September has that back-to-school, get-kitted-out vibe and to mark it we’ve rounded up 10 great travel gadgets that you can sling in your hand luggage and take on your travels:
The gear:
1 Stellé Audio Couture Pillar
What is it?
It’s a portable Bluetooth wireless speaker, designed and built on the premise that audio products can look as good as they sound. It allows users to listen to music, make hands-free calls and host conferences – in 360-degree sound. Its rechargeable battery provides 15 hours of continuous playback.
Why buy?
It’s understated (4.5 x 4.5 x 12 inches) and will connect to any Bluetooth-enabled device in a 50ft range. It includes 1.5in acoustic drivers (sterio pair) and a 3in subwoofer, a universal power supply 100-240V AC, 50-60Hz, built-in microphone for Speakerphone capabilities. It costs £249 but you get a fair amount for your money. There are carry cases too that you can sling over your shoulder. Made from leather and suede, they cost just under £100. Four styles are available – black and white python, black and midnight-blue cross hatch and orchid.
2. SteelSeries Stratus Wireless Gaming Controller
What is it?
This nifty little controller is designed for console-style gameplay on iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPad Mini, iPad Air, iPad 4thGeneration, iPod Touch (5th Generation) (running iOS 7).
Why buy?
It has a console-style layout with a pressure-sensitive directional pad, action buttons and shoulder buttons along with dual analogue sticks and a pairing button to connect to iOS devices via Bluetooth. The battery life is about 10 hours on full-charge (long enough for a long-haul flight) with an average full-charge time of two hours. There’s a USB connection cable for charging. It costs about £70. There are plenty of titles in the App Store that support the Stratus Wireless with more on the way.
3. Q-BOPZ portable Bluetooth speaker
What is it?
It looks like a door handle, comes in seven cheery colours and costs about £25. Q-BOPZ is a water-resistant silicon wireless speaker with a long-life rechargeable battery (from any PC, Mac or power adaptor).
Why buy?
Its suction-cup base can be attached to the device (or dashboard, window, desk, wall…) so that it stands up freely, or “suckered” to any surface up to 10 metres away from the source. It’s compact, just 62 x 59mm, delivers clear sound with up to seven hours of playback through its 3W speaker. It has a range of up to 10 metres and the music pauses automatically for hands-free conversation.
4. Eye-Fi Mobi wireless memory card
What is it?
It’s a memory card that connects your camera to your phone, allowing you to transfer your high-res photos and videos to your smartphone or tablet and from there to email and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram et al. Download the free Eye-Fi app for iOS or Android, enter the Mobi card’s 10-digit code and the mobile device is paired. High-res photos move from camera to device whenever new content is detected.
Why buy?
It’s a great little gadget if you’re more of a photographer than a phone paparazzo. It’s not too pricey – £34 for the 8GB card, £52 for the 16GB and £72 for the 32GB.
5. Jabra Solemate Mini Speaker
What is it?
It’s a compact little speaker, smaller than a can of Coke, with a big, big sound. It has two powerful front facing speakers in an acoustically-designed enclosure that provides optimal performance with super base response.
Why buy? Where?
It’s durable – has all-round rubber protection – and colourful. There’s a long playback time with a battery life of up to eight hours. Easy pairing using Bluetooth or NFC and wirelessly controlled from across the room. There’s an integrated cable in the sole of the speaker so users can connect wired or wirelessly. It costs about £50.
Protecting the gear:
6. Knomad Mini Portable Organiser
What is it?
It’s a personal organiser for Digital Nomads. It folds out into a shockproof tablet section (holding an iPad Mini or other 8” tablets).
Why buy?
There are fabric pockets to hold a device-charging battery, pockets for smart phone, cards/credit cards and passport, along with elasticated straps to hold your USB stick, cables and other items. The Knomad Mini costs £45 and there’s a power source for £119 to ensure that gadgets are never out of battery when they are needed most (at the airport, to “power up” for example.)
7. Booqpad for iPad Air
What is it?
It’s a case and notepad, keeping your iPad Air safe and sound, with the advantage of an old-school notepad for doodling.
Why buy?
It’s a versatile design that combines the protection of a snap case with the benefits of a multi-fold folio. The case can fold into different angles for typing or viewing and there’s free access to the ports and camera. It costs about £50.
8. Be.ez LE Littoral
What is it?
A range of protective cases for the iPad Air, iPad Mini Retina, MacBook and MacBook Pro. The covering is thick cotton canvas inspired by the shirt worn by sailors in Normandy.
Why buy?
They’re super stylish and beautiful. And very hardwearing. The LE Littoral Folio for iPad Air and iPad mini Retina includes TPU soft plastic for shock absorption and allows users to access function buttons thereby saving the tablet’s energy. Prices range from £25 to £45.
9. Leef Bridge 3.0
What is it?
It’s a USB 3.0 flash drive for moving audio and video files, as well as other documents from Android smartphones and tablets to Windows PCs, MACs or other Android devices.
Why buy?
It has normal-sized and micro USB connectors on either end that access the same memory. This means it plugs in to any compatible device and allows people to transfer files with ease. It is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. Useful for busy commuters, parents on long car journeys or travellers who need extra drive space for photos.
This is the really, really useful one, especially if you are travelling with children
10. Aquaint, aka Shower-In-A-Bottle
What is it?
As we move into colds, flu and stomach-bug season this is an eco-alternative to disinfectant alcohol gels. Aquaint contains a harmless acid; a quick spray kills 99.9 per cent of bacteria in an instant.
Why buy?
It’s multi-purpose – you can spray yourself with it, clean fruit, cups, hands, faces, teeth and more. It’s great for travelling too – cleaning tray tables and surfaces and giving sticky fingers a quick clean. There’s a pocket-sized 50ml spray that’s great for hand luggage (costs about £2.50) and a 500ml spray bottle (that’s approximately £5). Check out this list of stockists.
(Feature image courtesy of Jabra)
