Wet & Wild

By Anita Hamilton; Maryanne Murray Buechner; Lev Grossman; Simon Crittle; Sora Song With Reporting by Hanna Kite; Yuki Oda/Tokyo

SURF 'N' SURF

Last spring Intel commissioned a surfboard shaper in North Devon, England, to design a board with an embedded tablet PC. Why? So Intel could tout its Centrino processor at beach festivals around the globe. Equipped with wi-fi, the Wireless Technology Surfboard enables the surfer to send e-mail, shoot videos (using the built-in webcam) and, yes, surf the Web.

INVENTOR Intel

AVAILABILITY Prototype only

TO LEARN MORE intel.com

DAREDEVILS' DELIGHT

If you love water skiing but hate waiting your turn or finding someone to drive the boat, the Solo may be just what you need. This unmanned, 8-ft.-long fiber-glass boat lets you ski by yourself. All controls are on the tow handle, including acceleration, turning and a stop-start button. For added safety, the kill switch is activated when you drop the handle. Legal in 40 states (see website for information), the Solo goes up to 40 m.p.h.

INVENTOR Solo Watersports

AVAILABILITY Now, $10,995

TO LEARN MORE solowatersports.com