Great device in a niche market - comparison of other floating MP3 Player

And now the long version.

*** *** History
I've been a few years in the business and am a long swim with the Finis SwiMP3 that one, combined with ear plugs (not headphones, but ear plugs), allocated to the cheekbones. The Finis at the time was the most mature product, that is the only one with whom one could swim. There were still the Speedo Aquabeat who had an unspeakable operating concept and the constantly running water in the in-ears, so you could see the completely forgotten. Otherwise there was nothing at that time Well-known in the swimming-music player field. My main criticism of turn Finis has always been that he as a hollow tin can sound, and moreover he was clunky and unsexy on the cheeks, the knobs were so responsive like a dead fish in the mud, and the USB memory was so infinitely slowly, that one was really glad to be able to fill only 2GB. He was a long time unfortunately without competition, I am forced thus been traveling. Now I discovered the little Sony for scarce 65 and ordered him unceremoniously.

*** First Impression ***
The Sony is processed wertig, looks good (in black, at least ...) and is well received. It come four pair essays for land and water with the players that are virtually sortable by color coding (gray attachments for water, black for the country, and they are in addition to size again color coded). The somewhat cumbersome packaging to forgive Sony, once you have the player in your hand - light as a feather, yet wertig he is loose in the ear and can be easily put close at the back with the drawstring. The Papers for Dry's sound good, I feel the player as just as good as my Sennheiser MM100 headphones, not earth-shattering, but tidy enough for the way to work or just for the sport. With the swimming essays of sound is considerably duller and loses its brilliance.
The charging cradle that acts as a USB connection at the same time, beautifully designed and combines a solid player. Charging is fixed in about 90 minutes on the stage, allegedly suffice the first 5 minutes of charging for an hour running time, I did not tested.

*** From the water ***
My experience with the Speedo was disappointing, so I have the Sony first not quite married on the road and swam very carefully. I like the guy in the video presentation (see Youtube "Sony® W273S Waterproof Sports Walkman® Introduction") supremacy there, the swimming goggles bands on the MP3 player is pulled so that it is stabilized and can not be loosened by the water pressure. With the somewhat dull essays swimming, we went into the water and a few dozen tracks crawl and breaststroke alternates.
To my surprise the players quite a remained completely dry. I had no water ingress, which would have spoiled me the sound, and so I swam (added with a little tinny sound by the gray attachments) over three quarters of an hour. One finds on the Internet here and there the Council, first try the blacks and to switch to the horror, if you have the black water ingress; the blacks I'll also try someday, but to me the risk has always been troublesome to swim under certain circumstances without music, because when the ears are first wet, there is no escape ...

*** *** Operation
The player has a lot of buttons and in this sense is indeed super controllable, but you have to learn where each button sits first. That's not so easy as you normally rather the other way around in the hand has the player than on the head. If you have internalized the first operation, it is quite useful and functional. Ridiculous expected but at least for me, the Zapp-function (optional 4 or 15 seconds preview a song, then jump) - maybe that can use anyone, for me it's nonsense and I have it activated at the start several times by mistake and not more get off.
Filling the PC via drag and drop properly feasible, the bundled software does not need a man and should therefore as far as possible install nobody. I have thrown it from the device because the installer only 250MB swallows, which is 4 hours less material. (Not that 4GB would be scarce, especially in a period of anyway just 8 hours, after which you have to clamp the device in any case to the USB port).

*** Compared with Finis SwiMP3 ***
In direct comparison with my Finis SwiMP3 you have to admit that Sony did a great job. Where did I stick a chunky tankard on the cheek at Finisterre, which is usable only in the water and not on land, Noxious has stiff controls, for which I also need earplugs and the sound still remains silly, Sony sounds a little better, at the same time offers everyday and swimming sprinkler has integrated the earplugs, is elegant and small, holding just as well. The technique is the Finis streets ahead, the USB memory is fast and reliable and larger one at that. Only in one point of Finis has an advantage: The Silicone earplugs, which I to the Finis carry, clearly comes less ambient noise than the Sony-ear plugs, so you with the Finis is total in a quieter atmosphere go (in the indoor hear I almost nothing, to the Sony so can with good silicone ear plugs on the environment and almost exclusively the music, which is a real boon not imitate). Nevertheless, Sony is the more complete package, because it brings modern technology and good service in a small and elegant format and has now made me the smart phone as a music player alienate.

*** Conclusion ***
The Sony is a good MP3 player for anyone who does not want to clutter or the hassle with Bluetooth, which has no desire to elaborate smartphone interfaces for operation and no high demands on the features. For jogging and swimming, he is the best player for me. The advantages to make more with the smartphone devices superfluous, has no chance, especially because you carry around against a simple, functional device like this in my opinion for listening to music with a smartphone anyway still additional headphones.
The price is fair for a product in the market through its water suitability has almost monopoly status, and that it is a "Walkman", completes the package from also for those who are a time-honored brand brings a good feeling. In this sense, full credit for this pretty little gadget.