This time on CTV Tech Talk we looked at travel gadgets that are perfect for the holiday season, like smart luggage, a conencted travel mug and a device that’ll keep you entertained on the road.
Ember Travel Mug
I’m often up hours before the sun and need my coffee kick to get me going. The Ember mug is a rechargeable insulated travel mug that promises to keep your beverage at what it calls the perfect drinking temperature for hours.
Don’t think of Ember as a heating mug. Instead it’s built for cooling and holding temperature. I initially thought it was going to keep my coffee at stovetop temperature until I was ready to drink it. Not so; the Ember mug is designed to let your beverage cool to a drinkable temperature you select then hold it there.
Read the full review and how-to.
Apple iPad Pro
One travel gadget I’m never without is my Apple iPad. It can hold hours of TV shows and movies, or a whole stack of digital magazines, meaning my carry-on is lighter.
With its 10.5″ Retina display and 10 hour battery life, it’s ideal for travel. Whether you’re doing work (the Apple iPad Pro is more powerful than some PC laptops) or relaxing on your flight or a long drive, the iPad Pro is the ideal travelling companion.
Away Smart Suitcase
I’ve recently been on the hunt for new luggage, and being the tech blogger I am, I was interested in learning what’s new in the baggage market. Smart luggage is all the rage, with features from charging, self-weighing, GPS tracking and more. Luggage is also becoming better designed, lighter and easier to use. I recently had the chance to try a smart carry-on suitcase from Away Travel.
There are four ‘spinner’ type wheels on this suitcase and they’re super maneuverable.
There are two USB ports: a standard USB port with 1A output (designed to charge phones at standard speed), and a USB port with fast charging. Both USB ports can be used at the same time. The battery is a 10,000 MA battery, which generally speaking is capable of charging an iPhone up to five times.
To see what else sets Away apart, read the review.
G-Ro smart luggage
G-Ro is a soft-sided suitcase. The big difference with it is the wheels. The wheels on this suitcase are bigger, they’re more rugged, they’re on the side of the bag instead of the bottom and they’re designed to make the case both easier to pull, and easier to navigate obstacles like stairs and bumpy terrain.
The other big feature that sets this suitcase apart from basic baggage is the built-in charging. Two USB ports are hidden in the top of the bag under a rubber flap. You can charge gadgets up while you’re waiting for takeoff, or stash your tablet and other gadgets inside the bag, since there’s cabling that lets devices charge while they’re being transported.
There’s also a crazy amount of well designed pockets.
If you’ve ever lost a suitcase you’ll appreciate this: a Tile Slim tracker is included in the G-Ro package, just in case you check the bag. Tile uses crowd-sourced Bluetooth proximity tracking to find your bag using Tile’s free app.
Read more about G-Ro in my review.
85 Comments
Would love to give the “EMBER” mug as a gift under the tree this Christmas!
ember. What a wonderful brainy invention. It would be so nice to drink the coffee right away until finding it is the proper temperature about the time you arrive at your destination!!
EMBER!!! Great segment, great information! Thank you so much! I really want an EMBER mug!! That would be so handy!! Merry Christmas!!
EMBER Need this mug for my daughter
Nice EMBER mug!
Love Starbucks mugs and would love to try out the new Ember mug. Keyword: Ember
Interested on how long the EMBER mug last. Thanks for the great segment!
EMBER mug looks great. Love your tech segment on morning show.
Would be interested to see how long the EMBER mug will last.
This mug would be awesome on my desk at work! I love the ability to keep my coffee hot throughout the day! Keyword: Ember
Great segment today! Would love to win this smart travel mug! EMBER 🙂
Enjoyed your segment this morning. Ember
The Ember mug looks cool (hot), finally an end to pouring out the last bit of your coffee cold!
Fantastic segment this morning! Loved all the travel technology but especially the EMBER travel mug. I would really love if Santa brought me one :)). Wish I had seen this segment before I finished my Christmas shopping!
Loved your segment on CTV this morning. The ember travel mug would be perfect for a busy, working mom who is always on the go (aka ME!)
All of the items you show are terrific. I always look forward to your segment. I would love an EMBER mug!
Loved all of the cool travel stuff. Great stuff. Would love to own an EMBER mug
Love your show some really cool stuff.
Keyword: Ember
Love my coffee hot Awesome mug
The Ember mug seems like a great product for people who like to keep a cup idling all day.
I would love to give this a gift EMBER
Great reviews.. especially the EMBER mug..
When I’m busy at work my coffee always gets cold before I can drink it… that wouldn’t happen if I had the EMBER mug!!
I enjoyed your tech segment on CTV news today. The EMBER travel mug shown was very cool/hot!
I am not a young guy anymore but I love to keep up with technology. I also love my coffee. The EMBER travel mug is a fantastic item for me. Call it a toy or not, coffee at just the right temperature is a pleasure I would like to enjoy. Thanks for doing this.
The EMBER travel mug would be perfect for the office. Great review!
My mother always told me that you could tell who was the real coffee drinker – they would be the one that drank the last of their coffee that they forgot about hours earlier. This is the one thing that I am in absolute disagreement with. I like mine hot and the Ember would ensure that.
