Field Test

by Courtesy Aqua Sphere Way more extreme than a shower radio, Aqua Sphere's snorkel includes an FM radio to provide a sound track for when you're under the sea. Courtesy Aqua Sphere

Amphicom's quirky new Aqua FM snorkel radio ($129) uses bone conduction technology to transmit music into your ears while you swim–no headphones necessary. A tiny antenna runs up the snorkel barrel and out of the water so you can tune in the entire FM band. Just bite down lightly on the snorkel's mouthpiece and vibrations from the radio signal are transmitted through your molars and jawbone to your skull, where they vibrate the bones of the middle ear. From there, the vibrations stimulate the fluid and tiny hair cells that connect to the auditory nerve, which transmits the signal to your brain. The result: music piped into your head like your own personal Muzak system. If it sounds freaky, that's because it is-but it actually works. Volume and tuning controls are mounted on the front of the mouthpiece, with a seek button that finds the strongest radio station signals.