Tech review: Five gadgets to make your car safer and more comfortable
Jim Rossman | Tribune News Service (TNS)
I love to drive, which is good, because I get a lot of opportunities to review gadgets for drivers.
This week I’m looking at a handful of useful things to make your drive safer or more comfortable.
You’ll notice I have included two air inflators. I like them both and they each have their advantages. Pricing included is retail price, but you may find them cheaper.
Dr Well Laxon DR-6000 Vehicle Air Massage Seat
As I get older, a comfortable place to sit is becoming more important. I love driving long distances, but my hips and back start to get sore after about 90 minutes in my driver’s seat.
The Laxon DR-6000 Vehicle Air Massage Seat ($399.99, Laxon.us or Amazon.com) is designed to sit on top of your seat. It straps to the headrest and around the back of the seat.
The DR-6000 uses a small air compressor to quickly fill air chambers strategically placed on the back and bottom of the seat. There are different massage modes that provide differing levels of massage. I’m a big guy, so I liked the more aggressive settings.
The compressor is housed in a small pouch that hangs down under your knees. It is quiet and fills the air chambers quickly.
The DR-6000 also has a seat heater that I didn’t need in Texas this summer, but I’m sure it’ll be handy this winter.
The massage and heat levels are controlled from a small wired remote that tucks into a pocket by the compressor.
Topdon V2200Plus Jump Starter
A small, battery-powered jump starter has replaced jumper cables in my vehicles for the last few years.
The Topdon V2200Plus ($149.99, topdon.us) can jumpstart your vehicle up to 35 times on a full charge.
It can jump up to 8-liter gas or 6-liter diesel engines, delivering up to 2,200 amps of peak current.
The clamps are smart enough to prevent you from doing damage to your vehicle or the jump starter if you’ve got them on the wrong posts.
The V2200Plus also has Bluetooth that can talk to an app on your phone that will give you a report on the health of your vehicle’s battery.
It also has an LED flashlight (handy) and it can charge your phone or other USB-powered devices.
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve helped with a portable jump starter. This is a good one.
HOTO Air Pump Master
Having a leaky tire is no fun. We’ve all been there. You see a little yellow low tire warning light on your dash and now you have to figure out which tire is low.
I also dislike hunting for a working air pump at a gas station, much less one that doesn’t require a credit card.
The HOTO Air Pump Master ($169.99, hototools.com) is a cigar-box sized compressor with a slick LED screen in its control wheel.
It’s easy to set your desired air pressure and let the pump do its job. It’ll stop when the target pressure is reached.
The Air Pump Master has two hoses that attach for filling everything you’d want to inflate, from car and bike tires to air mattresses, inflatable tents, kayaks and paddleboards and sports balls.
The interface is really easy to use and the inflation is quick. It takes about a minute to inflate a car tire or kayak.
The rechargeable 7,500 milliamp-hour battery can get the job done, or you can plug into your car’s 12v port for working all day. HOTO says you can inflate up to 16 car tires on a charge.
It has a built-in LED light to make using it easy at night and the internal battery recharges through its USB-C port.
It includes a nice sturdy storage bag to keep the inflator and all the hoses and filler tips organized and ready to go.
Pitaka MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 Qi2
Everyone seems to have a phone mount in their car these days, and if you’re smart you have a charger built into that mount to keep your phone’s battery full.
The Pitaka MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 Qi2 ($59.99, ipitaka.com) is a 15-watt wireless fast charger for your compatible iPhone or Android phone. Your phone can charge from zero to 100 percent in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Connect the included USB-C cable to the MagEZ and your phone’s battery will stay full as you navigate down the road.
This mount comes in two models, one for cars with horizontal or vertical air vents and one for Tesla Model3/Y.
It uses the Qi2 charging standard, adopted by Apple and various Android phone manufacturers. Its magnet is strong enough to keep your phone steady on the bumpiest roads.
If your phone doesn’t have a magnet in the back like my iPhone, you’ll need a compatible case to help your phone stick to the charger. Pitaka sells cases, but you can get them from other places as well.
The MagEZ has one interesting feature that is unusual. It has a three-position switch that activate NFC shortcuts.
Once you set it up the NFC, you can have your favorite music or navigation app launch automatically when the phone is placed in the charger. Slick feature.
The MagEZ uses a 17mm universal swivel ball mount, so if you don’t want to use the included vent mount, you can get a different mount to attach it to your dash or a window or whatever type you like.
Syncwire Portable Inflator Air Pump
This is a tiny inflator that anyone can carry. I’d even recommend this one for e-bike riders or motorcyclists.
The Syncwire Portable Inflator ($79.99, syncwire.com) is about the size of a soft drink can and it can inflate car, motorcycle and bike tires or items like sports balls, air mattresses and inflatables. It has a maximum fill capacity of 150 psi.
The interface is quite simple. Press the power button, select the fill mode, set your desired pressure with the + and – buttons and attach the hose to whatever you want to fill. When connected, the display will show you the current pressure.
Pressing the power button starts the inflation and the compressor will stop when it reaches the desired pressure.
It has a 5,200mAh rechargeable battery that charges from a USB-C cable.
There is also a USB-A port that can charge your phone.
I tested this on my SUV. I deflated my tires down to 25 psi and it took about two and a half minutes to inflate them to 33 psi. I did note the inflator gets pretty warm during use, but it was manageable.
This inflator is inexpensive, easy to use and super convenient to stow in its included carry bag. It’ll fit in any trunk, saddle bag or toolbox.
Jim Rossman is a tech columnist for Tribune News Service. He may be reached at jrossmantechadviser@gmail.com.
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