Thanks to a stress fracture in my foot, I’ve been spending a lot of time underwater lately. Swimming laps and pool running is the only kind of exercise my injured self can tolerate right now, so it’s what I’m doing. But as some of you know, pool running in particular, is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Upon hearing my complain, one of the other pool regulars suggested that I look into a waterproof iPod, and just like that, my life changed.
Before that day, I didn’t know that there was such a thing as a waterproof iPod. As I later learned, not only are waterproof iPods a thing, there are also several other waterproof MP3 player options for those who prefer not to deal with iTunes or Apple. I’ve been an iPod user for over a decade now, so I didn’t do more than give a passing glance at those, but if you are interested, Triathlete Gear Reviewer extraordinaire, DC Rainmaker wrote an extensive review in 2011. The information is slightly dated but still useful.
I decided to purchase a waterproofed iPod Shuffle from Underwater Audio ($149 on Amazon). The unit is a 4th generation Shuffle with 2G of memory and 15 hours of battery life. The shuffle does not have a display screen, which means that users must rely on the VoiceOver button to find out the title or artist of a song, or to learn the battery status.
The Underwater Audio waterproofing treatment does not void the iPod warranty (they do not disclose details on how they do it, claiming that the process is proprietary), and they offer a 2 yr warranty on their units. After approximately 18 hours of use, I had one issue: suddenly the audiobook that I was listening to started to scramble. Sometimes it jumped around in within the chapter, and then it started to jump around elsewhere in the book (I was in the final chapter, so I recognized the language from earlier). I emailed the company on a Saturday and didn’t expect to hear back from their customer service department until Monday, but I got an email response within a few hours. Moreover, they sent me several tips to troubleshoot (not different than the Apple ones, but that’s the device in question) and offered to mail me a replacement unit if the troubleshooting didn’t work. It did, and in the subsequent 8 hours, I’ve had not further issues.
The headphones that came bundled with the unit were another story (and that’s why I did not link to the bundle). I liked the short cord. The earpieces themselves weren’t especially comfortable, but that’s due more to my ear-piercings and swim cap than the ear buds themselves. But after 20 hours of use, one of the wires basically disintegrated in my hands. Underwater Audio mailed me another pair, and I’m pretty sure that sound is only coming out of one side. Both buds are still attached, but I’ve decided to go with a different pair by X-1 Audio. I prefer the shorter cord of the Underwater Audio pair, but the X-1 headphones are more comfortable in ear, and so far, the output is still in stereo (admittedly less of an issue with audiobooks than it would be for music).
So far, I have only listened to audiobooks, and it has made my pool time much more enjoyable. The downside of the Shuffle is that I can’t use my public library to borrow audiobooks unless I check out the CDs and rip them to iTunes (I haven’t tried this), and audiobooks are expensive! I’m currently enjoying a trial membership at Audible.com thanks to a promotional code that I found on RetailMeNot.
The Underwater Audio iPod has worked well and the company has provided great customer service. At $150, the device isn’t cheap, but if you can swing it, it’s worth it.
Have you tried the Underwater Audio iPod? If so, what are your thoughts? Alternately, tell us about your favorite fitness gadget and what you like about it.
[Creative Commons licensed image by Flickr user Gerrit Jöskowiak]
