Top 10 Gadgets for Summer

Bright red faces and neon white legs: yes, summer is finally here.

Some of you will be jetting away for 4 months of holiday, others will be getting the wellies out for the Great British festival season. However you plan to spend your well-deserved holiday, my top-list of Summer Gadgets will help you get through with minimal fuss.

1) Grassy Lawn Charging Station, www.lazyboneuk.com, £23.99.

Every type of portable gadget you’ve ever bought is more than likely to have come with its’ own charger. And unless you’re an apple rich kid with the iPhone, iPad, and iEverything each of these chargers is going to be different. Here’s where this handy gadget comes in, a compartment underneath the grassy top hides all of your power adapters and cables taking away that unsightly jungle of leads.

Simply run a standard extension cable into the bottom of the base, plug in all your power adapters, and then snake the charging cables up through the grass. Voila! Your gadgets will think they're on a charging holiday!

2) Solar Bikini, www.andrewjs.com, £150.

Girls, imagine being on the beach listening to your favourite song from GLEE and suddenly your iPod runs out of juice, DO NOT PANIC. Thanks to the ‘reasonably priced’ Solar Bikini designed by Big Apple based Andrew Schneider you can now bath and charge at the same time. The same designer is even hoping to create a pair of trunks that can cool beer. GENIUS.

3) Live Luggage Suitcase, www.liveluggage.com, £394.99.

For those of you who have to get a trolley to put your handbag on at the airport, this is for you – the world’s first power assisted suitcase! It’s cleverly designed with sensors to detect the steepness of the incline you’re on and whether you're having difficulty pulling the luggage, allowing electric motors to kick in and make travelling with your luggage effortless. However, the steep price tag might make you think twice!

4) Cooper Cooler Blitz Chiller, www.bedbathandbeyond.com, £24.99.

Bored with revision, last minute decision to go out, beer still sitting safely in an unopened box by the stairs…WARM! Do not worry; this nifty gadget cools 6 cans of beer or a bottle of wine in minutes. All that’s required are a few ice cubes and a drop of water, and then let the cooler do the rest. Unfortunately the device can’t chill champagne, so for those of you on the Bollinger for your pre drinks…this one’s not for you.

5) Hi-Fun Hi-Sun Beach Towel, www.amazon.co.uk, £67.99.

A backpack, a beach towel and a speaker all in one! Simply lay the towel on the beach, blow up the inflatable pillow and plug your iPod or similar device into the 3.5mm jack and you’re ready to go. What more can I say!

6) Waterproof Playing Cards, www.gapyeartravelstore.com, £4.49.

These (nearly) indestructible playing cards can take everything you throw at them, or throw them at. Lasting 5 to 7 years before they need to be replaced and made from the strongest waterproof, scratch proof and world proof material, these are a necessity for any holiday where boredom needs to be fought with a quick game of snap. A great price too.

7) TAT7 Iphone Case, www.tat7.net, £50.

This is the first Scuba designed iPhone case, and can allow pictures and video to be taken up to 30m below the water. It is fully waterproof and designed to withstand the harshest environments without compromising full functionality. So whether you’re trying to produce the next ‘Blue Planet’ or simply want to capture your favourite underwater moments, this one’s for you…David Attenborough not included.

8) Moustache Straws, www.iwantoneofthose.com, £5.99.

A similar yet less explicit idea to the infamous ‘penis straws’! The moustache straw set contains five plastic straws and five different plastic moustaches. Each moustache clips easily onto the straws which will rest convincingly on your top lip whilst you drink. Different looks can be purchased, if five isn’t enough.

9) Ice Cream Bucket and Spade, www.iwantoneofthose.com, £6.99.

Looking to eat your Ben and Jerries out of something a bit more summery than the tub? Then these are for you. Coming in a traditional red and yellow these little buckets are the perfect containers for a couple of scoops of your favourite ice cream. Or if you get really bored you could make some really miniature sand castles.

10) Spiker Beach Cup Holder, www.4thebeach.com, £5.

A very simple device designed to stop your drink spilling when at the beach! Just spike it into the sand next to your chair or beach towel, add a cold drink and some sun lotion and you’re ready to go. It keeps your items cooler and keeps them sand free with no more spills.

For those iPhone users out there, a number of holiday apps are available from the app store, my personal favourites being the Oakley Surf app, which allows you to check surf conditions at beaches all over the world and the Lonely Planet Micro Guide app, which can give you helpful information on any city you plan to travel to this coming summer. And the best thing is…they’re FREE… http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/from-the-app-store/