Q&A: Live Luggage sells powered suitcases to shoppers
Last Updated: June 14, 2011
How do they work? The power feature is optional. Pressure sensors in the handle monitor how hard travellers are pulling the suitcase, and they provide a certain amount of torque to the wheels to compensate and make them roll easier.
So do people still have to pull the suitcase? Yes, although the company claims it feels like there's no weight to pull at all because the case simply follows behind. Its batteries are supposed to work for at least two hours, assuming there's a combination of inclines, uneven ground and flat surfaces with about a 32kg load.
What other features does the suitcase have? It has a unique ID called "live locator", which helps travellers find the suitcase if it gets lost.
The mercury has already topped 40°C in the Emirates and, as it's only going to climb higher, it's time to start thinking of inventive ways to beat the heat. Fortunately, consumer electronics makers are releasing a variety of offerings that make summer travel and leisure more enjoyable:
High-tech towels
The Hi-Sun Beach Towel was a hit with some sunbathers when it debuted last summer. Its bright colours and casual feel when converted into a backpack make it best suited for teens of business professionals on a family vacation. But once it folds out, with its integrated speakers and an MP3 connection accessible for music lovers to plug in their player of choice, some parents will find themselves fighting for a bit of time on the£73 (Dh435) towel.
Power luggage
No one likes lugging a heavy bag to and from the airport during July and August.
Available in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, South Africa and other countries, a new powered bag from Live Luggage includes force sensors, tilt switches and special technology built into the wheels to help get the luggage up a kerb or incline at the airport.
The bags sell for between £250 and £395.
Waterproof gadgets
The range of waterproof cases in the accessories market keeps growing, from DiCAPac's offerings for digital cameras to OtterBox's seals for mobile phones. But be sure to scrutinise online reviews to find out how some consumers neglected to seal these correctly, in order to avoid similar missteps.
Top 5: reviewed underwater cameras
1 Canon Elph Sport APS Camera
2 Panasonic LumixDMC-TS2
3 Fujifilm Q1
4 Fujifilm FinePixXP10
5 Olympus StylusTough 8010
Source: ConsumerSearch.com
Reviews on amazon.com for H20 Audio's armbands designed to protect MP3 players underwater, for instance, include 10 five-star mentions but also 14 customers who left 1-star notes after experiencing a litany of problems.
The Quote: "Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road." Stewart Brand, an American writer and past speaker at Technology, Entertainment and Design conferences
nparmar@thenational.ae
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
TV (UAE time);
OSN Sports: from 10am
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now