It's that time of year when the heat has us looking for a pool or the nearest beach to cool down. With these high temps, there are few things that sound better than a tall glass of cold water and some swimming. If you're also aching to head to the beach like us and want to bring your tech along, take a gander at these summertime approved tips.
5 Ways to Get Your Tech Beach Ready:
1. Love Reading on Your Tech? Pick the Right Device: While we own a few flavours of the iPad in our home as well as a Kindle, when it comes to reading outside in the summer sun, you can guess which devices are going to be left at home. The glare on both iPads is intense compared to the minuscule glare on the Kindle, thanks to the eInk display, so the choice is quite easy as to which device works best outdoors.
2. Resealable Water-tight Bags are Your Friend: Whenever we go to the beach or the pool and don't want our tech to get wet, even if we don't plan on bringing it in the water, we seal up our small portable electronics in resealable plastic bags. This helps keep the sand out of the Kindle's nooks and crannies, and also gives me peace of mind that should my young cousins decide to perform a cannonball jump into the pool, my smartphone won't be toast.
3. Waterproof Speakers are a Smart Bet: One of the oft used pieces of tech among our friends who live close to the beach is a small waterproof speaker like the Grace Digital ECOXGEAR. It's waterpoof, portable, and hardy, and is perfect for playing some music to accompany beach picnics.
4. Beware of Mixing Sunscreen & Tech: While sunscreen is an absolute must for you, it's not so good for your tech. Certain finishes on your devices can tarnish by coming into contact with sunscreen, so be sure your hands are free and clear of sunscreen before touching that shiny new camera.
5. Stay Shady: Staying in the shade is not only good for your skin, but it's also good for your electronics. Direct sun and electronics don't mix, and don't be surprised if you see a heat warning on your devices if you leave them out in the heat for too long. Be smart about what you bring with you — you don't need all of your devices all of the time, and some are better left at home.
What are some ways you get your tech beach & poolside ready?
(Images: Flickr members Zach Hale and Rosa Say licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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I don't take anything valuable to the beach or poolside. For reading I grab something from the thrift shop, library book sale or cheapie pile. Between kids sloshing water or tossing sand and thieves grabbing anything that looks salable it's just a lot more relaxing not to have extra things to worry about if you nod off.
i always put my Nook in a ziploc at the beach and the tub:p
"...bring your tech along..." "Tech?" Are we really calling it that now? I hadn't heard the news.
The best way to prepare your tech is to plug it all into their respective chargers, then leave them there. Tech has no place on the beach or at barbeques where friends and family should be the main focus.
My vote goes to "Leave the 'tech' (what happened to 'electronics'?) at home and bring a 2nd-hand paperback". Seriously not worth the hassle.
...also, what about good old-fashioned thieves?? I hardly live in a high-crime area, but there's no way I'm leaving an iPad on the beach while I go swimming. Or do you then have to dedicate one person to watching the 'tech' at all times, so you swim in shifts? Fun.
Then again, maybe it's not that big a deal if you come from a household with 'a few flavours of iPad as well as the Kindle'.
Yeah, sorry, these posts bring out the skeptical snark in me.
Are people so obsessed with their 'tech' that they HAVE to bring it to the beach?!! Can't people disconnect for a few hours?? Seriously, I always thought that the beach was the perfect place to get away from everything....including 'tech'.
I don't see the problem with bringing electronics to the beach. I go to the beach but I don't swim or sunbathe. I enjoy being outside, but not being in the sun. A book is perfect. Since I read a lot of books, bringing one device with 10 digital books is better than bringing 10 physical books, which I wouldn't have room for in my luggage.