The SwiMP3v2 Underwater MP3 Player: Review

I love technology. My friends know this. My family knows this. So, every holiday, I receive gifts of interesting electronics that fit my lifestyle. One of my many hobbies is swimming on the Florida coast allows me plenty of opportunities. I am at the beach at least once a week, and at the pool three to four times every week as well. One of my other hobbies is music. I listen to music almost continuously. I was thrilled when last father's day I received the Finis SwiMP3v2. The SwiMP3v2 is not your ordinary MP3 player. It is not even your ordinary waterproof MP3 player. This device was created especially to enjoy music while underwater.

Although it looks a little strange, it does what it was made to do remarkably well. The player is in two pieces, one for each ear...almost. I'll get to that soon. The "speakers" in the headset are about three inches long each with a base color of blue with a white trim. The two pieces are connected by a wire that runs around the back of your head and fit together with a pair of goggles. The player can be fit into the band of almost any goggles.

Now, why I said that it is misleading to say there is a piece for each ear, is because the pieces do not fit over your ears as a normal headset would. The SwimMP3v2 uses a different sort of sound wave delivery that is more suited to underwater listening. The sound is actually conducted to your ear from your jawbones. This bone conduction technology is safe and tested. So the flat plastic pieces are held firmly against your jaw and the sound is conducted through your bones to the inner ear. This technology works great underwater, but if you are out of the water there is quite a noticeable difference.

Even though I am pleased with this product, there are a couple of things I don't like. The player only supports MP3 and WMA formats. That is not a problem for me because that is all I listen to. What I don't like is that the built in flash memory only holds 256 MB. For today's music listening, that is barely sufficient. You will end up spending a lot of time erasing and downloading new songs to this player. It's a good thing the USB interface and software are really simple to use.

The other thing that is not done so well on the SwiMP3v2 is the controls. The only controls are the super small power button, a stop button, and one set of up/down buttons. The up/down buttons double for both the volume control and track forward/back, which is a bit awkward to use.

Overall, I like the device and would recommend the product to anyone who spends a lot of time in the water. It makes the time pass very quickly when doing laps and helps you develop a rhythm. While most places sell the SwiMP3v2 for about $140.00, it can be found at many Walmart locations or www.walmart.com for only $120.00.