Alameda Runners – Get After It!

I have not been writing much lately so I was a bit surprised when a set of Pyle PSWB4BL Waterproof Neckband MP3 Player and Headphones for Swimming, Water Sports showed up on my desk for review.  I happen to be training for a triathlon and swimming every morning is part of my training routine.  I have a love-hate relationship with MP3 players designed for swimmers.  I love listening to music when I swim.  I hate the fact that all swim music players have problems.

The Pyle is one of the cheaper swim MP3 players around but it seems to have the fewest problems.  I like the plastic neckband, headphones and player all in one unit.  When I use other models with a clip-on MP3 player headphone cord, I have a lot of problems.  The plastic head piece is great.  It works under the band for my goggles.

The Pyle has to be the simplest MP3 player on the market.  I plugged it into a Linux computer, a window opened and I did the old drag and drop from a music library to the device.  No muss, no fuss… just drag and drop.

The player has an on/off button, a volume button and a forward/reverse button.  that is it, 3 buttons.  I am swimming.  When I swim, my arms are too busy to be playing around with buttons.

Here are some details from the Pyle web page with my notes under the Pyle stats:

4-GB Memory Storage
You can hold an obscene amount of music on 4-gb
High-Fidelity Sound Reproduction
I don’t notice if something has high fidelity when it is on MP3 format
Supports MP3 and WMA Music Formats
I put both onto the device with no problems.  I did not try OGG files
USB 2.0 Compatible For High-Speed File Transfer
I tried 4 different operating systems and it worked on all of them
Rechargeable Battery Provides Up To 10 Hours of Play
I have about 5 hours on the battery with no problems
Includes 6 Pairs of Earbuds (3 Sizes for Water & 3 for Land Use)
It is a good thing there are options.  I wear a medium in the left ear and a large in the right
Waterproof Rating IPX-8 For Submersion Up To 1 Meter (3.3 Feet)
So far so good.  I do knock the ear piece out, every now and then
Technical Specs
I don’t know much about the technical specs but I do know that you should rip all of your songs in the same bit rate.  the higher bit rate the better.  If you rip at different bit rates, your volume will vary and you will either blow your ears out or the music will dim.
Distortion: <0.1%
Lithium Battery: 190 mAh
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >70 dB
MP3 Bite Rate: 8kbps ~ 320kbps
WMA Bite Rate: 32kbps ~ 192kbps
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz
Earphone Output Power: 5mW + 5mW
Operating Temperature: 41°F – 104°F (-5°C – 50°C)
Sold as : Unit

Final thoughts:  I like the Pyle MP3 player.  I usually lose the sound in one ear after about 30 minutes for one reason or another.  I don’t let it bother me and continue to swim.  I suppose I could keep it going for a whole swim if I tried but it is not worth the effort for me.  I am happy that I can do flip turns and push off the wall as hard as I can without the ear buds coming out.

The Belkin Pro Cycling Team certainly had internal goals for the 2013 Tour de France, but beyond being in breakaways to get TV time, we didn’t know what to expect from the rebranded team.

Bauke Mollema and Laurens Ten Dam are currently sitting in third and fourth on general classification – the fight for the yellow jersey. It’s safe to admit the top 10 will continue to change after the next time trial and a foray into the mountains – but seeing Mollema and Ten Dam in the top five is still something very special for Belkin.

Computer electronics company Belkin, which officially became team sponsor shortly before the Tour, has to be pleased with how the race is going. In addition to getting into breakaways, the team has two GC riders in the top five.

I expect to see Team Belkin continue to look for stage wins through the remaining two weeks of the Tour.