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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