Finally, summer is here and it’s your chance to bolt for vacation. You’ve rented a summer place and it’s a beautiful thing. We could talk about video game systems and air conditioners, but screw that! You’re off the leash and you know what? This is your life, and you’re going to have fun playing outdoors all summer long. Since summer rentals only last about 3 months, you are certainly not going to make any capital improvements on someone else’s house. → Read More
<div class="center"Editor’s Note: Jonny from SteakFeed here is guest writing this piece specifically for CrunchGear. When it comes to the topic, he’s more of an expert than we are. Enjoy. Esteemed CrunchGear gadget guru, Matt “Effing” Hickey asked me to write a summer outdoor gadget roundup for the CrunchGear on account of my experience writing for a more food-oriented site. I may be a bit out of the loop when it comes to all your electro-sonic gadgetry, but I’m no Bluetooth earpiece-wearing, PT Cruiser-driving, Credence-fan either. I kind of figured out the right angle, though: We won’t be talking about the kind of gadgets with OLED displays that organize your MP3′s robotocally and sync them to your TV by microwaves. Nope, we’re talking about the kind of gadgets that people-who-go-outside want. Or, People-who-cook-outside. It’s 100-percent true that summertime affords a whole bunch of really neat gadgets unto the world, mostly to do with portable ways of generating really fierce temperatures, containing them enough to raise the temperature of beef to 150-degrees Fahrenheit, and maybe looking cool while doing it. → Read More
We all spend too much time in our cars and a summer drive can turn into a nightmare with the right mix of traffic, heat, and gas prices. There are industries built around making our in-car time more productive and enjoyable. The degree to which they’ve been successful is debatable. There is something to the argument that every solution creates another problem. For example’ we all want to avoid traffic but can we? Consider this, if everyone had the real-time information about a traffic jam in one location, then everyone who has that information would choose an alternate route. At that point all those vehicles move to this new route, most likely causing another jam. When new car models come out later this year, the tech in cars will really start to percolate. Some new models will have Microsoft’s Auto operating system. This voice activated system will enable you to control your MP3 player and iPod with voice commands. Then, by next year you can use this application to download your emails and have them read to you. But what does this have to do with summer driving? → Read More
Just in time for the Fourth of July, Coleman sent me a Cooler Radio — a full-size cooler with AM/FM/Weatherband radio. It’s also got an alarm clock, a line-input jack, and a pair of speakers set into the faceplate on the front. The cooler itself is pretty standard fare: a chest-style red plastic model that holds up to 46 cans of Pabst. (Other beers are not supported, at least in my cooler.) I took it for a spin outside, despite the awful NYC weather, and here’s how it went. → Read More
It’s that time of year again. You know, that magical few months when it’s hot as sin and a single step outside means exposing yourself to yellow fever. If there’s anything we pasty-faced nerds hate more than the sun, it’s bugs. Not only the ones in our software but the kind which fly around aimlessly and try to sting you in the most inconvenient places. Usually those which you wouldn’t want to be seen scratching in public. For every modern problem there is a technological solution. → Read More
I thought this would be a day too late to be useful for your 4th of July reveling before realizing that it rained quite a bit yesterday. So if you have some leftover Keystone Ice from yesterday’s celebrations, why not grab this expensive cooler and head down to the beach in style? The Rolling Cooler is pricey with its $150 pricetag, but it comes with enough room to stack a few two-liter bottles or 58 cans of beer inside of it. Plus, with “Ultratherm” insulation, your drinks will stay cool all night long. However, the coolest feature of this cooler is not the beer it holds, but the tunes it plays. A built-in AM/FM radio with two 3-watt speakers keeps the Steve Miller Band alive and kickin’ whilst you try to remember the words to “The Joker”. Product Page [HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER] → Read More