I would love to gift the ember mug to a wonderful boyfriend who has been beyond supportive after my lay off and helping me stay positive. So deserved.
Thanks for the awesome info this morning; the EMBER mug sure is something else. 🙂
The large wheels on the blue suitcase are perfect for climbing stairs, because they are wider than the small wheels. Only an EMBER mug would be better than that suitcase! 🙂
The perfect mug! Ember
ember. Can the batteries in the mug be replace? Can you buy the luggage locater shown in the first suitcase separately to use in other suitcases?
Still not sure whether airports/airlines allow the smart luggage, after some talk about them falling out of favour online. However, the ‘Ember’ mug would be great. Not something I would buy, so it is a great giveaway Erin 🙂
Great reviews on CTV TechTalk this morning Erin. Loved the Ember mug idea!
I really enjoyed your feature on tech travel stuff and especially the feature on the Ember mug.
Fascinating mug … a must have for sure! EMBER
First time seeing your show – really on point!
I always enjoy your segments on CTV Calgary, Erin. You always provide useful insights to the products you review.
I am intrigued by the EMBER travel mug today: it would be a great gift for my wife, who complains that her tea or coffee is cold by the time she finishes it!
Hello Erin, always love your segment on CTV morning, the key word is ‘Ember’, Thank-you very much and Merry Christmas.
I am never disappointed…ember.
Loved the smart suitcases! Some great planning had obviously gone into them. I use power banks to charge my devices while away, but still feel a little nervous about having them in the hold of an airplane. It’s probably remnants of memory from the whole Samsung Note battery fiasco, but there is a lot of electrical potential in those lithium batteries that are exposed to possible physical damage. The suitcases appear to have extra protection near the batteries however.
Now… about the ember!!!! I had a look at them at Starbucks. Pretty high price tag, but I could totally use one of those! I lead meetings for support groups that deal with people suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. These meetings can go on for hours, so to have an optimal beverage temp at the 2nd hour would be GREAT!!!
Ember ember ember ember!!!!!!
Loved the EMBER mug. What a great Christmas gift!
Love the idea of the ember travel mug ! Would love to fill it with Starbucks coffee !
Love hearing what you’ve got to say in the mornings Erin !
Great segment; great travel gadgets. I would love the ember travel mug!
Smart suitcases are brilliant!!
EMBER
Thanks for the great segment today Erin!
Keyword: ember
Your segment today gave me some gift ideas for the hard-to-buy-for person in my life. The Ember mug was pretty cool.
Great segment today Erin, especially love the smart suitcases and interesting to learn about the EMBER mug!
Ember
What great travel ideas – I had never known about the smart suitcases, thanks for sharing!
Love all the techy gadgets you highlight on your segment, especially the Ember coffee mug.
Love learing about the lastest,cant live without tech items!
Ember
Great Tech Talk this morning! Great EMBER mug!
I always enjoy your reviews, especially the ember mug. Great Job!
Love it and thank you for everything.
Opps forgot to type EMBER
Great mug! Ember
Can’t wait to use the EMBER mug.
I cannot get over the new gadgets! Especially the Ember mug. We just broke our coffee travel mug so I will have to look for one. Thanks!
Love the mug! Ember
Hot begs, so cool! EMBER is key
Love all your tech gadgets!! 😀
Oops! EMBER
Loved your segment on CTV morning! The keyword is “ember”.
Great tips on the smart suitcases and love the smart mug! would love an “EMBER” travel mug for the office.
What a wonderful idea!, I love that I can finally keep my morning coffee warm while I watch the CTV news in the morning. And I can take it with me to the barn where I train with my horse every day. My coffee will stay warm while I ride.
Love this technolgy. Thanks Erin. EMBER is the contest word
That EMBER mug is so ho it is cool. Good segment
Love all you’re great tips and tricks!!! I had no idea Starbucks sold Ember mugs! So cool!!
Always love watching this segment on CTV. Would love the EMBER mug
Such an interesting segment always. Thank you! EMBER
Awesome gadgets. Really like the smart suitcases and the EMBER mug.
An ember mug would be awesome to keep my coffee warm throughout the day!
Enjoyed your reviews. The Ember mug looks great!
Great segment on CTV. Ember
EMBER cup seems like a great xmas gift. Thanks for letting me know about it.
Keyword: ember.
Erin! I love when you’re on CTV morning! You always have then coolest stuff! Those smart suitcases are the next thing on my shopping list.
I won’t lie tho, the blue one with the big wheels looked like a vacuum to me before you said anything about it! 🤣
Thanks for such a great presentation of new tech products. Love the Ember mug.
Good morning!
Thanks for all your techy news! LOVING the EMBER mug, had my eye on it for a while. Amazing
ember
Something nice, EMBER
Cool stuff this morning! Ember
So Cool/Warm/Hot that EMBER travel cup.
Keep up the great work Erin!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Love to have an Ember mug
Love following you Erin.. always very interesting reviews.. especially the EMBER mug..
The EMBER mug is fantastic for work or on the go!
Love love love your techie segment Erin. Two of us would share this mug, my daughter in her early morning transit on the Deerfoot. I would bust it on weekends at my job. Magic word: Ember