Getting there they say is half the fun. We say not getting completely lost is the rest of the fun! The GH-561 makes pre-
planning your treks all the easier – whether they be around the neighborhood or around the world. This fully sealed, water resistant device offers GPS navigation with route planning, waypoint and GPS positioning. It can be used to locate and track points anywhere you choose to go, and it can be used with Travel Manager software so you can plot out your trip. It is rugged enough for outdoor travel, including climbing and hiking. And best of all, it will save you from ever saying, “where are we?”
Power to the Pedal
Wind power doesn’t only come from towering turbines. The HYmini from miniWIZ is a handheld gadget that collects wind energy to recharge portable devices. (The unit can also charge from an additional solar panel or hand crank if there isn’t enough wind to turn the fan.) It stores enough juice to charge a 5-volt device, such as a cell phone, MP3 player, iPod, PDA, or digital camera. The catch? To use the wind power you must get movement from the fan. While you can set it on a picnic table and hope it’ll get enough wind blowing on it to bring your cell phone back from the dead, the device works better when there’s faster action, like when it’s mounted onto your bike or strapped to your arm while you’re out for a run. It’s also an eco alternative to plugging into the wall or trickle charge via a USB connection.
Strong Enough for a Job Site, Compact Enough for Travel
If you’re looking for a durable digital camera for your next global trek, consider one that is meant to be used closer to home (or at least for home improvements). The Ryobi TEK4 Durashot is an 8megapixel digital still 
camera that can features a memo recording feature, which is great for providing a verbal description to your photos, and provides a flash that can light up to 15 feet. It has large buttons that can be used with gloves, and it features easy to use navigation. Best of all it is impact resistant and dust and waterproof, so it is ready for trip to the beach, the mountains or just about anywhere else you care to take it.
Sanyo Introduces Electric Bike
For $2,300 you could buy a very nice carbon fiber road bike, but then you’d have to actually pedal to work – not that we have a problem with that. But if you’re looking to commute on your cycle a good option is the Sanyo CY-SPA600NA Synergetic Hybrid Bicycle, which features a dynamic motor power system to help with hill climbing and lets you go the distance.
More impressively the bike essentially breaks the rules of perpetual motion, by utilizing a loop charging option that recharges the battery while you ride. So while we’d still recommend a road bike or mountain bike for serious riding, we like that someone is talking about electrical technology that takes advantage of human power too!
NXT Tunebug Offers Music 4 UR Melon
Life doesn’t have a soundtrack (which can be good or bad), but if you’d like to add a soundtrack to your activities the Tunebug Shake will help get you started or as the company touts it “Music 4 UR Melon.” 
This mini-external sound generator (don’t think of it as just another speaker), mounts to your skate/snowboard or bike helmet. The Tunebug Shake features a 3.5mm audio jack, as well as Bluetooth technology. It runs on a LiPoly battery that can last longer likely than your legs! The Tunebug shake is available now for $119.95.
GoPro Like a Real Pro
What good is doing some daredevil stunt if no one was there to see you do it? So before you try doing something that might risk life or limb, strap on GoPro’s helmet mounted cameras. These high-end wearable cameras from Hero might just make you feel like one – hero that is. There are plenty of similar devices but these seem like the kind that can truly take a lickin’ and keep on filmin’, even if it recording your agony of defeat instead of your moment of glory!
Sennheiser Partners With Adidas
What happens when Germany’s Sennheiser, arguably the makers of some of the finest headphones in the world, with German athletic shoemaker Adidas? Well, the result is a new line of headphones that might just make you want to go the distance and then some! Sennheiser is showing the new MX 680 Sports headphones at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
More importantly, unlike many other headsets these have fitness in mind from the Dupont Kevlar reinforced cables to the earphones that have been designed for heavy movement. Best of all these feature a moisture protection system, whether it be rain or just sweat from a serious workout!
Action Goggles
Ever wanted to capture the run down the slopes, laps in the pool, or deep sea adventures? Goggle-mounted cameras from Liquid Image let you do just that, in video or still images. The company just released a series of eye wear with built-in cameras to record the action.
Most exciting might be the snow camera, part of the Summit Series. It discreetly includes a camera on an attractive pair of ski goggles. The camera is a hands-free 5.0-megapixel model that shoots D1 video at a rate of 30 frames per second, with audio. Liquid Audio also released a pair of swim goggles as part of its Freestyle Series with a 1.3-megapixel camera and the ability to shoot VGA video with 640×480 resolution (the 330 model is shown above). The Liquid Image Wide Angle SCUBA series HD322 adds new features to an existing HD320 model. The HD322 records HD video at 720p quality, and has a 5.0-megapixel camera for still images.
