Just Add Water! - The Sun Online, 13 June 2005
The famous British summer - or monsoon, as it's known in the rest of the
world - is just around the corner. So why not get kitted out with these waterproof
gadget-sensations, as chosen by Mark Harris.
NIKE TRIAX SWIFT
3i WATCH - £75
Personally, we haven’t had any difficultly telling the time since we were
knee-high to a robot dog. But apparently athletes are a different breed - must
be all that blood rushing from their neglected brains to their over-developed
triceps. Nike has developed a ticker just for them, with the face at a funny angle
so you can read it on the run, and luminescent hands. It’ll also resist
blood, sweat and water down to 100 metres. Oh, and if anyone finds the secret
button that knocks two seconds off your lap time, please let us know.
PENTAX OPTIO
WP CAMERA - £230
This little mermaid is perfect for capturing the illusive, and deadly striped-backed
conga eel, should one nip out from behind a rock and try to take a chunk out of
your calf muscle. You can take it down to a depth of 1.5m for up to 30 minutes
at a time, take five-megapixel snaps underwater and record mini-movies. It boasts
a two-inch LCD display, and unlike other, clunkier, waterproof cameras, it isn’t
covered in embarrassing Fisher Price rubber.
CASIO SY-21 PORTABLE
TV - £100
Typical. You wait eleven and half months for the sun to come out, and when it
finally appears, some buffoon goes and puts all the best sport on TV, leaving
you couch-bound. Relax, though - with this classic splash-proof portable telly
you can keep up with all the action at Wimbledon, Lords and Silverstone, while
lolling in the garden guzzling a six pack of stubbies and some greasy sausage
rolls. The 2.3-inch LCD screen has a handy anti-glare coating, and the worldwide
auto-tuner is great for holidays in “Beefa” or “Lanza-grotty”.
OREGON SCIENTIFIC
MP120 MP3 PLAYER - £100
Greek philosopher Plato thought anyone that couldn’t swim was uneducated.
If only he’d realised the point of swimming was to ogle bikini-clad honeys,
he may have loosened up a bit. Still, if you insist on improving your stroke,
get one of these watertight MP3 players. It’ll hold up to four hours of
songs and has an FM radio. Incredibly, one of these widgets was recently pulled
out of a Great White - still working. So keep an eye out for signs of panic among
your fellow bait.
NOKIA 5140 PHONE
- £150 SIM-free
If the Swiss Army ever decided to give up yodelling and use mobile phones instead,
they’d choose the gadget-packed 5140. As well as the usual camera, this
Nokia has got a built-in digital compass, thermometer, decibel meter and torch.
It repels water, dust and scrapes, while a built-in FM radio turns it into the
perfect gadget to take up an Alp or down to the lake. There’s even an intelligent
Fitness Coach to help you organise various energetic activities such as making
cuckoo clocks and protecting the new Pope.
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