Today’s smartphones pack built-in GPS capabilities that have all but demolished the need for a standalone GPS unit. But what if there was an app for outdoors enthusiasts that turned your smartphone into the digital equivalent of Bear Grylls? That’s essentially what you can expect from ViewRanger, a powerful outdoor GPS app that’s been available internationally, but is just now launching in the U.S.
The $5 app lets trailblazers plan, plot, navigate, record, and analyze their outdoor adventures straight from their GPS-enabled smartphone. It uses Open Source Web maps to provide detailed information on any popular location or alternatively, users can make in-app trail guide purchases on the fly. The trail guides (which cost between 70 cents to $1) are then pinned on the map providing trail descriptions, directions, and pictures straight out of publishers’ guidebooks. Video after the jump
Designer sports bag and apparel company OGIO just released its OGIO Endurance Collection. The line has bags that address the needs runners, swimmers, triathletes, cyclists, downhill mountain bikers and other athletes in endurance sports and competitions.
The seven-bag line is built to provide organization, protection and comfort for athletes taking part in high-intensity workouts and competitions. The line is made with lightweight yet sturdy materials that protect gear, yet make it light enough to carry to a race or location to workout.
It’s important to get your exercise while on the road, but sometimes just venturing out in the hotel to find the gym is a chore. Now you can request rooms with exercise equipment next to the desk. That is if you’re staying at a TRYP by Windham property. A number of Fitness rooms in the TRYP hotels are equipped with exercise equipment.
Rooms include a state-of-the-art treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical machine; complimentary exercise mat; fitness attire including a t-shirt and shorts; and mineral water and extra towels because even when you have your own machine you should wipe it down. Read the rest of this entry »
Lenovo’s ThinkPad line of laptops has rightfully earned it’s spot amongst the gadget elite. Not one to rest on its laurels, the company is now treading on new waters and taking its ThinkPad line to the great outdoors. The new ThinkPad X130e has been designed for the active lifestyle, joining the myriad of rugged gadgets we’ve seen here at Kinetic Shift. Powering the laptop will be your choice of a Sandy Bridge Intel Core i3 ULV processor, AMD Fusion E-300 APU, or AMD Fusion E-450 APU.
And that’s where all similarities with the rest of the ThinkPad line end, because this 11.6″ machine will feature a top cover rubber bumper to absorb any impacts made to the laptop. Rugged corners will also shield the notebook should it fall from an angle, while recessed ports should keep normal wear and tear at a minimum. Protecting the 11.6″ LED panel will be a 1.2 mm-thick bezel. Battery-wise, you can expect to get up to 8.5 hours of use before needing a recharge and the entire system will weigh a respectable 3.9 lbs. You won’t be getting a lot of RAM (the standard configuration will include 2GB of RAM upgradeable to 8GB), but for storage you can expect a 320GB or 500GB hard drive. There’s even the choice for a 128GB SSD. The laptop is expected to make its debut just before the holidays on December 20 starting at $469.
Google has long been thought of as an innovator in the high tech industry, but most people who do not live in the San Francisco Bay Area are unaware that they are also innovators when it comes to their employees commuting to work. With 1000′s of employees, Google has grown what was a grassroots van pool in 2006 to a 70 vehicle fleet with 275 daily departures which can all be tracked online by the waiting employees. This program alone has reduced their yearly carbon dioxide emissions by 5,400 tons or the equivalent of almost 2,000 cars off of the road a day.
Realizing not everyone can or wants to take the shuttle, Google also encourages their employees to use other modes of transportation to commute to work. Along with reducing the carbon footprint and getting some exercise, employees who are part of the Self Powered Commute Program (ie. cyclists) also earn a charity credit for each day that they ride. In addition to encouraging employees to use alternative transportation to commute to work, Google also has 1,000′s of bicycles around that Mountain View campus that employees can use as needed.
Brendon Harrington, Transportation Operations Manager at Google, talks about alternative transportation and says that 40-percent of Google’s Mountain View employees commute via non-single car driving.
Though Google has not completely achieved the goal of being ‘carbon neutral’, they are making a valiant effort. What is your company doing?
All my life I’ve had trouble sleeping. By now most nights are better, but there are nights I’m up to see the sunrise, and not because I slept like a baby all night. The problem is that my mind races the second I turn out the light, and I can’t stop it. At some point I learned to concentrate on breathing, using a relaxing breath that ends just about every Yoga class.
That’s the concept behind NightWave. Thought at first you have to wonder, how is a light going to help me get to sleep? NightWave is a device that projects a blue light on the ceiling or wall of your bedroom. Set for sleep mode, it runs for seven or 25 minutes. A blue light brightens and dims at a regular pace that suggests a rate for you to breathe. In addition to the light being suspect, you keep your eyes open to watch the light for this time interval.
