Summer Tech That Sizzles With 90s Nostalgia Tech for the summer months is all about breezy flow.
By Mario Armstong Edited by Frances Dodds
This story appears in the July 2024 issue of BIZ Experiences. Subscribe »
Summertime tech is all about getting outside, and getting a good vibe. That's why we pulled together a list of everything you need to stay plugged in while having fun — whether you're listening to oldies, grabbing a cold one, or filming your next viral TikTok.
1. The sounds of nostalgia.
Here's a Lego set for music lovers of a certain age — and the centerpiece of your next office party. It's called Retro Radio [$100; lego.com], a 13-by-9-inch, 906-piece set that plays actual tunes. How it works: The left and right knobs control a sound brick inside, which produces radio-like audio: a baseball game, country music, DJs, old-timey radio ads, and of course, static. But you can also slip your smartphone into the Retro Radio's back, so that it blasts more modern audio through the radio's front, open grill. Your 2024 podcast never sounded more timeless.
2. Chilly drinks, sans ice.
Leave the ice in the freezer! The 28L Dometic CFX2 [$600; dometic.com] chills up to 36 cans with a built-in refrigerant and compressor. Plug it in on your patio, and then use its dashboard to customize the cool — ranging from minus 7 degrees (to keep ice cream frozen) to 68 degrees (to chill salad). The CFX2 can also run in your car, and the mobile app can tweak the temperature remotely. Without ice, you can stuff more into its 28 liters than you'd expect, and that package of burgers won't be floating around in melted water — a summertime surprise no one likes.
Related: 5 Tech Products That Make Traveling Easier This Summer
3. Lunch with some heat.
What do camping, long hours at the office, and work road trips have in common? It's hard to make a good, hot lunch. The leakproof HeatsBox Go [$200; heatsbox.com] fixes that. It's a rectangle the size of a large Tupperware, with a washable stainless-steel dish that holds about 31 ounces of lunch or leftovers. The box warms up, like a slow cooker, bringing a meal up to 185 degrees in about 30 minutes. It has a rechargeable battery, and its app allows for customized heat settings — including a timer, so you can ensure a hot meal right at noon.
4. A webcam for doodlers.
Webcams are usually built for faces, which is why they have things like built-in touch-up filters. The Logitech MX Brio [$200; logitech.com] has that too, but it's also built to look downward — pivoting on a hinge, and aiming at your keyboard desk. Why? Now you can share concepts, artwork, models, or doodles with your team (and the Brio automatically flips the orientation, so everyone sees things right-side up). As a webcam, the 4K resolution includes Logitech's latest sensor, so pixels are 70% larger, delivering more realistic colors even in low light.
Related: 6 Tech Products That Make It Easy to Create Content On the Go
5. A visual version of your VA.
Amazon's Alexa is built for voice commands — but sometimes it's just easier to press a button. The Amazon Echo Hub [$180; amazon.com] puts an 8-inch touchscreen face to Alexa, which can rest on a table (with an optional stand) or mount to a wall. Use it to adjust things like lights, thermostats, or the view from a doorbell (and yes, you can also use voice commands to navigate it). A series of customizable widgets shows you the weather, calendar, and to-do lists at a quick glance, or you can switch it to photo mode to act like a digital frame.
