Top 30 Gadgets of Summer

By Kate Pruitt (from Design Sponge) on July 5, 2011

I have a hard time believing that summer is actually here, but it's true! Independence Day has just passed and we are in the midst of sunny warm weather and fun outdoor activities. Even if your work has you stuck indoors this summer, there are some great apps and gadgets to keep you cool and help you steal some moments of recreation for yourself. If you're lucky enough to be headed on to the beach or the hiking trails, check out some of these awesome GPS devices and solar powered speakers and chargers-- the jury's still out on whether this is a good thing, but in this day and age you never have to be without your tech devices, even in the middle of the woods.

It's my opinion that everyone should be allowed to act like a kid during summer, even if it's just for a couple hours on a weekend. Give in to your inner child with some of these gadgets for grown-ups-- eat some great ice cream, film a silly video, play around with a silly summer sport, and play your music on the beach. Here's to the fun-filled summer ahead! What tech gadgets do you love to break out in summer?

1. Oregon Scientific personal UV monitor, $24
2. IceCreamSpot Pro ice cream finder app, $2
3. Sony PSP 3000 portable gaming device, $130
4. iBooks app, free
5. Battery operated mini 2-flavor ice cream maker, $40
6. "Love is in the Air" mini Diana camera kit, $114
7. Sony Xacti waterproof HD dual camera, $290
8. FestiGoGo festival finder app, free
9. Handy Cooler USB or battery powered personal fan & mini-air conditioner, $50
10. Video swim mask, $100

1. Garmin Forerunner GPS heart rate monitor watch, $180
2. Eton Mobius charging case for iPhone, (coming soon)
3. Sun Plugged solar tote bag, $69
4. Hi-Sun Speaker towel/backpack, $86
5. Eton Microlink multipurpose radio, $30
6. Surf Report app, free
7. Eco Extreme speaker case, $50
8. SwiMP3 player with 1G hard drive, $125
9. Breo rubber digital watch, $12

1. Thermacell twin pack moqsuito repellant, $48
2. Brunton Inspire portable power pack, $59
3. Eton solar powered sound system, $200
4. AcuTerra maps and GPS tracker app, free
5. BioLite portable camp stove, (coming soon)
6. Thule Atlantis cargo carrier, $972
7. Cobb Pro portable grill in red, $100
8. Fyrkat picnic charcoal grill in orange, $60
9. Emerson indoor/outdoor cordless rechargeable bug zapper, $24
10. GasBuddy gas prices finder app, free
11. Garmin handheld GPSMAP, $220

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See all articles from Grace Bonney

See all articles from Kate Pruitt

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Design*Sponge is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge features store and product reviews, sale and contest announcements, new designer profiles, trend forecasting and store/studio tours. In addition, Design*Sponge features a unique section dedicated to covering student design, national and international design shows. The site is updated constantly throughout the day (with an average of 6-10 posts a day), and attracts a core group of devoted readers. Design*Sponge currently has over 60,000 daily readers. As a Contributing Editor at Design Sponge, artist Kate Pruitt shares DIY projects each Wednesday. Kate lives in Oakland, California and has a background in art/art history and recently left her job creating window displays to pursue her own work full time. Growing up in New Hampshire, Kate spent a lot of time building machines out of paper and scotch tape, and thus discovered her first DIY impulses.

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