Alpha Motor Corporation reveals latest electric CUV – the JAX

Alpha Motor Corporation has revealed its newest electric offering, in the shape of a crossover utility vehicle (CUV) called the JAX. It shares a platform with its sibling the Alpha ACE.

To really push its credentials the name JAX stands for Junior All-Terrain Crossover, positioning it as a fun, utility vehicle with enough space for four passengers with a clean powertrain. The adventure seeking electric vehicle was unveiled in a deep green finish inspired by nature surrounding the scenic Redwood Highway in Northern California. It is offered as four-wheel drive or front-wheel drive system with a towing capability of 830kg.

It will be fitted with a 75 kWh Lithium-ion battery providing an estimated 250 miles of range whilst capable of silently accelerating to 60mph in 6.5 seconds. Nothing to blow your socks off especially with the likes of Tesla, Rivian and Porsche all offering better specs all round.  

It isn’t necessarily as small as it looks in the pictures with the JAX coming in at 4,560mm long which is 300mm shorter than a Taycan, 1,930mm wide (30mm narrower than the Taycan) and 1,634mm tall (300mm taller than the Taycan). It provides 1769 litres of combined storage.

Inside, it becomes more evident where styling cues were lifted from – there is a central landscape display, a driver-centric digital speedometer and then very little else to clutter the environment. A lot of the internal components have been crafted to be easily replaceable.

Alpha is now taking deposits for the JAX and the ACE, but the company is keen to show its commitment to move humanity with innovations in electric vehicle modularity, customisation flexibility and practicality.

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Melomania Touch – new wireless earbuds by Cambridge Audio

Cambridge Audio, a British brand well known for its high-end audio equipment, has released its latest version of wireless earbuds – the Melomania Touch building upon its first version the Melomania 1.

These new wireless earbuds have custom 7mm drivers further enhanced with graphene to help provide the dynamism and response needed for the sound quality of deep controlled bass, realistic voices and clearer highs. Built with Bluetooth 5.0 and the latest AAC and aptX codes allowing for high-quality audio streaming.

The engineers have included two microphones and Qualcomm’s Clear Voice Capture noise cancelling technology to ensure that phone calls remain focused on the voice rather than the surroundings. Perfect for all those Zoom/Teams meetings.

All-day wear isn’t a problem, with each earbud tipping the scales at just under 6 grams and three power modes will allow up to 9 hours of use on a single charge. And if your day goes longer, the supplied charging case will offer up to a further 41 hours of listening.

As with most new headphones and earbuds, the Melomania Touch earbuds offer Transparency mode which feeds in ambient noise so you can be aware of the surroundings whilst still enjoying the high-fidelity music. The Melomania app allows you to customise the sound just the way you like it, through EQ settings and tailoring music playback to your individual style as well as locating the buds if you ever misplace them and check each bud’s battery life.

Melomania Touch is readily available priced at £129.95 and is offered in either black or white.

AutoBuff: Handy Cordless Car Polisher – MUST HAVE

Car detailing has exploded in recent years, with countless companies sprouting up showing that cars can look even better than when they left the factory. There are videos showing orange-peel paint correction, removing swirls and bringing paint back to life.

All of these methods take time to master and cost hundreds, if not thousands worth of equipment, mainly the orbital polisher. But what if you want to spruce up your car’s paint without spending large amounts of money?

AutoBuff, the new product from Pumpit, a company focussed on building automotive accessories is an orbital polisher than allows the user to compound, polish and finish the paintwork of your car.

Its cordless design means it weighs a lot less than professional polishing tools. It has a round handle for a convenient and comfortable grip to use at any angle. AutoBuff allows you to select the speed by pressing the button on the top of the machine. It has a speed range of 3,400 to a 3,800 OPM. It comes with three pads of varying coarseness making it ideal for buffers of all experience levels.

Fitted with a 4,000mAh battery, it will provide up to 45 mins worth of polishing power and can be charged via USB-C meaning it can be topped up in the car whilst you admire your handy work.

Due to be shipped out to customers in May 2021, the AutoBuff received 100% of the backing needed within the first hour of its launch, but there is still time to get hold of one.

