New products: Alva+ bike is a battery-powered joyride
The Alva bike is $3,400.(Photo: A2B)
This weekly roundup takes a look at the practical and sometimes quirky aspects of tech products.
This is one powerful bicycle
Do you want to bike around town and turn heads while doing it? Then take a spin on the Alva+, the latest version of the Alva e-bike from A2B. Let's be upfront about one thing: At $3,400, the Alva+ is not the bike that you can casually park in front of the store while you grab a candy bar — unless you travel with your own security guards. But this is a bike that anyone who wants something cool and fast will covet. Here's why: The Alva+ looks like a chic version of something you might see someone riding along the seashore — its handlebars, for example, are the standard kind you would see on a mountain bike rather than on a racing bike. Thanks to a battery-powered 500-watt motor embedded in the rear wheel — the bike turns on with an electronic key and charges by plugging into a wall socket — it can be pedaled and kicked up to 24 mph when you simply maneuver the grip on the right handlebar, much like shifting a gear on a regular bike. That's when it gets really fun. On several recent spins, passersby literally stared as we climbed steep hills without pedaling.[1]
The lithium-ion battery contains enough juice to let you roam up to 40 miles if you'd like, and just as silently as you would on a standard bike. One of the many neat things about this bike is it gives you just enough "oomph" when you don't want to pedal. So, if you've always wanted to bike to neighboring towns but fretted about the hassle and the potential for exhaustion, this is a solution.
One caveat: Once the battery runs down you can still pedal, but this is a heavy bike, weighing in at 66 pounds. You can monitor the charge on a "fuel" gauge on the handlebars. But if the magic temporarily comes to a halt far from home, you might want a muscle-bound friend with a roomy hatchback to give you a lift.
The PowerTrip socket from PowerStick costs about $100.(Photo: Christian Lalonde)
Get a charge from working outside
Now that warmer weather is here, maybe you're one of those lucky people who can do your office work outside via a cellphone or tablet. You also want to keep your devices fully charged. One of the neater features of a portable charger called the PowerTrip[3] is that it's solar-powered. Yes, you can also juice it up by plugging it into a regular wall socket or USB port, but the solar feature is, well, pretty cool. About the size of a smartphone, the PowerTrip socket from PowerStick costs about $100. Models with built-in memory are available.
The Keeper starts at $35.(Photo: Quirky)
Show your iPhone that you care
Your daily routine before you leave the house probably involves grabbing your keys, sunglasses, wallet and cellphone. When it comes to the last two items, a new item from Quirky[5] lets you combine the two. The Keeper is a leather card case that can be clipped onto the back of your iPhone 5, allowing room for two credit cards. It has a window slot for an ID and a hard plastic case for extra protection. The Keeper goes for about $35.
The Kinivo BTX350 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker is priced at $40.(Photo: Kinivo)
Speaker controls the music
The Kinivo[7] BTX350 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker lets you control your playlist, even when your audio device is tucked safely in your bag. Controls on the portable speaker let you boost the volume, pause a tune or skip to the next song. It can connect to audio devices via the included 3.5mm audio cable. Priced at about $40, the speaker comes in a matte black finish and has a rechargeable battery.
E-mail new product suggestions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.[9].
References
- ^ http://www.wearea2b.com/ (www.wearea2b.com)
- ^ http://www.wearea2b.com/ (www.wearea2b.com)
- ^ http://www.powerstick.com/ (www.powerstick.com)
- ^ http://www.powerstick.com/ (www.powerstick.com)
- ^ http://www.quirky.com/ (www.quirky.com)
- ^ http://www.quirky.com/ (www.quirky.com)
- ^ http://www.kinivo.com/ (www.kinivo.com)
- ^ http://www.kinivo.com/ (www.kinivo.com)
- ^ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (rssfeeds.usatoday.com)