If you’re like most people, music is a huge part of working out. I could certainly not last as long as I do on the treadmill or elliptical if I didn’t have tunes pumping me up.
The music players I typically use have two parts: earphones and the actual device. Companies are now working to improve the way we listen to music while working out, and one recently released device is the Sony W series Walkman MP3 player.
Despite its name being a total mouthful, this new Walkman allows you to be hands-free with your music without any dangling earphones cords. I loved this concept when I first heard about it and with the earpieces no bigger than a Bluetooth headset, I was very impressed by how compact they were able to make it.
In order to get the music on the device, there are only a few steps that don’t take much time – it took me roughly 20-30 minutes. It does require installing software on your computer, and the computer must be compatible with a Windows operating system (sorry Mac users). The directions are relatively easy to follow. You simply drag and drop your music files into the program and it’s ready to go.
There were definitely some features I loved, and some that I didn’t.
I loved the design. No cords or earphones to fuss with and no weight from a device in my hand or pocket – a huge plus. I also loved the “Zappin” functionality, which allows you to easily navigate through the music. Essentially as your music is uploaded through the software provided, the program identifies the chorus or hook of the song, which can be used to sort through all the tracks. This was really fun when I was mid-workout and needed a pick-me-up song.
In terms of areas for improvement, the one-size-fits-all approach did not work for me. With no functionality to re-size the width around my head, it was constantly falling down on me while I ran on the treadmill and I eventually took the whole piece off. I also found the weight on my ears to be heavier than I would have liked. Moving from a light earphone that has virtually no weight to this was definitely something I had to become accustomed to.
I definitely would love to give the Sony MP3 device another trial, but until I can comfortably fit it to the size of my head, it is not something that will be helping me burn calories.