UPDATE 23/4/12

Finis Europe is holding back stock until this issue  is resolved. Hence all new stock should work OK with any Macintosh PC’s when it is released later this month or in May 2012

Finis Swimp3.2G – Macintosh PC Bug Correction – Firmware Update – 14/4/12

It appears from a feedback from a customer early in March 2012 about a SwiMP3.2G she had received from us, that there was a problem with using the SWIMP3.2G with her Macintosh computer.

This was confirmed by Finis USA later in March 2012 by email when we raised the issue with Finis, that certain Macintosh computers cause problems with playing MP3 files in sequence that have been loaded onto the SWIMP3.2G

Finis have issued a firmware update for their SWIMP3.2G to solve this issue & details of the problem & solution are recorded below.

If you have  received a SWIMP3.2G unit from ourselves that will not work with your particular Macintosh PC we sincerely apologize in advance for the inconvenience this may cause.  We can  help you update the unit yourself  with the firmware fix below or take the unit back  & update it our end & return it to you asap at no cost.

Excerpt Of Email From Manager at Finis USA To Our Customer

” The issue is that some but not all MAC systems would corrupt the files by adding a (.) in in front of the songs only allowing the ones without them to play. It was in a a sense confusing the player thinking that the songs with the (.) were not formatted correctly. We were working closely with the chip processor factory on this as we could not pin point which exact MAC system that had created the issue. It would not happen consistently with the same system nor could we replicate it with the MAC systems we had. It was literally a fluke thing with certain systems.

When the vendor loaded the songs they more then likely did it with a PC, which allowed the unit to work until you reformatted or loaded songs. This is also why the units passed our intense QC checks. So, in order to fix the issue we we created a firmware upgrade similar to a iphone upgrade that corrected the issue. We also posted the issue on our blog and support site and we we did not want to hide the issue, but inform and support our customers and correct it for them.

Email From Tech Support At Finis To Swimmer

Firmware updates have to be done on a PC.

First you will need to download the zipped file using the link below: (follow instructions underneath the links)

http://www.mediafire.com/?d3zizaapi0j4mop

And here is the firmware you will need to upload http://www.mediafire.com/?vbm7mi906xeixwg

Unzip the file and save the entire file contents to your desktop. Within the saved file, double-click the “Setup.exe” which has a picture of a computer screen and disk to start the install. This will install the “Media Player Mass Product Tool” program onto the computer that will be doing the updating.

You will be able to find this program in your start menu my searching “Mass” Next you will need to save the attached firmware file (SwiMP3Betax4.fw) to your desktop. Make sure it is on your desktop and then leave it there do not open the file.

Next you will need to launch the “Mass Product Tool” program by searching on your start menu and plug in the swimp3 and “locate the USB port” then next hit Import Firmware.

A search window will pop up with a button with three periods … inside and click that and search for the swimp3betafw file and hit open and then replace and confirm.

Once you have the firmware imported and linked properly within the program, then you will not need to do it again. You are now ready to update SwiMP3’s. Once it is found, click the big “Download” button and the firmware will be updated on the SwiMP3 device. It should say “success” and you are done (it’s pretty simple at this point).

You can unplug the unit and plug in a new one to be updated. You can also update multiple players at once. You will see connected:1 passed:1 and then now allow the unit to charge.

Thank you,

Finis Technical Support

UwaterK7  Small Waterproof Radio For Swimming

Its Sunday 19th Feburary 2012 and I have just been to the swimming pool with UwaterK7 waterproof radio for swimming.

This waterproof radio works well for breast stroke and is just about acceptable for front crawl but does not work with backstroke, as the headphone wires need to be out of the water to get any radio reception.

Hence although it’s a bit limited for certain swimming strokes it’s an excellent radio for water aerobics, running in rain, kayaking, surfing or windsurfing or kite boarding.or any sport or activity where head is above the water.

The other thing I noticed that even on the lowest volume it is still quite loud but this may be dictated partly by the strength of the radio signal.

I manged to listen to clear reception for both Radio 1 and Radio4.  But I picked our the local radio station “Swansea Bay FM” which is the nearest station to the swimming pool (under a mile away) very well.

I should have these in stock in March 2012 & I am sending one of these waterproof radio for swimming to a customer this week to test for me & she has promised feedback in due course… please see her comments at the bottom of this post

WaterproofRadioSwimmingHeadphones

WaterproofRadio

UwaterK7 – Small Waterproof Radio Specification:

World’s Smallest Swim Radio
100% Waterproof Digital PLL FM Receiver/Tuner
Superb Reception World Wide
“Twist & Lock” Jack Technology

This micro-sized entertainer clips securely onto headband, armband, bathing suit or goggles for swim-anywhere, go-anywhere, listening pleasure.

