worse, airport fluid restrictions can force you to leave your stuff at the security check, so you end up flying to your destination without your contact lens fluid or shaving foam.

CompoSphere Composting Tumbler Makes Composting Easier

Last year I was enthusiastic about the EarthMaker rapid no-turn composter because you don’t need to turn the compost on a regular basis in order to aerate it. This CompoSphere compost bin is another alternative that not only makes turning easier, it can even be rolled to anywhere you need it. Read on to make up your own mind on which one you like best.

Wireless Picture Light, No Batteries Either - CleverLite

A typical frustrating situation: You buy some nice posters or paintings and you can’t show them off as much as you’d like to because you don’t have picture lights on your wall – or wires in the wall to connect any. Recent technology offers battery-operated LED picture lights – the cordless solution to your problem, you’d think. But did you know that these can cost you $30 or more per year in batteries? Not so with this CleverLite, which is cordless and battery-less at the same time.

Overview of Rechargeable Battery Technologies

Lately there’s been a lot of buzz in the rechargeable battery world, after a number of promising new technologies have been hyped on the market. Now is probably the right time to get an overview of the advantages and drawbacks of the different types of rechargeable batteries, before we get too bogged down in all the hype.

Your Travel Stroller is Your Luggage Too – The Ride-on Carry-on

Plane or train travel with little children is tough. Carrying one bag on your back, pulling a suitcase behind you and trying to steer a stroller with your one free hand takes more coordination than most people can handle. Not to mention the dreaded moment when you actually want to step on board and there’s no helping hand around.

Swimming Computer from Swimovate

Brands such as Polar have been focusing on heart rate monitors and sports computers for a long time. And those things are quite useful, even for the average jogger. This is the first computer I’ve encountered that’s targeted toward swimmers. Not only does this Swimovate Pool-Mate swimming computer keep track of time, it also has several additional useful functions built in, such as a lap count and speed measurement.

Retrofit Adjustable Bed – Mattress Genie

Many people like to read or watch TV in bed, while others might suffer from acid reflux. These are all valid reasons to treat yourself to an adjustable bed frame, but they don’t come cheap. And they may not even be compatible with your current bed. This Mattress Genie bed lift system from Contour looks like a great alternative. It can be placed under the mattress and is inflated by the supplied compressor.

Easy-threading Needle – Spiral Eye Needle

Cancel that order for your new prescription glasses! Here’s a needle that you can thread with your eyes closed. Even a mild manifestation of Parkinson’s disease won’t stop you from threading this within seconds – and I’m not kidding. Now you know what to buy for Mother’s Day.

Portable Foldable Kitchen Scale from Newline

Several foldable kitchen scales can be found, though many models force you to hang them on the wall. This original design isn’t just compact, it looks good too. And when folded, you can hang it on a towel or utensil rack. Seems a great Mother’s Day gift to me.

Replace Your Fluorescent Lights with LED Lights

With a combined target of a reduction in energy bills, a reduction in carbon emissions and other “green” considerations, many people have gone through the process of replacing their incandescent light bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescent lights/lamps (CFLs). A new kid on the block – still in the same form factor – are LED lights, which are even more energy-efficient than CFLs. Until recently, however, there were no decent replacement options for standard fluorescent lighting. But now new products such as posilight and ReLED fill that gap in the market.

Smush Can Self-powered Compacting Trashcan

Boxes, bags and other empty packaging fill your trashcan quickly and force you to take out more air than trash, almost on a daily basis. This new trashcan lets you compact the trash inside your home, and it doesn’t need electricity to work. Now you don’t have to get your hands or feet dirty to compact your garbage.

PowerGenix Rechargeable Batteries Give 1.6V Output

Every few years advances are made in rechargeable battery technology; relatively recently, we saw low self-discharge types appearing on the market. But the drawback during the last 30 years has always been that the underlying technology generated a 1.2V output voltage instead of the 1.5V that you get from alkaline batteries. Some devices simply don’t like that and give false or premature “low battery” readings. Now, finally, PowerGenix has succeeded in creating a rechargeable battery that gives 1.6V, which is even a bit more than regular batteries. Now you can be “green” and compatible.

Buckle-Up Your Pet in Your Car – Pet Seatbelt

In many places it’s prohibited to take a pet with you in your car without a partition between the pet and the passengers. And that’s for a good reason: Did you know that the average Labrador has an equivalent weight of 1,800 pounds when it hits you after your car crashes at 30 mph? But some cars might not offer enough space for a divider, or it might not be convenient for you. That’s where a pet safety belt comes in handy.