Think that all you need is a towel and a swimsuit to go to the beach? Not anymore. There are a plethora of gadgets out there to enhance the old school pleasure of lounging on the sand with a book. Throw a couple of these into your beach bag to drag you and your sun lounger into the 21st century.
The wristband monitors exposure to the sun and changes colour to advise you to reapply suncream or get into the shade- Helen Raine
Beach safe snaps
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT3 is a new breed of camera. It’s waterproof to 12 metres for 50 minutes, meaning that not only will it survive the inevitable holiday dunking, but you can also take it snorkelling for close up pictures of the sea life.
It’s shock proof and can fall two metres without the usual sickening crunch as the casing shatters. The camera is also freeze proof to -10°C and has a GPS.
The Lumix is compact and will fit comfortably in a pocket, unlike earlier unwieldy underwater housings. For a point and press, it hasn’t compromised on quality either, with 12.1 mega pixels and 4.6 wide angle zoom. As a beach camera, it would take some beating. Available for €276 from www.amazon.co.uk.
Sunburn alarm
If you want to avoid coming home from the beach toting a miserable, sunburnt child, the Solarsafe ID wristband is for you.
The band monitors exposure to the sun and changes colour to advise you to reapply suncream or get into the shade.
Handily, you can also write your contact details on the security sticker so that if your child happens to wander off, you’ll be reunited that bit quicker. The price is €7.50 for seven bands from www.phbhealthcare.com/solarsafe.
Get your phone fix
If you can’t live without your phone (or you are just worried about it getting nicked on the beach), check out the GSI Cool Sealed Waterproof Adjustable Armband Bag.
It keeps a smartphone or ipod completely dry down to 20 metres but allows you use it. Thus you can take pictures and “manage phone calls underwater” (even the earphones are waterproof, although whether your correspondent will be able to make head nor tail of your bubbled conversation remains unclear). A neck strap and arm band will ensure you and your phone remain as one even under the waves. Available for €8.34 from www.amazon.com.
Fun Hi-Sun Towel
The humble towel is no longer merely a piece of terry cloth with which to dry oneself. Hi-Sun have created one which has sprouts rechargeable speakers and aninflatable pillow.
Obligingly, the towel also transforms itself into a backpack when you’re finished, to carry all your other junk home.
Just plug your ipod or smartphone into the universal jack and this über-towel will tootle out all your favourite tunes. Available for €59.99 from www.hi-fun.com.
Spades on steroids
Move over buckets and spades, the handtrux has arrived. This bizarre appendage fits on the hand like a mechanical glove and has a huge scoop on the end to allow for expert hole digging. Available for €12.50 from www.amazon.com.
If you prefer your beach toys to have a more environmental bent, then try Zoe B Biodegradable Beach toys.
They are made from corn rather than a petrol-based product so if you forget one on the beach, they will break down over two to three years (rather than 500).
The manufacturers say, “Call us crazy but we believe that beach toys are for playing, not killing thousands of birds and sea turtles”.
They contain no toxic chemicals and the set has been thoughtfully designed, with a sieve, bucket, cups and a scoop. Available for €15 from www.amazon.com.
Waterproof Carbon Messenger Bag
Unlike most dry bags, which are about as stylish as a life jacket, this wouldn’t look out of place in the high street. Its secret is hidden under the flap, where there’s a roll top dry bag which keep the contents completely protected from dust, sand and water. You could fall overboard with this one and everything would stay dry. Available for €60 from www.thewaterproofstore.com.
E-book and cover
Amazon’s kindle is a great way to ensure you never run out of beach books. You’ll have access to over one million free books for the gadget’s price of €110 (and of course can always buy more... at least that’s what Amazon hopes).
The display is reasonable in sunlight and the latest incarnation has a paper-like appearance. To keep the sand and water out, cover it with the Kindle KlearKase.