DryEar: A Swimmer's Ear Gadget

I used to get painful Swimmer's Ear aches as kid in the summer. Luckily, I didn't seem to pass that little trait along to my kids, who are big summer swimmers. But some of their friends are dealing with the achy side effect of too much summer fun.

I wonder if DryEar (pictured) would help. I found it on OhGizmo!, via UberGizmo. Designed by an ear, nose, and throat doctor, it sends an 80-second stream of warm air into the air canal to dry water remaining in the ear and, hopefully, help avoid an ear infection.

It conveniently folds in two for storage and comes with four different-colored earpieces so it can be used by more than one family member. Not inexpensive, it sells for $99.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer. But if it keeps ears dry and antiobiotics at bay, it may be well worth it.

Has anyone tried it on their young swimmers' ears? Let us know if it works.