Razors, Hoverboards, Electric Scooters – What’s Cool?
Parents need to know the difference between razors, hoverboards, and electric scooters before they buy their kids’ Christmas gifts this year. How do you determine what the cool thing is without giving away your thoughts? Research! I’ve done a little myself.
Razors have been around since 1999, becoming quickly the most popular gadget in 2000. They started a trend that refuses to die and is growing at amazing speed into bigger and better modes of transportation. Razors are a great beginning for younger users or those who prefer a simpler way of getting somewhere faster than walking.
Electric scooters are incredibly fun and environmentally safe. You can purchase one for the kids, or one for the adult, depending on what your motive is. Of course, the adult version is more luxurious and has a few more gadgets. A fantastic way of getting around busy places the scooter weighs about 35 pounds making it easy enough to carry when necessary.
The more mature models slightly resemble a motorcycle, with more storage space and a lot more environmentally friendly, running off of electricity rather than fuel. The limit of speed, however is less than a motorcycle as this electric scooter has a top speed of about 35 mph. Not something you’d want to take on busy streets where you may need to quickly navigate or reach high speeds.
The Segway is the little brother of the electric scooter with two wheels that adults can use in offices, at home, or on tour, proving that old dogs need new tricks, too. Proven to be a great gift for busy parents.
Hoverboards are the newest craze and have major pluses and minuses. Although they’re growing in popularity, they’re also racking up a lot of attention. As a matter of fact, on November 27, Razor, the original scooter maker, took Swagway to court for allegedly infringing on its patent of the “Two-wheel, self-balancing vehicle with independently movable foot placement sections” by declaring the idea their own, CNBC reports.
https://youtu.be/B8xr2iguUDs
In September, Segway sued Inventist, Chen’s company, who sued John Soibatain, maker of the IO Hawk. Some say this has turned into some sort of a game in the hoverboard technology arena. My guess is that if they keep fighting among themselves, they’ll waste all the money they could be making on distribution of the hoverboard creation by donating to their attorneys. After all, that’s what attorneys seem to do best, hover when bored.
Big problems arose after Shane Chen the patent’s holder reached an agreement of exclusivity with Razor. Now Razor sells a newer rendition of the $1,500 Kickstarter project and calls it Hovertrax weighing 17 lbs. and carrying up to 250 traveling approximately 5 mph. This lower costing version of Hovertrax costs $599.99 and has some serious dangers to it. So if you can’t afford one now, you may want to wait. According to Wired, there may be even bigger issues around the corner for hoverboard makers. Some of the crafts spontaneously combust while they’re under the tree or in the malls. The common factor of the fire hazard hoverboards appears to be the cheaper components installed in the devices. The batteries used in lower costing hoverboards are less expensive to purchase, but may end up costing more in the long run.
Whatever Santa decides to leave under the tree this year, whether razors, hoverboards, or electric scooters, be sure to have a safe holiday!
[Jorgen Haland/flickr]
