Tag Archives: Travel

A Quick Boost

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We use our phones all day long and the truth of the matter is the battery doesn’t last as long as we need it to. With each iPhone, or other smartphone release, the makers tout better battery life, but this still isn’t cutting it. Charging cases are heavy and bulky and while sometimes helpful, can be cumbersome.

UNU is here with the ULTRA-X, which claims to be the world’s fastest charging technology and can provide a full charge in just 15 minutes. The device can also be charged ahead of time and carried with you to power on-the-go. Now this isn’t as fast as StoreDot’s 30-second charger, we wrote about in April, but that device isn’t reaching markets until late 2016. ULTRA-X on the other hand is ready to ship August 24, 2014. There are two models, the larger one goes for $99.99 and comes with two ports so it can charge multiple devices simultaneously.

What Sparks our Fire: Fueling our phones as quickly as possible.

How many times have you been frustrated because you didn’t have time to wait for your phone to charge?

Keeping Cool

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A few weeks ago we wrote about The Coolest, a cooler that does just about everything you’d imagine a cooler could do. Well, we were wrong. The IcyBreeze cooler doesn’t have all of the features of The Coolest, but it does have one that sets it apart.

This cooler doesn’t just keep your drinks cold, it also cools you with a built in air conditioner. Now when you’re enjoying your summer weekend on the beach you can easily cool off without having to get wet. Simply fill the cooler with two quarts of water, ice, and beverages and the rechargeable battery will keep you cool for up to seven hours.

This summer the cooler really seems to be the center of everyone’s attention. The Coolest is now the third most funded Kickstarter project ever hauling in over $7.5 million dollars as I write this with 31 days left. The IcyBreeze isn’t fundraising and is the basic cooler ($279) is available for pre-order.

What Sparks our Fire: Even more innovation in an area that has lacked for decades.

Which do you prefer – The Coolest or The IcyBreeze?

Go Explore

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There are countless apps out there that offer great location-based services. Yelp and the recently redesigned Foursquare are two of the best out there when you are looking for something to do nearby. But one of the giants has entered the market and is poised to take them down.

Google announced a new feature for its Google Maps app for iOS and Android that allows you to explore your area. The feature offers you suggestions on what to do based on your location, the weather, and time of day. For example, by just tapping the explore button while at my desk in the morning, it suggests the best nearby coffee shops, but when I check it before I leave work it recommends restaurants, bars, and movie theaters instead. When it’s raining out, you can be sure it won’t recommend that you go to the nearest outdoor swimming pool. If you aren’t looking for something right now, you can easily just enter the time of day that you are looking to go and explore.

What Sparks our Fire: An easy way to explore your city.

What do you think of Google tackling the nearby recommendation category with this update?

No Signal, No Problem!

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We so heavily rely on our cell phones that it has become impossible to live without them, and signal outages can cause major issues. For example, during Hurricane Sandy, many family members were unable to contact with their loved ones to let them know they were safe because of downed cell towers. Or sometimes, although less serious, it’s SO important for you to get that video of Jay Z and Beyonce to all of your friends from their crowded concert.

goTenna is an awesome device that allows you to send text messages without Wi-Fi or cell service. The device can connect to your cell phone via bluetooth, and by using the associated app, allows you to send a text from anywhere. So now, when you go to text your friends while at a crowded venue, you won’t have any problems. It also allows you to easily share your location in the event of an emergency, and has a “Shout” feature that allows you to contact anyone within range.

If you preorder now, it is available for $149.99, which is 50% off. Check it out, and never have issues getting out a message again.

What Sparks our Fire: Being able to text anyone, from anywhere, no matter what.

Will you buy a goTenna?

An Even Better Coffee Cup

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You already know about our loving relationship with coffee. You also know we love innovation that makes our coffee drinking experience better and more convenient. So don’t act surprised that we’re posting about yet another Kickstarter doing just that – improving our morning ritual of consuming caffeine.

Smash Cup is the essential coffee cup for traveling coffee connoisseurs. Nobody enjoys lugging around a big mug with them, enter Smash Cup. Once you’re finished drinking your morning cup of joe, smash the cup and watch it collapse into a pocket sized disk easy to carry around. The Kickstarter has already surpassed it’s goal of $10,000 and ships this fall.

What Sparks our Fire: Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.

How else could our experience with coffee be improved?