The Kohler Stillness bath – smart relaxation

A smart home is great for convenience, allowing users to set routines to deal with mundane tasks, think switching on and off lights and even controlling your coffee machine and now your bathroom.

Kohler is working towards creating the ultimate smart home from the bathroom to the kitchen. The Stillness bath is one of those products that is perfect for unwinding after a hard day. It combines water, steam, lighting, and aroma into a relaxing journey for any mood.

The bath will fill to the level you set it at, at the perfect temperature you like and even when it drains all thanks to the PrefectFill technology’s built-in voice assistant and you will always sink in to a soothing bath.

The PerfectFill technology will be sold as a wall-mount or deck-mount spout, or freestanding bath filler to fit a variety of bathroom designs and also includes a valve, drain, and controller.

Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Level

Bang & Olufsen has been working on a minimalist, WiFi, modular speaker that has adaptable acoustics and a minimalist, Scandinavian-inspired design.

It has a powerful five-driver set up that delivers immersive, full-range sound that adapts based on the speaker’s orientation. Laid down, standing up or hanging on the wall, speaker automatically expands the width of the sound to reach everyone, everywhere in the room.

The frame is crafted from premium aluminium in Denmark and thanks to its modular design allows for replacement batteries, changeable fabric and wood covers, and more. The soft-touch buttons are seamlessly integrated into the frame and there is an integrated proximity sensor allowing for the buttons to appear when needed and ensuring that they are the right brightness at all times.

A smoothly integrated handle ensures easy pick up while IP54 dust and splash resistance means you can place it anywhere with confidence. With up to 16 hours of battery life, this elegant speaker is designed to enhance whichever room it’s moved to.

At the back of the device, there is a seamless circular plug that magnetically clicks into a depression at the rear similar to MagSafe on the new iPhones.

The Beosound Level with Google Assistant/ AirPlay and ChromeCast allows you to play your favorite music, control volume and find information about the song that you are listening to, hands-free. If you want discretion, simply slide the button on the top surface of Beosound Level to turn off Voice control completely.

It is available in two colours – Gold tone with light oak or Natural with dark grey and costs £1,099 for the natural and £1,299 for Gold.

The Nike GO FlyEase

Have you ever felt like putting trainers on are a chore? Or just difficult due to lack of mobility? Velcro was one of the movers in helping when laces were troublesome, but you still needed to undo and do up the straps and put on/ pull off the shoes.

Nike has been working on multiple iterations and created a true hands-free shoe. The GO FlyEase has a bi-stable hinge that enables the shoe to be secure in fully open and fully closed states. FlyEase is driven by a design ethos that champions the value of a suite of systems that work toward a common goal: making shoes easier for everyone.

The tensioner’s unique flexibility completely reimagines kicking off the shoes as basis for accessible and empowering design. By extending the rear heel into a pivoting motion, people can easily slip in and out of trainers.

The trainers are available to a select Nike Members via invite and will be widely released later this year.

Jordan x CLOT XIV Low and XXXV

Jordan and CLOT, founded by Edison Chen and Kevin Poon, the brand has collaborated with the likes of Nike, visvim, fragment design, Coca-Cola, Stüssy, Medicom Toy and more, have released their Chinese New Year versions of Air Jordan XIV Low and the Jordan Brand’s latest performance vehicle, the Air Jordan XXXV.

Both shoes extend CLOT’s investigation of Chinese heritage — tying together elements like a Chinese coin pendant and Chinese knot to the heel of the XIV Low and introducing pops of ornamental jade to the XXXV. 

The XIV Low has a tongue reminiscent of a traditional Chinese scroll with the words Jordan and CLOT. On the sole, there are terracotta-colored accents complemented with light tan and grey, whilst the shoes have a traditional Chinese knot and coin hanging off the heel.

The XXXV has elements of Chinese jade, a highly prized and timeless symbol of Chinese culture, representing many positive attributes such as durability, purity and beauty. The shoe also carries hang tags bearing both the Jumpman and CLOT logos, reflective elements throughout and gold lace eyelets.

Both shoes will be available February 8 at juicestoreusa.com with a wider release on February 11.