Nima Peanut Sensor: A possible life saver for travelers with peanut allergies, this portable device employs antibody-based chemistry to detect the presence of peanuts in food in under five minutes. A corresponding app can inform users of "approved" restaurants in local or visited cities. The sensor comes with 12 single-use test capsules into which you place a small sample of food before inserting a capsule in the sensor. According to Nima, the Peanut Sensor, which comes with a long-lasting battery that usually needs to be recharged monthly, detects traces of peanut protein at 10 parts per million and above in liquids or solids. $289; The company also markets a gluten detector ($239); www.nimasensor.com.
Keysmart Urban 21 Backpack: This well-designed, weather-resistant backpack has the business traveler in mind, what with a waterproof front pocket, a padded laptop pocket, a slide-on sleeve for easy toting aboard wheeled luggage, and an anti-theft RFID-blocking pocket lined with microfleece. In addition, there are secret bottom and back pockets, two side pockets and a dedicated Tile tracker pocket. Carrying comfort gets a nod with foam straps, a self-adjusting sliding front strap and an anti-sweat foam back pad. The Urban 21 Backpack, which fits comfortably under an airline seat, comes with a suitcase handle for easy transport. The backpack weighs 3.08 pounds and measures 18 by 11 by 4 inches. $239; https://getkeysmart.com.
What's New, What's Hot: March 2019
SportRx Prescription Sunglasses: With warm weather sports and leisure activities on the horizon, this is the time of year to get your prescription sunglass needs in order. And a great place to do that is with SportRx, a San Diego-based specialist in providing custom prescription sunglasses and goggles (including prescription wrap-arounds) since 1996. Unlike other online-only shops, according to SportRx, licensed and certified opticians deal with customers, who can option-click online to order frames and lenses from a long list of sunglass manufacturers, both national and international. SportRx provides a 45-day tryout, with full refund or credit for those rare returns. It also features an in-home frames selection program, if requested, before lenses are ordered. Two caveats: If speed is of the essence, a bricks-and-mortar shop might be better suited in that return time from order to delivery can be as much as two weeks. Also, this service does not come cheap. While the company says its prices are competitive with offline optical shops, a pair of Italian-made, wrap-around Kaenon polarized Burnet Mid sunglasses, shipped to your home from SportRx would set you back $759. (However, If people are budget shopping, SportRx has prices as low as $90 for a single vision tinted lens with frame.) https://sportrx.com.
Delsey Pluggage Collection: French luggage brand Delsey has come up with something new in Pluggage, a line of "smart" bags that puts technology to practical use. For example, the Pluggage bags -- a 23-inch and 28-inch spinner -- feature an integrated digital scale located on the side handle that verifies that the bag's weight complies with specific airline requirements; digital fingerprint unlocking (or three-digit combination); an international tracking system with GSM; a USB port and dedicated power bank sleeve; and a movement indicator that notifies travelers when a bag moves 10 to 65 feet away or arrives on a luggage carousel. Moreover, a dedicated app records a bag's weight, TSA bag openings, and the charge level of its TSA-approved alkaline batteries. $324.99 and $349.99; https://shop.delsey.com/.
Sense Cosmetics Travel Set: From William Roam comes this 15-piece collection of hair- and body-care products featuring Tamarack Larch Tree Extract from Minnesota (would you want it from anywhere else?). There are no parabens, phthalates or synthetic fragrances in these moisturizers, vegetable-based soaps and other toiletries, which come with a ditty bag and include shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, aloe soap, a dental kit and bath salts. All the liquids are TSA compliant. The products, incidentally, are designed and produced in America and are free from animal ingredients. $44.99; https://williamroam.com.