A few weeks ago, I was busy trying to make an old iPod shuffle ready for dirt and water and whatever else might happen to it over the following seven days. As I was devising ways to make an iPod waterproof, the FINIS XtreaMP3 waterproof digital music player arrived for me to review. I dropped my special project to open up the box and see what it was all about.
XtreaMP3 Technical Specs
Often, when I find out something is made to be rugged or, in this case, waterproof, I fear for the loss of traditional features. The first thing I noticed with the XtreaMP3 was the lack of any digital screen to show me a playlist or even what song is playing. I may be a bit spoiled, but I wasn’t much surprised. This, after all, is meant to be waterproof and I guess no digital readout is the trade-off. Moving along, I found this player to have many of the standard features expected of an MP3 player, including:
• 1GB of storage
• MP3 and WMA Compatible, iTunes Convertible
• Playlists
• Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery
• Basic play controls
…and, of course, a couple unique to a sport or waterproof player:
• Air-tight, waterproof ear buds
• Neoprene arm strap
Like some car MP3 players, playlists on this device are created by just dropping music into a folder. This is a little less convenient than creating a playlist via software and it means you’ll have to be creative if you want to put the tracks in a specific order. The 1GB of storage seems a little low from the perspective of someone with a 64GB iPhone, but for its size and durability, it gets the job done.
The River Test
This product arrived with exceptional timing for a proper test. Why just play with it near water for a day when you can fully immerse it into the type of activity that its creators had in mind? After charging the XtreaMP3 up fully and squeezing as much music as possible onto it, I took it with me on a seven day hike. Starting in Utah, two friends and I followed the Paria River 53 miles into Arizona, enduring cold, heat, mud, water, climbing and a lot of dirt and sand throughout. For those seven days, the XtreamMP3 tagged along in my pocket, surviving the same elements, and occasionally making the trip easier with music.
The picture above is not just of me on the river. Below is a close-up where you can see a wet, dirty, mud-covered XtreaMP3. Towards the end of our hike, I stopped to relax in the river with the best of Johnny Cash.
Although the waterproofed controls of the XtreaMP3 took some getting used to, the waterproofed ear buds sounded much better than I had expected. The arm band (which I did not take with me) takes some practice the first time to get the music player to attach to it and stay attached. One of the more unique elements FINIS included was the way in which the XtreaMP3 is charged. There’s a small waterproof sleeve that covers the tiny USB connector to keep water out. I’m not sure if any water got through, but I never had a problem with it working, even submerged in the river.
Conclusions
At about $90, the XtreaMP3 is a little less than most iPods, but you’ll trade some features for the peace of mind that a little dirt and water is no match for your music. Even accidentally throwing this player around didn’t phase it. The XtreaMP3 is the easy choice for the outdoor adventurer, surfer, or swimmer.
Although the following is a sponsored review, as always I strive to provide an honest opinion of the product reviewed.
I’ve reviewed some sites in the past that allow you to search for all kinds of things, but what if you’re just looking to download mp3s? There’s a site for that, too, and it’s called MP3-2000.com.
Download Music For Free
The site works in a few ways. If you’re looking for free music downloads or just wanting to purchase tracks, you can browse music by the most popular downloads, newest added, or most recently searched. If you know the artist or song, you can click on a letter of the alphabet at the top of the screen to browse for it or you can search for it by name using the search box. I performed several searches with mixed results, starting with a few local bands. Having no luck with the local bands, I moved on to some just barely more known music like Bigod 20, which surprised me with a few results.
Once you’ve found the track you’re searching for, a few options are presented within a couple tabs. In the second tab, you can obtain a link to share the track’s page with others. In the first tab, you can play the song right in the page or download it right from the source. In addition, there are links to purchase the track or turn it into a ringtone and if there’s more tracks from the same artist, they’ll be listed below. As well as all the links, an area for comments is provided and even lyrics if they’re available.
Buy Music Cheap
For those wanting to purchase the music they find, a couple options exist. The first is the ability to buy the song or album from mp3sales.ru. I did a little searching on the safety recommendations for mp3sales.ru and didn’t find anything alarming. Curious, I also checked their Legal Info page to see how they’re handling licensing. It looks like they are fine according to Russian laws. You may have to check your local copyright laws if you’re outside of Russia, though. mp3sales.ru offered the Bigod 20 tracks at €0.10 per track or €0.80 for the whole album, which is great compared to the $0.99 I normally pay per track elsewhere. Some browsing around gave me the impression that this pricing was pretty standard for most of the music selling on that site.
The ringtone link took me to a page offering up to 15 ringtones per month, but it was at a cost of $9.99/month. I’d didn’t sign up to get a hands-on experience with it, but if you have, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Conclusions
MP3-2000.com is probably the easiest site to download music for free, with advanced searching, related tracks, and instant downloads in most cases. Functionally, my only complaint would be the suggestions of other music I might like because it was way off. If you’re concerned about the legality, you’ll want to remember that you’re bound to the laws in your own jurisdiction, so do your research.
At some point, almost everyone finds the need to record audio for one reason or another. For most of us, it’s just for remembering something important, as was the case the other day when I used the Voice Memo feature on my iPhone to make note of my brother’s new address. For professionals, however, audio recordings require a little more attention to detail. The Olympus LS-7 PCM recorder is one of the devices made for professionals.
Lots Of Features
Offering 24bit and 96kHz Linear PCM Recording, the LS-7 is not designed to just record a bit of audio for playback later. The sound quality is provided for professional use, offering crisp, clear audio recording and playback for things that require a little more fidelity and clarity than your shopping list. As you may be aware, higher quality in any digital media almost always means more storage space will be required and used. Thankfully, Olympus included 4GB of built in memory and a micro SD memory card slot for even more audio. At 4GB, you can get (according to the Olympus site) about 1.75 hours at a higher PCM quality and much more with lowered quality and varying formats, up to over 1,000 hours at the lowest quality with WMA files. In reality, anyone who pays the professional price for a high-end recorder like this will usually record in the upper limits of quality.
