Swimming is an excellent sport, an ideal non-weight-bearing exercise and an underused exercise. But powering up and down a pool is, for many, just too boring - until you get your hands on this latest gadget.
The SwiMP3v2 is a waterproof MP3 player that sounds great. And the really good bit about this one is how it works. Not with headphones, but by bone conduction.
I was doubtful when I got mine, but my wife had borrowed a colleague's and decided it was a must for my birthday present.
Like many a good idea, this device is really simple. It doesn't go in your ears, but instead the flat 'ear pieces' adhere, with the support of goggles strap, to your head just in front of the ear. This gives direct transfer of sound vibrations from the cheek bone to the inner ear.
Out of the water it sounds a bit tinny but with head down, doing front crawl it sounds great.
The MP3 player has a small, rubber covered USB connector to connect with your PC to drag and drop MP3 or WMA music files. My model has a 256MB internal memory, which is sufficient for around 60 tracks. I compressed my files slightly to get more on, but technophobes will prefer clarity over compression.
I've already used mine for more than the four hours the battery is expected to last and it hasn't needed a re-charge yet.
It's become quite a talking point in the pool.
Dr O'Connell is a GP in Selby, North Yorkshire
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