Summer Fun Beach Gear to Get

Summer  It's a time when the days are warm, long and lazy. When families head out on vacation   often to sun-drenched destinations on the beach. If you're planning a beachside holiday where you'll spend marvelous days relaxing in the sun, with warm sand between your toes and a cool, salty sea breeze that carries the tranquil sound of the surf and the gulls as it soothes your sun-soaked skin, we have everything you need on our list of 10 things to bring to the beach.

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The latest Amazon Kindle is the perfect eBook reader, whether you re in the sun or shade, indoors or outside. There's no need to lug around a bunch of books when you can carry a single, 9-ounce eReader with the capacity to hold up to 3,500 eBooks. You still get the Kindle's 6-inch, no-glare screen with electronic ink that makes reading in the sun even more enjoyable because you won't have to strain to see the words through your own reflection.

With the Kindle 3, you can choose either the Wi-Fi or 3G + Wi-Fi model. Since you can download an eBook in about 60 seconds, you can think of a title and begin reading it before you've even had a chance to get comfortable under your parasol.

Amazon has a nice, attractive carrying case for its Kindle that helps keep it safe, makes it easier to carry and comes in a variety of colors. Plus, the cover has a built-in LED light so you can read in the dark, even though the Kindle doesn t have a backlit display to extend its battery life and to make it easier to read with better text contrast.

Apple s premiere touchscreen iPod is powered by iOS, and it has access to hundreds of thousands of apps and games through Apple's online App Store. The iPod touch has a mix of multimedia uses: it's a music player, video player, email and internet device, gaming device, eBook reader and more, making it the go-to handheld device for many beachgoers.

When you hit the beach with your iPod touch, sometimes headphones just don t cut it. Altec s iMT320 iPod and iPhone Dock is a portable way for others to listen to music at the beach. The sound quality is top-notch, so your favorite jams won t sound weak while you re chilling out or playing some volleyball. If you need something more rugged, we suggest checking out the waterproof Grace Eco Extreme iPod case with built-in speaker, though you ll sacrifice sound quality with just one, small speaker.

Some beaches and their adjoining parks have places to grill so you can have a real cookout and picnic experience. The iGrill digital meat thermometer will help you know when your food is at the right temperature while you re grilling by showing the temperature on its display. With wireless Bluetooth connectivity to your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and the iGrill app, you can relax and enjoy your perfectly cooked meal on the beach.

The Weather Channel has weather forecast apps for most smartphones and mobile devices so you ll know what the weather will be like when you get to the beach. In some places, particularly in the tropics, it can be sunny at your hotel and rainy at the beach. Trust the Weather Channel family of apps to give you a clear forecast for your planned excursion to the beach.

Olympus s latest offering is aimed at people who want to take photos with a better, interchangeable lens like a DSLR that is easy to use, just like a point-and-shoot camera. It s really the best of both worlds, and you can purchase additional lenses to take great pictures while you re at the beach, and then transfer them to your laptop and upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site or social network profile page.