Audio Freediving Computer + Music Player

[ggalisky]

Makes sense.
You'd have to pay me a lot to use one of these, however. What I DON'T want is noise underwater, especially including music and somebody talking to me.

I hear this a lot (pun not intended). I don't think its for everyone, however when I get this feedback and then people try it out they find that the voice is much more relaxing then they thought it would be. The music bit though is very polarizing. Either people love it or hate it.

For me personally, I never want to look at a screen when I dive. When I'm underwater I want to see the natural beauty, not the same screens I look at 8 hrs a day. This is more relevant to freediving/spearfishing as your dive times are shorter and you may not be able to look at a screen due to having your hands full with a speargun or a camera.

 

[ggalisky]

For long deco hangs, fine, but all you need is an mp3 player, not some box that is constantly yakking your depth to you. Such devices have been available for two decades. iRiver made a good one. you can still find them occasionally on eBay.

The amount that the device communicates, or doesn't is completely user configurable.

 

[azstinger11]

Right now we have a basic desktop app that can be used to process and upload tracks over bluetooth low energy. Spotify integration is something we have our eye on, but we want to with the basics and get them right before integrating more complex features.

There are no ports on the device, so adding music, managing music, and creating playlists is done wirelessly through the desktop software. No ports means less parts and easier water proofing. Our team is pretty small right now but we have a dedicated software developer with a CS degree from MIT who is committed to making the software side of things excellent.

A desktop application is a good compromise. Can make those limp along a lot longer without developer support versus mobile alternatives. Any chance the desktop application could eventually configure some of the settings found on the mobile app?

I hear this a lot (pun not intended). I don't think its for everyone, however when I get this feedback and then people try it out they find that the voice is much more relaxing then they thought it would be. The music bit though is very polarizing. Either people love it or hate it.

For me personally, I never want to look at a screen when I dive. When I'm underwater I want to see the natural beauty, not the same screens I look at 8 hrs a day. This is more relevant to freediving/spearfishing as your dive times are shorter and you may not be able to look at a screen due to having your hands full with a speargun or a camera.

One related to question to this. on the kickstarter page you have the gopro video demonstrating how loud it is. If two divers are next to each other underwater,. say holding onto an anchor line, are they hearing each other's audio? Or with the speaker pointed inwards at a diver's head does that more or less isolate it when listening at reasonable volumes?

 

[ggalisky]

A desktop application is a good compromise. Can make those limp along a lot longer without developer support versus mobile alternatives. Any chance the desktop application could eventually configure some of the settings found on the mobile app?



One related to question to this. on the kickstarter page you have the gopro video demonstrating how loud it is. If two divers are next to each other underwater,. say holding onto an anchor line, are they hearing each other's audio? Or with the speaker pointed inwards at a diver's head does that more or less isolate it when listening at reasonable volumes?

The current desktop app was used to configure the dive computer before the mobile app was built, so it's feasible to have the desktop app also provide some overlapping function. This is a good idea, I'm digitally writing it down

The GoPro demonstration was at 8/10 volume. At lower volumes only the user can hear it, especially when placed under a hood. At higher volumes you can hear it when you get close in the open ocean. In a pool you can hear it from all the way across clearly. It depends on how much ambient noise there is, the set volume, and the location (pool vs ocean)

 

[azstinger11]

The current desktop app was used to configure the dive computer before the mobile app was built, so it's feasible to have the desktop app also provide some overlapping function. This is a good idea, I'm digitally writing it down

The GoPro demonstration was at 8/10 volume. At lower volumes only the user can hear it, especially when placed under a hood. At higher volumes you can hear it when you get close in the open ocean. In a pool you can hear it from all the way across clearly. It depends on how much ambient noise there is, the set volume, and the location (pool vs ocean)

Cool thanks for the replies. I don't mean to sound like a pessimist but seen more than a few smaller manufacturers go under leaving otherwise great hardware abandoned when the mobile app it needs stops working. Keeping some of the functionality in the desktop app sort of ensures its usable longer, if that makes sense. Obviously wish you guys the best!

Think this engagement has convinced me to back the kickstarter. If you want a test scuba diver out of CA let me know lol.

 

[Wibble]

@Wibble 's suggestion I did look at the iRiver. I found quite a few of the housings and players on ebay, but the housings I saw were only rated to 10ft? I guess you could clip it off on the anchor line, but something that is rated to depth of the dive you are doing seems better? Just less to worry about? A self contained unit that doesn't involve any extra cables and that isn't worried about depth seems like an improvement over the older alternatives, but some of that would be preference I guess.

I thought the iRiver was rated to 100m or thereabouts. Whenever one comes up they're snatched up by deco divers.

I really would like some headphones which would work at depth so I can use them at deco. Audiobooks, podcasts and the like which would possibly work with bone contact. Maybe the transducers could be shoved under a hood.

Would be even better if they could connect to an iPhone housing like the DiveVolk SeaTouch 3 - waterproof to 80m/270ft and the screen works. A guy was using one on a Malin trip down to 70m/230ft.

I.e. the headphones need a bluetooth adapter which is held next to the housing to transmit the audio to the headphones. This would even work for a sealed housing where the bluetooth could transmit through (although need to remember to turn it on before the dive!)

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I hear this a lot (pun not intended). I don't think its for everyone, however when I get this feedback and then people try it out they find that the voice is much more relaxing then they thought it would be.

Unless someone hacks it and changes the speech parameters to something unpleasant.

 

[Wibble]

Unless someone hacks it and changes the speech parameters to something unpleasant.

Klingon translation!

 

[beldridg]

I already paid the $$ and supported via Kickstarter. All I want is the music on long deco schedules and I'm willing to pay for it.

Will the desktop software work on Mac?

- brett

 

[azstinger11]

I thought the iRiver was rated to 100m or thereabouts. Whenever one comes up they're snatched up by deco divers.

I really would like some headphones which would work at depth so I can use them at deco. Audiobooks, podcasts and the like which would possibly work with bone contact. Maybe the transducers could be shoved under a hood.

Would be even better if they could connect to an iPhone housing like the DiveVolk SeaTouch 3 - waterproof to 80m/270ft and the screen works. A guy was using one on a Malin trip down to 70m/230ft.

I.e. the headphones need a bluetooth adapter which is held next to the housing to transmit the audio to the headphones. This would even work for a sealed housing where the bluetooth could transmit through (although need to remember to turn it on before the dive!)

An adapter for the DiveVolk would be excellent indeed!

As to the iRiver maybe there is a different version? But all the ones I can find are this one, iRiver Waterproof 700 Series MP3 Accessory for iFP-700's MP3 Players #SV-i700 821566000910 | eBay and it says 10ft? Regardless even if there is another version that does work at 100m, for example, the fact its so hard to find makes it somewhat useless to any new diver who didn't happen to buy one back in the day when OC trimix was affordable lol. So nice to see a new entrant in the market.

I know H20 audio had a separate dive product (reviewed here First Look: H2O Audio iDive 300 Deep Dive Waterproof Case + Speakers ). Maybe just a case of different product names for different countries? Mildly problematic is that it appears to only use the olddddddd 30 pin connector so would have to find an iPod old enough to support that).