Liquid Image, www.liquidimageco.com
Summit Series Snow Camera Goggle model number 335, $149
Freestyle Series Swim Camera Goggle model number 330, $79 (shown)
Wide Angle SCUBA Series HD322, $350
Heart Rate Monitor Takes a Drink
Oregon Scientific introduced a twist on the standard heart rate monitor at the Consumer Electronics Show. In addition to the standard beats per minute and calories burned, the T1 Zone Trainer with Hydration Index tells you when it’s time for a drink. The old advice, “If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated,” was never helpful. With the T1, you’ll get a warning before your tongue dries out. The monitor has three exercise modes: jogging, running, and cycling. In addition to heart rate and hydration it measures calories and percent fat burned. We like the tap screen feature to control the T1, rather than fiddling with several buttons to start the chronometer or scroll through modes and readings.
(www2.oregonscientific.com, T1 Zone Trainer with Hydration Index, $119.99)
Turning Tricks with Pedro’s Trixie
The “fixie” bike trend shows no sign of letting up. The bikes are lightweight, and without complex gearing fewer things can actually go wrong, making these ideal for short jaunts around town or as an alternative to driving to work. But the downside to these fixed-gear or track bicycles is that the wheels typically don’t have a quick release. This can make changing a flat tire annoying on a causal ride and a true disaster if you’re rushing to get somewhere, like commuting to work. Accessories maker Pedro’s has stepped in with a nifty multi-function tool called the “Trixie,” and this handy-dandy pocket-sized wrench is easy to carry for commuters, messengers, and racers alike.
The Trixie has a 15mm box-end wrench to get the wheel off, plus it includes a rock ring hook, which can come in handy for resetting the chain, so your hands don’t get greasy. In addition, there are 8-, 9-, and 100mm box-end wrenches, which you’ll probably never need, but having extra features isn’t something to complain about. Also included are a bottle opener, possibly something no one should be without. Best of all the Trixie can even mount directly to the frame’s water bottle cage using two butterfly screws (included), which makes accessing the Trixie a snap. So, while changing a tire is never fun, fixing it on a fixie with this tool makes it a bit easier, and with its extra function it has the tricks that we like to have turned.
Slim Helper
At Kinetic Shift we’re just getting started. It’s a new year, and many of you are getting started, too. When I was handed a sample of Maidenform’s Flexees Fat-Free Dressing Tank, I was excited things were taking shape. This slim-fitting camisole has an extra layer of microfiber sewn into the midsection to flatten the less desirable curves. The fit is a little tighter to slip on than other tank tops, but feels snug yet not overly tight when on. Slipped under tops or even worn on its own, it’s incredibly flattering. Even if you don’t have a tummy or other bulges to hide, it makes a great tank and worth the splurge of about $30. The Flexees line has a range of undergarments that show the results of your working out a little better than actual results. Some, like the Fat-Free Dressing Tank Top, don’t have to be worn just as undergarments.
Newton Almost Defies Gravity
What goes up, must come down. And when it is your foot hitting the ground while running, it can come down extremely hard, especially on your heels. The makers of the Newton Running Gravity know they can’t change the physics of actual gravity, but they did change the way its neutral trainer running shoes hit the ground. These shoes feature carbon rubber heels with impact absorption to reduce the shock with each stride, as well as a biomechanical forefoot plate and flex grooves to provide smooth cushioning while you run. All this even helps improve your form by encouraging you to land on the ball of your foot, for a more efficient and healthy way to pound the pavement. And at just 9.4 ounces these add practically no weight, almost like they’ll defy Newton’s law of gravity.
Note: We also thought this would be a good day to post this, as January 4 was Sir Issac Newton’s birthday!
Welcome to the Kinetic Shift
It’s the dawn of a new decade – well, technically the new decade begins in 2011 but the media rushed the whole “new millennium” thing in 2000 so we’re stuck with a new decade. The last 10 years were spent playing with some really cool technology. But while the TVs were able to slim down the viewers didn’t!
In fact, technology shouldn’t be something that makes movies buffs aspire to look like Harry Knowles and Kevin Smith. While we enjoy home theater, video games, remote controls, we also know that there is a whole world out there that can be enjoyed.
So while Web 2.0 made it possible to do the tech blogs, now it is time for the tech blogs to go to the next level and report on the technology that can help us make the shift to better health, through fitness and dare we say even greener living. Think not of what technology can do for us, but what we can do with this technology.