5 ms·

I'll hand it to Sony, they can come up with some sweet marketing campaigns. On a side note, do a lot of people really listen to music while swimming? In colle

I'll hand it to Sony, they can come up with some sweet marketing campaigns. On a side note, do a lot of people really listen to music while swimming? In college I used to do 30 minutes of laps in the pool a couple times a week. I liked doing it precisely because you couldn't listen to music and you'd have to focus on keeping good form. It was just you and the water.

lucb1e 13y ago
> On a side note, do a lot of people really listen to music while swimming? Well, as far as I know this wasn't really possible without getting some expensive equipment (both player and earbuds). Not that I really searched for it, but just nobody does it (and so nobody even thinks of doing this or searches for it). Seeing how many people listen to music in the gym or while jogging, I wouldn't be surprised if there was an uptick in listening to music while swimming now. Although, I haven't actually clicked the link yet, they may need to ship earbuds/headphones with it, and I don't know how well they work when they need to be watertight.
- pilom 13y ago
  I got a waterproof ipod shuffle here: http://www.underwateraudio.com/waterproof-ipod-shuffle/ http://www.underwateraudio.com/waterproof-ipod-shuffle/ I would clip it to my goggle strap and swim about an hour a day 3 days a week back when I lived by a pool. The ipod shuffle really was an amazing form factor for the player as it had the clip built in which could clip to the straps. The headphones were always a different story. You need specially made earbuds which a) use a waterproof membrane instead of a mesh for the speaker and b)fit tight enough in your ear so water wouldn't get in and fill the air chamber in front of the speaker. It took me 3 tries to find headphones that would stay in and be airtight.
  - lucb1e 13y ago
    Never knew/seen people actually did this! Interesting
  - BlackDeath3 13y ago
    Do you mind linking those headphones?
    - pilom 13y ago
      I ended up with these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037Z1FRM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0037Z1FRM&linkCode=as2&tag=kayaklines-20 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037Z1FRM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... It came with 3 sizes of earbuds, I had to use different sizes in each ear. They are terrible headphones, but they stayed put in the water.
- DanBC 13y ago
  You used to be able to buy vinyl sacks to put your sony walkman and over ear orange foam earphones in. Probably pretty terrible.
timjahn 13y ago
I would love to be able to listen to music while swimming. I try to go a few times a few week for 20-25 min each, and it'd be great to have something to listen to.
- pzaich 13y ago
  Check out the Neptune from FINIS. It's designed similarly to jawbone and does require earbuds while you're swimming. Actually works quite well. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ACP3OOM http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ACP3OOM (disclosure: Used to work for finis a couple of years back)
TeMPOraL 13y ago
I'd love that to be able to shower while listening to music or podcasts, and without disturbing other people in the house.
- daigoba66 13y ago
  I could understand laying in a warm bathtub, but now long do your showers last? I'm normally in-and-out in less time than a typical radio song plays.
  - chrismonsanto 13y ago
    I would imagine one of my showers takes at least 10 minutes. I think if I'm really tired or cold it could take 15-20 minutes. I am not a morning person.
  - TeMPOraL 13y ago
    I sometimes stay up to 15 minutes. I like the warm water. But then I usually take my waterproof notepad with me to jot down ideas or brainstorm stuff (relaxing shower works wonders for creativity).
    - emhart 13y ago
      I got trapped in Seattle a couple years ago after some flight cancellations some former students of a colleague put me up for a few days. They had a waterproof notepad suctioned to the wall of their guest shower and each morning I would draw out detailed diagrams of locks & methods of attack. I found it was a bit frustrating to get a good transfer onto the pages, but really liked the novelty of being able to take "shower notes".
- emhart 13y ago
  Dramatically different price point, but I've been using my Sony Xperia Tablet for exactly that. Completely submersible = NPR & email in the shower every morning. Admittedly, I take longer showers in the miserable winter of norther Vermont, so I like any excuse to stay under the hot water longer.
jcampbell1 13y ago
My sister swims for exercise, and asked for a waterproof ipod shuffle for Christmas. I thought she was joking, but they do actually exist. Apparently they are quite popular at her pool: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ipod+shuffle+waterproof&sprefix=ipod+shuffle+water%2Caps%2C160&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aipod+shuffle+waterproof http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias...
- clauretano 13y ago
  I can confirm the 'waterfi' ones work as they claim. Got one for my mom since she does hours of swimming a day and said it was boring without music. The buttons apparently are very mushy (no click to let you know you pressed them) but it functions fine.
dredmorbius 13y ago
I don't know if it's a lot, but waterproof music players have been a thing for at least a decade if not more. I'm with you: I prefer being present and in the pool when swimming. One of the things I dislike about gyms is the (almost always crap) music played.
searine 13y ago
If I'm in the pool for 30 minutes, then sure it is interesting enough, but after that it gets boring. Swimming a mile or more is a chore simply because it gets boring. I would absolutely love a cheap(ish) and reliable mp3player to swim with.
ChuckMcM 13y ago
Along that line the pool at USC had an underwater speaker system. It was nominally to allow coaches to give input to swimmers as they were swimming but we managed to put music on it a couple of times. Fun but annoying to the other swimmers if they didn't like your music choices.
mbesto 13y ago
Waterproof listening devices have always been wishful thinking, but never actually implemented correctly nor have had the demand properly assessed (lots of people think they want them, but I'm not sure if they truly do) Challenges I see: - Cords get tangled really easily due to the nature of the sport (Solution - make them completely in ear) - Bulkiness slows you down or at least presents issues when they fall out (see solution 1) - There is no easy way to control volume or change the song (solution - perhaps use something in your mouth to "chew" on to change these parameters maybe?) Swimming (especially the 3-4k I do almost daily) can be painfully dull, so the demand is sort of there, but it seems the amount of tech involved far outweighs the presumed benefit (and therefore demand).
- gokhan 13y ago
  Have you seen jcampbell1's post above?
- YokoZar 13y ago
  I just keep a pair of waterproof headphones permanently attached to my swim goggles and keep it in my gym stuff. It's not nearly as big a hassle as you think - just wrap it up tightly once and you have no cords dangling or anything while you swim.
kevinrpope 13y ago
With respect to your side note: As someone who swam competitively throughout high school and college, having the ability to listen to music while practicing is really nice. When you're practicing 2-3 hours a day, six days a week, it can make a big difference.
waldrews 13y ago
I'm surprised this isn't more popular. I have not just music but audiobooks, podcasts, videos (mostly for listening and occasional glancing) and classes, on my several water-sealed devices. It's a pain to keep up internet connectivity in the pool (wi-fi times out underwater) but with a range extender and keeping the device floating or attached to the snorkel, you can even do Netflix or other streaming. "I'm not weird, I'm an early adopter."
tripzilch 13y ago
> On a side note, do a lot of people really listen to music while swimming? In all fairness, the moment the video dove under water, I was like "oooh, sweet silence". On the other hand, I always have fast upbeat pounding techno music on while running, and it really helps me.

