SwimMan's waterproof iPod shuffle: it's what's inside that counts

Look, a waterproof iPod shuffle! Yes there, pictured to the right. Where's the big bulky case, you ask? Ain't none... the waterproofing is on the inside this time kids. That's right, SWIMMAN has turned an honest-to-goodness second generation iPod shuffle into a "100% waterproof" player capable of operation in waters up to 10 feet deep. You can't scuba with it, but it'll clip onto the back of your googles just fine if you're a swimmer. Hell you can even wear it the shower... assuming you can find something to, uh, clip it to. Now the price: $150 for just the waterproofed iPod shuffle or $250 for the shuffle with a waterproof headset and a 1-year limited warranty... 'cause you know Apple won't cover it. More pics including the orthopedic headphones after the break.

[Simon @ Feb 14th 2007 10:18AM]

Scared for life!

[RetepNamenots @ Feb 14th 2007 8:49AM]

Okay, those headphones are scaring me. How the hell do those work?!

[yoinkers @ Feb 14th 2007 1:05PM]

I believe those are rectal transduction phones. Works better in the aquatic environment. The clips just guide the wires down your thongback banana-hammock.

[ROFLROFFLES @ Feb 14th 2007 8:59AM]

It's a canal/IEM 'phone. I think.

[ksat @ Feb 14th 2007 9:06AM]

uuhh...you stick them in your ears and hit the PLAY button. I'm sure they work just like every other pair of in-ear-headphones.

[ROFLROFFLES @ Feb 14th 2007 9:08AM]

Do they ship to UK?. Can't find the information anywhere.

Thank god for the weak US currency... heh...

[shak @ Feb 14th 2007 9:20AM]

get a pair of relativley cheap waterproof earphones bundle em with ordinary shuffle (filled with foam/polymer/silicon/molten rubber) and flog it for $250 bucks ..

look guys, just wrap your shuffles in ordinary cling film from the kitchen and jump in the shower.

[jeffk @ Feb 14th 2007 9:26AM]

Seems to me you could simply cover the electronics with something goopy, maybe epoxy. Would that work?

[Andrew Cooper @ Feb 14th 2007 9:36AM]

The only mystery here is how the headphone jack is waterproofed. I'd expect to see some external seal or gasket to keep the H2O off the exposed contacts.

[Dan @ Feb 14th 2007 9:37AM]

This is a joke. You can get waterproof headphones for like 15 bucks from a number of places online. They want an extra $100 for 'em! The $150 for a waterproof shuffle is a bit steep but I'd be willing to pay for it rather than creating my own hack.

[Wiserun @ Feb 14th 2007 9:42AM]

It would have been a great idea if the cord on those headphones wasn't so long. Being able to actually clip the shuffle to your goggles without having to wrap the cord around you neck three times would be nice.

[Kyle @ Feb 14th 2007 10:15AM]

Someone buy one and post a tutorial so I can waterproof my cellphone, my 5g iPod, and my television.

[Andy Briggs @ Feb 14th 2007 10:18AM]

They can clip onto the back of my 'googles'? Are you telling me they made a waterproof 2nd-gen iPod Shuffle that can surf the internet as well? I didn't think even Steve Jobs wanted to push the boundary that far!

[Sam @ Feb 14th 2007 10:19AM]

haha i'm sure cling wrap would work for the shower but it'd be great to know how do mod my 2nd gen shuffle to work in the pool. i'm stuck on the headphone jack part as well.

[TC @ Feb 14th 2007 10:20AM]

I am not recommending this but these new Shuffles may be more water resistant than we think. My girlfriend and her mom just ran the Miami marathon and both used this new Shuffle. The race not only started with a downpour of rain but at some point in the race, my gf (had to per her) doused herself with water. With all of this, my gf's and her mom's Shuffles stopped working temporarily but eventually came back and are working fine today.

[pyro @ Feb 14th 2007 10:55AM]

happens with electronics, they can dry out. My old cellphone went through the wash, it wouldnt turn on and the screen had wet marks on it. I wound up buying a new phone and a few months later i press the power button on my old phone and now it works perfectly.

[Diver Al @ Feb 14th 2007 10:26AM]

There are more of these products available for other tech products; http://www.scubaology.com/archives/2007/01/15/keep-your-iphone-waterproof/

[The Infamous @ Feb 14th 2007 10:49AM]

i bet that would be a lot more difficult if it were a HD based player. No moving parts=somewhat easy

[Pete @ Feb 14th 2007 1:27PM]

10 feet underwater isn't that far -- I'm sure a lot of showers would be harder on the device than that, pressure-wise (you probably couldn't run it under a tap either).

[Cursor @ Feb 14th 2007 1:33PM]

I believe those are the new suppository headphones...

[NHH621 @ Feb 14th 2007 2:08PM]

If interested in waterproof head phones, my standard apple ipod headphones have been washed numberous times and everytime I pull them from the washing machine wet I plug them in and they work fine. Something to consider.

