Our Florida backyards are perfect for hosting barbeques, entertaining guests, and spending time with our families. But what if we could make the backyard a little more comfortable, and even spectacular with the help of technology? The challenge with technology outdoors is that electronics and the natural elements will always be at odds with each other. On the Space Coast, the closer you get to the ocean, the more likely that salt air is going to damage anything that uses a motor or circuit board. Thankfully innovative companies are starting to manufacture products that are perfectly suited for entertaining outdoors and are built to withstand even the harshest environments.

If your patio faces west or southwest, the guests at your outdoor afternoon party will probably quickly retreat indoors as the sun starts to set. A motorized solar shade or awning on your patio can provide instant shade "on demand," keeping your guests cool without any interruptions to your party plans. A motor can quickly extend the awning, providing protection above your summer kitchen or seating area; and solar shades descend vertically on to your patio to create an additional outdoor "room" of your home.

While they are available in non-motorized versions, research has shown that a motorized unit is used four times as much as a manual or hand-crank unit. The shades and awnings can be controlled from a wall switch or a waterproof remote control. Solar and wind sensors are available to ensure that the shades or awnings automatically retract after the sun sets or when wind speeds reach over 30 mph.

The material used for solar shades are marine-grade dyed acrylic fabrics made of a core yarn of fiberglass or polyester with a PVC coating. They are available in a variety of densities, depending on the amount of sun exposure on your patio. These acrylic fabrics are designed to allow light to pass through, but reflect solar energy, keeping the patio cooler and safer.

Jeff Klienman, owner of a local outdoor sun control company, JK Studio Designs, explains, "Solar shades will reduce the temperature in your patio by ten to fifteen degrees and eliminate up to 97 percent of harmful UV rays." The fabrics are available in a wide variety of colors, and they also have the added benefit of daytime privacy, allowing you to enjoy the view outdoors but preventing anyone outside from looking in.

Living in Florida, we have a number of outdoor annoyances that solar shades can help to eliminate. If you live on a golf course, solar shades are an effective way to stop stray golf balls from hurting people or damaging furniture and windows on your patio. Some models follow a completely sealed track on the sides, screening intrusions from mosquitoes and other bugs, giving you an instantly retractable insect-free environment.

Video screens are also becoming more prevalent in the Florida outdoors. Sure, you have a fantastic television in your Family Room, but do you really want to spend every sports season inside while the rest of your family is enjoying the pool? One way to watch TV outdoors is to install an LCD Display that is manufactured specifically to be exposed to the elements.

These units are covered under warranty for outdoor use and can operate in extreme temperatures, from -22 degrees to 122 Fahrenheit, by using a combination of thermostatically controlled heaters and cooling fans. The heater is also used to control humidity and condensation within the unit to prevent damage to the circuit boards. A completely watertight enclosure means the television keeps running, even when exposed directly to water, whether from a misdirected hose or an aggressive afternoon storm. Bugs always seem to find a way inside of everything, but a system of baffles and filters prevent insects like bees from building a hive inside your outdoor television.

Of course, you could always defy Mother Nature and mount a standard consumer LCD outdoors; but the picture quality isn’t truly optimized for the application. Outdoor units are about 40 percent brighter than a standard LCD display, meaning that the image will be easy to watch during the day or night. An anti-reflective coating applied on the inside and outside of the glass not only improves the video quality, but also allows you to watch the television regardless of the position of the sun.

What if you’re looking for a bigger image outdoors, like a drive-in movie experience for your backyard? Generally limited to only evening use, but capable of extremely large screen sizes, outdoor projection is becoming very popular. A variety of projection screen options are available. For example, a motorized retractable screen that is made with corrosion resistant hardware can be attached to a flower trellis and completely hidden until show time. Special translucent glass is available to replace windows in your home, acting as a privacy glass that also serves as a very bright projection surface. Many retailers also sell inflatable screens that can float in the pool or sit on the grass.

Projectors are very complicated devices and aren’t currently available in weather proof models, so you’ll need to be ready to quickly setup and tear down the projector whenever you want to use it. When selecting a projector for outdoor use, you’ll need a unit with a lot of brightness, referred to as lumens, to overcome the existing ambient lighting of your backyard.

When it comes to using technology in the Florida outdoors there are quite a few factors to consider: temperature fluctuations, humidity, sunlight, and the always unpredictable elements. Thankfully, manufacturers are at the forefront of innovation, helping technology break out of the house and into your backyard.