IF YOU’RE AN international jet setter, regular train commuter or even more of an ‘I’ll just use my legs’ type, there are few journeys that aren’t made better with the help of some trusty gadgets.
These days, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), gadgets are now both smart and portable enough to keep us entertained for hours while we get from A to B.
So whether it’s something to keep you occupied on public transport, or help you pass the time on long haul business journeys; here’s our rundown of the best travel gadgets available right now that no tech fan can travel without.
Lenovo Yoga Book
From £449.99 at Lenovo.com
If you’re always on the road and you\re in the market for a laptop and tablet convertible device with a twist, you should have a gander at the Lenovo Yoga Book, a fresh take on tablet design aimed at the creatives among us.
What makes the Yoga Book unique is its zero-travel backlit touch Halo keyboard, which doubles up as a digitizer so you can draw or write using a stylus. There’s also a Real Pen feature, allowing you to switch from a digital to an ink tip to record a digital copy of whatever you draw or write on real paper.
It’s also super slim and super light, measuring 9.6mm thick and weighing just 690g, perfect for throwing in a small rucksack for those short business trips. Despite its tiny size, it packs a powerful punch. Under the hood there’s an Intel Atom quad-core processor and 4GB of RAM.
Beeline
£99 at Beeline
Beeline is a universal bike attachment that sits on your handlebars, connects to your phone’s GPS and tells you which directions to turn if you don’t have a clue where you are going. Sunlight readable, backlit display, water and shock resistant, and weeks of use on a single charge: this nifty little gadget is the perfect for those that like to travel by bike, or hire a bike on their travels.
It doesn’t give you turn-by-turn directions, but simply tells you how far away you are from your destination in miles or kilometres, alongside an arrow that – like a compass – tells if you’re going in the right direction or not. Perfect for travels to unfamiliar places. It’s also easy to attach thanks to its silicon casing with built-in mount strap, and charges up with a standard micro-USB plug.
Logitech M330 Silent Plus Wireless Optical Mouse
£29.99 at Amazon
If a trackpad is your worst enemy and you’ve got enough room on your aeroplane’s tray table, then the Logitech silent optical mouse is ideal in those situations where you need to remain as quiet as a, err, mouse. Just think; the person sitting next to you will thank you for not disturbing them with annoying clicks that you’re bound to get their inflight meal leftovers as a reward.
In terms of features, the Logitech M330 touts a 90 percent reduction in clicking noise and a smooth scroll wheel, a wireless connection up to 10m away thanks to a plug-and-forget nano receiver, and Advanced Optical Tracking tech for more precise moves on almost any surface. It works with Windows, Mac, or Chrome OS computers with no installation or drivers required, too.
Olloclip iPhone 7 clip-on camera
From £99.99 at Olloclip
Want to take better quality travel snaps on your iPhone than anyone else? Then look no further than the OlloClip, the best camera accessory for the iPhone hands down. It offers four different lens settings: Fisheye, for a unique 180-degree spherical effect, Super-wide, a 4-element lens with over 120° field-of-view, Super-Wide lens for almost double the field-of-view of iPhone’s native camera, and Macro, for close-up snaps with 15x the detail. Phew.
The clip-on cam also comes with a lanyard that not only ensures you won’t lose it, but will be in easy reach when you need to take a super quick snap before the moment ends.
Jaybird Freedom F5 Wireless In-Ear Headphones
£169.99 from Argos
Not only technically are these elegant sand-blasted metal earphones something that you adorn, but their high-quality sound and weightlessness will have you thinking they are the latest in cutting edge technology.
The Jaybird Freedom F5’s in-ear speaker design reduces the speaker housing diameter while maintaining a really good sound performance. This makes them super light, meaning you won’t even feel like you’re wearing them. This innovation allows for a drastic reduction in overall bud size that ensures a universal fit while being comfortable for any activity while out and about. They also look pretty cool, too.
Bose QC35 noise-cancelling wireless headphones
£290 from Bose.co.uk
If you’re looking to drown out those annoying external sounds while travelling, such as the droning hum of aeroplane engines or chugging of the train along the tracks, these noise-isolating cans are the best you can get your mitts on.
If the eardrum-splitting screams of needy children is too much to bear, pop on the Bose QC35 headphones and boom, it’s like you’re in another, child-free world.
While they don’t come cheap, the noise cancellation feature is too good to overlook. It’s also well matched with the comfort offered by the earphones’ fit and sound, which is smooth in that it doesn’t favour either treble or bass. By far the best over the head earphones you can get right now.
TomTom Spark 3
From £120 at TomTom.co.uk
With GPS, heart rate monitoring and timing tools all in one fitness tracker, the TomTom Spark 3 is an ideal gadget for those that don’t want to fork out for an Apple Watch but are still looking to track their fitness levels while travelling.
With GPS, heart rate monitoring and timing tools all in one fitness tracker, the TomTom Spark is an ideal gadget for those who love to get out and about. Aimed at runners, cyclists and gym-goers fed up with taking their smartphones out on a run with them, the TomTom spark lets users track sprints, strolls and steps as well as see the total time, distance and the calories burned.
But the Spark isn’t just for running. You can use it on the road when cycling, in the gym or swimming in the pool. You can also switch modes to mix up your training, or use it for sleep tracking.
Its best feature is by far is its built-in storage for songs. The Spark uses Bluetooth to sync to wireless earphones so you don’t have to take your smartphone everywhere you go when working out, giving you more freedom to run, jump or dance around anywhere in the world.
The Beard Bib
£25 at Firebox
Not so much a gadget in its own right, but a necessity for a travelling beard-wearer who uses gadgets to trim his pride and joy. No more hairs in the sink, on the floor or around the soap bowl with this clever contraption that can roll up and fit in the bottom of your rucksack.
How does it work? It’s basically a giant apron that straps around your neck while two suction cups attach to a mirror, creating a large safety net to catch your fallen trimmings. Simply empty it away when your sprucing is complete. Weird but wonderful gizmo for any bearded traveller.
AliveCor Kardia Band
£199 at AliveCor
If you’ve already got yourself an Apple Watch but want to step the heart rate monitoring level up a gear, then the Karida Band is ideal for your travels. It’s a medical grade heart monitoring Apple Watch strap that has just recently been launched in the UK and Europe by Silicon Valley health tech company AliveCor.
The band’s electrocardiogram (EKG) strap is designed to pick up palpitations, shortness of breath and other reasons for concern which could increase the risk of a stroke. With all the stress travelling can bring, it’s certainly a worthy buy for anyone even slightly worried about their ticker.
Emoji charger
£34.99 at Firebox
We use all our battery life searching for the most relevant emojis to back up what we’ve said in text with cartoon images, so why not re-juice your device while on your travels in the same way?
Most of us use emojis these days, whether you admit to it or not, so why not say it loud and proud with these chargers that come in four different themes, our favourite being the animated poo.
This power bank features a 2,600mAh battery that will provide enough emergency backup power to charge your average smartphone at least twice over. It also has two USB ports for different output levels so you can charge two devices at the same time, perfect for those times when you’re on the road and your phone dies right when you need it the most. µ