Ah, Golf — the fickle mistress. She takes without asking. If you’re frustrated that you don’t get outside enough, why not get outside and frustrate yourself even further with a nice, aggravating round of golf? As one of the most gimmick-heavy sports around, golf offers plenty of opportunities for a fool and his money to part ways. Here are a few golf gadgets that might help you step your game up a bit (or maybe just lighten your wallet). → Read More
Everyone loves a good picnic in the summertime: Gourmet sandwiches, wine, cheese, and the great outdoors can go a long way toward relieving 9 to 5 office drudgery. But there are a few ways you can take it up a notch with a bit of high-tech help, whether you’re trying to impress your latest squeeze or you’re just goofy for gadgets. Feast your eyes on these ideas for geeking up your next afternoon boozefest outing. → Read More
Every once in awhile, we here like to step outside of the CrunchGear Mansion. And, when we’re feeling particularly frisky, we’ve even been known to go camping. Of course, just because you’re roughin’ it, it doesn’t mean you have to be without some basic necessities. As part of our ongoing series on summer outdoorsy fun, here are our favorite camping gadgets. → Read More
Since I’m from New Orleans, that pretty much makes me the only Cruncher who has ever been on a boat. Yea it’s a stereotype, but in this case it’s true — I’m from NOLA and I grew-up fishing. There is good reason for it though, fishing is one of the most relaxing activities on the planet. It’s peaceful and detached and it offers a lot of time to avoid responsibility. Needless to say, I don’t get to do enough of it these days, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t. → Read More
Why are you watching videos again? Summer is currently in full effect. It’s hot as hell outside, the sky is beautiful, the water is warm – you need to get out there. So bring your family or some good buddies and hit the trails, slope, or beaches. Find something to do. Just remember to be equipped with the best video gear possible. Because between the 14-hour car ride to your destination and Bob falling into a patch of poison ivy, you’ll want the memories to last forever. → Read More
Summer is finally here and you know what that means don’t you? What do you mean you don’t know? Don’t you think about going to the beach on a hot summer day or wakeboarding on the river or even jet skiing at the lake? It could just be me, but that’s all I think about during the winter when I’m at work and read my surf mags during lunch. Growing up in Portland, Oregon exposed me to the great outdoors while still giving me the city living experience. Portland is centrally located that your 15 minutes from the river, two hours from the beach and one to three hours from a lake. It’s the perfect place for a waterman to live. We have some of the best kite surfing in the world, a top-notch wakeboard park, the best left pointbreak in North America and a handful or rivers for you to frolic in. The chance to have fun in any body of water was completely accessible to anyone that wanted to take advantage of it. So what sort of gear should a geeky waterman have in his arsenal? The following gadgets and gear work whether you’re at the beach, river or lake. → Read More
It’s been three days since iDay and it’s time we all got some sun. Whether you’re ensconced in soggy, hyper-humid climes or settled comfortably in a Global Warming heat wave, we encourage you to slap on some sunscreen, read some of our outdoor gadget features, and then try to enter the great outdoors yourself. This week we’ll talk about watery fun, campingy fun, and bug zappers. Our goal is to give you a nice sampling of cool gear to replace your iPhone when it dies on day two of your 30 day Appalachian Trail hike. You can click here to read all of our outdoor stories or you can turn of your laptop and go see what there is to see in the great, wide world outside. You’re choice. → Read More
Technology seems to improve rapidly as time goes by. Think back to fifteen years ago – ah yes, I can still remember my IBM PS/1. I was drawn to it by its sexy Windows 3.1 operating system and of all things, Paintbrush. That computer system is the reason I am writing this article today, because it sparked my love for technology. But that wasn’t my only childhood love. Another was camping. Camping isn’t for everyone, but for some, it is hands down the greatest way to get in touch with nature. Way back when, camping meant a tent (maybe), sleeping bags and fresh air. When it came down to food, you ate whatever you could cook over an open fire, if it was cooked at all. But just like the evolution of computers took us from PS/1 to PDA’s, the science of campsite cooking has made giant leaps as well. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the products that will help you cook and grill like you’re at home, all while taking in nature’s beauty. → Read More
