Amazon.com Reviews
Average Rating: 4.0 out of 5 Stars
The following review received 45 helpful votes out of 45 total votes:Review Date: 2005-07-25"A thorough review"I admit I was skeptical of the SwimP3 when I first heard about it. I didn't believe that a device could produce sound that I could hear through the water. Since I'm known among my friends as a swimmer, I inevitably got one as a gift last Christmas.
I have been loving the device since then! I had a rocky beginning with it because I wasn't using the (provided) earplugs. The real problem is not the volume of the device but how LOUD the pool water is rushing over your ears. You don't really notice just how loud it is until there's something to compete with it. The device comes with some ear plugs, and these are essential for good sound quality. Without earplugs you can still discern the sound, but not nearly at as high a quality as you can with.
The device works like it says -- the sound comes in directly through your skull; you can actually hear the music better underwater! The device is very small and can be worn on the back straps of any pair of goggles (it comes pre-attached to a pair). It fits behind the head at such an angle that does not cause any noticable drag in any stroke.
The goggles need to be worn rather tight for the device to be heard properly, but it's still more comfortable than those horrible Swedish goggles. The device comes with a pair of goggles that are pretty high quality. They are not as good as most other name-brand goggles, but they have lasted me through about 8 months of swimming so far. It would be easy for me to attach the device to a different pair.
For some technical aspects...
The device has a single port on it, which is sealable with a bendy rubber flap. The port resembles the kind on your computer you plug your mouse into (PS2), and appears to be well-sealed with some sort of clear epoxy. On top of that, the rubber flap snaps into place as an extra layer of water-tight protection. That single port comes with a cable that terminates on the other end as a USB plug. When this is plugged into the computer, it both allows you to transfer songs (it shows up as a portable hard-drive) and recharges the SwimP3.
The device is capable of holding 128 MB of MP3 files, which is a bit limiting, but is honestly plenty for a workout. You'd probably be fine encoding your music at 128 Kbps or even 96 -- this isn't exactly a high-fidelity device (you're not going to hear it underwater). The battery lasts a little more than two hours. I do not know if it supports VBR MP3 files.
The controls on the device are on/off, volume up/down, and track next/previous. There is no display on the device (you're supposed to wear it on the back of your head).
The workouts...
This device makes it much easier to swim long distances alone. Normally I find it hard to swim 4000 yards by myself in a pool, but workouts seem to go much faster listening to music. I had concerns that the device might be disruptive during group swim classes, but the device appears to be completely quiet to nearby listeners. I think it would be safe to use it on a swim team or during any other sort of group activity.
About me...
My background as a swimmer started with high school varsity as a short-distance freestyle sprinter. From there I spanned out into club and college intramural. I swim about 4 times per week, and this device makes the times I swim alone MUCH easier.
All in all, I would give this device 4 out of 5 stars -- extremely good for a first-generation device aimed at a tiny market. I am sure future generations will come with more space and better features (OGG support!). As it is, I would definitely recommend this to any technically-savy person who swims regularly. A very good buy! 4 stars The following review received 36 helpful votes out of 38 total votes:Review Date: 2007-01-11"A swimmer's opinion of the SwimP3"I admit I was skeptical of the SwimP3 when I first heard about it. I didn't believe that a device could produce sound that I could hear through the water. Since I'm known among my friends as a swimmer, I inevitably got one as a gift last Christmas.
I have been loving the device since then! I had a rocky beginning with it because I wasn't using the (provided) earplugs. The real problem is not the volume of the device but how LOUD the pool water is rushing over your ears. You don't really notice just how loud it is until there's something to compete with it. The device comes with some ear plugs, and these are essential for good sound quality. Without earplugs you can still discern the sound, but not nearly at as high a quality as you can with.
The device works like it says -- the sound comes in directly through your skull; you can actually hear the music better underwater! The device is very small and can be worn on the back straps of any pair of goggles (it comes pre-attached to a pair). It fits behind the head at such an angle that does not cause any noticable drag in any stroke.
The goggles need to be worn rather tight for the device to be heard properly, but it's still more comfortable than those horrible Swedish goggles. The device comes with a pair of goggles that are pretty high quality. They are not as good as most other name-brand goggles, but they have lasted me through about 8 months of swimming so far. It would be easy for me to attach the device to a different pair.
For some technical aspects...
The device has a single port on it, which is sealable with a bendy rubber flap. The port resembles the kind on your computer you plug your mouse into (PS2), and appears to be well-sealed with some sort of clear epoxy. On top of that, the rubber flap snaps into place as an extra layer of water-tight protection. That single port comes with a cable that terminates on the other end as a USB plug. When this is plugged into the computer, it both allows you to transfer songs (it shows up as a portable hard-drive) and recharges the SwimP3.
