review: H2O’s waterproof lineup
February 9, 2010 by Bill Palmer · View Comments
Because it’s the most novel and because surprisingly enough it turned out to be the most practical of the bunch, we’ll start with the Interval for iPod shuffle. Setup is simple enough: pry open the watertight lid on the housing, insert the shuffle, snap it shut, and attach it to your swim goggles – yes, this product is designed for use with swim goggles – the photos of Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin on the front may have given that away (the company does offer another shuffle product that doesn’t require goggles; this one is designed for real swimmers, not pool waders). The earbud cables extend several inches out from the housing, long enough to reach the ears of even large-headed users. The in-ear earbuds turn out to have an audio which roughly matches the top $50 non-waterproof earbuds I’ve tested, just for a reference point; obviously you’d expect to pay more for waterproof functionality, so this product’s $99 price tag (including the shuffle housing and the built in earbuds) seems like something of a bargain. Three buttons on the top of the shuffle housing replicate the functionality that is typically built into shuffle earbud cables. This means that you do have to reach behind your head in order to adjust the volume or pause the music, but the three buttons are fairly large and well spaced enough that hitting the right isn’t a problem even despite not being able to see what you’re doing. And yes, the earbuds actually are waterproof: although there was no nearby pool or ocean to test them in, a combination of showering while wearing the product and then leaving the entire apparatus submerged in the sink while playing for about an hour sufficiently confirmed that fact to my mind. Much as I don’t like to give out five-star ratings more than occasionally, the H2O Interval for iPod shuffle has earned one.
For those users sporting larger devices, H2O’s Amphibx for iPhone, iPod touch and iPod classic (also available in a separate model for iPod nano, not tested) seeks to offer the same experience by placing your iPhone or iPod on your arm. Here things get more complicated, as you’re talking about sealing the device into a waterproof housing that still allows you to access its controls through a sheet of clear plastic, and in the case of the iPhone and iPod touch, attempting to use a multitouch interface through said plastic. I found that inserting and removing the device from the Amphibx was anything but easy, as you’re sliding the device through a side pocket in such a way that requires being fleet of fingertips, which I’m not. Even after I got it in there and sealed it up, I couldn’t get the iPhone’s home button to remain more than halfway accessible through the plastic; I never would have guessed that that would be a problem, while doing multitouch gestures on the iPhone’s screen through the plastic wouldn’t be. Once I put the product on my arm I found it to be comfortable from a feel standpoint, but overbearing for my weakling arms from a weight standpoint (I’ve tested a number of iPhone armbands over the years, and this one weighs a lot).
Despite those complaints it’s still a well done product generally – I just wish it were less cumbersome. When taking a triple digit priced electronics product into water, you do have to be absolutely certain that it’s sealed up well, so I never expect these housings to be too svelte to begin with. This product has got to be more practical for well-built swimmers who want to use it for doing laps than the various hard-box plastic cases strapped to an armband are, but I’m not over-the-top sold on it as a product for people who aren’t Olympic gold medalists. I give it four starts for being well done and getting a lot of things right, but I just can’t go any higher even though it does work as advertised.
Of course a waterproof housing for your iPhone or iPod doesn’t make a whole lot of sense unless there are waterproof earbuds to go with it, hence H2O’s Surge Pro earbuds. In this case they’re $99 earbuds whose audio quality turned out to be just a little inferior to the top $79 non-waterproof earbuds I’ve tested, so again, you’re getting a bargain in terms of not paying too much extra for the waterproof functionality. Surprisingly enough, the come with not just the usual few sets of different-sized rubber earbud tips, but also with two pairs of foam tips. I wouldn’t have expected the foam to hold up when met with water, but that turned out fine.
These earbuds are comfortable, lightweight, and you wouldn’t even be able to identify them as being specifically waterproof if not for the oversized headphone plug that’s designed specifically to create a tight seal with the Amphibx line (for those of you who’ve gotten overexcited at the prospects, it’s probably worth reminding the obvious fact that using waterproof earbuds with an unprotected iPhone or iPod does nothing to keep your iPhone or iPod from getting wet – these earbuds are for use with waterproof device housings).
My one problem with these earbuds is that this is 2010, not 2006. The play-pause button has been part of the iPhone interface for years now, and in the past year that’s shifted to a three-button interface (including volume control) for not only the iPhone but the iPod as well. But these earbuds, despite being marketed specifically toward iPhone and iPod users, have no on-board controls at all. I’m not yet to the point where I’m going to start subtracting off from an earbud star rating due to not offering iPhone/iPod specific controls (that point will likely be reached before the year is over), but it is worth pointing out that these earbuds lack a feature that can be found on even the cheap-o earbuds that come with current iPhones and iPods in the box. So even with all that ranting, the Surge Pro still gets four and a half stars for kicking butt on audio quality, comfort and overall svelteness.
In all, even though some of these new products from H2O are more equal than others, they all serve to push the boundaries even further in the right direction when it comes to being able to use your iPod or iPhone in a practical manner while in the water.
Learn more about the Amphibx, Surge Pro, and Interval at H2OAudio.com
