The summer season is well underway so CBR takes a look at the gadgets and gizmos on offer for you to enjoy in the sunshine – if it hangs around long enough.
1. Beef Eater outdoor kitchen
This is so vast and extravagant that it can’t even be called a BBQ; it’s an outdoor kitchen. Imagine breakfast by the pool, dinner under the stars with the family, or simply firing up a few steaks with some mates, you can do it all with this. You can start off with a built-in two or four burner BBQ unit before the real fun kicks in. Want a sink added? No problem. Fridge? Of course. Wine chiller? Why not? A home entertainment system? Yep. A dishwasher? Certainly. Maybe you just want a couple of extra drawers or cabinets? Or maybe you want to add a second BBQ to the unit? The choice is entirely yours. The Discovery range is covered by five-year limited warranty on the stainless steel finish and the cook tops use RF (rust free) technology.
2. Zeppelin iPod dock
From Bowers & Wilkins comes this iPod speaker dock, developed using the same exacting standards as the speakers that sit in London’s Abbey Road Studios, emanating a fantastic sound that you may not associate with iPod speakers. Its distinctive shape is designed to minimise the baffle area around the drive units, apparently, which creates ultra-wide sound dispersion and a much smoother response. It is compatible with all iPod models, including the Touch, Mini and Nano, and all iPhone models, including the latest iPhone 4. Expect to pay around £400 for this version or about £300 for the Mini version.
If you’re desperate for a cooling breeze during the summer it may be worth investing in one of these. It’s not like the traditional fan, which Dyson claims "chops" the air. It doesn’t have blades so it doesn’t buffet the air as it travels between the fan and you, instead it uses technology used in turbochargers and jet engines to create a smooth flow of air. The air around the machine is drawn into its airflow, which is amplified 15 times. This will certainly keep you cool during the hot months.
If you’re heading off for a well-deserved break this summer but can’t decide which book to take (or don’t want to fork out for an iPad, Kindle or Sony eReader) then this is for you. It has storage for hundreds of books, is PC and Mac compatible, and the makers claim that one charge will last for 8,000 page turns. It’s 45% lighter than other eReaders on the market and its E-Ink technology means that it is easy to read in sunlight and won’t place any strain on your eyes. The Cool-er store has over one million titles to chose from. It retails for around £189.
5. Solargorilla portable charger
For those days when you are out and about and worried about whether your laptop, phone or music player (or any number of other gadgets) will last the day without its battery dying – this is a must-have. It uses solar panels to charge your device by sunlight (please, no jokes about it being useless in the UK) via a 5V USB output. It has a tough, rubberised casing to protect it from knocks and drops, it’s water resistant and weighs around 820g. It will set you back around £140.