Unique IPX8 case and 3D controls are 100% Waterproof. Lightweight, ergonomically-designed extra-soft silicon Ear-Tips (4 sets) seal water out and keep stereo sound in.

Continuous play time 6 to 8 hours on a single charge of its built-in high performance (1000+ cycle) Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery.

Our “Twist & Lock” earphones jack completely blocks water out and provides crucial long term protection against corrosion in treated and salt water – a problem which might damage regular devices. We also installed a large 1” easy-to-read LCD for clear visual communication in any water environment, plus 19-station presets with simple setting and recall functions.

Since 1996 our Waterproof Audio Technologies (WAT) were featured in the New York Times, LA Times, Men’s Health (Europe), Swim World, Fitness Swimmer, Triathlete Magazine, CNET, as well as over 30 other publications (see “UWater in the media”). Also endorsed by the US National Sporting Goods Association. Designed in the USA. Patent Pending.

UwaterK7 Features:
Advanced Digital PLL FM Receiver 88 – 108 Mhz.
Precision Tuning (Manual or Automatic)
Full-range Digital volume adjustment
19-Station Presents. Easy setting and recall.
Large screen (1”) highly visible LCD.
Play Time: Continuous 6-8 HRS
Built-in high performance (1000+ cycles) Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery
IPX8 Waterproof Certification (10Ft/3M) (FM reception on or above surface)
100% waterproof earphones included!
4 sets of extra soft silicon ear-tips (sizes: XL,L,M,S)
“Twist & Lock” Jack
Stainess Steel backplate
Single port system (Audio/Charge)
High Speed USB connection.

Package Contains:
— UwaterK7 Digital PLL FM Receiver/Radio
— 100% Waterproof 20″ Stereo Head Earphones
— Silicone Ear-Tips (4 sets, XL,L,M,S)

— Detachable Flex Clip
— USB Cable
— Owner’s Manual
— International Warranty

— Color Gift Box

Optional Accessories

Long Stereo Earphones (40″)
3.5mm Universal Adaptor (to connect with 3.5mm standard earphones, speaker)
Dual USB car Charger
USB Wall Charger

WaterproofRadioSwimmingFlyer

I have recently swum with the new Finis SWIMP3.2G & its is much the same as the old Finis SWIMP3.1G in sound quality except it has more memory and a better designed USB cap. The colour of the new unit is black and yellow and is different from the blue and white of the old unit but I essentially think there is no fundamental difference in design except the goggle strap clips maybe slightly longer.

The sound quality seems crisper and  louder underwater and has a richer bass sound, than out of the water.  This is due to sound being conducted better in water than air. However I find sound out of the water OK to listen to when doing breast stroke when my head bobs in & out of the pool but that said the sound experience  is a bit richer when doing backstroke or front crawl.

In sum Finis SWIMP3.2G has 2 Gbyte Memory where as SWIMP3.1G has 1 Gbyte meaning you can have a choice of around 500 as opposed to 250 songs .  Also the USB cap is attached by a plastic strap on the new Finis SWIMP3.2G so its harder to loose the USB cap than its predecessor SWIMP3.1G, which wasn’t attached by a plastic strap.

Old version 2006 -2010 - Finis Swimp3.1G

New version 2011 - Finis Swimp3.2g

The Splash Gear Waterproof MP3 Player is it any good? I would give them 8 out of 10.

In our experience to date in 2011 we have had little cause for concern over Splash Gear units reliability & design. Both the 4 Gbyte & 2Gbyte Splash Gear Waterproof MP3 Player units seem very reliable. We have only had one unit returned out of all our sales this year in 2011.

Although they come in many jazzy colours we tend to stock black as this colour is consistently in demand. Moreover I quite like the tough & robust little snap clip on these units as it allows them to be attached easily about the person on items of clothing, wetsuits, swim costumes or swimming goggles.

Here are some videos testimonials of customers that have used Splash Gear Waterproof MP3 Players

Finally as of  September 2011 I must state that I now believe that throughout 2011 from my experience of selling the Splash Gear waterproof mp3 player its is now a better choice than the older NU Dolphin player  in terms of versatility, reliability & ease of use for a waterproof MP3 player that uses headphones.

If  its for only for swimming then for ease of use the SWIMP3 is the best choice from my experience in the pool.

