The Clymo Brief

Rob Clymo is our new gadgets columnist. For his debut we sent him out to the seaside to test waterproof gadgets. Check out his column every week on Tech & Gadgets…

I’ve always had my doubts about the merits of waterproof gadgets. It’s mainly because any product I’ve ever seen that claims this accolade invariably isn’t. Sure, a few splashes and you can get away with it, but in my experience there are few electronic gizmos that can survive a dousing at washing up time, let alone a prolonged dunk in the sea. So maybe some recently released products can help me change my mind?

Now I’m lucky enough to live by the beach. It’s a fabulous place but exposed to the power of nature when it gets stormy and the estuary at the end of the street creeps closer every year thanks possibly to global warming. What better way to tackle the advancing ocean head-on than get myself equipped with a host of waterproof boys' toys! Last weekend I donned my decaying wetsuit and ambled into the harbour with a bagful of gadgets, all proudly claiming to be water-resistant to one degree or another and bobbed around for a while. I took pictures, recorded some video, made a few calls and, much to my surprise, became an instant convert to this handful of waterproof wonders.

It was the digital cameras that I had my biggest concerns about. I had visions of calling the nice people who lent them to me in order to explain that they didn’t work anymore. A couple of new models from Olympus and Canon make bold claims, but how would they fare in a real-life water based scenario? Take the Olympus Mju 850 SW for example, which purports to be both waterproof and shockproof. It just looks too dainty. What I loved about the Olympus though is that this is full-on waterproof.

You don’t have to do anything to it, aside from ensuring that the battery and card hatches have been shut correctly. That should ensure you’ll be waterproof at up to 3 metres. The additional benefits with this camera are that it’s freeze proof to -10°C which a stint next to the frozen peas confirmed to be true, and crushproof although I resisted the urge to reverse the car over it as that’s only up to 100Kg. £299.99 is a lot to pay for a camera like this but the resulting shots are pretty good.


Canon, on the other hand, produce a lovely looking camera like the Digital Ixus 860 IS which on its own is not actually waterproof. They then ask that you put it inside a rather odd looking plastic case, which immediately reduces its status to that of small child’s toy. I loved the fact that with all the technology going on inside the stylish brushed aluminium finish of the camera, I had to resort to pressing clumsy spring-loaded buttons on the outside.

Mind you, it claims you can reach 40 metres on the front, although without the aid of diving equipment I was lucky to get 2. Again though, it’s not cheap and the waterproof housing is extra. Unlike the Olympus, that also instantly turns it from pocket-sized into big and bloated. Oh, and don’t let go of it because weighing in at 155 grams it’ll drop into the depths like a stone! Again though, the resulting snaps are really rather impressive.

So what about moving video images? To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the Sanyo Xacti CA65 camcorder. Sanyo have always had something of a brand identity issue. Think Sony and you instantly visualise cool-looking but overpriced electronic gadgets. Think Sanyo and it’s just the opposite. Let’s just say cheap and cheerful.

Given that unfortunate psychological disadvantage, the Xacti makes for quite a surprise. The styling is surprisingly good and it too claims waterproof status, but again I got rather nervous when giving this a dunk. Thankfully the Xacti survived its aquatic encounter and the footage it produces isn’t bad either. Jacques Cousteau-types need not apply though as it can only reach depths of 1.5 metres.

Not what you’d call high-end but perfect for holidays and outdoor pursuits on the beach.

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My girlfriend spends much of her time traipsing around Africa so considers herself an authority on binoculars. So when I handed her a pair of Minox Compact BV Waterproof bins she looked less than impressed.

However, these are perfect for non-professional needs and are priced accordingly at £99. The specification is, I’m told, adequate. They’re waterproof to 3 metres and are also gas filled to prevent internal fogging.

The waterproof credentials are all in order it seems as I managed to drop them in a silt-filled harbourside ditch containing both salt water and a lot of mud. They clean up pretty easily too…
Moving swiftly on to portable data storage and a gadget with bad attitude written all over it is the Survivor from Corsair, a bulletproof water resistant flash USB memory drive that comes complete, like a burly US marine, with dog tags!

It boasts an 8GB storage capacity, features a completely waterproof seal that’s good for immersion to 200 metres and the anodized casing has been milled from aircraft grade aluminium. Alongside the rugged design there’s disk encryption software to protect your data inside while it’s taking a pounding on the outside.

Survivor really can handle whatever you manage to throw at it and that includes being boiled and taken out with a shotgun. Apparently!

Finally, let’s not forget the JCB Toughphone. Resplendent in its digger-yellow and black finish, this is a mobile designed with outdoor types firmly in mind. Okay, so that means builder or scaffolder more than it does intrepid explorer or transatlantic rower but it’s tough with a capital ‘T’.

Defined as splash, shock, drop and dust resistant, the Toughphone can double as a two-way radio and has an extra loud ringer, which unless you’re on a noisy building site will probably not endear you to fellow diners in a restaurant. Still, it comes armed with Bluetooth connectivity and WAP browsing.

With its rather poor resolution, the screen is perhaps the weakest link here. Nevertheless, it handles a dousing rather well and makes a nice conversation piece if nothing else. I’ll call the restaurant…

Do we really want simple gadgets?