The Misfit Speedo Shine 2 offers a personal swim trainer in the pool

Speedo Shine 2

Tech and water aren't always the best of friends, with liquid having an annoying tendency to fry electronics.

Perhaps that's why fitness trackers aimed primarily at swimmers seem far less common than those designed to track runners and cyclists, but it hasn't stopped Misfit, which has followed up its original Speedo Shine with the nattily-named Speedo Shine 2.

The name might bring to mind shiny trunks, but the actual device is a more conventional fitness band with an aluminum face.

Available for £89.99 (around US$132/AU$177) the Misfit Speedo Shine 2 is designed to work with all stroke types, can track your lap count and link up to the Misfit app to show your swim distance and calories burned, or the Speedo Fit app for more in-depth details of your swimming skills.

Speedo Shine 2

Water workout

Obviously you're not going to be taking your phone into the pool with you, but it's more than just a shiny bracelet while you're swimming, with lights and vibrations to give you an indication of your progress and provide text message and missed call notifications.

The big upgrades here are with more lights and a little motor inside, with an inbuilt countdown timer buzzing to let you know when it's time to stop swimming, and a range of lights giving you an indication of progress and the time (if you can read color over actual numbers).

It's water resistant to 50 meters, which is about 48 meters deeper than our local pool, so it shouldn't be in any danger and you never need to charge it, as the Speedo Shine 2 uses a coin-cell battery, which Misfit claims will last for up to six months.

While it's clearly aimed at swimmers it's got a place on your wrist even on dry land, as the Speedo Shine 2 can also track walking, running, cycling and sleep, or be used as a remote control for music, taking selfies, smart lights and other smart home devices.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.