Tailgating, one of many cities' great Saturday and Sunday pastimes, still includes the basics: beer, barbecue and bean bags -- but just don't trip over the power cords.
From high-definition TVs and portable satellite dishes to coolers that double as motorized scooters, tailgating never has been more plugged in than this year.
In his tailgating crew of about 20 just south of Michigan Stadium, Matt Jakubowski is the TV guy.
For each home Michigan football game at the Big House, Jakubowski packs up his 42-inch high-definition LCD TV and satellite dish.
"It takes us some time to get the signal in, but once we do, we have high-definition sports all day," says Jakubowski, 35.
What started as a head-turning novelty -- Jakubowski first brought an HDTV tailgating seven years ago -- has become Tailgating 101 in lots across the country.
Here's a look at the best of what's out there this year for the plugged-in tailgater.
Satellite TV for football fan
Dish Network recently released a portable satellite TV antenna called the Tailgater, aimed squarely at football fans.
The device ($350) weighs 10 pounds and requires a digital receiver ($150) that then hooks up to an HD TV.
Existing Dish customers can add the use of the Tailgater and receiver for $7 a month and cancel the service at the end of the season.
A cooler that delivers
And just for fun, check out the Remote Control Cooler from RC.
The cooler ($52 on Amazon.com) is a bit small for the serious tailgater, but comes with a remote control to drive up to 12 ice cold drinks to any of the parched members of your party.
Wi-Fi comes in handy
If you're looking to make friends in the tailgating lot, there's only one thing that can compete with free beer: Wi-Fi.
Cellphone reception often is hard to come by as huge crowds gather at football stadiums. Wi-Fi will be the best option to post photos from your smartphone or find out where your friends are.
The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE MiFi can send Wi-Fi to up to five devices at a time (as long as it's able to connect to Verizon's busy network).
Power up portable music
You'll need some music too. The Jawbone Jambox is the most attractive, battery-powered portable speaker out there.
The Jambox ($200) is ultra-portable and connects to a music player wirelessly via Bluetooth so you can use your smartphone, tablet or personal computer to play music.
More tech for the tailgater
Consider a waterproof camera. The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX10 ($330) takes 16.2 megapixel images and is certified to protect against tailgating hazards including water, dust, drops and freezing temperatures.
And, if you've wandered away from the big-screen TV, you will want to stay current on all the other scores across the country. The best app for this is ESPN ScoreCenter, which is free for both the Apple iPhone and Android-based smartphones.