If its for swimming plus other activities (like the jacuzzi) my choice would have been Nu Dolphin as its versatile and has the best designed  earphones for swimming. However I now believe that in 2011 from experience of selling the Splash Gear waterproof mp3 player its is now a better choice than the older NU Dolphin player both in terms of reliability & ease of use.

Another choice for swimming only is the Speedo Aquabeat its controls are easier to use than the NU Dolphin but the earphones are not as well designed for swimming as the Nu Dophin. However in 2011 Speedo have now attempted overcome these design issues with new headphone styles for the standard Aquabeat

If you buy a Speedo Aquabeat you can buy additional earphones like the  ones by Aquatunes that are a better design for swimming and Speedo have similar additional earphones on offer. These are the barbed conical style plugs like ‘christmas trees’ that I think work best for swimming.

Please see this answer to a customers  question

Dear Customer,

The Finis SwiMP3.1G waterproof MP3 player is my first choice simply for ease of use when swimming. It is a waterproof MP3 player specifically designed for swimming. You can change track without breaking swim stroke I do this by turning over from front crawl to to backstroke then pressing button at side of my cheek & music track is changed in one swim stroke then I flip back to front crawl.

Standard waterproof mp3 players rely on the transmission of sound through air or water causing the swimmer to be reliant on the quality of their earplug seal. Any break in the earplug seal means that water enters and causes the sound quality to become muffled. However the SwiMP3.1G uses bone conduction – the direct transfer of sound vibrations from the cheek bone to the cochlea in the inner ear – to provide the swimmer with exceptional sound clarity.

Moreover bone conduction may be safer (researching this assertion) in the long run than using normal earphone based MP3 players. The European Commission is expected to demand lower default sound levels for all MP3 players sold in Europe. According to the EU’s scientific research arm listening to MP3 players at high levels for an hour a day can lead to permanent hearing loss in five years.

Please see

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/09/28/237881/ec-to-demand-quieter-mp3-players.htm

Finally SWIMP3 is my personal choice because..

www.swimmer.co.uk/blog/about-us

However I would recommend NU Dolphin 2GByte waterproof MP3 player with earphones if you are going to choose one that uses earphones as my next choice based on its reliability. Although some of my customers have had problems with left earphones failure on NU Dolphin units the product is well supported and the earphones are well designed for swimming & staying in the ear (Christmas tree style long tapering conical barbs)

Then I would choose the Speedo Aquabeat as its controls are easier to use than the NU Dolphin but I believe the earphones are not the best design based (mushroom type) on a few my customer feedback experience

Finally as of  September 2011 I must state again that I now believe that in 2011 from experience of selling the Splash Gear waterproof mp3 player its is now a better choice than the older NU Dolphin player both in terms of reliability & ease of use for a waterproof MP3 player that uses headphones

Reply To Customer Question (Nov 2009)

Regarding your Waterproof MP3 Player not playing files.

Please make sure its .MP3 audio files you are putting on your Waterproof MP3 Player?

When you view the files using Windows file manager (Explorer) can you see if the file extension is a .MP3 ?

To find .MP3 files on your PC right click the green ‘start button’ at bottom left of your PC screen and select ‘the Search’ option. Then type  *.MP3  in the search text box (where it says  all or part of file name)  or  tick the check box that says search for music.

This will locate any .MP3 files you have on the computer and should examine each drive & folder in turn searching for any audio file that end with a  .MP3 extension.

Apple iPod MP3 players will play MP3 & AAC Files.

Most MP3 players usually play only MP3 & WMA files.

If you are using the iTunes library to get your songs please read on… else skip this bit.

In the iTunes library the default file format is called AAC & you will have to convert the AAC files to .MP3 file format to get them to play on most MP3 players (other than an Apple iPod).

There are two types of AAC File formats.  Protected (AAC M4P)  and unprotected (AAC M4A).

Protected (AAC M4P) songs have Digital Rights Music (DRM) encryption to stop the sharing of files. They only allow for copying onto 5 other machines that the user authorises. They will only play on an iPod MP3 players.

However since 2007 on the iTunes store you can get unprotected songs (AAC M4A) with no restrictions on how you use the songs for personal use or which type of MP3 player you choose to play them on.

You can convert the unprotected AAC Files in the iTunes library to MP3 files by right clicking the desired songs and selecting ‘Create MP3 Version’ . They will then play on any MP3 player.

These unprotected songs are found in the iTunes Plus section of the iTunes store. To find them click the  iTunes Plus link in the Quick Links section at the top right column on the iTunes Store  homepage.

