Cold comfort
Henry Northmore looks at the latest gadgets that promise to cope with the tough demands of winter sports.
f you are heading out on piste or even just having to put up with the Scottish weather as winter kicks in. it's a good time to look at some of the best up-to-date. weather-resistant kits on the market.
The piece de resistance has to be the Techtrail Axis. This tough. stylish watch not only has all the functions you would expect on any digital but also includes a digital compass. altitude meter (which is accurate enough to measure in lm increments) and a temperature gauge. It’s also waterproof to 30m. But that‘s not all: it actually claims to predict the weather with an integrated Swiss Sensor which causes the appropriate icons to appear on the display to tell you what the weather should be in approximately six hours‘ time. So far in our tests it has accurately predicted rain. but seeing that it has rained non—stop for the last week we‘re presuming this is actually the technology at work. not just luck. Pretty impressive stuff.
Swatch takes a slightly different route with its Fun Boarder collection. Incorporating a new innovation building an electronic ‘Snowpass’ into each highly durable design. the imbedded microchip holds a unique identification code downloaded from the resort's
electronic system so the watch itself
acts as your ski pass. seamlessly communicating with ski lift sensors to allow access. It can also act as an electronic ticket for mountain railways in over (300 ‘winter recreation areas' across the globe. But if all you want is something that will survive a multitude of falls and still tell the time. the £6.99 Shockproof Watch is simple and hard wearing. Primarily designed for surfers. it should survive the
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rough and tumble of the peaksjust as well.
In a similar vein to the Techtrail Axis is the Nokia 5140i mobile phone. Designed with sports and the outdoors in mind. within its rubberised. sturdy. waterproof .2hell lies a torch. a compass. a thermometer and even a fitness coach application for more serious training. while GPS and Polar heart rate monitors are optional enhancements. Siemens also offers the super tough M75 encased in a splash. shock and dust-proof rubber and metal shell. It combines style with durability while still packing a l.3 mega-pixel digital camera and MP3 player.
If you want a record of your time in the snow the weatherproof )1 Digital 800 is one of the nicest cameras on the market. liminently desirable. it packs 8 million pixel resolution into its compact body. as well as a three times zoom. and extra wide (14cm llyper(‘rystal LCD display and new ‘Bright (‘apturc‘ technology for taking shots in low level light conditions without the need for a flash. An even harder-wearing model is the Pentax ()ptioni which is fully waterproof (it can withstand up to 30 minutes of continuous immersion. so should survive being dropped in the snow). and is a b
1) Insulated Tea Mug, £6.99, Lakeland; 2) SwissBit, £16.44-E29.99. www.ebuyer.com; 3) Siemens M75, prices vary according to package; 4) Pentax Optioni. £269.99. stockists include Jessops - see www.pentax.co.uk for full details;
5) Sport.Tool. £99. www.navman.co.uk. 01293 780500; 6) Segway XT. £3799.99, www.segway.com; 7) SansDisk Cruzer Titanium. 5240—52140, www.sandisk.com. 0207 365 4193; 8) Ixion torch, £29.99 stockists include www.cat.org.uk; 9) PNY Outdoor Attache. 22999427999, PC World
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