Health & Sports Gadgets for Summer

by Aurametrix

It's the last month of summer, you can still enjoy tons of sun, water and other activities and make the most out of it without compromising your health.

Even if you generously applied SPF 50+ sunscreen, you still might need a backup to prevent overexposure to the sun. Personal UV Monitor with Exposure Timer by Oregon Scientific (UV888A) monitors the current UV index and temperature, and calculates your recommended exposure time based on UV, SPF and your personal skin type. The Minox Suntimer also monitors UV rays and sounds an alarm when it thinks you’ve had enough. It may be used as a calculator of the amount of ultraviolet radiation in the sunlight, watch, stop watch and alarm. New Zealand's Scienterra is manufacturing a similar device based on the idea by Dr Martin Allen. Their badge-sized UV "dosimeter" can measure level of the sun's burning rays every few seconds. Data can be transferred to a PC via standard USB ports, but the transmission will eventually be wireless. Data analysis will let measur vitamin D production.

Whether you're boating, scuba diving or hiking, GPS navigators may be handy. Many of vailable products (such as Garmin Geko) record barometric pressure too so you can get up to date weather conditions. You can monitor weather with your iPhone and use other outdoor, health and fitness applications, such as iMapMyRide, iTrailMap, GearCalculator, iPhodometer or iPhit Fitness Tracking.
A fully automatic lap and stroke counter for swimmers, Pool-Mate by Swimovate will display Lap count, Time, Average Strokes per lap, Speed, Distance, Calories and Efficiency, all completely automatically and store details in a large memory for recall at your leisure. It will record up to 99 individual sets per session so you can see how your data changes through a swim. Containing accurate motion sensors and Swimovate software algorithms, it will work with all major strokes, all abilities of swimmer and all sizes of pool.

Another gadget, SportsCount ring keeps track of your time and how many laps you have completed. And if you prefer walking to swimming, just put this 3mm-thin device by Sportline into your wallet and let it count the distance and calories burnt as you walk so that you can keep track of your work outs.

Skullcandy has a hydration pack that has more than just hydration in mind. The Hydration Backpack has the capability to keep you hydrated and refreshed - but it also syncs with your MP3 player or cell phone, control the on/off, track forward/back, and volume functions of any iPod.
If you are a biker, try the Racebak is a 72 ounce hydration pack that is sewn into a wearable jersey.
And for those who is not into sports, ride this Cruzin Cooler to keep hydrated.