My quick take is that if you’re looking to get one of these and can spend a few extra bucks take a serious look at the Touch. Read on for the full take.

 

The Dolphin (pictured above and to the right) has an unusual design you don’t see much. It’s essentially a hollow mp3 player. You can then loop the rubber band of your goggles through the player so the Dolphin rests on the back of your head while swimming. There is also an option armband in case you are not wearing goggles.

 

The Dolphin has a battery life of 8 hours when charged. It uses a USB port to recharge.

 

The Dolphin has been out a little while so prices vary so shop around. I’ve seen the Dolphin mp3 player as cheap as 90 bucks from some outlets.

 

Customers overall seemed pretty pleased with the product. Reviews often site solid sounds quality and good design of the player itself.

 

I have seen a couple complaints though. One is the lack of shuffle on the player (kind of a bummer). The other is the earphones.

 

Sand one person on Amazon “It is totally useless to me because the ear plugs allow water to flood my ears and I cannot hear anything.” The Dolphin comes with canalphones which reach deeper into the ear. If they don’t fit you right, you’re not in for a very good experience.

 

One note though, this can happen with any earphones you get for the pool. Always try to buy from an outlet you can return from because earphones for one person might be perfect and for another they might not fit at all.

The Dolphin Touch is the higher end model from Nu. It has 4 gigs of memory where the original only has 1 gig. It also comes with a built-in FM radio, which can be pretty handy if you’re getting sick of your playlists.

 

Another upgrade over the original is a small digital screen. It’s tiny and doesn’t show much but is enough to help you find a song if you know what you’re looking for.

 

Aesthetically, I think this one looks much slicker than the predecessor. It comes in a sleek black.

Otherwise though, the basic design is the same as the Dolphin. Strap it on to the back of your goggles, turn it on and swim.