{Editor's Note: This summer we're transitioning from Travel App Tuesday to Tech Tuesday. We're looking forward to continuing to talk travel apps, as well as other travel tech!}
Musical Beach Towel trip style = staycation Who needs headphones when you can hook your iPod or Mp3 player up to your towel and pump your summer tunes? A beach towel and music player with waterproof, built-in speakers in one. Just don't drop it in the pool. Powered by rechargeable batteries, the musical towel comes with a headrest that turns into a backpack, to carry the contraption. *Currently only available in Europe. If you must have it now, buy it from Amazon UK for $116 usd. That's a fancy towel!
Get Paid Back Easily On A Group Trip trip style = various {anything that involves a group} This product brings the future to the present. Plug the tiny square credit card reader into your iPhone or Android device to swipe and process payments from anyone carrying plastic money. This little gadget is particularly helpful for group travel when the need to keep a running tally of who-owes-who-what always seems to be a reality. Save your restaurant server the grief of running 12 credit cards and sort it out afterwards. Plus, pay your friends back with your {travel} credit card, and get the points too! *Note, currently this product is only available in the US, but it's likely to come to Canada shortly.
iPhone Beer Bottle Opener trip style = various Only the beer-loving Aussies would think of this! The iPhone 4 just got a new, rugged case complete with a bottle opener. Created by two early thirties guys from Melbourne who developed the prototype, and then took to the world wide web to raise the funds to make the product a reality. All they wanted was an easier way to open bottles with something they always carry with them, now they have it, plus the first 100 units shipping this summer, er well, their winter! *Available for pre-order at $39.95 {Australian Dollars} here.
Stay tuned for more Summer 2011 Travel Gadgets next Tuesday!
PS - since we're on the topic of opening beer, why not wine too? Except, there's not gadget required, just something you wear every day. Here's how to open a wine bottle with your shoe! [Video - in french, but self-explanatory]
[photos of products, graphic by @tripstyler]