GadgetLiving

There’s only a tiny bit of summer left, so spend all the time outside that you can. Whatever outdoor activity that you’re up to you know you need some tunes to make it even better, and the Sony Heavy-Duty CD Radio Boombox can withstand almost anything you put it through.

The boombox has been built to stand up to the elements with features like a protective safe guard bar to keep it safe from stacking items or anything that might fall on it. It also has protective speaker guards to keep dust and water out of the system.

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“With its durable body construction, the new heavy-duty ZS-H10CP boombox is just one of the guys. With a sturdy design and convenient protective handle bar, the water and dirt-resistant player is ideal for hard-hat work areas, a less-than-clean garage or rugged outdoor use.”

This metal detector that can actually tell the difference between nine different types of metal objects. The detector can differentiate between ferrous items (such as Civil War relics or common nails) and older U.S. pennies made of copper. It can also tell the difference between newer pennies, made of zinc, and silver dollars.

You can even set the detector to ignore items like bottle caps and soda can pull tabs. (Unless you’d really like to find some of those) You can also set it to detect all metals if you want to just discover everything that’s sitting right beneath the surface of the ground.

Check price and availability at Hammacher Schlemmer.

“It has an 8″ diam waterproof, open coil to locate coin-sized objects as deep as 8″ below the surface (up to 3′ for larger objects). Object type, object depth, sensitivity level, and battery life are all indicated on an easy-to-read LCD. A built-in speaker plays four tones to indicate object typesits 1/4″ headphone jack allows you to use most headphones, enabling you to hear detection tones clearly. The lightweight detector has an adjustable armrest for optimal comfort while detecting.”

Do you have a favorite cocktail? If you do, then this Liquor Cooler is going to make happy hour that much happier for you. This cooler keeps up to 750 ML of your favorite liquor chilled down to 5° F and dispenses at the touch of a lever, letting you make your favorite drink without the need for a shaker or ice cubes that can water-down your perfectly proportioned drink.

The cooler is smaller than most toaster ovens, so it won’t take up too much space on your kitchen counter or bar if you’re lucky enough to have one. Now you can serve the perfectly chilled and proportioned martini at you next cocktail party.

Check price and availability at Hammacher Schlemmer.

“Made from durable stainless steel, the cooler has a thermoelectric cooling unit that ensures cold drinks in ambient temperatures up to 85° F…For optimal results, use pre-chilled liquor or allow room temperature liquor to cool in the unit for at least four hours.”

This deluxe wireless rocker will let you completely immerse your self in the sounds and action of your favorite games.

The chair has speakers and a subwoofer that illuminate as well as a multiplayer connection, powered by 2 AAA batteries. The chair measures 26.75″ L x 17″ W x 20″ H, and has inputs for iPod, MP3, DS Lite, and PSP.

Check price and availability at Discovery Store.

“Take your gaming experience to the next level with this chair that really rocks you!”

With all the summer entertaining we do it’s sometimes hard to find a place to store all the beverages needed to throw a really good bash. Your fridge can only hold so much extra food and drink, and coolers can leave things soggy and eventually warm. So if you’ve got no more room inside, check out this weather-resistant cooler that lets you chill wine and other beverages in one convenient unit in outdoor temperatures between 40° and 100° F.

If the temperature outside happens to dip below the temperature inside the cooler the unit’s heater activates to make sure it keeps its preset temperature. The wine and beverage cabinets can be set to different temperatures so that your red wine can be kept at 55° F and drinks like beer can be kept at 39° F. The thermostat adjusts from 36° to 64° F.

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“The wine cabinet has five racks that accommodate up to 18 bottles of your favorite varietals and three champagne bottles store at the bottom of the cooler. The beverage cabinet has three shelves that hold up to 24 bottles of beer and a drawer that stores up to twelve lemons or other garnishes. The integrated wheels ensure ease of portability, and the cooler is 33 1/2″ high, allowing installation under a countertop or stand-alone setup. Includes protective plastic cover. Plugs into AC. 33 1/2″ H x 23 2/3″ W x 23 1/2″ D.”

Now you can get get charged up anywhere you are with this lightweight yet sturdy portable charger. Oh yeah, and it’s water resistant too.

This charger can power up your gadgets three different ways: by USB, universal charger, or solar power. A single charge provides 40 hours of power for iPod, 96 hours cell phone use, 1600 pictures on digital camera, 24 hours for 2-way radios, and 48 hours for PDAs. It also has a universal tip back that can be used with most common phones and other gizmos.

Check price and availability at Discovery Store.

“When your adventures take you away from your traditional power sources, make sure you can always stay charged with this lightweight, versatile charger.”

The next time you go to the beach, a park, or even just to the backyard for a barbecue there won’t be any need to lug a whole bunch of different items around with you. This gadget gives you a cooler, a warmer, and an AM-FM radio all in one.

You can keep your drinks and cold dishes cool or keep your hot meals warm. This 16.5″ L x 13″ W x 12″ H cools down to 35ºF and heats up to 140ºF. It has an 18-liter capacity holds up to 30 12-ounce cans. You can even plug in your iPod and listen to your favorite party play list.

