Digital Summer

Summer officially begins with the summer solstice, the day of the year with the longest period of sunlight. This occurs in the Northern Hemisphere around June 21 and in the Southern Hemisphere around December 21. For those of you that live in Atlanta like me, it may feel as if summer is already here. "Hotlanta" has arrived and I imagine even more sweltering temperatures are to come.

Besides the heat, the summer also brings trips to the beach, summer camp, water sports, suntanning and other activities. If you consider shopping a pleasurable activity, there are some digital gadgets that will make the upcoming summer season even more enjoyable!

How do you get high-quality audio underwater? You get a SwiMP3 MP3 player that clips to swim goggles and lets you listen to your favorite tunes underwater. The MP3 player's rechargeable battery and 256 MB of memory provide four hours of continuous play. Boogie while you backstroke!

You've got an iPod dock in your car, alarm clock, and stereo, so why not have one while you’re cooking? The George Foreman GIPOD200 has a dock, 10-watt amplifier and a speaker on an indoor/outdoor electric grill. The 200-square-inch grill's nonstick coating makes cleanup easy. Just like the original kitchen model, there is a channel that drains fat away from food (and, presumably, your iPod).

While you’re enjoying all those outdoor summer activities it’s nice to cool off indoors with a frosty beverage. Well now you can keep a canned beverage of your choice chilly cold and ready to drink at all times! The USB Mini Fridge holds a 12 ounce beverage can. The unit has a built-in cooling plate that quickly drops to its lowest operating temperature within five minutes after being plugged in.

To capture all of those great summer memories everyone needs a digital photo frame. Sony offers a very stylish option that has auto image rotation, red-eye correction and supports a variety of image formats. This is definitely “the must have” item of the summer.

Make it a digital summer and enjoy what the season has to bring. Life may not get any easier, but you can at least increase the fun quotient. Keep it cool this summer, be safe and stay connected!