FINIS SwiMP3 2G with X18 Firmware

I've had Finis SwiMP3 players since 2009, starting with the one gig unit, and graduating to the two gig SwiMP3 2G unit a little over a year ago. It was some time back in 2008, before I even imagined they had waterproof players, that I started wishing I had music to listen to while swimming. I swim 5-7 days per week, and swim a minimum of a mile, oftentimes only freestyle; and I have to admit it was getting very tedious with just my thoughts to listen to, or usually one song that I would keep repeating in my head for the whole 40 minutes to an hour that I'd swim.The SwiMP3 made it much more pleasurable to swim, after a decade or more without music. I've also tried a mini IPod with a waterproof case and earbuds, and it didn't work for me. I didn't like dealing with various brands of earbuds that all too often leak, and the impediment of having the player strapped to my upper arm and wires leading to the earbuds.The sound quality from the SwiMP3 is certainly fine enough for swimming where I don't expect to hear something sounding like Bose speakers, and it's advertised that the new Finis Neptune has even better sound quality. It's very easy to load the player with songs from iTunes and delete them when desired. It's truly wonderful to be able to listen to my favorite songs while exercising in water, just as I use to while walking or running.For awhile I had trouble making the battery last as long as the specs say, 8 hours, because I was charging it every time I got home. I learned to not charge the player until the charge fully runs down and the player automatically shuts off while swimming. It's okay to finish a workout without music, and then charge the battery when I get home. I was also told from Finis tech support that when I turned off the unit after using it to push the reset button. Allowing the battery to run down, and pushing the reset button after turning it off allows me to get the full 8 hours of play, and sometimes more. It's also helpful to keep the volume lower, as it uses less power.The only downside I've experienced is one of unit longevity, not having a player that lasted a full year. The upside has been that Finis has replaced those units, and paid the postage for the return; just make it clear you expect this. The technical support people over the years have always been professional, helpful and pleasant to work with.It's inconvenient for the user having to send a unit back and wait for a replacement, and costly for Finis. BUT -- it's been my experience that the SwiMP3 is a far better solution to music while swimming than any other product that I know of at this time. AND -- with Finis willing to back their warranty, replacing a unit if it breaks down before the warranty period is over, it's a good purchase. Hopefully Finis will solve the quality control problem. I'm sure they're working on it; it costs them money to replace a unit.While I sympathize with some of the negative comments, it's my opinion that old users and potentially new buyers should be aware that any problems are solvable. One simply has to work it out with Finis, not give up on the product. The SwiMP3 is a great concept, easy to use, and can make lap swimming a lot more enjoyable. As long as Finis stands by the warranty it's silly to not take advantage of the great benefits one receives.

I wish I could contact the seller. This is my third SwimMP3. This one only worked for 4 months. Don't get me wrong, I love the SwimMp3, it gives good quality sound and keeps me motivated in my long swim workouts, but it is just not fair that after 4 months of usage left speaker is out, no sound. The first one died in less than a ear, the second one in a few months, the cap protecting the USB broke and the MP3 stopped working . Now this....This is the third so I think I won't buy any other.

I purchased two of these and tried them out today. They both powered up fine, loaded music and played properly. I've had three of the 1G versions. Two I lost the last quit working after I left salt water on the connector and it completely corroded away. Make sure you clean the connector with fresh water and dry it after use.I use a Dell Latitude notebook and had no trouble with the devices in the USB port. It looks like the company has improved the connector and cover design a bit. I would still make sure to dry the contacts after use. The reviews indicate the company has had some quality issues with the previous firmware, but as far as my computer goes, this version works fine.These units really make lap swimming more enjoyable. They are very waterproof and the sound level (once you get the position adjusted) is pretty consistent. I've tried other MP3 players that use earbuds, and they are hopeless, especially in the ocean. It is bone-conduction, so you won't have all of the highs and bass of regular head phones.Keep in mind it takes some time to get used to the buttons and the features are limited -- for instance you have to manually sequence the order of the songs, but it is really cool to have. I don't understand why more people don't use them. Most run with an Ipod, but few enjoy music in the water. Swimming offshore through California's kelp forests on clear water days, listening to classical music is close to an out-of-body experience.

There were multiple problems with this product.1) DIfficult to fit - when I attached this to the straps on my goggles, it was unweildy and difficult to adjust so it was placed against the cheekbone. That, however, was a minor concern. The worst part was that it pushed the goggle strap outward in such a way that the goggles leaked. I have tried numerous goggles until I found a pair that didn't leak, and I can find no way to attach these in such a way that the goggles don't leak.2) Lousy sound quality - the sound quality is atrocious unless your ears are either filled with water or you use earplugs that seal very well. I just love how the other reviews say it sounds great underwater, but I have this problem - maybe you do too - that I need to lift my head out of the water to breathe. It would probably be OK for swimming the crawl, but I swim mostly breaststroke, and when I breathe, the water drains out of my ears. I hate earplugs - I can never find a pair that really seals well. One reason I bought these is because I have never found earbud headphones that stay in. I used earplugs, and they fell out in the water.Even when I was underwater, the sound quality was poor - akin to a $5 pair of headphones. When not underwater, it is like a pair of headphones that is lying on the table.3) Controls are difficult to use - the buttons are of course not visible when wearing this - you have to find them by feel. They are very small and give essentially no feedback - it is difficult to use them underwater. Far worse - the power button (which is also the pause button) works only occaisionally - sometimes I had to press it 10 times before it finally worked (again - no real feedback, so you can't tell if really got pressed).4) Loading songs using Itunes is a real pain, as you have to convert existing songs to MP3, then copy them, then erase them so your system isn't clogged with duplicate files for the same song.