A few years ago, Segways were going to be the ultimate way of transportation. Of course I said “were” because you don’t see a whole bunch of people using them to commute to work every morning. In fact, you don’t see many of them, period.
 

 
What went wrong? Well, many things went wrong (not the least of which was an initial overhype about it), but main problem was its image. There’s no way to get around it: you look weird riding a Segway–to say the least. It makes you stand out (not in a good way) because of your increased height and the bulky wheels attached to it. But enough of Segway.

The reason I mentioned them is because of the fundamental idea behind it: why not motorize a type of transportation that many people already use? And that’s where Zboard was born. From the outside, it looks just like a cool, slightly-oversized skateboard. But step on it. And once you get on, you feel totally justified when you cruise around your block or go to work–unless you wear a suit, in which case, you’re a hip, skateboarding, corporate exec…?
 

 
The board itself is very simple to use.You lean frontwards to go forward, and you lean backwards to stop, no remotes or anything else needed. In the more expensive SF Special version, the top speed is about 18 mph and boasts a range of 20 miles. The price is also a bit high compared to the regular (Classic) version, $1199 vs $649. Although I doubt that a normal user will need a 20 mile range on it. The main difference between these version is the battery capacity (the more expensive it is, the higher the range & speed). Once you get to home or work you can easily charge it with a charger similar to a laptop one.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the Zboard will be the future of transportation, but they did create a fun and stylish skateboard that you can ride around without feeling too self-conscious. It’s not even the best solution for everyone, either, since not everybody is capable of maintaining the balance necessary to ride a moving skateboard. And me? I can totally imagine myself on a Zboard on the streets of San Francisco.
 

 
PS: If you want more info check out the Zboard website.