If you're in Manhattan today, or at least in the Tri-State area, then you know it's horribly hot outside. I decided that because of the harsh heat today, that I would test Q3 Innovations' UV Hawk. The UV Hawk is a device that formulates how long you can be out in the sun before you burn (with both a countdown and max. exposure limit), based on temperature, UVI, skin type, and the SPF you're wearing. It can detect a UVI up to 15 and an SPF range of 0-100. The UV Hawk weighs just 2 ounces, measures 2.3 x 1.2 x 0.5 inches, and operates on a CR2016 battery.

I grabbed my sunglasses and braced myself as I walked outside of our office building around 1:15 pm into what felt like a pizza oven. I stood directly in the sunlight, powered the device, and within 3 seconds, the UV Hawk's sensor calculated that it was 103 degrees out with a UVI of 6. However, according to weather.com, the UVI was 7 for Manhattan.

I pressed the SPF/Skin button and then the Meas./Adj. button to punch in what SPF level I was wearing, which was 35. (I wasn't really wearing any sun block, but the device didn't know that!) I then pressed the SPF/Skin button again to put in my skin setting, which was 2.

The UV Hawk is based on four skin tone levels:

Level 1: Pale or milky, white alabaster skin. Typically get burned with peeling
Level 2: Very little brown, sometimes freckles. Typically get burned with pink or red areas, but sometimes get a light brown tan.
Level 3: Light brown or olive skin. Sometimes get sunburns but tans at a moderate rate.
Level 4: Darker brown or black skin. Rarely gets sunburned and tans at a rapid rate.

Next, the device calculates how long you can be out in the sun until you get burned. Here are my results:

With a UVI of 6, SPF of 35, and Skin type 2, I can stay in the sun for 25 minutes and 16 seconds. The device will countdown until zero, and then sound an alarm when I've reached my limit.

I tried this three more times to account for other skin types:

Skin Type 1:
UVI 6
SPF 20
103 degrees
7m:13s

Skin Type 3:

UVI 6
SPF 25

103 degrees
27m:05s

Skin Type 4:

UVI 6
SPF 10
103 degrees

14m:26s

During testing, I wasn't sure if the percentage of maximum exposure limit was correct. When I tested for skin type 2, it gave me an 8% maximum exposure. For the other skin types, it gave me 0%. I will try to clarify this from the company.

Overall: The UV Hawk will definitely come in handy while you're at the beach or just lounging out by the pool. I never know how long I can stay out in the sun before I get burned. Although you shouldn't use this device as the most accurate indicator of UV rays, it's still a very useful gadget to have for the remaining weeks of summer!

Purchase the UV Hawk for $44.99 at SmartHome.com.