[NHH621 @ Feb 14th 2007 2:08PM]

If interested in waterproof head phones, my standard apple ipod headphones have been washed numberous times and everytime I pull them from the washing machine wet I plug them in and they work fine. Something to consider.

[lakiolen @ Feb 14th 2007 3:34PM]

Orthopedic headphones? Does that mean they are implanted into your ear bones?

[sean @ Feb 14th 2007 4:16PM]

those look suspiciously like old-school airplane headphones.

[Paul Chan @ Feb 14th 2007 4:56PM]

a bit of a joke if you ask me, bet u anything all he has done is like what jeffkk mentioned, just cover the eletronic components epoxy or with glue which is waterproof when dries. not such a difficult task.

[Heroshima @ Feb 14th 2007 7:47PM]

u just need a non conductive poly, its cheep at ratshack and the contacts for the headphone are sealed in it as well, think vasaline on a distributer cap :-) but ehh non conductive. I did it for my sanso and it worked well tell it got drooped.

[otto veblin @ Feb 15th 2007 1:19AM]

SwimMan created the first waterproof audio player back in the pre-digital days. The headphones aren't just water-resistant, they're designed specifically for water.I will do research. hold...ok

"Swimman Headset sound quality is comparable to other top brand-name sound isolating headphones (Etymotics, Shure, Bose) that are priced higher than Swimman but unlike Swimman are not water-friendly. SwimMan's high-fidelity headset is 100% waterproof, featuring sound-isolating design."

[jesseiscanadian @ Feb 15th 2007 8:20PM]

As far as the player itself it should only need to be coated in a resin or poly coat. But the jack, im betting if they design a prepriatory jack with a locking mechanism that closes two rubber rings together it would work. It would suck to only be able to buy from one company but over time others may adopt it, even if its made so that existing players are compatible. Problem is im betting even these $150 players are just replaced, who the heck is gunna try to open and fix it without destroying it.



Oh and for all those people saying that the regular headphones will work fine blah blah blah, Think, swimming laps, may be exposed for a while, therefor they will either

A: Fall out, most likely over and over once your damn waxy ears get wet inside.
B: Stop working when you expose them to water, ive lost many many headphones. And yeah most of the time they start working again when they dry but UHhhhhh werent we trying to listen to music in the water? Not 48 hours on the vent cover later....


:)

[Vinay @ Feb 20th 2007 4:28AM]

One word: Araldite.

[carl Megens @ Feb 20th 2007 12:23PM]

Alluminium and chlorine (swimming pool water) might give an interesting reaction....

[ali fitz-d @ Feb 21st 2007 5:28AM]

Erm... Aluminium chloride?! :D ... mind you, most pool maintainance equipment such as the nets which they use forfishing out old leaves, plasters (USA: band-aids), small children etc. are made of aluminium, so maybe not?! I think pool chlorine is a stablized chlorine compound cos otherwise your local swimming pool might look like a scene from the WW1 trenches.

As for the earphones, I think the driver is in the bit which clips to the goggle band and the black tubes (which are hollow according to thier website) just carry the sound to your ear. $100 seems a bit steep though! Aquapac do a less scary-looking pair for only $40... dunno how good they sound though!:D

[numba6 @ Feb 21st 2007 7:21AM]

oh yeah bout time something like this came im getting one only prob only 10 ft??? but way cool fasionable mp3 player in or out of the water totally awsome totally sweet

[natalia @ Mar 2nd 2007 10:10AM]

does anyone know when this came out??
if you do then please e-mail me at [e-mail]

as soon as possible will be appriciated. Thank you!

[Dave D @ Mar 6th 2007 1:34PM]

FYI, I just accidentally washed (and dryed) my standard iPod shuffle in the washing machine. Just recharged the battery, and it is fine.

[Ryan Gonzales @ May 7th 2007 1:45PM]

I personally know these guys that are putting together this project (SwimMan)...

I would say wait a little bit... There has not been enough research and testing done to show that these waterproofing techniques will last.

The guys running this are like brothers to me, but their product is just not mature enough to be a safe choice.

[senami @ Mar 4th 2008 2:32PM]

Can you tell me if the research has been done to know if these ipods last or not?? Thanks. I ordered it and am sending to swimman today...3/4/08. Thanks again.

[Ryan Gonzales @ Mar 4th 2008 6:41PM]

I believe by now adequate research and testing has been done. I actually bought two through my company and a pseudo name/address a while back and I thrash tested those suckers and they held up pretty well. Direct pressure spray above normal splash can cause damage to the buttons. In one out of the 5 we purchased, sand was able to make it's way into the device after surfing (small grains), didn't cause problems, just was a little scary. Diving experiments went well (ie., attached on hip off high-dive - testing for quick pressure changes) as well as other water tests.

Just wanted to let ya'll know these things can take some abuse, but you should still make every attempt to "baby" it, it's still an expensive iPod you're carrying. I wouldn't recommend depths past 10-15 feet, we did minor pressure testing and we think the cutoff is about 25 on the ones we ordered... But play it safe, try not to go scuba diving or deep snorkeling with this device cause those changes in pressure can cause harm to the device.