The recording and playback features are too numerous for me to go into detail on all of them, but there were so many, that I actually felt a bit overwhelmed at first. After playing with the LS-7 a bit and reading through the quick start guide, I was quickly navigating through several folders for audio file storage, recording, deleting, and changing many of the settings. The user interface required this practice in order for me to begin to feel comfortable, but it didn’t take long. With optional audio descriptions of every menu item and option, there was almost a feeling that the female voice was walking me through it. After getting comfortable with the menus, the voice can be turned off as well. The second feature that caught my attention was the storage folders. I thought it a bit odd that the LS-7 came with several pre-named folders by default rather than just adding and naming folders as needed. This is, perhaps, the one thing I would change about this device if I could. The final UI feature that impressed me was how I delete files on the LS-7. Although it sounds like a small thing, anyone who has ever lost any digital content that they created from scratch knows the value of confirmation before deleting anything. In this case, I would hit the Erase button that was ominously placed in a very easy to hit spot on the front of the device and I would be given an erase menu with the option to erase or cancel. After choosing Erase from the menu, I had to confirm. It’s an extra step, but it put a physical Erase button in a very easy place to find while not sacrificing my recordings to any mistakes.
The three built in microphones, including two Stereo Directional mics and a Center Omni Directional mic, are very prominent on the top of the LS-7. In my testing, I was easily able to see the Peak lights for the left and right light up as I moved my sound source. Upon playback, it was clear that they picked up as intended, too. Of course, this is another feature not needed for all applications, but when you need any kind of stereo or directional recording, this is a must. Other physical features included a built in speaker, microphone and headphone jacks, a large back-lit screen and even rechargeable batteries.
Device And Audio Quality
Weighing in at 3.17 ounces and with 4.4 x 1.5 x 0.6 inch dimensions, the LS-7 is small and portable, but also feels very sturdy and comfortable to hold and use. I wouldn’t want to drop it, but if I did, I think an external blemish might be the worst of it. To protect against that, a padded carrying sleeve is included, too, making the idea of breaking it accidentally a little tough to imagine. In addition to the features I mentioned above, the user interface as a whole is very detailed and easy to navigate with practice. Using the large screen well, Olympus left little to the imagination, freeing the professional to think about the work to be done.
The microphones picked up awesomely in my testing. I spoke normally, yelled and whispered and the LS-7 picked up every bit of my insanity clearly. Just to throw a curve ball at it, I even exited my home office with the LS-7 in my pocket, recording, to talk to my wife. The very beginning of the recording was lower, but after a couple seconds, everything she and I said was as clear as if I was holding a microphone in my hand.
Conclusions
The $199 retail price tag sets the LS-7 clearly out of the reach of those who don’t need a professional PCM recorder, but for those who do, it’s a welcomed and comfortably-priced offering. With an army of features, high quality microphones and intelligent design, the Olympus LS-7 makes a great little recorder for those with big needs.
Instead of going the boring and traditional route like buying her flowers and chocolates, why don’t you make her feel extremely special by buying her a high tech gift she can really use? Below are the top 5 tech gifts and gadgets to buy mom this Mother’s Day.
5. Wrap a Nap—this luxurious pillow isn’t exactly a “gadget” per say but its innovative yet highly simply design will blow any sleep-deprived mother away. This is because it acts as three items in one: a plush pillow that allows her to sleep comfortably even in the most awkward places and position— like upright in an office chair during her lunch break; earmuffs to silence unwanted noises like a spouse’s snoring; and a blindfold to block out sun’s rays to ensure she sleeps in a little longer when the kids are away. Price:$14.99
4. iWatchz Q series Watchband for iPod nano— this small “clip” attaches to any iPod nano, easily converting it to a stylish watch. Perfect for mothers who are constantly on the go, she’ll be able to make all of her appointments and know when she’s running late for the next PTA meeting while having access to her music library at all times. She can either use the built-in preferences on her iPod to choose particular backgrounds for her watch face or choose a standard white or black watch face for elegant occasions. Watch bands come in a variety of colors including black, white, red, blue and pink. Price: $24.95
3. Zumba Fitness for Nintendo Wii—Perfect for mothers who are trying to get into shape but don’t have the time to go the gym to take professional classes, Zumba Fitness from Majesco Entertainment is a sure fire way for a mother to tone up and exercise in the comforts of her very own home. The game includes 9 different dance styles: Reggaeton, Merengue, Salsa, Cumbia, Hip-Hop, Mambo, Rumba, Flamenco and Calypso. Price: $34.96 at Wal-Mart retail stores.
2. G2x by LG Android—If mom doesn’t have a smart phone yet then it’s about time that she’s upgrades. The G2x is the currently the hottest and most demand phone in the biz, but it’s only offered to T-Mobile costumers. This ultra sleek 4-G touch screen has a dual processor which enables it to perform at high speeds. It runs on the Android 2.2 (froyo) operating system though it is rumored to get the Gingerbread update soon. Price: $99.99 with 2 year T-mobile contract
1. iPad 2—The new and improved ultra light weight iPad2 is the ultimate gift to give this mother’s day. With it, she can do everything from writing to-do lists, catching up on some reading, video chatting with her relatives that live on the other side of the country, to even watching how-to-cooking shows on YouTube when preparing meals in the kitchen. She can even pull up educational games whenever the kids are bored. Price: Starts at $499.00
Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She
loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.
