Don't carry your suitcase, let your suitcase carry you!

About ten years ago I discovered the Cruzin' Cooler, an ice cheat with a motor that you actually sit on and ride. I found it and rode it at the National Hardware Show. Leo and I laughed about it, thinking it would never sell. Well, the company is still up and running introducing newer and faster models.

Now I have my doubts again about the suitcase you sit on and ride. It's called the Modobag. It was touted at being at the National Hardware Show in May, but I couldn't find it there. While you might look silly riding on an ice chest, you will most likely be doing it outdoors where there's plenty of room and not many people around. But riding a suitcase in a crowded airport, I think is going to create problems. And since Motobag is $995 for early backers on Indiegogo, I would worry airports will outlaw them. Then you have may have spent almost a $1,000 for something you probably won't use as a regular suitcase because empty it weighs 19 pounds. But they have a lot of backers already. They were looking for $50,000 and they already reaised $219,589 USD by 220 backers. And this was on 7/30/16 with 3 weeks to go.

It is currently available for $995 on Indiegogo with an estimated shipping date of January 2017  

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/modobag-world-s-first-motorized-rideable-luggage-travel-technology#/

Company Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCQFoa1X_-g

Company website: http://www.modobag.com/

SOME FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS.

• Motor - Belt Driven, Maintenance-Free, High Torque 150 Watt Electric

• Top Speed - 8 MPH / Speed Control - Indoor and Outdoor Settings

• Thumb Action Throttle / State-of-the-Art Lightweight Lithium Batteries

• Range - 8 Miles (based on 180 lb rider) / 80% charge in 15 minutes, full charge in 1 hour

• Battery Life - Over 4,000 full charge cycles / UL approved Smart Charger

• Dual Wheel Braking System / Telescoping Aluminum Handlebar Assembly

EXTERIOR FEATURES

• High Strength US made Dupont Ballistic Nylon Shell

• Portected easy-access laptop pocket

• CAD-Designed, Lightweight Aluminum Chassis

• Ergonomically-Designed Modobag Foot Rests

• Extendable Towing Handle / Stowing/Lift Handles (Front/Rear Mounted)

• Durable YKK Zippers / Side Mounted Pockets - 8"x11.5" for tablets, 5"x6" for phones

INTERIOR FEATURES

• Illuminated Dual USB Charging Ports

• Illuminated Power & LED Light Controls

• Digital Battery Capacity Gauge

DIMENSIONS

• 22" Long X 9" Wide X 14" Tall

• 2000 Cubic Inches Interior Stowing Capacity

WEIGHTS

• Bag Weight - 19 lbs

• Max Rider Weight - 260 lbs.

• It is currently available for $995 on Indiegogo with an estimated shipping date of January 2017 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/modobag-world-s-first-motorized-rideable-luggage-travel-technology#/

Company Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCQFoa1X_-g

Company website: www.modobag.com

TWO MUCH CHEAPER WAYS TO MOVE YOUR LUGGAGE THROUGH THE AIRPORT. THE FIRST WAS A FAILURE AT RAISING MONEY.

Enjoy your time at the airport and help launch the first product to carry luggage "hands free." Invented by an airline pilot. Here's how it was described:

My Hitch is especially useful if the gate is far away. You can easily make U-turns!

If you normally carry one roller board and are willing to travel with a belt or tight waist band, then My Hitch allows you to walk to your gate hands free. Simply attach the top behind your waistband in back and then put your luggage handle in the bottom hook. Now, you have the freedom to carry your coffee and talk on the phone, while your luggage follows behind you.

And the warnings: To use My Hitch you need:

A belt or a tight waist band. / A roller board:

--with a standard luggage handle (two upright bars with the handle in between).

--weighing 25 lbs. or less / --nothing on top of the roller board. / -nothing attached to the roller board.

If you're not wearing a belt, use clothes with a tight waist band. The women who enjoyed using My Hitch were either wearing a tight skirt or their tightest pair of jeans. Moving My Hitch to one side makes it fit tighter. Try it out at home with your full luggage.

