The best reason to get the 1GB Speedo Aquabeat flash MP3 player is because you are a swimmer and want to hear music underwater. It may come in handy in other situations as well, such as when you are outside and it starts raining, for instance, or when someone suddenly splashes you and your belongings with water. No matter how you look at it, the underwater capability of this flash MP3 player is its greatest feature. Beyond the waterproof functionality, it provides less than optimal features. It has only 1GB of memory, no video screen and no internet or gaming capabilities. Despite its lack of features, the unique design of this MP3 player is enough to set it apart from other options and rank it within the top 15 best flash MP3 players.

This flash MP3 player comes with waterproof earphones that you can use underwater. The water does make it more difficult for the earphones to stay in your ear as opposed to what you might be used to on land, sitting at a desk or jogging down the road. However, they are designed like earbuds and once they're nestled firmly inside your ear, they shouldn't fall out. We did learn that an even better way to ensure that they stay in your ears is by covering them with your swim cap. This will tighten and lock their position in your ears and assist them in staying in place for a longer time – even during flips at either end of the pool.

We did find the Speedo Aquabeat Underwater 1GB MP3 player to be somewhat difficult to navigate. There is no display screen, which makes it hard to know what you are listening to and in what order the files were uploaded. For people who listen to music, this doesn't cause too much trouble; however, some users that we spoke with prefer to listen to books and were unable to get the chapters in the correct order without combining the audio into a single file. If you do combine the files into a single file, you will want to be aware that you cannot rewind or fast forward within a file; these functions will simply take you to the previous file or to the next available file. It is frustrating at times, but we do realize that most people using this for serious swimming or exercise won't be fiddling with the menu very much anyway.

While it can't connect to the internet, the Speedo Aquabeat Underwater 1GB MP3 player supports MP3, MP3 VBR and WMA file formats. Within the 1GB of memory, you can store approximately 250 MP3 files and 500 WMA files. It does have a rechargeable battery, and the battery life is approximately 9 hours when fully charged in continual use. If you use it for 1 to 2 hours each day, it will last four to five days. There is no battery-life display on the device itself, so we recommend charging it every three to four days to ensure that it does not go out on you. Also, it may turn on when stored away in a gym bag, so to ensure that the battery life is spared, unplug the headphones and it will no longer have the ability to turn on.