Last night I turned it on the normal sleep mode, which runs for seven minutes. I kept my breathing in time with the light, though I found that a little faster than I might time my breaths. I also tend to close my eyes to breathe, and kept wanting to do so. For the first night I found my mind a bit distracted by the device. I think it will be easier to focus tonight. I also plan to try the 25-minute mode, which has slower light intervals for longer breathing. Read the rest of this entry »
Before a ride, run or other outdoor activity, I often fill a bottle or two with water from my filter at home then set out on the road. If I need a refill I either buy a bottle of water, defeating the purpose of bringing bottles, or fill from the tap and don’t always appreciate the taste.
CamelBak has taken its Better Bottle design and added an internal filter to create the Groove. This bottle is made of CamelBak’s BPA-free Tritan plastic, and also available in stainless steel. The Groove uses the CamelBak Big Bite Valve where you bite down on a silicon seal and sip from the straw inside. It doesn’t let water out if the bottle falls or is left on its side. The filter is a cylinder of charchoal that’s placed in the straw. Read the rest of this entry »
Sometimes when you’re capturing the action, you still want to see the action. The GoPro Hero cam, which was on display last January at the Consumer Electronics Show, now has the LCD BacPac, a detachable LCD screen that works with the GoPro Hero camera. Read the rest of this entry »
Who doesn’t put their phone and ID in a zipper bag when they go on a long run, bike ride or other activity? I started sealing my phone and essentials a few years ago and it’s saved my goods in a few rain storms. Well Loksak has a line of bags for just that purpose, and they’re much more durable than what you find at your local grocery store.
aLoksak is a resealable bag that’s waterproof, dust proof and humidity proof. The bags were originally developed for SCUBA diving when the founder of the company realized he needed a 100 percent waterproof bag. There is a whole range of bags to fit many applications. There’s a number of bags the size of cell phones, iPods and other small electronic devices. The best part is that you can operate your devices, both buttons and touch screen, through the bag. You don’t need to expose your phone to the elements to look something up, or make a quick phone call. Read the rest of this entry »
A new waste-to-energy plant on the outskirts of Copenhagen will double as a recreational ski area. Design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) won the design competition for client Amagerforbraending to create a waste-to-energy treatment plant on the crossroads between a residential neighborhood and an industrial zone. Another criteria for the building is to serve as a recreational area.
A vacation on a tropical island where you plan to do nothing more than lay on the beach and dip your toe in the ocean sounds so tempting. But think of all the good you can do for your body if you spend the time working out under the direction of resort professionals.
Sugar Ridge Antigua has a Fit Escape package that includes hiking, ocean fitness, kayaking, Pilates and yoga among other activities. Skilled travelers can also go SCUBA diving, windsurfing and ziplining through the island’s tropical rainforest. Upon arrival, guests receive a postural alignment and body assessment using the Polar program. Polar equipment continues to monitor guests with the use of F2 watches and heart rate monitors. In addition, you’ll continue to get guidance on heart rate monitoring for weight loss, increased endurance and overall fitness throughout the stay. Read the rest of this entry »
Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center began a mobile program that allows skiers to pay for room, refreshments and services, plus find out about deals in the Breckenridge, Colorado ski resort. Register for the service with a text to “BEAVERRUN” (466-622), and you’ll find out about deals on the slopes, and be entered to win a two-night stay plus two one-day lift tickets at the resort. As with other loyalty programs, participating skiers will earn perks in the resort and in the town. You can also use the program, provided by Mocapay, to send mobile-to-mobile gifting , pay for hotels and restaurant services. This offers the convenience of using one device, your phone, to pay in addition to staying in contact with friends and having access to online information if you’re phone is Web-enabled without having to bring a wallet with bills and plastic on the slopes with you. Don’t you have enough to worry about with your skis and other equipment?
Workouts on the road can be a treat if the hotel has a nice gym stocked with new, top-of-the-line equipment. But then sometimes that equipment is old and tired, and ou wish you’d gotten a few more minutes of sleep before the meeting. Sheraton Hotels just put $120 million into a brand-wide fitness roll-out to equip its gyms and also revamp its meals and individual fitness strategy. Read the rest of this entry »
Today’s smartphones pack built-in GPS capabilities that have all but demolished the need for a standalone GPS unit. But what if there was an app for outdoors enthusiasts that turned your smartphone into the digital equivalent of Bear Grylls? That’s essentially what you can expect from ViewRanger, a powerful outdoor GPS app that’s been available internationally, but is just now launching in the U.S.
Designer sports bag and apparel company OGIO just released its OGIO Endurance Collection. The line has bags that address the needs runners, swimmers, triathletes, cyclists, downhill mountain bikers and other athletes in endurance sports and competitions.
It’s important to get your exercise while on the road, but sometimes just venturing out in the hotel to find the gym is a chore. Now you can request rooms with exercise equipment next to the desk. That is if you’re staying at a TRYP by Windham property. A number of Fitness rooms in the TRYP hotels are equipped with exercise equipment.
