waterproof

iPod speaker that doubles as pool toy

High-quality audio may be going the way of the endangered Fat Three-Ridge Mussel, but this clam-like floating speaker at least promises to revive any poolside party should conversation begin to dwindle.

The Weatherproof Submersible Wireless Speaker from Grace Audio is...exactly that. The speaker doesn't just stand up to a few splashes of water, you can actually toss it in the pool in case your backyard speakers aren't loud enough or close enough for you.

For added fun, and if you want to test its weatherproofing limits, the speaker promises to remain functional up to 9 feet under … Read more

Pentax W60 likes it wet

Pentax has been making waterproof compact digital cameras for years now. While they used to have a strange square shape, the new Optio W60 could easily be mistaken for any compact camera. It includes a 10-megapixel sensor and a 5x optical zoom lens that covers an equivalent of 28-140mm. The wide 28mm end of that lens will come in especially handy when shooting underwater. Since you can use the camera down to 13 feet underwater for up to 2 hours, you can even take it snorkling with you. Interestingly, the camera's waterproof seals also make it dust- and sandproof, … Read more

Indecent Exposure 5: Insufficent X chromosomes

We yammer on about the week's news and chat about the visibility of female pro photographers.

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EPISODE 5

'World's smallest' MP3 player for swimmers

As any music-loving swimmer will tell you, the last thing you need while doing laps is something cumbersome strapped to your head. And while there have been a number of waterproof MP3 players on the market, this latest wearable version makes that oft-repeated claim of being "the world's smallest."

Based on its appearance, Ubana's "uCan" does look less bulky than other models we've seen--and more important, it appears less likely to slip or fall off. The player has 1GB of built-in memory, claims 15 hours of playback time, and can be submerged up … Read more

Sanyo camcorder takes another dip

Sanyo has seen the future, and it's apparently underwater.

The company must be finding some kind of demand for submerged videography, because it continues to come out with waterproof camcorders. The latest version, coming to the Japanese market next monthy, is a new model in its Xacti line that can record for an hour in up to 5 feet of water. That's actually the same endurance as Sanyo's previous E1 version, but the new DMX-CA8 has an 8-megapixel sensor instead of its predecessor's 6-megapixel resolution, according to Akihabara News. It also has a 5x optical zoom (… Read more

Waterproof speakers for the toiletry kit

For some unfortunate reason, companies seem to think that waterproof speakers have to blend in with toiletries. A few, in fact, seem practically indistinguishable from shampoo bottles.

What's particularly disappointing about this latest model on the Japanese market is that it comes from Pioneer, which isn't a name usually associated with personal effects in the bathroom. The pink, blue, and white nursery colors don't help either. But we supposed it'll do the trick for around $40, with a waterproof "pouch" large enough to hold an iPod or other average-sized MP3 player, which connects to … Read more

A printer for people who work while bathing

Some cynical types might question the need for a waterproof printer, but we think the reason is obvious: What else would one use to print from an underwater monitor after having received a deep-sea text message with links to undersea videos taken while listening to a scuba-diving MP3 player?

No, this 3-inch printer from South Korea's Woosim doesn't make sense to us either, as described by Red Ferret, but neither do a lot of other aquatic electronics. It's also not clear whether the device is submersible but, given the demand for other underwater gear, that probably wouldn'… Read more

iRiver's scuba-friendly MP3 player

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 … Read more

Olympus drops perfectly good cameras into the drink

Correction 7:50 a.m. PST: The lower-end model is the Stylus 850 SW.

LAS VEGAS--I can't speak for their optical quality or performance, but I like the idea behind Olympus' shockproof and waterproof compact cameras--and I liked the publicity stunts the Japanese camera maker used to show them off at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here.

In one demonstration, the camera drops down a pegboard, banging off several on the way down before splashing into a tray of water.

On another, a handful of cameras were frozen in a large block of ice.

And several cameras were … Read more