Use these high-tech, beach-ready gadgets to enjoy your summer the right way. (Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Jolly)
Summer’s in full swing and for most of the country, it’s a real scorcher out there. Whether you’re hitting the beach, basking in the backyard, playing by the pool—or just trying to keep from melting already—here are the hottest summer gadgets cool enough to beat all this heat.
Using your head
SOLSOL's solar-brimmed snapback. (Photo: SOLSOL)
SOLSOL's solar-brimmed snapback.
SOLSOL’s solar-brimmed snapback ($69.95) might not look like it will revolutionize how you juice up your phone, but once you see it in action you’ll be a believer. The brim on this stylish lid is actually a huge solar panel, capable of turning sunlight into a solid 5v charge that works with virtually any USB-powered charger. If you’re sunning yourself on the beach or just out for a summer bike ride, it’s like having a portable, free power outlet with you at all times.
Water bottle wonder-gadget
It was only a matter of time before someone realized you make water bottles do so much more than just help you stay hydrated. The Hydra Smartbottle ($59.99) is like the Swiss Army knife of water bottles. For starters, it’s a 12-ounce water bottle. It’s also a 4000mA backup battery to fully recharge your smartphone and then some, and it also has a Bluetooth speaker that syncs to your phone to play music. Oh, and there’s also multicolor LEDs that turn it into a safety lantern or to add color-changing strobe lights to your tent party.
Sunny speaker
The colorful Sunnylife Beach Sounds speaker is waterproof
The colorful Sunnylife Beach Sounds speaker is waterproof and has a built-in compartment to hold your phone. (Photo: Sunnylife Beach Sounds)
A summer cookout or day at the pool is nothing without some good music, but most portable speakers are not only dull, black, and clunky — the opposite of summer! — but they’re also not all that water-friendly. The Sunnylife Beach Sounds speaker ($49.99) is cute, colorful, and plenty loud, while also being water resistant. It’s got plenty of retro charm, not to mention a built-in compartment to hold your phone while it’s pumping out the tunes, and its price tag won’t make you scream.
On-demand airbag
The Kingii is a flotation device when you need it most.
The Kingii is a flotation device when you need it most. (Photo: Kingii)
Kingii ($89.99) is a floatation device for anyone who wants a little added security when they’re out cruising the waves. It stays concealed in a cuff-like bracelet with a rectangular pouch — about the size of a smartphone — while you’re having fun. But what if you get a cramp, caught in a current, or even stung by a jellyfish and need some help fast? Just tug the Kingii trigger and out pops an underwater airbag that lifts you to the surface and keeps you there until help arrives.
Sun tracking stress monitor
Soaking up the sun is not only a great feeling, it’s also an important source of Vitamin D, but you can always get too much of a good thing. Soltrackr ($59.00) is a pint-sized health monitor that keeps track of how much sun you’re getting, telling you how much you need and also preventing you from going overboard. The tiny tracker tags along with you all day, measuring your stress levels and activity, and syncs with a smartphone app to give you a real-time readout of your sun statistics — just remember to heed its warning when it tells you you’re at risk of a nasty burn.
Smart beach towel
The Tillow beach towel has pockets for your valuables
The Tillow beach towel has pockets for your valuables and touch screen "windows" with holes for your smartphone. (Photo: Tillow)
Moving away from the ultra high-tech world of UV sensors and bluetooth devices, the Tillow ($35.95) is a big comfy beach towel with a built-in pillow. What’s more, it has handy pockets to hold your valuables and keep them safe from the nitty-gritty sand and splashes that often accompany trips to the beach. There’s even a slick touch screen “window” with holes for your headphones, so you don’t have to yank your phone out of the pocket to shuffle through your music or answer a call.
Stink-free clothes
Summer’s filled with spills, splashes, and let’s face it — a whole lot of sweat. A new line of clothes from a startup called Ably (starting at $30) promises to let you, “go from the gym, to dinner, to a two-week trip with just the shirt on your back.” A shirt that you could wear for two weeks straight that wouldn’t stink sounded way too good to be true. So I tried it. After a particularly long, hot, sweaty run, the shirt was wrecked when I peeled it off. It was downright nasty — looking and smelling. I hung it up to dry, came back the next morning and it was like new. It didn’t stink at all. That’s nothing short of a miracle.
A mighty wind
The summer heat can be a lot more bearable with a bit of a breeze to cool you down, but if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate, Travelon’s personal fan ($11.69) is an easy, ultra-cheap way to generate your own bit of a cool breeze. At less than $12, this three-speed fan can sit stationary or be worn around your neck, and the flexible blades won’t leave you bloody if they accidentally catch a thumb. It’s a low-effort way to cool off, and you can’t beat the price. For a few bucks more you can pick up a similar mini-fan from iEGrow ($19.99) that adds a misting feature, which is great for particularly brutal summer heat.
Quick rinse on demand
Okay so maybe you’ve tried everything and you just can’t cool off. It sure would be nice to have a working garden hose with you whenever you want it, right? That’s exactly what RinseKit ($89.95) is; a pressurized, portable water reservoir that provides up to two gallons of water on-demand. Just fill the tank using your regular garden hose, with the pressure from the source working in your favor. That pressure is transferred along with the water, and once you snap the seal shut, you can take the RinseKit with you and use the built-in spray head to shower whoever you want, including yourself!
Jennifer Jolly
Source: usatoday
