I thought I'd take time this week to toss out a couple of powerful products, starting with one that brings back some great memories.
The first product gets me nostalgic for some 1980s television.
where it’s @
The Knight Rider K.I.T.T. USB Car Charger from Think Geek requires a standard car power port. The product retails for $29.99. More information is available at thinkgeek.com. The Spyder PowerShadow iPhone 6 Battery Case requires an iPhone 6 and a USB port on a computer or power adapter for charging. The product retails for $99. More information is available at www.spyderstyle.com.
Growing up, I was like most kids in that I probably watched way too much TV. I was a big fan of all those old NBC action shows -- The A-Team, Remington Steele and, of course, Knight Rider. The show starred David Hasselhoff, but the real star was a souped-up, computer-enhanced Pontiac Trans Am called the Knight Industries Two Thousand, better known as K.I.T.T.
(I wrote that from memory, folks. Yes, I am a nerd.)
Let's be honest -- if you're 40-something now and you watched the show then, at some point, you wanted that car. The body armor, the Turbo Boost, the front scanner thingy, and of course, the red blinking lights that moved as K.I.T.T. spoke, surrounded by buttons that did all kinds of wicked things.
Well, you may not be able to get a car with body armor or one that can jump over things, but Think Geek allows you to at least get the instrument panel that talks.
Think Geek started us on the nostalgia trail last year by providing a smartphone car charger in the form of the Flux Capacitor, the thing that makes time travel possible in Back to the Future. This year, they've moved from 1980s movies to 1980s television with the Knight Rider K.I.T.T. USB Car Charger.
The charger looks like the K.I.T.T. panel with the red moving lights and the buttons surrounding it that activated all the cool features of the car. It has a power switch on the back that turns on the voice or mutes it while keeping the charger on. A big, black button on top allows you to rotate through 11 different sounds and sayings from the voice of K.I.T.T. himself, also known as actor William Daniels. With the power switch to On, the charger will make the startup sound K.I.T.T. used to make at the beginning of the television show each time you start your car.
Aside from being nostalgic, the charger is very useful. The side of the charger contains two 1.0-amp USB charging ports that will charge two smartphones or tablets simultaneously. It's compatible with any smartphone that uses a USB charging cord, including iPhones and Android phones.
I do have two issues with the K.I.T.T. car charger. First, it's really big, about 4 inches by 3 inches. For those with charging ports deep in the dash, it could be difficult to plug the charger in or keep it upright. My car's charging port is set back under the dash, so the car charger spent most of the time tilted down slightly.
The other issue is the design of the adjustable ball joint that connects the charging plug with the K.I.T.T. panel. It's very similar to the one on last year's Back to the Future charger. I've used that charger for the better part of the year, and over time, that ball joint wore out. Now, the Flux Capacitor won't stay upright. I suspect the same fate may befall the K.I.T.T. charger over time, especially given it's much larger than the Flux Capacitor charger. It's holding up well so far, but it's only been a short time. We shall see.
Even if it doesn't hold up forever, the device does a good job of charging smartphones, and the rotating voices are funny. Besides, starting the car and hearing that famous K.I.T.T. startup sound is just fun!
The second device isn't as nostalgic, but it is useful. It's the Spyder PowerShadow iPhone 6 Battery Case.
The case has a polymer exterior that is soft to the touch but water and shock resistant. Covers on the bottom protect the charging and headphone ports. Leads on the bottom connect to the PowerShadow charging dock, which is sold separately but can be used to charge and sync the phone. A small, black button on the back of the bottom part of the case turns the battery on or off and lights the blue LED Spyder logo on the back, which shows battery level.
The battery gives charging priority to the iPhone when plugged in, then it charges the battery. The battery delivers well over a full charge to the iPhone. The extra power can be saved for later by turning off the battery with that back button.
The case is thin and fairly light for a battery case, and because the top bends a bit and the Lightning connector on the bottom tilts, it's fairly easy to slide the iPhone in and out of the case. The case can be connected to a computer's USB port with the included micro-USB cable to charge and sync the phone.
My only complaint with this case is that while it does a lot to protect the back and sides of the phone, it leaves the front almost completely exposed. Though I'm not a huge fan of those stick-on screen protectors, it would be wise to use one with this case.
Both products offered a lot more good points than bad ones. Whether taking the practical route or the nostalgic one, both products offer ways to power up while on the go.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at [email protected].
SundayMonday Business on 08/10/2015