Surfing the Net – literally
Surfing the Net – literally
If I hadn't seen a picture of it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it, but after checking that I hadn't fallen into a deep slumber and woken up on April 1st, I can confirm that chip manufacturer Intel has taken the notion of surfing the Net to its literal conclusion by creating a surfboard with a built-in wireless laptop.
The surfboard was been developed to accompany the 2004 GoldCoast Oceanfest, a free sports and music festival that took place in North Devon, England over the weekend, an event which was sponsored this year by Intel.
The surfboard will allow surfers to check their emails, surf the web, and even record footage of themselves catching the best waves. The tablet laptop allows a wireless Internet connection from the surfboard to a ‘hotspot’ on the beach.The board was launched and surfed for the first time at the festival, by international pro surfer Duncan Scott, an ‘Intel Ambassador’ on the world surf circuit.
"As a professional surfer, explorer, writer, film producer and world traveller, being able to communicate quickly and effectively is critical to my success," explained the modest-sounding Scott. "Following the whims of the planet’s ever-changing oceans for ten months of the year requires constant access to the latest information, and the ability to make last-second arrangements, even while I’m travelling to the swell. With a hotspot and a laptop using Intel Centrino mobile technology I can take my entire "office" with me wherever I go, and be ready to leave at the drop of a hat whenever an internet swell report looks good – whether it’s West Africa, the Philippines or New Caledonia. And, in the near future, via wireless real-time streaming, it could be possible that observers will, for the first time, actually be able to ‘ride’ a wave with the best surfers in the world," he added.
The wireless surfboard enables connection to the Internet when the user is in range of a wireless hotspot, no doubt raising few eyebrows when they pop into their local Starbucks with it under their arm.
The board has been developed by Intel with help from renowned North Devon board shaper Jools Matthews of Gulfstream surfboards. Over the past fifteen years Jools has shaped over 15,000 surfboards, so when Intel decided to mount this ambitious project he was the first person to turn to, making sure the technology didn’t interfere with the ride and feel of the board.
Matthews said: "It was a great challenge to fit the technology into the board and ensure it remains watertight. We worked really hard to incorporate the weight of the laptop without affecting how this board performs and I’m confident that it will still have all the ride quality that has made Gulfstream boards famous."
Will it catch on over here in Australia, one of the world's most renowned surf loving nations? Who knows, but at least one thing it has in its favour is you are less likely to leave your laptop on the bus or the train.
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