Gizmodo: speedo

Overheard in the Pool: Michael Phelps and His LZR Racer Aquabeat Underwater MP3 Player

John Mahoney — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EDT

Yoooo have you heard this Phish bootleg from Birmingham in '94? The one where they do a 36 minute jam of "Tom Sawyer"? So sweet man. So sweet.

Oh what's this awesome thing strapped to my head? I dunno, it's just some thing Speedo sent over to me. Underwater music? Yeah. Yeah it's kind of sweet, isn't it? iRiver makes it, 2GB, costs around $130, and not coming out anywhere but Japan any time soon. Man I love Japan. Hahahahaha. Hahahahahahahaha. I'm just a regular guy, at heart. Just a regular guy.

Hey do you want to see me breathe underwater? I can do it. [iRiver Japan]

Speedo Now Selling LZR Racer Swim Suit to the Public, U.S. Whale Sightings Way Up

Jack Loftus — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Even though Speedo is now selling its controversial LZR Racer swim suit to the general public for $550, we doubt the beer bellies at the local community swimming pool are going to spontaneously turn into a congregation of eight gold medal-winning Olympians any time soon. In fact, here at the Gizmodo weekend desk Jesus and I agree that instead of creating a slew of Michael Phelps copy-cats, a readily available LZR will probably just make poolside look like the walrus exhibit down at the aquarium.

For serious swimmers, here's some serious info about this next gen suit. It was designed with input from NASA, and the fabric is touted as the "world's lightest swim fabric." The seams are ultrasonically welded together and the Hyrdo Form Compression system holds the swimmer's abdomen and other bits at an optimal position for streamlining. The suit is made up off three pieces, which were cut from a three-dimensional pattern to hug the body more closely. Word on the street is it takes about 15 minutes or so to squeeze into this marvel of modern swimming pool engineering.

The suit is available for pre-order now at Speedo, and ships in October. [Speedo via Uncrate]

Speedo LZR Racer Swimsuit Spawns Copycats and Controversy

Jack Loftus — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Speedo's controversial LZR Racer swimsuit spawned its first copycat this week, a prototype from Arena International that pushes the definition of tight-fitting fabric. With a green light for the LZR from swimming's official body, and the Summer Olympics looming large on the horizon, I think it's safe to say that the swimsuit arms race has officially begun.

Known as "doping on a hangar" and the "Speedo surfboard," the LZR has hugged the bodies of 30 record-breaking swimmers since its introduction in February. Rivals complained about fairness, and the International Swimming Federation (aka FINA) scheduled a meeting with Speedo to discuss the seamless, ultrasonically bonded suit. The meeting went swimmingly, for Speedo. Not only did FINA dismiss rivals' claims, they also turned around and endorsed the suit for future pro swimming events.

In response, Arena fired off a prototype super suit of its own, complete with plastic inserts and who knows what else. "A new era in the sport kicks off today," said Christiano Portas, the head of Arena. "We can fight for ethics but we stood alone when it came to everyone saying that the word 'fabric' in the rules was just a generic term. Now we explore many other things." My money is on one of these custom-built Columbian submersibles, how about yours? [The Australian]

Streamlined Speedo Swim Suit Is Too Slippery When Wet

Jack Loftus — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:30:00 EDT

Officials from the International Swimming Federation (aka FINA) want to speak with Speedo next week about their high-tech swimsuit. Seems the athletes who use the swimsuit are breaking all sorts of records and, with the Olympics coming up, FINA doesn't want anyone getting an unfair advantage. Unfortunately for FINA, the only real resolutions appear to be a general ban, which Speedo would protest, or to allow every country to wear it in violation of their existing equipment contracts. The last option is probably the most appealing: FINA brings back the old suits and those swim team shaving parties of yesteryear. [MSNBC]