Canon Puts Efficiency On Press
Entered CNET Catalog: 07/14/2007
SKU: MPFWP08/1GB
Manufacturer: NU Technology Inc.
Product summary
The good: The Dolphin Swimmer MP3 players features a compact, waterproof design with raised, tactile buttons that are easy to operate in the water. The player can be attached to goggles for swimming laps, and the package includes waterproof earbuds as well. Gets really loud and offers good sound quality through normal earbuds. Mounts as removable storage on both Mac and Windows machines.
The bad: The Dolphin Swimmer MP3 player uses a 2.5-millimeter headphone jack, meaning you need an optional adapter to use standard earbuds. Sound quality through the waterproof earbuds has a muffled quality, and they may not stay in place during vigorous activity in the water.
The bottom line: The Dolphin Swimmer MP3 player is an innovative waterproof MP3 player that should appeal to surfers and swimmers that want some tunes to follow them into the water.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 08/03/2007
Taking MP3 players in the water is not a new concept. First, we saw underwater cases--initially aimed at scuba divers--for swimmers. Nu-Global's Dolphin Swimmer MP3 player straddles the line between the last two, offering a compact device that can be strapped onto goggles for swimming laps or secured in an armband for hitting the surf. The 1GB Dolphin is far from perfect, with the main concern being the security of the earbuds during vigorous water activity, but with its reasonable $110 price tag, it's a step in the right direction for waterproof MP3 players.
The Dolphin Swimmer is perhaps the most unassuming MP3 player we've ever seen. It's a small (2.4 inches long and 0.8 inch in diameter), simple cylinder that looks more like a pill case than an audio device. The player is wrapped in a smooth, brushed metallic casing that is seamless and--unsurprisingly--offers no place for a screen. The giveaways that this is indeed an MP3 player can be found on either end of the device. One side features a recessed, 2.5-millimeter headphone jack that has some ridging along the opening that allows you to screw in the included headphones for a watertight fit. This is a pretty neat feature, actually, because it allows the unit to keep water out while not using any sort of rubber flaps or seals, which would take away from the sleek feel of the device. However, we're not so thrilled with the non-standard headphone jack as it means that you'll need an adapter to use regular headphones while outside the water--something we definitely recommend (more on why shortly).
The other end of the Dolphin Swimmer features a tactile, rubberized control pad with five raised buttons: track forward and reverse, volume up and down, and play/pause/power. The keys being raised coupled with their orientation--track and volume buttons surrounding the slightly lower, rounded play/pause/power key--make them all easy to activate, even by water-numbed fingers. It's a small design detail, but it makes a difference.
For music playback, you get one option: alphabetical (or numerical) order. Any special ordering you want will have to be done in the Dolphin Swimmer's open window on the computer (appending numbers, for example). On the plus side, the player is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems, and you're not limited to drag-and-drop transferring. We found that Windows Media Player worked a treat in filling up the device. Just click "shuffle to device" and--voila--you've got a gig's worth of random tracks. Note that the player only supports MP3 and unprotected WMA.
The Dolphin Swimmer offers a few notable extras, both in the box and optional. Of note in the package are two rubberized rings, which on first glance look like nothing more than odd accoutrements. However, these orange pieces in fact are quite useful, allowing you to attach the player to a pair of goggles. Also, as mentioned earlier, Nu-Global includes waterproof earbuds, which themselves have clips for fastening the cables to goggles. For surfers and other water frolickers, there's an optional armband for $14.99. A sport pack--which includes a hard plastic case (with lanyard), standard earbuds, a headphone splitter/adapter, and a thermometer attachment--also sells for $14.99.
It's tough to get good sound quality with a waterproof MP3 player, due to the fact that unless the unit uses bone conduction to relay sound (as with the Finis SwiMP3), you're probably going to get some water in your ears while swimming laps or getting pounded by waves. The Dolphin Swimmer attempts to solve this with graduated, earplug-like earbuds, but we found that the seal wasn't complete and some water could get in. Even above the water, the waterproof earbuds gave a slightly muffled quality to music. It sounded OK, but certainly not stellar. However, if you decide to swap in some quality earbuds for out-of-water use, the Swimmer is quite capable of providing good sounding audio. The tested battery life of 9.3 hours should be sufficient for most water play, though it's not great in the scheme of MP3 players.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5out of 5 user reviews
It does the Job
Pros: Underwater Music
Good Battery Life
Cons: Always have to make sure to lock it before swimming or it will skip songs.
Earphones take some getting used to.
Functionality sucks
out of 5 user reviews
does the job but beware!!
Pros: SMALL, fM MP3 in MAC AND PC DRAG AND DROP , illuminated screen, ear phone option plugs lots and lots. good battery life
Cons: super small phone cord, 3.5mm ear phone jack not 2.5mm (standard) , touch screen works well over the water not under, ackward menu and navigation, sound is good but not better that a ipod.
the controls are really strange and get some getting used to but after a while you fine... when i say a tried most MP3's for water lets just say that its a heads up with he i phone.. otter box.. these 2 are the best.. for swimming only that the nano ipod from otter box.com is very bulky and has better controls and search option.. i also tried the h20.com version for the nano.. did not like it is even more bulkier and bigger..
only reason not to go back to the i pod nano with otter box is the $$$ 200 i pod,+ 80dll for box + 50 dlls for earphones is very expensive just to have a i pod in the water.. but sounds a lot better than the NU dolphin.. witch cost 120 total.. and is much smaller you wont even feel it on you.. but the music even do it is VERY GOOD AND CLEAR. it is not the same sound as the i pod witch was lot better by 20% better bass and power.
so if you really need a water solution... don't by h2o it just to dam expensive and bulky.. if you still what a i pod.. otter box.com offers great priced solution.. but if you willing to sacrifice the I POD coolness for a regular mp 3 use the Nu DOLPHIN TOUCH. for a fraction of the price and some improvisation on strange controls..(avoided if you use a play list)
there is a option on H20 for a shuffle ipod.. that goes on your head but to me still looks really bulky and it's not for 2010 shuffle its for 2008 -09 and older model witch were hard to find... controls are also awkward on that model as well.
out of 5 user reviews
Great stuff IN THEORY
Pros: Enjoyed all 5 laps it acctualy worked then it died and never worked again! I do hope there is a better version of such device out there as swimming laps with music is fantastic amazing!
Cons: It will not last!
out of 5 user reviews
2 defective dolphins in a row
Pros: This is my first underwater music experience and this combination is wonderful for me. Unfortunately I have spend about 20 hours trying to make this thing work and have been able to use it only a handful of times.
Cons: It needs an additional application in order to sync with itunes. The dolphin only plays in random mode. Controlling the player is not intuitive and cannot be done while swimming. Poor construction has caused players to die shortly after purchase.
out of 5 user reviews
Catch the Waves
Pros: Waterproof and easy controls; plays nice with media player
Cons: No Screen; Earphones can be challenging, but stayed in after some experimentation.
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