SteelSeries Siberia Neckband Smartphone HeadsetFrom the name, you'd be entitled to imagine this is some piece of high-end, technical kit for use in extreme conditions at the very margins of survival. Well, not quite. Not unless survival is predicated around whether you can use your iPhone hands-free or not.
This is a pair of headphones or more correctly perhaps, a pair of neckphones, as Neckband refers to how you wear them, around the back of your neck rather than over the top. The sizing is over the top, of course: the Siberia Neckband doesn’t do discreet. It has a great big pair of padded cans, very comfortable, with a boom mic that lets you make and take calls.
The headset is specially designed to work with the i-Everything, so the controls work just like Apple’s own, even the voice commands – if you’re happy to bellow instructions into the mic on the Dart into work. If your fellow travellers hadn’t already noticed the size of them, it’s a sure-fire way to get their attention.
Oh, and they sound round too, accurate and with a solid low end. They’re not noise-cancelling, however, so if it’s absolute shut-out from the long haul snorer in seat B27 you’re looking for, a more custom-designed pair might be needed. Or a pointy stick.
Cost€80, from steelseries.com.
Motion Detector Bike AlarmIt's simple this, but it just might give a bike thief a second thought, particularly if there's a formidable lock to be negotiated too. This is a motion-detector alarm for your two-wheeled friend. It bolts onto the bike, you set it by pressing the B button for two seconds and if your bike is moved after that, it sets off a pretty decent 80db alarm.
The alarm will only stay on for 15 seconds if the bike stops moving, but it continues if the motion continues. You can set the sensitivity of the sensor. At least the timer means an accidental bump won’t have you getting the evil eye from all around on your return.
To deactivate it, you just punch in a four-letter code sequence. It’s completely waterproof, so you leave it bolted on, and its 9V battery will last an age unless you’re the subject of a continuous crime wave.
CostFrom £1.99 (€2.35) plus postage, from ebay.co.uk.
Tea-Lover's Eco CupI'm not sure why the makers of this wanted to define its beverage usage so specifically, as it works just as well with coffee, hot chocolate or whatever's your fancy. The TLEC is a re-usable ceramic cup for a daintier class of coffee-on-the-move.
Or tea. (This is getting like that scene from The Life of Brian.)
It’s got what they describe as a William Morris-style floral design in blue and white – very country living – and a silicone sleeve round the middle to save those delicate pinkies. And don’t forget to keep your little one extended.
There is one tea-specific feature though, the teapot motif is a little button to wind your teabag thread around. Fancy! It’s got a silicone lid too to keep your bev hot with the usual sipping slit.
And, of course, when you use it on the go rather than a card or plastic one, you’re clocking up another bit of eco-credit in a very, very civilised fashion. And doesn’t tea always taste better from a real cup?
Cost£6.99 (€8.25), from iwantoneofthose.com.