WATER WINGS HI-TECH SPEEDBOAT
SeaPhantom $429,000 (£217,900) approx www.seaphantom.com

This may look like a Batmobile on steroids, but the SeaPhantom is a unique speedboat that can crack along at 87 knots (around 100mph) in some comfort and with head-turning style. It’s powered by a 625hp V10 engine provided by Ilmor Engineering – a company famous for its racing heritage with Formula One as well as both the Nascar and IndyCar series.

Whereas conventional speedboats need far more power and tend to batter their occupants as they bounce across the ocean, the SeaPhantom employs Nasa airfoil technology to raise its hull up to 4ft out of the water as it moves. Being above the waves reduces drag, resulting in greater speed from less power and apparently more comfort for the passengers, too.

Onboard computers sample the SeaPhantom’s attitude (the term for the angle of a boat as it travels) up to 400 times per second and then automatically make corrections to maintain a smoother ride, or so it is claimed.

The price quoted is for the “standard” 4-5seat model, which offers helicopter-like speeds married to the lower running costs of an offshore powerboat. There’s another version still in development that will be able to top 150mph while rising a full 8ft out of the water. This has a projected price tag of $2.5m (£1.27m). Start saving now, gadget fans.

SNEAK ATTACK WATER CANNON
Frontgate radio-controlled water cannon $129 (£66) www.frontgate.com

Can’t afford a SeaPhantom? Don’t worry – here’s an even better nautical gizmo. This 14in-diameter plastic water cannon can launch a sneak attack on friends or family as they relax by a swimming pool this summer.

The orange and grey saucer floats innocently enough atop the water. With your remote command, you can steer the gadget forwards, backwards or spin it around. Then you aim the nozzle up or down and fire to soak your victim. The stream of water, the manufacturer claims, squirts 10ft and the rechargeable battery promises four hours of aquatic action. After which, you’ll need four more AA batteries, or beat a hasty retreat. This is possibly the finest use of opposable thumbs yet devised. The gadget is currently on sale in America only but can be ordered from Britain.

FULL TILT HEAD CAMERA
Oregon Scientific Action Cam £100 www.oregonscientific.co.uk 0871 222 1966

This pepperpot-sized camcorder will record your muddiest, fastest-moving outdoor pursuits. It is easily attached to a helmet or bike handlebars, but there’s no antishake so the resulting images were predictably lively. The camera is water-resistant, with thick rubber buttons that needed pressing painfully hard. As there’s no monitor, so you must guess whether you are pointing the lens in the right direction – or find out when you transfer the modest-quality footage to your PC (it’s not Mac compatible). Onboard memory is only 32MB, so you’ll need an SD memory card. The Action Cam is powered by two standard AA batteries and is a robust yet lightweight toy.

SWEET MUSIC MP3 PLAYER
Creative Zen Stone £28 www.europe.creative.com 0800 376 7954

Early MP3 players usually lacked a display; Apple’s iPod Shuffle somehow made a virtue of this basic deficiency by emphasising its teeny dimensions. This 1GB Creative MP3 player has followed suit, and comes in a range of similarly beguiling colours – but at about half the price of a Shuffle. The Zen Stone is a perfectly serviceable music maker that plays most formats, among them Windows Media Audio, which Apple eschews. It also looks like a fruit lozenge. In tests, the battery lasted almost the full 10 hours promised. However, the Stone feels a bit plasticky and spending £10 more can buy you Creative’s 1GB Zen Nano Plus player, which totes a larger number of features, including a screen.

SMART TALKER FASHION PHONE
Nokia 8600 Luna mobile phone £600 (handset only) exclusive to www.carphonewarehouse.com 0800 925 925

Nokia’s latest contender is a genuine glamourpuss. The smoked-glass front covers a bright LED screen that protects the keypad until you slide it upwards to access the keys. The phone’s curved edges and solid weight create a luxurious feel.

Unlike its predecessor, the Nokia 8800, it has a main navigation control big enough to work effectively. However, the mean 128MB of built-in memory will hold few MP3 tracks or photos taken on the 2Mp camera. Worse, it’s a real fingerprint magnet, and when open the edge of the glass fascia rests against the bottom keys, making 0 tricky to dial. Yes, the 8600 is gorgeous, but it’s hideously overpriced and impractical too.

MEATY FUN BBQ TOOLSET
Grillslinger BBQ tools and holster £50 www.silvernutmeg.com 01254 820 478

Show your barbecue guests that you mean business by strapping on the Grillslinger tool belt as the meat begins to sizzle. This fabric belt has two pockets designed to hold the stainless-steel tongs, spatula and knife that are supplied. It can also accommodate a pepper mill or other culinary accoutrements, and, most important, there is an optional beer-holder attachment. The belt itself is machine washable and the tools are claimed to be dishwasher safe. Alternatively, a slightly cheaper version without the knife is available from John Lewis.

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