We did not perform shock testing (dropping, tossing, falling, ect.), because this is not the type of product that would make a major impact on that aspect.

These were independent tests performed by Third Avenue Consulting. We have no reports available to the public or to SwimMan on their product. We did this out of pure curiosity in controlled environments. We always must say, use at your own risk.

[Carolyn @ Jun 13th 2007 10:13AM]

I swim with an Ipod shuffle and waterproof headphones weekly. I have the older style shuffle, I put it in the waterproof case from Otterbox, and I buy waterproof headphones from Amazon. I have been swimming laps with the setup for a few years and it works great. The only problem, all waterproof headphones will short out. So, do not pay $100+. Buy them cheap and keep a spare pair on hand.
All that is going on here is this company has put the pieces together for you, the same pieces you can put together yourself. If Otterbox doesn't yet have a waterproof case for the new Shuffle, they will and they cost around 15-20 bucks.

[Ryan Gonzales @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:20PM]

I saw the Otterbox cases - they are pretty nice looking and they protect your iPod from more than just water... I believe they are also meant to protect the iPod from dropping as well - something SwimMan cannot do yet.

If you want a good pair of waterproof headphones, SwimMan actually makes a nice set.

As far as Otterbox being cheap, that's where you're starting to get a little wrong, they aren't cheap, but neither would be sending in your Pod to SM either...

It the end it boils down to this: do you ONLY need a waterproof solution, or will you be needing the full coverage? It's based on lifestyles - SwimMan seems to have a main target of swimmers, so that's why everything they do is about keeping water out, and not so much about making the Pod more rugged...

I guess the real honest solution would be to try out the products for yourself and see what fits YOUR lifestyle.

[Bryan @ Sep 9th 2007 1:59AM]

Anyone have any feedback on this swimman water-proofed product who actually owns one? Just curious because I'm having a hard time fiding reviews.

[Ryan Gonzales @ Mar 4th 2008 6:43PM]

Please see my most recent comment.

[Brayn @ Mar 5th 2008 12:32AM]

For anyone who may see this page I do own the ipod shuffle and after about four months or so it's working great. The headphones work well under water and are comfortable. If you are a swimmer this is the best option. There are cases available but they're bulky and you'll be doing a lot of opening and closing every few days to recharge the ipod battery.

[Txerloc @ Apr 10th 2008 3:45PM]

Hello!

Taking into account the research you have done about the ipod. Which kind os sealant do Swissman use?
Does anyone know good sealants for this purpose?

Bye

[Giula Brooks @ Apr 13th 2008 12:05PM]

I am considering buying the Swimman earphones, and possibly the new waterproof iPod. I am sick of earphones that don't work. I tried the new Speedo Aquabeat and was disappointed. The earphones don't work! The actual MP3 works well and is very user friendly in the water. It's easy to see (if you are older, without glasses) and the buttons are easily id'd with touch. That's why I can't see the Shuffle being as swimmer friendly. CAN EARPHONES WORK AS WELL IN THE WATER AS THEY DO OUT OF THE WATER? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks

[Giula Brooks @ Apr 18th 2008 12:51AM]

I am considering buying the Swimman earphones, and possibly the new waterproof iPod. I am sick of earphones that don't work. I tried the new Speedo Aquabeat and was disappointed. The earphones don't work! The actual MP3 works well and is very user friendly in the water. It's easy to see (if you are older, without glasses) and the buttons are easily id'd with touch. That's why I can't see the Shuffle being as swimmer friendly. CAN EARPHONES WORK AS WELL IN THE WATER AS THEY DO OUT OF THE WATER? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks

[Keith @ Aug 5th 2008 3:42PM]

I bought the unit the H2Oaudio sells and was tremendously disappointed. The earbuds are attached to rigid stems which will not stay in when swimming laps. The SwimMan headphones look far superior. I have bought their setup, but have yet to test it out. The payment through Paypal made me somewhat nervous as it seemed somewhat sketchy. Otherwise, their design seems far superior to the other companies.

[Carole Finegold @ Aug 20th 2008 12:26AM]

I have owned one for a year and love it. I use it 5 days a week. The earphone are a wonderful soft plastic layer cone shapes that actually seal out all the water as well as that unpleasant pool echo noise. The shuffle does not work since the bottom button have been sealed. Your turn it off by putting it on pause which is fine. It is sealed from the inside so you still use the wheel buttons easily to select music and volume. The quality of music is great and just like my video iPod. The service used to be great, but I think that they are so busy now that they don't get the items out as fast and the personal service is not so great any more. The product is fantastic and completely transforms the water experience.

[Tim @ Apr 28th 2009 9:29PM]

I just got one in March and love it. I love Kayaking and take it with me every time. It brings something new to Kayaking and without it; it’s just not the same. I didn’t get it from Swimman’s website though, but on eBay from username h2omymusic. They have a website too at www.waterproofelectronic.com that sells new ones for a little less and refurbished. Swimman needs to hook up with Apple so everyone can get waterproofing standard with all Apple product purchases.