Summer 2011 Travel Gadgets [2/2]

Each summer, I look forward to seeing what's on editors and bloggers' travel gadget lists. Some items are silly, and some are useful. For example, take the Opena can-opening iPhone case we profiled last week; the Aussi duo who created it have been mentioned internationally for their simple but useful product, and have pre-sold thousands of units. All this success, and the product isn't even due to hit the market until August. As a continuation of last week's gadget picks, here are a few more for your summer travel:

Scrabble Flash Cubes trip style = various There's a whole new way to look at Scrabble. You're traveling light and don't have extra space for the board and the letters, but you must take the game with you, after all, it's part of your vacation ritual. Enter Scrabble Flash, a smaller, digitized version of the same game. Comes with 5 smartlink letter tiles and a little black storage box. Cost: From $20.

Pet Cam trip style = various This isn't your typical nanny-cam-in-a-teddy-bear sitting on a shelf in the corner of a room, because Fido would sniff that out, jump up, grab it and pull it apart! Thank goodness the Pet Cam is petite and discreet. Mount the device and check-in on your pet via computer or smartphone. This little system is also great if you're traveling with your pet and need to duck out for a second, but want to make sure your furry friend isn't piddling, chewing or barking. Cost: From $70.

Jo To Go trip style = camping & glamping, road trips, etc... Forget stopping for coffee, there's barely time for a pee break on the first leg of your summer road trip. You were up late packing, and up early the next morning loading the car, so who has time for coffee? Good thing your passenger can brew you a fresh pot in the car {or at the campsite} with Coleman's Portable Propane Coffeemaker. Powered by a 16.4oz propane cylinder, 10 cups of your fresh brew arrive in T-18 minutes. Caution: hot. Cost: From $90.

Kammok trip style = camping & glamping, etc... I first learned about the Kammok a few weeks ago and thought its bright orange, oversized, hang-a-n-y-w-h-e-r-e design was brilliant. Along with its fancy python straps for a secure, above-ground hang-10 experience, it can be folded up into a tiny compact compression bag and taken on any trip style, except maybe to the Ritz Kapalua {unless you walk off the grounds and hang it elsewhere}. Bring it in your carry-on, hiking or to the South Pacific because it only weighs 1 pound! The Kammok is available for pre-purchase here. Cost: From $55 {$85} to pre-order.

[photos of products, graphic by @tripstyler]

Summer 2011 Travel Gadgets [1/2]

{Editor's Note: This summer we're transitioning from Travel App Tuesday to Tech Tuesday. We're looking forward to continuing to talk travel apps, as well as other travel tech!}

Musical Beach Towel trip style = staycation Who needs headphones when you can hook your iPod or Mp3 player up to your towel and pump your summer tunes? A beach towel and music player with waterproof, built-in speakers in one. Just don't drop it in the pool. Powered by rechargeable batteries, the musical towel comes with a headrest that turns into a backpack, to carry the contraption. *Currently only available in Europe. If you must have it now, buy it from Amazon UK for $116 usd. That's a fancy towel!

Get Paid Back Easily On A Group Trip trip style = various {anything that involves a group} This product brings the future to the present. Plug the tiny square credit card reader into your iPhone or Android device to swipe and process payments from anyone carrying plastic money. This little gadget is particularly helpful for group travel when the need to keep a running tally of who-owes-who-what always seems to be a reality. Save your restaurant server the grief of running 12 credit cards and sort it out afterwards. Plus, pay your friends back with your {travel} credit card, and get the points too! *Note, currently this product is only available in the US, but it's likely to come to Canada shortly.

iPhone Beer Bottle Opener trip style = various Only the beer-loving Aussies would think of this! The iPhone 4 just got a new, rugged case complete with a bottle opener. Created by two early thirties guys from Melbourne who developed the prototype, and then took to the world wide web to raise the funds to make the product a reality. All they wanted was an easier way to open bottles with something they always carry with them, now they have it, plus the first 100 units shipping this summer, er well, their winter! *Available for pre-order at $39.95 {Australian Dollars} here.

Stay tuned for more Summer 2011 Travel Gadgets next Tuesday!

PS - since we're on the topic of opening beer, why not wine too? Except, there's not gadget required, just something you wear every day. Here's how to open a wine bottle with your shoe! [Video - in french, but self-explanatory]

[photos of products, graphic by @tripstyler]