Category: Gadgets

When you need to take a bus or a train to school, every day…

it doesn’t take long to discover that there are some gadgets and devices, like the iPhone battery pack, that you simply can’t live without.  However, it doesn’t stop there.  There are actually quite a few things that can make a huge difference in your ability to comfortably and conveniently make it too and from class, every day.

The key is to find exactly which items you really need and that fit the bill perfectly, because the last thing you want to do is spend money unnecessarily or give up limited real estate in your bag to something that isn’t perfect for the job.

The following are the absolute must-haves when it comes to equipping yourself for your daily commute to school:

• An iPhone battery pack – This one goes without saying, but if you don’t have one, it’s worth a reminder to pick one up. If you are going to face a commute every day, then you will need to make sure your smartphone, tablet and/or MP3 player are always charged.  This will allow you to keep yourself entertained and even keep up with your reading of electronic textbooks, so you can pass the time more quickly and usefully.
• A large water bottle – Preferably one that is stainless steel to protect you from plastics leeching into your water and to lower the risk of breakage associated with glass. Find one with a design you love – or even your school logo – so you’ll feel motivated to use it even more.
• A fantastic, durable bag – A backpack or messenger bag with padded places for your laptop, water bottle, books and all the other essentials is something you just can’t live without. This should be considered an investment.  Don’t cheap out on function in favor of form and be sure to try it on in the store.  Put something inside the bag, if you can, to see how it functions when you’ve got some weight in it.  Focus on padded straps, a padded back, quality materials and solid stitching.
• Emergency clothing – Life happens. Be ready when it does with a spare black tee, yoga pants, socks, undies and purse flats. They don’t have to be bulky or trendy.  They just have to be there for you in case the ones you’re wearing rip, fall victim to a spilled coffee, you sit in gum or anything else happens to them. Choose black options because they’re most likely to match the rest of the outfit you’re wearing on that unlucky day.

With these items and a gift card to the coffee shop you pass on your way…

which is great for breakfast or a latte when you’re running late – you’ll have the essentials covered for your daily commute.  Just don’t forget to keep your water bottle full and your iPhone battery pack charged for when you need it!

German city attempts to prevent mobile users in Germany from accidentally walking out into traffic.

The German city of Augsburg has taken new measures to protect its smartphone-using residents from inadvertently ignoring red traffic lights and walking out onto a busy road by installing new traffic lights directly embedded into the pavement. The hope is that German smartphone users, who are constantly looking down at their phones, will take notice of these lights and pay more attention to their surroundings.

A growing number of pedestrians are risking their safety due to phone distraction.

According to The Washington Post, a survey that was recently conducted in several European cities, including Berlin, discovered that nearly 20% of pedestrians failed to observe the traffic signal change because they were distracted by their smartphones. The survey also found that younger mobile users who more likely to risk their safety to take a quick look at their Facebook or WhatsApp.

That being said, this is not only a problem in Europe. The United States Department of Transportation has found a clear link between smartphone users distracted by their device and an increase in pedestrian death. According to a University of Washington study, 1 in 3 Americans is either busy working or texting on a smartphone at dangerous road crossings.

Will installing these lights to protect German smartphone users be worth it?

Not everyone agrees that it is. The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that some commentators have said that they feel taxpayers’ money was wasted on the project. Another paper, Augsburger Allgemeine revealed that one young pedestrian who was asked about the lights by reporters said that he hadn’t even noticed them until the reporters had drawn his attention to them.

However, an Augsburg city spokesperson Stephanie Lermen said about the new traffic lights that they “create a whole new level of attention.” She believes the money used to install the lights was wisely spent.

What prompted the idea to install these traffic lights was the death of a teen girl, who was killed by a tram. Police reports stated that the 15-year-old had been distracted by her smartphone as she crossed the tracks.

The number of pedestrians putting their safety at risk because they’re distracted by their mobile phones appears to be a growing trend around the globe. It won’t be surprising if more measures, like the one Augsburg put into place for its German smartphone users, begin to pop up in other parts of the world to help solve this increasing problem.