Rugged Gadgets For An Active Summer

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Summer is in full swing here at CRN, but we know that even if you're heading out on vacation you don't always want to be totally disconnected. Here are a few gadgets tough enough to withstand mountain climbing, camping, or just an active day at the beach.

Feel free to bring your smartphone with you to the beach, as long as you have it covered in the Otterbox Preserver phone case. These cases, available for iPhone and Android, allow you to bring phones up to 6.6 feet underwater for as long as 30 minutes. They also offer drop and dust protection, internal foam cushions, and an adjustable lanyard for tethering while active. Otterbox Preserver cases run for $89.95.

Pebble Smartwatch has released the Pebble Steel in limited supply, a ruggedized version of the popular watch. Pebble Steel has a daylight-readable display and is waterproof, with up to 7 days of battery life. So if you're going on an extended hiking or backpacking trip, there's no reason you can't keep in contact with friends and family. Pebble Steel comes with both metal and leather bands and is available for $249.

Bookworms can bring their Kindles to the pool without any worries thanks to Waterfi's waterproofed Kindle Paperwhite. Waterfi's Paperwhite is completely waterproof down to 210 feet. Even better, the waterproofing means that you can easily wash off any food or sand you may spill onto your Kindle. Waterfi's system waterproofing without any heavy cases and it offers a one-year warranty. The Waterfi Paperwhite goes for $239.99.

Waterfi also offers a waterproofed iPod Shuffle Swim Kit so swimmers can bring their favorite workout mixes into the pool. The kit includes a Shuffle and short-cord headphones, both completely waterproof down to 210 feet. The Shuffle holds 2 GB of songs and podcasts, and has a rechargeable battery life of 15 hours. Waterfi offers a two-year warranty with the kit, which runs for $154.95.