(Credit:
Linde Werdelin)
As more gadgets have gone under water, it was probably inevitable that the relentless bling trend would follow. This may look like a new ultra-complicated European timepiece, but it's actually a new ultra-complicated European diving instrument.
The resemblance is understandable: This aquatic instrument--billed as "the world's first luxury dive computer," available in solid 18k gold--is made by Linde Werdelin, maker of high-end sports watches. But the simply named "Sea Instrument" goes well beyond telling time, as Luxurylaunches notes. It has a transflective color LCD made of sapphire crystal, built-in processor, 2.4GHz wireless sensors, 128MB memory, and water resistance up to 1,000 feet.
All this gear may seem like overkill (and it is), but the equipment allows serious diver to monitor submerged adventures even in the darkest and most hostile conditions, then transfer the stored data wirelessly to a PC--all while looking absolutely fabulous and making the other deep-sea dwellers green with envy.
(Credit:
Crave Asia)
Waterproof MP3 players aren't novel anymore, but this iRiver iFP-380T system caught our eye not just for its rather unusual design but because it can go scuba diving with you. This device lets you take your music not just into water, but up to 200 feet deep in it.
The full kit comes with the player as well as its waterproof case and headset. A removable clip helps keep the single headphone securely fastened to the strap of the scuba mask. It's a pity that this can store only about 30 songs with its limited 128MB storage, but at $99 it's a small price to pay to have Beyonce accompany you on your next dive.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Underwater Technologies Center)
Ever want to send an underwater text message? Laugh if you will, but on your next scuba-diving vacation you'll wish you had one of these gadgets if your air tank runs unexpectedly low.
In fact, this "Underwater Digital Interface" from Underwater Technologies Center can reportedly keep up to 56 divers networked with ships or land bases up to 1,000 yards away. And fortunately for them, the designers kept the product's functions simple--because the last thing you'd need in this situation is a complicated keyboard. (We wouldn't want to take a chance on a finicky touch screen, for instance, or lug around a full LCD.)
The aquarian communicator is touted as "the world's first digital devices for undersea texting and SOS emergency communications," according to Dvice. We often scoff at "world's first" claims, but this is one category that presumably isn't overflowing with competitors, literally and figuratively.
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
The mere sight of the photo accompanying this item is enough to make our heart skip a beat or two, as we can only imagine what a good dousing would do to a standard cell phone. But fear not, this handset is actually supposed to be wet, at least for purposes of Fujitsu's marketing campaign, to show off its water-resistant casing.
The fact that we mistook it for a conventional phone bears some significance; most of the waterproof phones we've seen look a little more stout, shall we say, or something better suited for a construction site. The "FOMA F704i, however, is trying its best to look normal while lounging by the poolside without fear of the occasional splash, while housing features found in many liquid-averse models: a 1.3-megapixel camera, MP3 player and banking-ID recognition software, according to Akihabara News.
It has a maximum depth of 3 meters, though, so we don't advise making a call while riding the "Scuba-Doo."
(Credit:
Oceanic Worldwide)
Many of us at Crave aren't exactly the outdoorsy types, but we do our best to help exercise-enabled individuals in the interest of trying to be a full-service gadget blog. Recently, for example, we featured a tent that can keep your electronic equipment powered even while deep in the woods. And today we offer one for the seagoing geeks among us: the "DataMask HUD."
This underwater headgear, which is supposedly used by military special forces personnel, is equipped with a miniature LCD inside the mask, which provides such detailed diving info as "current depth, elapsed dive time, cylinder pressure, and dive time remaining," according to Uber-Review. It costs $1,496 but, remember, we're talking military procurement budgets here.
This is all well and good for seekers of adventure. In our case, however--if we should leave the sofa at all--we would be more likely to opt for something like the "Scuba-Doo."
(Credit:
DelvTech)
Anyone who's suffered from asthma (like us) knows that water sports can be some of the most frightening activities--and any that require prolonged periods beneath the surface are the absolute worst of all.
That's why the Asthma Freedom Snorkel might sound like fodder for an SNL skit but is actually an important product. The snorkel--which manufacturer MediDive calls the first of its kind--gives immediate access to inhaler medication, helping to lessen the panic attacks that are so familiar (and potentially dangerous) to asthmatics.
So far, it has gotten positive reviews in Australia by tour operators on the Great Barrier Reef. It's a product that will be especially appreciated by parents of children with the condition, who would otherwise miss out on the unique experience. Think about it: What if Jacques Cousteau had been born with asthma?
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