lucb1e 13y ago

> On a side note, do a lot of people really listen to music while swimming? Well, as far as I know this wasn't really possible without getting some expensive equipment (both player and earbuds). Not that I really searched for it, but just nobody does it (and so nobody even thinks of doing this or searches for it). Seeing how many people listen to music in the gym or while jogging, I wouldn't be surprised if there was an uptick in listening to music while swimming now. Although, I haven't actually clicked the link yet, they may need to ship earbuds/headphones with it, and I don't know how well they work when they need to be watertight.

pilom 13y ago
I got a waterproof ipod shuffle here: http://www.underwateraudio.com/waterproof-ipod-shuffle/ http://www.underwateraudio.com/waterproof-ipod-shuffle/ I would clip it to my goggle strap and swim about an hour a day 3 days a week back when I lived by a pool. The ipod shuffle really was an amazing form factor for the player as it had the clip built in which could clip to the straps. The headphones were always a different story. You need specially made earbuds which a) use a waterproof membrane instead of a mesh for the speaker and b)fit tight enough in your ear so water wouldn't get in and fill the air chamber in front of the speaker. It took me 3 tries to find headphones that would stay in and be airtight.
- lucb1e 13y ago
  Never knew/seen people actually did this! Interesting
- BlackDeath3 13y ago
  Do you mind linking those headphones?
  - pilom 13y ago
    I ended up with these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037Z1FRM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0037Z1FRM&linkCode=as2&tag=kayaklines-20 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037Z1FRM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... It came with 3 sizes of earbuds, I had to use different sizes in each ear. They are terrible headphones, but they stayed put in the water.
DanBC 13y ago
You used to be able to buy vinyl sacks to put your sony walkman and over ear orange foam earphones in. Probably pretty terrible.

timjahn 13y ago

I would love to be able to listen to music while swimming. I try to go a few times a few week for 20-25 min each, and it'd be great to have something to listen to.

