by Mia Kim, SHOP.COM’s Gadgets Editor

Whether your idea of a perfect summer day means a day at the beach, or a day close to the air conditioner, there’s a new piece of technology that will help you savor the hottest days of the year. Here are some picks to help you create an oasis far from the sun, a backyard movie theater in your own yard, or a gadget bag full of entertainment that will be safe even as you paddle waves or bake in the sun.

Homemade Drive-In Theatre

Inflatable 72” Widescreen Projector – Drive-in movies seem to be a thing of the past but you can recreate the ambience by moving the living room to the back yard with this fully inflatable 72″ projector. Deflates for easy storage and comes with an air pump to set up a portable cinematic widescreen just about anywhere. Best part? It’s under $200.

Viewsonic LCD Projector – The affordable and ultra-portable PJ359w projector may be small, but it doesn’t skimp on features. This widescreen projector supports 1080p for true High-def resolution. Easy setup means that when you’re done with the outdoor theater, you can use the projector to turn any wall or white space into a super-size screen for movies or your game console.

Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc Player- Now that you’ve got the huge screen, you’ll need the extra clear picture quality you’ll get from Blu-Ray. The DMP-BD60 supports 1080p resolution for a true cinema-like experience.

Waring Pro Popcorn Maker – You can’t have a movie theater without popcorn- and the irresistible popcorn aroma- and you can make both with the Waring Pro Popcorn maker. It pops up to eight cups of popcorn at a time, with a sweeper inside to keep the popcorn fresh and fluffy.

Waterproof Entertainment

Sanyo Xacti WH1 Waterproof Video Camera- Sanyo’s rugged WH1 isn’t just water-resistant, you can take it with you underwater. There’s 30x optical zoom, picture noise reduction, ultra-fast startup time, and face detection so you’ll get clear photos and video, even when your subject is on the move. Under a pound so it won’t weigh you down.

Amphibx Waterproof Arm Band – Make water workouts more fun by taking along your iPod into the pool or ocean with the Amphibx waterproof case. Compatible with most portable media players, the Amphibx is lightweight, fully submersible, and securely attaches to your arm so you’ll never have to fear losing your iPod even if you wipe out.

H20 Audio H3 Waterproof Headphones – When you take your music player underwater, you can’t use your regular ear phones, so you’ll need a waterproof pair like the H20 Audio H3, which don’t sacrifice sound quality despite being submersible up to 10 feet. Not only that, the headphones act as earplugs, and will keep the water out.

Olympus Stylus 850 SW Digital Camera - The Olympus Stylus 850 SW isn’t just waterproof, it’s shock-proof, freeze-proof, and drop-proof. Practically indestructible, it still manages to fit in great optics, 3X optical zoom, digital image stabilization, and an LCD display that’s readable even in bright sunlight.

Weather Resistant Outdoor Wireless Speaker – You can take the party outside, even seaside, with this outdoor wireless speaker. Just attach the included wireless transmitter to your MP3 player, and the speaker will control all the player functions, and broadcast the sound all through your house or your little corner of the beach.

Indoor Tech Oasis

Cuisinart Supreme Ice Cream Maker- Forget freezer bowls and hand cranking, this Cuisinart ice cream maker is fully automated, and the freezing compressor is built-in, so your ice cream freezes on the fly, without ice or salt. You can make a quart and a half of your favorite homemade ice cream, sorbet, or frozen yogurt in under an hour.

DeLonghi Portable Air Conditioner/Dehumidifier - If you live without central AC and hate to lose windows to eyesore window ACs, then enter the innovative, and sleek-looking, DeLonghi Air Conditioner. There’s no installation required, and the unit also works to dehumidify the air and filter out allergens too. Powerful 11,000 BTUs, but you can move it from room to room so you can keep cool while using less electricity.

Dell Studio XPS 16 – What can you get in a sub-$1000 notebook computer? Try a 16” ultrawide screen with 1080p HD support, backlit keyboard, amazing graphics, and an incredibly fast processor. This desktop replacement makes video editing, gaming, and other processor-intensive activities easy. And it’s easy on the eyes as well, with color options and beautiful leather accents.

Roku Digital Video Player - Do you have 1000 television channels but still can’t find anything to watch? Then the Roku Player is for you, with support for Amazon on Demand, and Netflix streaming. With over 50,000 movies and television shows to choose from, many in High-def, you’ll never have to channel surf again.

USB Drink Cooler- Resigned to warm soda because your office doesn’t have a kitchen? With the ultra-mini USB fridge, you can always keep your drink cool and all you need is a USB port on your computer to power it up. No setup required, just plug it in and the fridge is ready to cool down a warm soda in five minutes.

Spotlight on Summer Gadgets:

Popgadget Drop Newsletter- Popgadget’s free newsletter features the best of Popgadget’s coverage of innovative lifestyle and technology and has exclusive giveaways and the tech tip of the week.

Best of Michael Jackson- The music legend left behind decades of peerless pop music, incredible dance moves, and music video innovations which still haven’t been topped.

Wii Land – At last, Wii consoles are regularly in stock, and you can be part of the gaming revolution. From yoga to cartoon wars, the Wii has a game to suit every member of the family.

Shop.com on Twitter – If you want to get all the latest scoops on deals and specials on Shop.com, the quickest way to stay in the know is with Twitter. Subscribe at http://twitter.com/shopcom, @shopcom.