Check price and availability at Discovery Store.

“Take off on adventures with food and beverages that are just the way you like them – icy cold, cool and fresh, or toasty warm!”

This ultra-light backpack stove will let you cook your meals while camping, hiking, or just hanging out in the back yard.

The stove is made of durable stainless steel and brass, and cleaning is a breeze with “Shaker Jet” technology, just shake it to clean it. The stove burns white gas and white gas varieties. The 22 Ounce Fuel Bottle has an air-tight seal that allows fuel to be stored longer, and it’s made from a single-piece of impact-extruded aluminum to prevent leaks and cracks. So go ahead and be rough with this little stove, it can take it.

Check price and availability at Discovery Store.

“Pack intelligently on your next camping or backpacking adventure – carry the cooking tools you need to prepare your favorite foods in the wilderness.”

Up to 10 authorized users can be programed into this Fingerprint Reading Garage Entry System. This keyless system uses a fingerprint scanner instead of a key or passcode as a way of gaining entry to your garage.

That means there’s no keys to lose or passcodes to forget, which provides more convenience and better security. The receiver wire wires easily to your existing garage door opener and the fingerprint scanner mounts outside. Just place your finger over the sensor and the scanner recognizes the fingerprints of authorized users and transmits a signal to the receiver, opening the garage door.

Check price and availability at Hammacher Schlemmer.

“The systems patented security technology transmits a new code every time, thwarting code grabbers used by would-be thieves. Users are easily set up in four simple steps from the scanning units keypad. A sliding panel protects the sensor from the elements. The receiver plugs into 120V AC. The scanner requires four AAA batteries (not included) that will provide power for at least a year; an LED indicator tells you when batteries need replacement.”

Now you can cool down quickly in your sun-baked car or can stay toasty warm on your extra long commute, all while consuming about as much electricity as a compact fluorescent bulb. This padded seat cushion uses “thermoelectric” technology and a 30-watt pump/power unit to cool or heat water circulating through it.

You can change the seat from cooling to heating with a simple flick of a switch. it alternates from cooling to heating at the flip of a switch. The seat is covered in a soft cotton fabric that resists stains, and has has four adjustable straps that fit most car seats.

Check price and availability at Hammacher Schlemmer.

“The cushion uses no Freon or other materials harmful to the environment and its 1″-thick foam padding protects the circulation tubes against punctures and leaks…The power unit plugs into a 12-volt outlet and sits unobtrusively on the floor; an AC adapter is included for use at home, office, or on a patio. The cushion measures 44″ L x 20″ W; the power unit is 6″ H x 3″ W x 2″ D.”

With the Video Screen Microscope you can view all sorts of things up close and personal without bending and squinting over a small lens. This microscope uses an LCD instead of a standard eyepiece to display the objects you want to see.

Just like regular microscopes you can observe things as tiny as plant tissue, or the details of larger items like insects. The microscope uses a 2 MP camera to capture both still images and video and then display objects on its 3 1/2″ thin-film transistor LCD at 320 x 240 resolution. It also has a USB port so you can download your pictures and videos to your computer. Just think of the wallpapers you can create.

Check price and availability at Hammacher Schlemmer.

“The three objective lenses (4X, 10X, or 40X) provide magnification from 40X-400X (up to 1600X when used with its 4X digital zoom feature); objects can either be illuminated from the top (for solid objects) or from the bottom (for prepared slides) using two separate 6-watt LED light sources that can each be controlled by turning an exposu re value knob. A filter wheel provides six different colors to help block out wavelengths to make objects clearer. The camera’s built-in 128 MB memory can store up to 120 still shots or up to 40 minutes of video at 1600 x 1200 resolution; an SD card slot allows for memory expansion.”

This large LCD panel alarm clock is surprisingly sleek and attractive. This may be one of the easiest alarm clocks to use ever, all you have to do is talk to it. The clock uses advanced speech recognition technology that lets you set the time and alarm. The clock even responds to questions like “What time is it? with vocalized answers.

The alarm clock can recognize 10 different spoken commands, including “Set alarm”, “Set time”, “Check alarm”, “What is the date”, “Alarm sound” (buzzer, chime, or bell), “Stop” (snooze for 5 minutes), and “Temperature” (current room temperature). You can also control the clock by touching the activation panel. The only time you absolutely will have to touch this clock though is to shut off the alarm. It would be too easy to fall back asleep if you could just tell it to be quiet.

Check price and availability at Hammacher Schlemmer.

“All functions are controlled either by your voice or with a touch of the activation panel, allowing you to quickly set up and operate the clock without tedious and confusing button pressing. The backlit LCD shows the time and date in 2″-high numerals for optimal visibility day or night. The clock also has a voice-act ivated function that lulls you to sleep with the soothing sounds of the ocean, chirping birds, or a babbling brook. Powered by AC adapter or three AAA batteries (not included).”