It didn't do well on Kickstarter. With a goal of just $3500.00 it only had $182 pledged by the funding goal deadline of June 25, 2016.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1788055043/my-hitch-travel-hands-free

THE SECOND GADGET TO YET TO COME, BUT MAKES MORE SENSE TO ME:

Hands free travel is now possible:

Grab the RetraStrap,  wear around your shoulder and you’re instantly handsfree for the rest of the trip. Hold your cup of coffee and talk on the phone or text, push a stroller, hold other items, or simply relax. You no longer have to be handcuffed to your luggage.

Security: The RetraStrap also works as an anti-theft and anti-forgetting device since it keeps the bag physically attached to your body.

No price announced, but they hope to have it available for sale by the end of 2016.

http://retrastrap.com/ 

A look at one of the newer LED bulbs that can pass for an old fashioned incandescent bulb.

A super-short LED bulb history: The first LED bulb I learned about was in February, 2009. It was the old "Daily Giz Wiz" when Leo Laporte told me about the first consumer LED 60 watt bulb replacement. The technology was amazing, but so was the price -- it cost $110! That was 7 years ago. Then about four years ago there was a break-through with the Switch 60 LED bulb. It was remarkable because it was one of the 1^st dimmable LED lights! And it sold for only $60!

A couple of the newer LED lights around today are from Cree. The Cree Soft White LED (4Flow) LED bulb replacement uses only 10 watts. It's fully dimmable, and it gives off a warm 'incandescent' glow. It's also lightweight and can found for as low as $6.00.

If you have a connected home, there's the Cree Connected LED bulb  Daylight (5000K) light that looks and lights like a regular light bulb and even there regular non-connected bulb. But this one be controlled from anywhere. Simply install your bulbs and compatible hub, sync with the applicable App, and begin to control your light settings using your iOS or Android device. Compatible with many home automation systems, the Cree Connected LED bulb works with either Wink, SmartThings, WeMo Link or any other ZigBee Certified hub. (This bulb is NOT WiFi enabled.)  Once installed, you can easily dim or brighten to the perfect setting, schedule lights to come on automatically at the start of the day, or turn on lights for added security when you are away from home, all from the palm of your hand. They use 11.5 watts to equal a 60 watt bulb replacement. There is also a Cree Connected Soft White (2700K) LED available. Cree bulbs are only at Home Depot and on Amazon.

And remember, not all dimmers will work with LED bulbs. Screw-in dimmable compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and screw-in dimmable light emitting diode lamps (LEDs) are a great energy-saving alternative to incandescent or halogen light sources; however, dimming them may be difficult. Lutron's dimmers with HED Technology provides a solution to  dimming challenges. The Credenza dimmable CFL/LED lamp dimmer with HED Technology features advanced dimming circuitry that is designed for compatibility with most high efficacy light bulbs. Simply plug-in your table or floor lamp and start dimming! Use the slide to turn the light on/off or up to brighten and down to dim. They also provide full-range dimming for halogen and incandescent bulbs, ensuring today's dimmer is compatible with moderm light sources.

Never worry about forgetting your reading glasses again.

At CES 2016, I discovered ThinOPTICS. These are easy-to-carry “Always with You” reading glasses. Up to June 2016, there were three ways to carry them. You could buy the ThinOPTICS glasses with a universal pod to attach to the back of your existing phone, phone case, e-reader, tablet, etc. That's about $20. Or you could buy them as part of a smart case for later versions of the iPhones and Galaxy phones for about $30. (As of 7/7/16 they are offering two pairs of glasses with each order for the same price.) And now ThinOPTICS is introducing a new convenient keychain model. The new keychain case carries a pair of ThinOPTICS reading glasses folded inside a convenient pod that easily hooks onto your key ring. With a swipe of a finger, the glasses are gently ejected and automatically unforld so users can grab them for perusing emails or any small print. The keychain case is light, probably less than half an ounce. ThinOPTICS glasses are as thin as two credit cards and come equipped with bulletproof lenses and tensile polycarbonate frames. The glasses are so durable and indestructible that the company backs them with a Free Replacement Forever policy. The keychain case is available in silver and black, with multiple strength options including Low Range (+1.50), Mid Range (+2.00) and High Range (+2.50). The keychain version retails for about $25 and currently includes two pairs of glasses. I called them and they said a customer can order two different strength glasses. More info on all the models is at the company website. 

