Something on the Side: Reach goals with Garmin

In Something on the Side, SEAN BACHER highlights the Garmin Vivofit, the GoPro Lang-Arm, the Incase EO Travel Rolling Brief bag and some nifty portable Bluetooth speakers from Philips.

Garmin Vivofit

Fitness wristbands are all the rage, with numerous companies jumping on the bandwagon. The latest, the Vivofit from Garmin, sports several features that put it on a par with or ahead of the rest. It includes a heart-rate monitor, which is only just beginning to appear on rival devices. A reflective LCD means it does not need to be charged every day or even every week, like most other fitness bands. In fact, Garmin says the batteries will last up to a year and can be replaced at a jeweller. The button at the bottom of the screen activates the date and time, heart-rate, calories burnt, steps taken and distance walked. Garmin offers an app for Android and iOS devices that syncs with the wristband, letting users monitor their progress and make changes to their goals and the Vivofit’s settings

Expect to pay: R1 800

Stockists: www.garmin.co.za

GoPro Lang-Arm

The GoPro Lang-Arm is an expandable monopod with a mount at the end for the GoPro camera. It is designed for users wanting to take “selfies” or group photographs on the fly. The Lang-Arm is available in three sizes, with the longest one able to extend as far as 1 600mm.

Expect to pay: R145 for the 500mm extension: R 215 for the 900mm extension: R 535 for the 1 600 mm extension

Stockists: www.omnico.co.za

Incase EO Travel Rolling Brief

The Incase EO Travel Rolling Brief bag is designed to hold clothes, toiletries and technology comfortably, safely – and separately. The dedicated technology section will hold a 15″ notebook, has a separate tablet pocket and various other pockets to stow chargers, cameras, cables and batteries. Behind the technology section is a space for a suit and other garments. A dedicated waterproof toiletry compartment keeps liquids away from clothes and electronics. The Incase EO Travel Rolling Brief’s dimensions comply with most airline luggage carry-on requirements and it pairs with other Incase luggage pieces.

Expect to pay: R3 499

Stockists: www.istoreonline.co.za

Phillips portable Bluetooth speakers

A single Philips portable Bluetooth speaker can be used for small music environments or a few can be daisy-chained together where more sound is needed. The speakers offer users an indoor mode where deeper and clearer sounds can be heard and an outdoor mode where sounds are louder, but less clear. The speakers will connect to a phone, computer or tablet via Bluetooth and it includes a 5.2mm line-in option should users want to connect older devices without Bluetooth.

Expect to pay: R1 390

Stockists: Most reputable electronics retail outlets nationwide.

* Sean Bacher is editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @SeanBacher