Gadget: Waterpebble

Eco-gadgets come in many shapes and sizes. The vast majority of these green creations tend to use rather extravagant technology to accomplish relatively minor steps forward.

I'm often asked what my favourite gadget is, and while it would be easy to name the iPhone or something equally futuristic – I'm a big fan of the humble match. A great gadget for me is something that is effortlessly simple in both operation and design.

Therefore it was with some interest that I found the Waterpebble resting on the sandy shores of the rather technologically polluted gadget ocean. It seems to straddle both camps – simple and inexpensive at under 8 but with impeccable eco-credentials.

About the same size as a luxury after-dinner mint, the Waterpebble's premise is simple – it's here to tell you when you've been in the shower for too long. If you've ever got to the end of a long shower and found yourself more wrinkly than a prune – chances are the Waterpebble could save you a bit of cash and help the planet to boot.

Simply plonk the little blighter by your plug hole and start Niagara. The Waterpebble uses its electronic water flow sensors to time your first shower as a benchmark – its green, amber and red LEDs tutting with every blink at how long you're taking. Every time you use it subsequently, it reduces your showering time by about seven seconds alerting you when playtime's over with a stern solid red LED.

The goal of the little devil is to get you in and out in six minutes or less.

By the end of my week of testing, the Waterpebble had me showering quicker than a jungle contestant from I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! And as the saying goes, every little helps.

The goal of the little devil is to get you in and out in under six minutes

This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, August 28