Company video: https://vimeo.com/170081434

Company website: http://www.thinoptics.com/ .

Look inside your refrigerator, even if you're inside a supermarket!

I saw an Amazing Samsung refrigerator at Digital Focus and wondered why it was there because of Master Card. Turns out there's something new called Groceries by MasterCard. According to MasterCard, grocery sales are in the $600 billion range yearly. They figure that each weekend shoppers lose valuable time visiting an average of four stores to find all the items & ingredients they seek. But with Groceries by MasterCard, the first grocery shopping app integrated into Samsung’s The Family Hub refrigerator, shoppers can restock their refrigerator from the comfort of their kitchens. Shown at CES earlier this year, it's now available at major retailers such as Home Depot, Sears, Lowe’s, Best Buy and others. With the free app you can browse and order groceries from FreshDirect and ShopRite by via the 21.5” LCD Wi-Fi-enabled touchscreen on the refrigerator. As you “browse” through selections, the app provides details on the products as if you’re reading a label in-store. If you are on-the-go, you can add to the cart via the app available for iOS and Android. All items are added to a single, family cart, which can be built throughout the week by all members of your family. You’ll pay for items in a simple checkout that accepts any U.S.-issued credit and debit cards, and can get the items delivered to your home or pick it up at your convenience. You can even view the inside of the fridge with your smartphone while grocery shopping. Three tiny, high quality cameras positioned inside the refrigerator capture an image each time the doors close. Now, if you are at the store and trying to remember which food items to buy, you can view inside the refrigerator through a smartphone app. You can also use the screen to access your favorite music, television content or access recipes rated and reviewed by millions of cooks, as well as cooking advice tips and how-to videos. There are several models in the line starting at about $4999.99. Be aware that similar models from Samsung are available without the screen, video cameras, etc. for a lot less. 

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/EINZ2ZHyllE

MasterCard info: http://newsroom.mastercard.com/videos/introducing-groceries-by-mastercard-on-the-samsung-family-hub-refrigerator/

Samsung info: http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/family-hub-refrigerator/?cid=ppc-

It's an ice chest and so MUCH more!

The KoolMax is a gadget perfect for right now, the warm/hot weather. It's fair more than just a ice chest. Well, it's starts out as a 40 qt. cooler that holds up to 48 cans or 28 bottles. The company that makes it Sondpex says that their advanced insulation technology keeps ice frozen for up to 3 days. Inside the lid is a detachable cooler flashlight (3 AAA batteries not included) which can be used elsewhere at night. But the KoolMax adds a lot of other features like a 350 watts maximum output power Bluetooth digital music player and FM radio with two built-in 6.5” Hi-Fi water-resistant speakers and two 2” high performance tweeters. But wait, there's more! An XLR microphone/instrument input, 1/4 inch instrument input, let's you entertain with live music if you want. There's also 12 volt power outlet plug (cigarette lighter port), 2 standard 3.5mm auxiliary jacks, a powered USB port for charging phones, tablets, etc. even an USB data port and SD card slot to play MP3 /WMA music (supports up to 32GB). The company says their built-in rechargeable battery lasts up to 16 hours of playing time and the KoolMax comes with a handy remote control, plus a 100-240V AC/17V DC adaptor. And finally, there's also built in weather resistant storage for iPad and charging compartment for iPhone/Smartphone. To move it around easily it's equipped with a heavy-duty wheeled design with a long, telescoping handle for easy transport. Oh, and one more important thing. The extra large side handles each have a with convenient bottle opener! In four color choices, about $349.99 at retailers and on Amazon. 

Giz Wiz Video: https://youtu.be/7Cwx-ZuAFtw