When you click on the iTunes Plus link  iTunes will search your current song collection (and if available in the iTunes Plus store) it will offer to upgrade your protected (DRM) songs which you already own to unprotected songs for a small fee.

Older songs typically imported from audio CD files into an the iTunes library are normally of the unprotected type. Hence you can use your unprotected songs in your CD collection by importing them in MP3 format to the iTunes library and then transfer and play them on any MP3 player.

To import music in MP3 format go to  iTunes Preferences (Under Edit Menu for Windows Users) select ‘General icon’ & then click the ‘Import Settings Button’ and from ‘Import Using’ menu choose ‘MP3 Encoder’.

Moreover if the DRM on the protected AAC files purchased via the iTunes store does not stop you from burning it to a CD, you could try just that and then re-ripping the same track in non DRM format, i.e. MP3. You should then be able  to play it on any MP3 player. However you may be breaking the terms of your license agreement.

Hence it may be more practical if your looking for a source of legal MP3 downloads that will play on any MP3 player, to go to a store that tends to offer unprotected DRM free songs like Amazon.

Please click the ‘Amazon Music Store’ picture widget below to access over 8 million DRM free songs.

waterproof mp3 players and cases

I’m keen to purchase the interval system and I have not yet bought the ipod to go with it. So at the moment I’m veering from interval 2nd gen to 3rd gen and back again. One of the problems I have with 3rd gen ipod shuffle is that it has the control on the headphones and under normal use (not swimming) I would have problem as normal bud headphones don’t fit in my ears. I need the inner ear type.

The H20 Audio Third Gen Shuffle Interval System comes with two style of ear bud one of which is black not blue and is more elongated this may fit your ears as in the picture below

However I will probably using it mostly for swimming so I’m interested mainly in the experience I’ll get from your system. My key question is whether the 3rd gen version is a marked improvement from the 2nd gen model?

When I asked why the H20 Audio 3rd Gen Shuffle Interval System was more expensive than the 2nd Gen Shuffle at outset of October 2009 the guys who import them into the UK from H2O Audio USA said they had examined them and found they are a lot better in terms of build construction than the 2nd Gen shuffle & that because of the technology involved in voice recognition that the cost is also justifiable

Is the sound quality much better?

I believe the sound is mostly dependent on the speakers quality in the waterproof headphones & I suspect they are the same surge type of waterproof headphone speakers as in the 2nd Gen shuffle interval system. However the speakers may have a better acoustic range if they are a newer model of

waterproof headphones. The acoustic range in the 3rd Gen interval surge speakers are as follows

Driver Type/Size Dynamic/8mm

Magnet Type NdFeB

Frequency Response 18-20,000Hz

Impedance 16Ω

Max Input Power 5Mw

Moreover H20 Audio 3rd Gen Shuffle Interval System comes with a greater range of earbud styles (7 as opposed to 5 in 2nd Gen model) so this should help with sound delivery dependent on your ear and it size for fit. The acoustic range in the 2nd Gen Speakers are probably the same but this is an excerpt of a review from ilounge of the H20 Audio 2nd Gen Shuffle Interval System Surge Speakers . I don’t think you will be disappointed with the sound quality whichever you choose…

(excerpt of a ilounge review)

“To make a point previously found in the Surge review, these earbuds are excellent by waterproof earphone standards: as we said last year, “”the sonic difference [between Surge and prior models] is considerable: what you hear is legitimately balanced, clear sound, complete with ample bass and none of the tinny, shrill emptiness that typically characterizes waterproof headphones.””

H20 Audio Waterproof-Headphone-System-Interval-2G

I have looked at the pictures and there are 3 blue buttons on the 3rd Gen Shuffle. The 2nd Gen Shuffle worked on click wheel and all you needed to do is remember the button configuration-up for volume up, down for volume down, left for track back, and right for track forward.

I assume that the 3rd Gen it would have all these functions at a minimum and perhaps more.. I will look a the packaging and see if there is any more info on this 

Apart from this and ergonomics would you be able to give me any other reasons to go for the later model.

The UK importer reckons the clasp & general build of case is stronger on 3rd Gen Interval system and less prone to breaking. This was a problem on the 2nd Gen Interval system and is the reason why we have had some returns in the past for replacement when the clasps snapped off.

Hope this helps here is link to the H2O Audio website with specifications and an image for the 3rd Gen shuffle interval system

http://www.h2oaudio.com/waterproof_headphone_system.php

Waterproof MP3 Players and Cases