New products: Bag is ready for whatever
Who knows? Maybe your next business trip or study abroad program will take you to some remote outpost in the Himalayas, where your briefcase or tablet case needs military-style ruggedness and durability. That seems to be the idea behind the Type S-4 collection from Skooba Design.
Made with double-tacked hand grips, water-repellent, heavy-duty nylon, and shoulder straps attached to heavy-duty metal clips and D-rings, each bag looks like it's ready for anything, whether a hike up a mountain or a short walk to the office. The Type S-4 Tablet Bag contains a padded compartment with space for a tablet and a zippered compartment for portable devices. Available in khaki or black, it costs $130. Need to lug a laptop to work? A bigger version, The Type S-4 Laptop Bag with room for a 15-inch laptop, is $160.
• "Sneaker" banks on power
Let's get one point out of the way: The XS Sneaker Power Bank has absolutely nothing to do with shoes, other than the fact that the silicone exterior of this new portable battery from XSories looks like the tread you might find on a pair of, well, sneakers. The portable device has a USB, micro-USB and 30-pin convertible cable that gives you the freedom to charge a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets and cameras. It costs about $80.
• Take the party with you
Anytime a company boasts that an audio speaker is its "loudest," you know they aren't fooling around when it comes to sound projection. Even the speaker's name is a giveaway: the Big Blue Party. The 72-watt speaker from Brookstone boasts four full-range speaker drivers that can amp up the sound indoors or out. The water-resistant speaker sports a handle, so you can carry it from place to place. Just know that the Big Blue Party isn't a lightweight, thanks to a sturdy metal frame that demands you take the speaker, not to mention the lifting of the speaker, seriously. It can be paired with Bluetooth devices up to 33 feet away or connected to a device via its audio jack. Priced at $300, the speaker includes an AC adapter and a built-in rechargeable battery that delivers about 4 ½ hours of playing time.
• Karaoke gets tech update
It must be official: Karaoke is here to stay. If it were a passing fad, companies probably wouldn't keep tweaking the technology. The Singing Machine Co. is one of the latest to do just that with the Home 2.0 karaoke speaker. The device pulls double duty, functioning as a Bluetooth speaker that can stream music from an audio device and as a Wi-Fi karaoke machine that delivers sing-along options via your TV and an online cloud that provides access to karaoke music videos. Priced at $300, it ships with a microphone that doubles as a remote control. Access to online karaoke videos is free the first month. After that options include a 48-hour Party Pass for $5 and a Monthly Pass for $15.