Handy gadgets to keep you going on the road
AAA says the number of Americans traveling this Labor Day weekend will increase nearly 10 percent from 2009, with approximately 34.5 million people going at least 50 miles away from home.
To make that trip smoother, there are some new gadgets on the market for car owners to save money, deal with a dead battery or flat tire, and stay safe while driving.
Before you hit the road, take your car's temperature with the CarMD. It's a hand-held device you plug into your car's diagnostic port, just like they do at the service station. Connect it to your computer and, for under $100, you can catch hidden problems before you hit the road or make sense of that check engine light without paying the garage to tell you your gas cap isn't on tight enough.
For those unexpected emergencies, such as a dead battery, the Cobra's Jumpstarter Powerpack can give you the boost you need. the cobra jump starter also has an air compressor will inflate a flat tire, and a built-in USB port lets you charge your cell phone or GPS device in case they lose power. There's an LED light for emergency power or to signal for help.
And thinking ahead to the winter flood season the $50 FR360 Solarlink Emergency Radio will keep you in tune with local weather alerts. It has AM and FM radio, and seven NOAA weather channels. It also has an emergency light, a USB charger and rechargeable batteries that use solar power or a hand crank. It'll also take standard batteries you can buy on the road.
To make that trip smoother, there are some new gadgets on the market for car owners to save money, deal with a dead battery or flat tire, and stay safe while driving.
Before you hit the road, take your car's temperature with the CarMD. It's a hand-held device you plug into your car's diagnostic port, just like they do at the service station. Connect it to your computer and, for under $100, you can catch hidden problems before you hit the road or make sense of that check engine light without paying the garage to tell you your gas cap isn't on tight enough.
For those unexpected emergencies, such as a dead battery, the Cobra's Jumpstarter Powerpack can give you the boost you need. the cobra jump starter also has an air compressor will inflate a flat tire, and a built-in USB port lets you charge your cell phone or GPS device in case they lose power. There's an LED light for emergency power or to signal for help.
And thinking ahead to the winter flood season the $50 FR360 Solarlink Emergency Radio will keep you in tune with local weather alerts. It has AM and FM radio, and seven NOAA weather channels. It also has an emergency light, a USB charger and rechargeable batteries that use solar power or a hand crank. It'll also take standard batteries you can buy on the road.