THIS WEEK, we’ve a couple of gadgets for the long-haul car journey to keep the kids quiet and the parents sane. Or vice versa.
Griffin MyPhones HeadphonesSimply, these are headphones specially designed for kids; more specifically, for under 12s (unless the little fella has his father's head, of course), so they're perfect for backseat in-car ents. The child focus is manifest in lots of ways: the smaller size, firstly, with thick padding to keep them comfortable on little ears, as well as block out unnecessary chatter from the parents upfront.
Moreover, MyPhones’ volume is capped at 85 decibels thanks to an always on sound-control circuit, a feature many would like to have universally available. Apparently this is the max level recommended by auditory regulatory bodies in the US and Europe.
These are not headphones for the audiophile needless to say, but for a bit of a spec-fix, they have tuned 30mm drivers inside a custom-designed shell and clear outer. Of more interest to the younger users is that you can design and colour your own headphone inserts for altogether more expressive customisation. They come with templates for this and more are downloadable.
And if all that wasn’t enough, the whole lot has its own clear carry case – because this is a gadget to go. Takes standard 3.5mm jack.
- Cost€39.95. See store.apple.com/ie
Griffin Powerjolt Dual
Car Charger Another gadget from Griffin, which has carved out a niche in travel accessories for the personal electronics addict. As an early importer of their original iTrip FM transmitter for the iPod, I can vouch for a track record of innovation.
However, this isn’t the company’s most inventive piece of kit ever, but it does its job very neatly – that job being peacekeeping en route. It’s a dual USB charger that fits the car’s 12V DC socket. In ancient times this was the cigarette lighter, but now lots of cars have a second or even third 12V accessory point.
The Powerjolt Dual has two USB slots, so it can recharge any two devices such as MP3 players simultaneously. Imagine the long journey ructions that little trick might defuse.
Speaking of which, it has a built-in SmartFuse to avoid over-voltage and separate charge-status indicators.
- Cost€16.95. See memory man.ie
TomTom Darth Vader VoiceIt's sad I know, but this made my day when I came across it. It's not often one can refer to laugh-out-loud sat navs. But if you have the vaguest fuzzy feelings toward Star Wars, this is the best €9.95 you'll spend in a while.
The main sat nav brands have been offering so-called premium voices as accessories for a while. You can have Homer Simpson issue your directions or recent additions such as Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants will guide you home.
TomTom has just added the Star Wars roster to their line-up, with Darth Vader and C3PO available, and Yoda and Han Solo coming soon. (If you need background on these names, this probably isn’t for you.)
With original sound effects and what is allegedly James Earl Jones’ dulcet tones, every utterance takes on an iconic quality: “Turn around when possible. I find your lack of faith disturbing.” Oooh!
And to top it all, TomTom released a frankly hilarious clip of Lord Vader’s recording session, which is on TomTom’s site and the blog below.
- Cost€9.95. See star wars.tomtom.com (requires software version 5 or higher).
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