Gadgets: Device lets you keep your eyes on the road
Now, this is cool and more important, useful.
Those were my thoughts when reading about the Hudly, and more so after using it. The Hudly is a heads-up display used while driving that projects your phone's screen in your direct line of sight.
Hudly is the first HUD (heads up display) I've tested, and I came away thinking this is something every car should have.
Setting up and using the Hudly is simple. Mount it on the top left corner of your windshield and plug it into your car's 12V cigarette lighter port with the included adapter.
A glass combiner is also included and is the key to the process. You place this on your windshield in a visible spot, somewhat at eye level. The glass is transparent and curved to magnify images for easy viewing, while still giving you a full view of the road ahead. The system automatically adjusts for light conditions.
Once it's in place, the system is plug-and-play, either wireless or with the included video adapter cable, so your phone display is mirrored onto the glass.
There are a few buttons on the Hudly, which control power, views, and settings. Once you toggle through them a few times, there's nothing to it.
I used it for my favorite driving app, Waze, and also used a GPS app. If you want, it can display other car data on the glass combiner. This includes fuel levels, speed, and runtime. There are lots of uses for a device like this, but anything that helps keep your eyes on the road while still giving you critical information is a plus in my book.
According to the Hudly site, for cars built in 1996 or later, Hudly can also connect to the diagnostic port to display useful information like speed, fuel or energy levels, and RPMs.
gethudly.com $299, available for iPhone and Android smartphones
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I'm personally hooked on neckband earbuds for everyday use. And another great one I just tried is the FIIL DRIIFTER.
You purchase headphones for the sound, and these did not disappoint. The deep bass comes from oversized micro-dynamic 16-ohm drivers, which sit inside the comfortable in-ear earphones. The FIIL website explains a lot about the technology, which went into developing the sound. You can read or just take my word for it.
While the sound is critical, there are also many other great features making these stand out. The durable lightweight and flexible neckband sits on your neck, but honestly, you don't even know it's there, whether the earbuds are in your ears or not and nothing gets tangled.
They are built with Bluetooth for a wireless connection, a rechargeable battery with an 11-hour battery life, sweat, water and dust resistant, crystal-clear wireless voice call technology, and multi-device pairing.
The right side of the neckband has the controls for power, playing, volume, voice assistant and answering calls. You get several different-sized earbud covers to ensure the proper fit.
fiil.com $99 available in black with a red version coming soon
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Drop it, splash it or even let it float in water and you'll still get your tunes playing out of the rugged iHome Weather Tough 4 wireless stereo speaker.
You can take it a step further and have a hands-free call while floating with the speaker and using the built-in speakerphone with digital voice echo cancellation and talk/end controls in the IP67-certified speaker. Obviously, your smartphone, paired with the speaker via Bluetooth has to be in a waterproof enclosure or within range but in a dry zone.
The speaker (2.4-by-6.54-by-4.81-inches) also has a built-in accent lighting system with five color changing modes (fast color blend, slow color blend, favorite color, pulse to music, and preset pulsing) for impressive color effects.
You'll get up to eight hours of use from the rechargeable battery that charges with the USB connection.
www.ihomeaudio.com $69.99
©2018 Gregg Ellman
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