Extreme heat calls for extreme cooling measures. Find out how you can beat the heat wave with these five geeky cooling solutions when you are out and about.
This is a three-post series that dives into 15 cool gadgets for home, work and play.
Cooling your home and keeping your cool at work is necessary to keep your sanity during record-meltingly hot summer days, but what about when you're out and about or on vacation? With all the tech toys that we carry in our bags, we're actually surrounded by devices that can power others. Here are five cool products you can tote in your bag wherever you roam.
Yes, it's only slightly less geeky than cooling yourself with a spray bottle and fan attached, but at least you won't need to look for extra batteries than the one in your iPhone or iPod touch. This adjustable fan attaches to your device's dock connector and features a flexible design so you can better direct the flow of cool air from its soft blades. It's compatible with everything from a first-gen iPod touch to the current iPhone 4 so it could be a handy gadget to keep in your bag for short cooling sessions. Available from Japan Trust Technology for approximately $16 USD plus shipping. [Watch a demo]
USB Cooler Cushion
You're driving on cruise control and blasting the AC at your face as you head to the camp site, but you find yourself becoming increasingly distracted by how warm your seat feels. With more and more cars becoming equipped with a USB connector, this USB Cooler Cushion from Thanko could keep your seat, um cooler, on your next road trip. Available from GeekStuff4U.com for $32 plus shipping.
Cooling Foam
When you're in the sun all day long playing 18-holes, a wet towel on the back of your neck just doesn't beat the heat. That's where the latest Japanese invention, the Cooling Foam, comes into play. The Hokkyoku Monogatari Cooling Foam is extremely malleable so you can either shape it into a wristband or necklace, or just rub it into your skin for some invisible relief. See the Cooling Foam in action in this video (the second product is the Ice Sparkle Freezing Gel that sounds worst than it probably feels). Like most strange products from the Land of the Rising Sun, this blue foaming coolant is only available in Japan, so you will have to continuing walking around the golf course with a towel on your neck, at least for now. [More]
White "iPhone 4" Air Cooler
Have you ever wished your iPhone 4 could be your personal fan? Apparently someone has because MIC Gadgets discovered this portable fan with iPhone 4 styling while shopping in China. The idea is you could stuff this iPhone-like fan in your bag and keep yourself cool wherever you go, but may look silly to others. According to the MIC Gadgets, the portable fan is light, about three to four times thicker than an iPhone 4, and has a power button that looks an awful lot like the iPhone's home one. However, its poor battery life means you won't get more than one hour of use after spending five charging it. At it's affordable. Available from KOGadget.com for $9.90 plus shipping. [More] [Watch a demo]
Going off the grid but want to maintain your geek cred, well look no further than this highly portable and energy efficient cooling device: a plastic Wi-Fi fan by the whimsical French design company ATYPYK. This made-in-France fan is 26 X 18 cm and is available from ATYPYK's eShop for $12.15 USD (shipping excluded).
