Super Bowl 2012: Super fun lifestyle gadgets for totally getting your game on

You've got the big game, Madonna at halftime, and all those commercials to look forward to come Super Bowl Sunday, but the real star of the party this year is likely to be technology. Not only is Super Bowl XLVI being streamed live online for the first time in history, but the matchup is expected to be the social media event of the season. So let's take a time out from all the typical pre-game tech talk (HDTVs — go big or go home, any questions?) and talk about the parts that really matter: what to wear, what to eat, and what will make your friends wish they were as cool as you.

Girl, get your game on
Buy it: Score On Gameday
Price: From $50

For game day couture, go to Score On Gameday on Etsy. If you've ever torn your closet apart looking for that one boxy, unflattering team jersey from two boyfriends ago, this site will be your saving grace. Here's a way to feel cute and sexy while also showing your team spirit in a one-of-a-kind, eco-friendly T-shirt or jersey dress. You can even send the designer a shirt you already own, and she'll create something totally fabulous for you. Every shirt and dress is handcrafted from recycled clothes — so, in addition to looking hot, you are also being green.

BYO-Beard
Buy it:  www.beardowear.ca
Price: $7 to $25

Why should women have all the chic geek fun? These hand-knit bearded beanies are a huge hit with the kool kids right now. I have no idea how (or why) watching the Super Bowl with a beard on is so friggin' funny, but it totally is. Designed by a Canadian snowboarder, the Beardo promises to win friends and influence people with its lumberjack cool. The beard part is attached via velcro, so you can take it off for a clean-shaven look, too. Of course, it's only logical that a Bearmo beer bottle mustache would be a huge hit, too! You can find both of these on sale right now at flash sale site Fab.com.

Is that a beer in your pocket or...
Buy it: www.vat.19.com
Price: $30

You know how much tech types like their hoodies? Well, now there's one with a serious party purpose. The beer pouch sweatshirt holds your beer so you don't have to. Remember way back when we thought hands-free phone conversations were a big deal? This is even better for anyone who simply can't be bothered to actually put their beer down between tweets or leave it unsupervised with Uncle Albert lurking nearby (you just know he took a drink out of it while you ran to the bathroom... ew).

When a good mitten gets even better
Buy it: www.skuuzi.com
Price: $30

Excuse me? No, Sküüzi. This hybrid mash-up mitten and beer cozy is another great find for both men and women, especially if you're watching the game outside, tailgate style. Like a sleeve, you pull it up over your arm, where it stops just beneath your elbow. From there, let the engineering behind it keep your hands warm and your beer cold. At the same time. These are just ridiculous enough to be totally cool. 

Finger food from heaven
Buy it: www.dudefoods.com
Price: N/A (except whatever price you'll pay for blowing your New Year's resolution diet plans)

Now that you have a few options for what to wear, let's move on to food. The single most important food-related gadget this year is not the grill — oh, no. While still a close second, the waffle iron is the coveted kitchen tool for the Super Bowl. Not any one specific waffle iron, either; pretty much any good one will do, because of... wait for it... an amazing chicken and waffle wing recipe from Dudefoods.com. I'm no cook, but Nick, the main dude behind this artery-clogging blog of brilliance, lays the recipe out in a way that I even couldn't mess up.

• I started off by cooking four "drumette” sections of chicken wings and whipping up some waffle batter. 
• Once that was done I simply dunked the wings in the batter and placed them in my waffle iron with the ends of the wings (which I left unbattered so the wings would be easier to pick up and eat) sticking out. 
• After that all you really need to do is drizzle some syrup over them and you’re all set!

It just does not get any better than this.

Gridiron grillers
Buy it: iGrill
Price: $99

I know there are a whole lot of people who just don't feel quite right on game day without firing up the BBQ and grilling some meat. (You have to growl a little when you read that last sentence.) For you, there are dozens of pretty great grill gadgets out there. One of my favorites come Sunday will be the iGrill bluetooth-connected, multiple-meat temperature monitoring system. That's a totally geeky way of saying that you can grill without missing any of the game. The iGrill uses an iPad / iPod touch / iPhone app that communicates your meat's status to you so that you'll know exactly when it's rare, medium rare, or burnt to a crisp. There's even an estimated time to completion function and an alarm that goes off on both the app and the iGrill device when it's ready.

Two-Fer
Buy it: Blacktop 360
Price: $190

On the quirkier side of still totally awesome, the Blacktop 360 Party Hub is a grill and a fryer. Yep, that's right — the best of both worlds. You can grill on the infrared griddle and use the 20-oz. deep fryer in the middle to make another killer recipe from Dudefoods, chocolate-covered deep-fried triple-double Oreos. There's even a warming plate for keeping the chicken and waffle wings (oh yes, back to those) the perfect temperature when you have to take a break and let a little room open up in your belly between binges. When you're done with the grill, it folds up to the size of a briefcase.

Did you say briefcase?
Buy it: The Football
Price: $500

Just like the briefcase that inspired its name, this mysterious metallic valise holds everything needed to get totally bombed. Among its contents:

• 375ml Patron Tequila
• 375ml Grey Goose Vodka
• 10 Advil tablets
• 24 Tums Extra Strength chewable tablets
• (4) 2-oz. Red Bull energy shots
• Altoids

This upscale party pack was inspired by that other case that carried nuclear launch codes during the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK nicknamed it The Football for the operation code-named Dropkick, and the name stuck. While boozy gadgets are a dime a dozen come Super Bowl time, this one may very well cost you an arm and a leg.

Keeping score
Buy it: www.intoxicase.com
Price: $25

If the score of the game doesn't keep you riveted to the tube, the Intoxicase could provide plenty of entertainment. It's an iPhone case with a built-in bottle opener and app that lets you count how many bottles you've popped, plays your favorite football team's theme song, finds your car when you're not sure where you've parked it, and calls a cab if you've had one too many. Just imagine some of the prop bets you can get going with this!

The 411 on those tight ends
Of course, there are plenty of women who like football on a much deeper level than worrying about game day recipes and which wide receiver has the best tight end. If you need it to brush up on game day lingo, the website Football 101 Women will get you up to speed quickly on gridiron terminology such as bootleg, pooch kick, and flea flicker. Really, any time you can use the term pooch kick without having to call the Humane Society, is sure to be a pretty fun day.

What are your plans for the big game? Be sure to let us know in the comments section!

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