The Richter Scale^®

The folks at Otter Products were nice enough to send me one of the new OtterBoxes for iPod Video (MSRP $49.95) at the end of January, to review here.

So now it’s three months later, and I finally am posting my review. Why did it take so long? Well, in short - waterproof headphones. I’ll get into that subject in a moment.

OtterBoxes are well known for being good protection for one’s valuables. Here on Bonaire where I live, diving and snorkeling are tourism mainstays, and many of the watersports enthusiasts I know use generic OtterBoxes, like the OtterBox 1000, to keep their keys, credit cards, and other valuables dry when in the water, down to depths of up to 100 feet (30 meters).

As such, I was naturally intrigued when at CES I saw Otter Products introducing the OtterBox for iPod Video. I was a bit disappointed when I learned that the OtterBox for iPod Video is designed more to make the iPod weatherproof and wear resistant than to allow it to be used at great depth while diving. However, that still allows for using an iPod while snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, or walking/running/cycling in the rain - all noble pursuits.

However, if one wants to use an iPod in wet conditions, one also needs head phones which will survive those conditions. And that’s where I ran into a snag.

Otter Products does not sell waterproof headphones to go with the various audio-oriented OtterBoxes they offer (they have products for the iPod Nano, the iPod Shuffle, and others), nor do they offer any recommendations of third party waterproof headphones. Personally, I think that is a major gap in their product line, and not at least having a list of suggested products is a disservice to their clients.

I would further advise anyone looking to get another sort of case for an MP3 player for use in wet conditions to first find a set of waterproof or weatherproof headphones they like, and then look at getting cases.

My own search for waterproof headphones was fruitless at first. I finally stumbled over a set at Overtons - the LF Waterproof Headphones for $19.99. I placed the order through Amazon.com because that way I didn’t have to re-enter all my billing/shipping information. However, I was on a tight travel schedule and needed them to arrive at my hotel before I checked out. All indications were that this would work out, but then I got word that they were out of stock so I cancelled the order.

At the next available opportunity I searched a variety electronics stores during a stay in New York City, and struck out on waterproof headphones entirely. I did however come across the Sony MDR A35 water “resistant” headphones at Best Buy for $19.99 - not quite fully water proof, but they would hopefully not fry if fully submerged. According to the product description “stands up to rain, snow and occasional splashing”. That was about four weeks ago.

Last week I was vacationing with my family at the Club Med in Ixtapa, Mexico, and brought the OtterBox for iPod Video along for testing (see picture above). I used the OtterBox every day pool side, and took it swimming several times as well.

The most important result of all my real-world testing is that my 60GB iPod video never got wet, and performed flawlessly in the OtterBox, whether on land, at the water’s surface or even clipped to my swim trunks under water. The only minor issue I had with the OtterBox was that under water it was not possible to adjust the volume - I had to bring it to the surface to do that. With the optional $14.95 (MSRP) armband that would not have been an issue. I suspect that this limitation has to do with the pressure the water exerts on the membrane over the iPod’s controls, and it’s not uncommon to see similar issues with underwater housings for cameras and other devices.

However, I was not particularly thrilled with the Sony MDR A35 headphones. They certainly did work, most of the time, but when I completely submerged my head while swimming, the left channel went out, and only returned when the headphones dried out a bit later. Completely waterproof headphones would resolve that problem if only I could find a good set, I suspect.

I was also concerned about the 1 meter/3 foot depth limitation of the OtterBox for iPod Video, mostly because I am 6’ 3” tall, and in deeper water, I suspect the top of my swim trunks are perilously close to that 3 foot mark (I have not actually measured the distance from my chin to that mark though). However, even in the deeper part of the pool I did not have any flooding.

I must say, though, that swimming with music of my own choice, shutting out the ever present shrieking, shouting, and noise which follows children into pools, was blissful.

As a device to protect an iPod from the elements, I found the OtterBox for iPod Video excels. It’s now a standard part of my gear for anytime I plan to do anything outdoors with my iPod Video and I am recommending it to others for that purpose.

Based on that, I give the OtterBox for iPod Video an 8.0 out 10.0 on The Richter Scale.

In closing, I will add that as a device to use for being able to swim with an iPod, I simply cannot get over the inadequacy of waterproof headphone support. That isn’t really the fault of Otter Products, but they certainly could do a lot more to reduce the frustration of using of their products in environments the products are designed for (like in the water). At the very least they could provide a list of headphone options with links to where such headphones could be purchased. If they did something like this, or better yet, offered a selection of waterproof headphones themselves, it would increase my already high rating of the Otterbox for iPod Video a bit more.