5 practical gadgets for motorists

Bluetooth technology has "settled" in car radios relatively recently, and even then not in all. If the head unit is deprived of support for communication "over the air" with mobile gadgets, the best helper in playing music from a smartphone will be the Xiaomi Roidmi 3S FM transmitter.

Externally, the FM modulator is indistinguishable from a car charger installed in the cigarette lighter socket. Actually, replenishing energy reserves in the battery tanks of third-party gadgets is one of the functions of the device. As a charger, the Roidmi 3S gives a total of 3.4 A, and the current output of one port reaches 2.4 A. A nice bonus is the unobtrusive illumination of USB ports.

Basically, the role of the transmitter deals with the playback of audio tracks from a paired smartphone. The initial setup of the gadget is very simple — we take an FM wave free of radio stations, hammer it into a mobile application and, accordingly, install it on the radio. Voila! Your favorite music of very good quality is always with you without unnecessary gestures.

The key difference of the third generation FM transmitter from the previous model is in the face of Roidmi 2S connectivity has become universal — from now on, the device is compatible with almost all cars. At the same time, for some reason, he lost the built-in microphone that allows him to receive calls on speakerphone. If not for this unfortunate oversight, there would be no equal to the modulator at all.

Talking on the phone while driving is not only administratively punishable, but also simply dangerous. Whether it's the case when communication with the interlocutor happens with free hands. The almost weightless "baby" Plantronics Explorer ML15 helps to free them from the smartphone.

With a weight of only 9 g, the headset is not felt at all on the ear. And it does not matter whether it is right or left — thanks to the thoughtful ergonomics, the device "sits" equally well in different ears. The key to a comfortable fit is a rubber ear pad for a pair with a removable plastic fastening shackle. Complaints about discomfort when using the headset sometimes occur, but they are not of a mass nature.

All the worries of managing Plantronics Explorer ML15 are shouldered by a single button with a picture of a handset. Many people would like to see the volume control keys on the body of the model, but they are not here. From what is available, it is an LED indicator near the button, which informs you about turning on the headset, calling and low battery.

Speaking of the device's battery life, a once—charged battery is usually enough for a 6-hour marathon of conversations. The audibility of the interlocutor at the same time is beyond praise, as well as the quality of speech transmission. What to say, in the reviews of the model, excellent speech distinctness is noted even when moving at speed with an open window. The headset fully fulfills the price tag and justifies user expectations, and more from a good product is not particularly required.

A thoroughbred American Black&Decker ASI300 will come to the aid of a motorist in many situations. But the main mission of the compressor is to pump the wheels. And he handles with it on a solid "five".

The process of inflating tyres with an electric pump can be fully automated. Well, how "completely"? You will still need to dock the air supply hose with the "filling neck" of the wheel. But in the future, it is enough to set the value of the desired pressure and upon reaching this mark, the compressor will stop working independently. This useful feature is called the hitchhiking function. It was possible to implement it due to the presence of a digital pressure gauge (with backlight).

The pump engine can pump the tyre up to a maximum pressure of 7 atm with a capacity of 10 L/min. By the standards of serious Black&Decker ASI300 electric compressors, there are not enough stars from the sky, but it is still preferable to wait 4-5 minutes until the wheel is pumped up, rather than using a classic of the genre for such purposes — a manual pump.

The additional assets of the model have a built-in flashlight, which is useful for highlighting the workspace at night. Also praises the long power cord (3.1 m), stored in a special niche on board the compressor. Power is supplied via it both from the socket of the car cigarette lighter and from the 230 V mains. In this regard, the compressor is unpretentious. The cherry on the cake is a set of adapters for inflating balls, bicycle wheels, sports equipment and all sorts of inflatable gizmos. With them, the model will be useful not only to the motorist, but will also become a useful acquisition in the household.

A 230 V car socket is a useful thing when traveling and going out into nature. In order for such a thing to appear in the car interior, an inverter is needed, on whose shoulders are the responsibilities of converting 12 V DC at the input to a sinusoidal alternating voltage of 230 V at the output.

Dometic Waeco brand products rule the ball in the field of automotive converters. One of the inexpensive offers in the shelf of automotive inverters is the PerfectPower PP152 model. Connecting to the on-board network of the car through the cigarette lighter socket, the device works with consumers with a power of up to 150 watts. Within a short time, the converter is able to output a total power supply of less than 350 watts.

A kettle with such operating parameters cannot be boiled, but it is easy to resort to the services of an electric shaver or organize the supply of power to a portable flashlight. It is also worth making a reservation that the approximated sine wave at the output is not the best way to connect high-precision devices.

Dometic Waeco PerfectPower PP152 impresses consumers with high reliability and compact dimensions (167x71x129 mm). Convenience in handling it also adds a port for optional installation of an external switch. With his excessive help, you can turn on the inverter from the "tidy". There are also converters in the Dometic Waeco model range designed for more "voracious" consumers. Here everything rests on the goals you are pursuing and the "troubles" with laying the cable, since high-power inverters are connected directly to the battery terminals.

A car recorder stuffed to the brim with "goodies" for sane money is not a myth, but a reality embodied in the PlayMe Netton model.

The first iron argument "for" in favor of the registrar is belonging to the squad of two—channel video recording devices of the road situation. In addition to the main unit, there is a rear-view camera with a field of view angle of 70°, which creates a comprehensive visibility of what is happening around the car and serves as a parking assistant. When integrating the Rear camera into the auto wiring system, the HD image from it is displayed on the 3-inch screen of the head unit, it is only necessary to turn on the reverse gear.

PlayMe Netton captures the front image in FullHD format (1920 x 1080 pixels) with a frame rate of 30 fps. The WDR function (expansion of the dynamic range at the software level) is responsible for the image quality without an overabundance of light or shadows. Another trump card in the autoregistrator's sleeve is the LDWS lane control system, which, frankly, is not often found among devices with an affordable price tag.

The numbers in the field of view of the object of the leading camera with a viewing angle of about 145 ° remain readable at distances over 15-20 m. In addition, the "head" of the device itself turns in all directions, allowing you not to lose sight of an important point. The disadvantage of the model is essentially one — the inconvenient location of the buttons on the case. However, once you set up the DVR, you won't have to contact them much. As a result, PlayMe Netton is the undisputed leader in the nomination "broad functionality for little money", which can compete with a few units of direct rivals.