Despite the fact that pretty much everyone was very disappointed with Michael Phelps over the incident regarding the use of a certain hallucinogenic plant in a public place, the truth of the matter is that the multiple swimming world champion is the first person that comes to mind when looking at the device you're about to see as follows, namely the latest offering from iRiver and Speedo.

Dubbed the Speedo LZR Racer Aquabeat, this gadget has been designed specifically for those people who want to enjoy their favorite music while taking a swim, without worrying that the portable player they're wearing will break down in the process. And that's because it sports a special external casing, well insulated against the action of water.

Hence, the device is IPX5/IPX7-rated, which means that it can resist water while submerged at a depth of 1 meter for a period of up to 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the company doesn't really provide any information regarding the technology used for transmitting the sound to the user's ears, but it's safe to assume that we're talking about bone-conduction technology, the same used in most other similar devices available on the market.

Now, leaving aside the player's exterior, let's take a quick look at the gadget's internal features. Hence, the Aquabeat packs a 2GB internal memory, which can be used for storing around 480 songs, and incorporates a rechargeable battery, which offers a continuous playback time of around eight hours (albeit, I'm pretty sure that there's no swimmer out there who can go around the Olympic pool for that long).

The Speedo LZR Racer Aquabeat aquatic MP3 player sells for around 128 US dollars; unfortunately, it's available solely on the Japanese market for the time being, with the rest of the world probably following shortly.


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