pzaich 13y ago
Check out the Neptune from FINIS. It's designed similarly to jawbone and does require earbuds while you're swimming. Actually works quite well. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ACP3OOM http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ACP3OOM (disclosure: Used to work for finis a couple of years back)

TeMPOraL 13y ago

I'd love that to be able to shower while listening to music or podcasts, and without disturbing other people in the house.

daigoba66 13y ago
I could understand laying in a warm bathtub, but now long do your showers last? I'm normally in-and-out in less time than a typical radio song plays.
- chrismonsanto 13y ago
  I would imagine one of my showers takes at least 10 minutes. I think if I'm really tired or cold it could take 15-20 minutes. I am not a morning person.
- TeMPOraL 13y ago
  I sometimes stay up to 15 minutes. I like the warm water. But then I usually take my waterproof notepad with me to jot down ideas or brainstorm stuff (relaxing shower works wonders for creativity).
  - emhart 13y ago
    I got trapped in Seattle a couple years ago after some flight cancellations some former students of a colleague put me up for a few days. They had a waterproof notepad suctioned to the wall of their guest shower and each morning I would draw out detailed diagrams of locks & methods of attack. I found it was a bit frustrating to get a good transfer onto the pages, but really liked the novelty of being able to take "shower notes".
emhart 13y ago
Dramatically different price point, but I've been using my Sony Xperia Tablet for exactly that. Completely submersible = NPR & email in the shower every morning. Admittedly, I take longer showers in the miserable winter of norther Vermont, so I like any excuse to stay under the hot water longer.

jcampbell1 13y ago

My sister swims for exercise, and asked for a waterproof ipod shuffle for Christmas. I thought she was joking, but they do actually exist. Apparently they are quite popular at her pool: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ipod+shuffle+waterproof&sprefix=ipod+shuffle+water%2Caps%2C160&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aipod+shuffle+waterproof http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias...

clauretano 13y ago
I can confirm the 'waterfi' ones work as they claim. Got one for my mom since she does hours of swimming a day and said it was boring without music. The buttons apparently are very mushy (no click to let you know you pressed them) but it functions fine.

dredmorbius 13y ago

I don't know if it's a lot, but waterproof music players have been a thing for at least a decade if not more. I'm with you: I prefer being present and in the pool when swimming. One of the things I dislike about gyms is the (almost always crap) music played.

searine 13y ago

If I'm in the pool for 30 minutes, then sure it is interesting enough, but after that it gets boring. Swimming a mile or more is a chore simply because it gets boring. I would absolutely love a cheap(ish) and reliable mp3player to swim with.

ChuckMcM 13y ago

Along that line the pool at USC had an underwater speaker system. It was nominally to allow coaches to give input to swimmers as they were swimming but we managed to put music on it a couple of times. Fun but annoying to the other swimmers if they didn't like your music choices.

mbesto 13y ago

Waterproof listening devices have always been wishful thinking, but never actually implemented correctly nor have had the demand properly assessed (lots of people think they want them, but I'm not sure if they truly do) Challenges I see: - Cords get tangled really easily due to the nature of the sport (Solution - make them completely in ear) - Bulkiness slows you down or at least presents issues when they fall out (see solution 1) - There is no easy way to control volume or change the song (solution - perhaps use something in your mouth to "chew" on to change these parameters maybe?) Swimming (especially the 3-4k I do almost daily) can be painfully dull, so the demand is sort of there, but it seems the amount of tech involved far outweighs the presumed benefit (and therefore demand).

gokhan 13y ago
Have you seen jcampbell1's post above?
YokoZar 13y ago
I just keep a pair of waterproof headphones permanently attached to my swim goggles and keep it in my gym stuff. It's not nearly as big a hassle as you think - just wrap it up tightly once and you have no cords dangling or anything while you swim.

kevinrpope 13y ago

With respect to your side note: As someone who swam competitively throughout high school and college, having the ability to listen to music while practicing is really nice. When you're practicing 2-3 hours a day, six days a week, it can make a big difference.

waldrews 13y ago

I'm surprised this isn't more popular. I have not just music but audiobooks, podcasts, videos (mostly for listening and occasional glancing) and classes, on my several water-sealed devices. It's a pain to keep up internet connectivity in the pool (wi-fi times out underwater) but with a range extender and keeping the device floating or attached to the snorkel, you can even do Netflix or other streaming. "I'm not weird, I'm an early adopter."

tripzilch 13y ago

> On a side note, do a lot of people really listen to music while swimming? In all fairness, the moment the video dove under water, I was like "oooh, sweet silence". On the other hand, I always have fast upbeat pounding techno music on while running, and it really helps me.