Sony's waterproof and lightweight MP3 player
Dedicated MP3 players are now something of a rarity, as these days most of us tend to use our smartphones for music on the go. Sony has therefore gone out on a limb with its latest Walkman, the 4GB NWZ-WS613, which is aimed at runners, walkers and swimmers.
Sony has miniaturised its MP3 player to such an extent that it’s entirely self-contained inside earphones. It weighs just 40g and is waterproof. Tiny buttons on the left earphone control volume and Bluetooth, while power and playback controls are on the right. We’d prefer these buttons if they were a different shape, making it easier to distinguish them by touch alone, but we soon got the hang of them. Built-in Bluetooth means you can use the NWZ-WS613 as wireless earphones for your phone or tablet. A small Bluetooth remote control, which is designed to fit around your fingers like a ring, is included for joggers, but it’s not waterproof.
Sony includes several earplugs of varying size to guarantee you get a watertight seal when swimming. This not only ensures music is audible, but also helps prevent water from getting inside your ear canal - a regular problem for frequent swimmers. Sony’s stated battery life is seven hours, which tallies with our informal test (the NWZ-WS613 was still going after a week of daily 40-minute sessions at our local pool). You recharge the battery, and transfer music to it from your computer, using the dedicated USB adapter. You should, of course, dry the NWZ-WS613 thoroughly before connecting it.
Listening to music while you swim might sound like a frivolous luxury, but we found it to be a great motivator -especially when our enthusiasm for shedding those extra Christmas pounds was starting to wane. Audio quality was clear and loud when underwater. Vocals were a little muffled at times, and the bass was only so-so, but you’re unlikely to notice these flaws when in full flow.
The NWZ-WS613 is less useful for joggers, unless you really want to shed the bulk and weight of your smartphone when running. Many runners now use smartphone apps such as RunKeeper to track how far they’ve run and to compare results with their friends, while keeping them motivated by tracking how close they are to their goals. The NWZ-WS613 can’t do any of this.
The NWZ-WS613 therefore isn’t perfect, but it’s still a boon for swimmers and others who want to stay motivated and entertained when exercising.
Great for swimmers, but most joggers will want to stick with their smartphones.
SPECIFICATIONS
4GB storage • 40g • Supports MP3, WMA, AAC and Linear PCM files