The device is capable of holding 128 MB of MP3 files, which is a bit limiting, but is honestly plenty for a workout. You'd probably be fine encoding your music at 128 Kbps or even 96 -- this isn't exactly a high-fidelity device (you're not going to hear it underwater). The battery lasts a little more than two hours. I do not know if it supports VBR MP3 files.
The controls on the device are on/off, volume up/down, and track next/previous. There is no display on the device (you're supposed to wear it on the back of your head).
The workouts...
This device makes it much easier to swim long distances alone. Normally I find it hard to swim 4000 yards by myself in a pool, but workouts seem to go much faster listening to music. I had concerns that the device might be disruptive during group swim classes, but the device appears to be completely quiet to nearby listeners. I think it would be safe to use it on a swim team or during any other sort of group activity.
About me...
My background as a swimmer started with high school varsity as a short-distance freestyle sprinter. From there I spanned out into club and college intramural. I swim about 4 times per week, and this device makes the times I swim alone MUCH easier.
All in all, I would give this device 4 out of 5 stars -- extremely good for a first-generation device aimed at a tiny market. I am sure future generations will come with more space and better features (OGG support!). As it is, I would definitely recommend this to any technically-savy person who swims regularly. A very good buy! 4 stars The following review received 33 helpful votes out of 34 total votes:Review Date: 2005-07-28"A thorough review"I admit I was skeptical of the SwimP3 when I first heard about it. I didn't believe that a device could produce sound that I could hear through the water. Since I'm known among my friends as a swimmer, I inevitably got one as a gift last Christmas.
I have been loving the device since then! I had a rocky beginning with it because I wasn't using the (provided) earplugs. The real problem is not the volume of the device but how LOUD the pool water is rushing over your ears. You don't really notice just how loud it is until there's something to compete with it. The device comes with some ear plugs, and these are essential for good sound quality. Without earplugs you can still discern the sound, but not nearly at as high a quality as you can with.
The device works like it says -- the sound comes in directly through your skull; you can actually hear the music better underwater! The device is very small and can be worn on the back straps of any pair of goggles (it comes pre-attached to a pair). It fits behind the head at such an angle that does not cause any noticable drag in any stroke.
The goggles need to be worn rather tight for the device to be heard properly, but it's still more comfortable than those horrible Swedish goggles. The device comes with a pair of goggles that are pretty high quality. They are not as good as most other name-brand goggles, but they have lasted me through about 8 months of swimming so far. It would be easy for me to attach the device to a different pair.
For some technical aspects...
The device has a single port on it, which is sealable with a bendy rubber flap. The port resembles the kind on your computer you plug your mouse into (PS2), and appears to be well-sealed with some sort of clear epoxy. On top of that, the rubber flap snaps into place as an extra layer of water-tight protection. That single port comes with a cable that terminates on the other end as a USB plug. When this is plugged into the computer, it both allows you to transfer songs (it shows up as a portable hard-drive) and recharges the SwimP3.
The device is capable of holding 128 MB of MP3 files, which is a bit limiting, but is honestly plenty for a workout. You'd probably be fine encoding your music at 128 Kbps or even 96 -- this isn't exactly a high-fidelity device (you're not going to hear it underwater). The battery lasts a little more than two hours. I do not know if it supports VBR MP3 files.
The controls on the device are on/off, volume up/down, and track next/previous. There is no display on the device (you're supposed to wear it on the back of your head).
The workouts...
This device makes it much easier to swim long distances alone. Normally I find it hard to swim 4000 yards by myself in a pool, but workouts seem to go much faster listening to music. I had concerns that the device might be disruptive during group swim classes, but the device appears to be completely quiet to nearby listeners. I think it would be safe to use it on a swim team or during any other sort of group activity.
About me...
My background as a swimmer started with high school varsity as a short-distance freestyle sprinter. From there I spanned out into club and college intramural. I swim about 4 times per week, and this device makes the times I swim alone MUCH easier.
All in all, I would give this device 4 out of 5 stars -- extremely good for a first-generation device aimed at a tiny market. I am sure future generations will come with more space and better features (OGG support!). As it is, I would definitely recommend this to any technically-savy person who swims regularly. A very good buy! 4 stars The following review received 16 helpful votes out of 17 total votes:Review Date: 2007-08-23"GREAT gift idea for any swimmer"I bought this for my girlfriend who swims two or three times a week. She absolutley LOVES it. She told me today that the ONLY thing wrong with it is that she keeps hitting the wall. Apparently she used to count strokes (back stroke) to tell her how close she was getting. Now the music takes her mind off each and every monotonous stroke that she forgets to turn around. It's VERY simple to use and has a rechargable battery too. 5 stars The following review received 10 helpful votes out of 15 total votes:Review Date: 2007-10-02"Please check version of device when you read the review"The review written by the swimming fanatic (entitled A swimmer's opinion of the SwimP3, January 11, 2007) is for the previous 128 MB version of this device. The current 256 MB version of this device does not come with the goggles. You need to buy the goggle separately. 3 stars |
