To celebrate Friday, I thought I’d compile a list of the Top 10 Waterproof Tech Items from the past year. Actually, it has nothing to do with being a Friday. I just thought I’d do it. As a caveat before I get started: they may not all be submersible. Here goes:
1.) Earlier in the year, we profiled H2O Audio’s waterproof housing for iRiver’s MP3 player. Waterproof to 200 feet, the DV i300 housing will set you back $200.
2.) The WaveCase is a shockproof, waterproof (to 60 feet) that lets you send text messages to the fam on the beach and morphs the average camera phone into an underwater camera (so you can send them photos of you and that shark). The WaveCase retails for about $100.
3.) Developed for the US Army, the Ectaco SpeechGuard features thousands of the most common phrases clearly and loudly reproduced in more than 50 languages. With the SpeechGuard, you can finally ask the dive captain, "Where's the marine head?"
4.) Lilipods are waterproof, hard shell casings that protect your iPod. While you can’t take them underwater, they let you carry your little jewel to the beach, on the boat, or while judging a wet t-shirt contest. The Lilipod is $40; the Lilimini is $35. (As a bonus, Make has pictures of a Waterproof iPod Shuffle case.)
5.) The aquaSketch is the lowest-tech piece of equipment on the list. It’s the only effective way to create permanent work in writing, drafting, or illustration underwater. Used by NASA, the aquaSketch is a wrist-mounted, phosphorescent case containing a roll of plastic vellum. The aquaSketch allows you to create multiple pages of drawings without erasing. Cost: $40.
6.) SeaLife has a new digital underwater camera on the market for $549, which includes a docking station, international plugs, a photo editing program, a rechargeable lithium battery, and a carrying case. The DC500 also features a 2" LCD, full rubber armoring, ergonomic button designs, and a new auto focus system able to focus as close as two inches. External flash not included.
7.) Jetboots are leg-mounted thrusters that allow a diver to have the benefits of a scooter and still have full use of both hands (to protect his head before he crashes into that reef). The average speed for JetBoots is 3 knots.
8.) Ninety Degrees South is a 2-person vehicle for Arctic exploration that uses a scouting
9.) Israeli inventor Alon Bodner claims to have designed a tankless underwater breathing apparatus. His “TUBA” has already received several EU patents and is currently winding its way through the US Patents Office.
10.) The Nikon D2X with a Seacam housing will set you back over 10 grand, but the pictures you produce with the D2X will be so awesome that you won’t ever have to speak again.
Did I omit something?
