With all the weather that we're been experiencing (hot, hot, hotter), it's a good idea to be prepared in case of a power outage or other emergency. 

(And this goes out to all of you are in hurricane season now, too).

(Oh, and before I forget, how about all of those poor folks in Queens who were without power for so long -- thank you Con Ed.)

Eton's Multi-purpose Hand-crank Radio American Red Cross FR400 may be one of the longest product names you can imagine, but it does pack a wallop of features -- specificaly those features you need when you're without power. It is the one gadget you need for emergencies.

(It's like an electronic Swiss Army knife.)

The FR400 provides you with a water-resistant AM/FM/Water-Resistant emergency radio with NOAA weather channels, TV-VHF, flashlight, siren and cell phone charger.

What's really, really cool about this product is some seriously old school technology. Using the hand-crank power generator chargesthe internal rechargeable Ni-MH battery pack in times of need.

(Yes, you read correctly -- hand crank -- like in the early days of automobiles.)

Let's get to the feature set so I don't miss anything:

• AM/FM/NOAA/TV1/TV2-VHF channels 2-13
• Water-resistant body
• NOAA Weather: All 7 channels plus “Alert” function
• Hand-crank power generator
• 3 LED light system with emergency flash
• Emergency siren
• Built-in cell phone charger
• Crank-charge system charges built-in rechargeable battery
• Charges rechargeable battery via AC Adaptor (included)
• Powered by 3 AA batteries
• Can be powered with all batteries removed by continuous cranking
• Dimensions: 4.5” H x 8.6” W x 2” D (114mm x 220mm x 50mm) = small
• Weight: 1.5 lbs. (Lightweight)

MSRP: $60.00

(As a nice touch, Eton gives 70 cents of the sales price to support the American Red Cross.)

www.etoncorp.com