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Geared up for the outdoors?

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| Wednesday, March 26, 2008 |

Gannett News Service

Spring is here and the outdoors awaits. Here are some new products to help make smoother your transition from the living room to the open spaces.

When you venture into the great outdoors, the Jeep Emergency Crank Radio/Flashlight makes a practical — and fun — traveling companion. On the practical side, the rubberized gadget comes with a flashlight that can light your path, reflective lights that can change colors depending upon the emergency and a weather band radio that can alert you to a coming storm. It also includes a phone charger, an AM/FM radio, a digital alarm clock and an audio jack for an MP3 player. Should the battery-operated device need more power, you can recharge it with a hand crank. It costs about $45 and is available on the Web at sakar.com and walmart.com.

Walking to a new restaurant in the city? The Royal Expedition LX Navigation System can help you get there. It is designed to provide both walking and driving directions to addresses and popular destinations in the United States and Canada. Loaded with built-in maps and two gigabytes of memory, the pocket-size Global Positioning System device also can play digital tunes and display photos. The model will go on sale in May for $250, available on the Web at royal.com

You can take your videos, music, and, if you insist, work with you on Buffalo Technology’s 500GB MiniStation TurboUSB Portable Hard Drive. The shock-resistant storage drive, which comes with automatic backup software, also functions as a portable backup for your computer. Designed with a wraparound cable, the drive can be tucked into a backpack or small bag. It costs $330 and is available on the Web at buffalotech.com

Samsung’s NV40 10-megapixel digital camera is ready for shaky hands. Equipped with dual optical and digital image stabilization, the camera can capture blur-free pictures, even if your hands shake while snapping a picture. Another cool feature: The camera’s photo style selector dial is conveniently located on top of the camera, allowing you to use your thumb to select special effects, such as “Soft,” “Retro” and “Vivid.” It costs about $330, available at samsungcamerausa.com