Rating: 
Summary: I wish I could give it a negative rating
Review: Diamond/S3 has created a MAJOR dud w/ this product. I will never again purchase another Diamond/S3 product, nor will I allow someone to do so w/o hearing me out first. For starters - the box says that it's firmware is upgradeable to support higher memory capacity at a later time. Then after we'd already bought it - they said they wouldn't upgrade the firmware past 32MB cards. A huge uproar came about from all the owners since other companies were supporting the 64MB cards. Finally they relented. Then the new Rio's won't support the memory cards that you buy for this product. And memory is the most expensive part. There won't even be some sort of an expansion pack - the new Rio's will use a proprietary type of memory which means you can't use it in your PDA or Camera - and you'll pay a lot of money for it too. Then, there product is HIGHLY bugey. Crashing often, it has huge battery issues. For instance - if you're transfering data and the battery dies then the unit has to be reset at the FACTORY. And this happens a LOT because unlike other USB products that are powered off the USB Bus, the Rio drains batteries like CRAZY when transferring files. I end up having to put in a brand new battery every time I transfer files just because I don't want to deal w/ a Factory Reset. The USB cable - not sold anywhere so you can't get a replacement. You HAVE to get 3rd party software to download MP3's to the Rio because what it comes w/ is Useless. The CDROM it comes w/ has 3rd party software that you can only use for 30 days, thankfully MusicMatch and RealJukebox will take care of that. The Rio500 will not be upgraded to support some of the new codecs (WMA) which are half the size of MP3's. The Rio600 comes w/ it - so obviously they're recognizing that this new Codec is the way to go, but they won't support their older products. And why not? This "older" product is the most current product available by them to date. And it's not like after shelling out $275 for a unit, you're willing to "upgrade" to another player in 6 months! Are you getting the feeling that they've upset me a bit!
Rating: 
Summary: A great, must have product - but read the reviews!
Review: I am thrilled with the quality and capabilities of this small, light weight player. It's very easy to use, and you can take it anywhere. It's worth repeating: Do not use the Rio software. As the other reviews indicate, the software is hard to use and tends to "freeze" when communicating with the device. This is not really a problem though, since you can download RealJukebox for free and it works GREAT. The included headphones are so bad that I thought my player didn't work right. With a decent pair of Sony street style headphones, the sound is wonderful - at least as good as any portable CD player. So just consider that the extra $30 is part of the cost of this product, it is still DEFINITELY worth it. I recommend Napster.com for finding songs to download. Write your congressman in support of unrestricted exchange of information on the internet!
Rating:
Summary: Diamond Rio 500 - Not worth the price!
Review: Bottom line - the software is terrible, the controls are terrible, the sound isn't that good, and the carrying case is a disaster. If you need details, read on: I bought the Diamond Rio 500 because I like to listen to music while working out. I currently own a Panasonic Shock Wave tape player which I listen to at the gym. I was very dissapointed with the Diamond Rio when I received it. Quite frankly, my tape player sounds better (sure, there's more static, but the bass is definitely better). Also, the Diamond Rio software is horrible. Thankfully, I have Real Jukebox software which I used to download music to the player. Another major reason I disliked the Diamond Rio is that it doesn't have a belt clip on the back. You must put the player into a carrying case in order to attach it to a belt or waist strap. The carrying case has a clear plastic cover which covers the player's controls, but the volume control is the worst design yet. The volume control also serves other functions that become available if you press the volume control in. The problem is, every time I attempted to adjust the volume, the other functions would be selected instead of the volume. It is a huge pain in the neck. This product is definitely not worth $200.00. My advise to the manufacturer is to forget the carrying case, improve the sound and headphones, attach a belt clip, and make the volume control ONLY A VOLUME CONTROL. The only good thing about the Diamond Rio is how quickly music downloads to the player.
Rating:
Summary: What ever you do..Please DONT buy this product
Review: I am highly annoyed about this product. The software for thisplayer is complete GARBAGE. It constanely freezed and it would tell memy mp3 player was full, when I am trying to add a song on the empty player. I was shipped another one of these crappy products but still had no luck, Because the software is trash. Don't buy product so you wount waste your time and money shipping it back. I will be going to Mail Box ect to ship them back tomorow.
Rating:
Summary: Great Mp3 player!
Review: This was my first time buying an mp3 player. After reading TONS of reviews, I chose to go with this mp3 player. It lives up to it's many great reviews. The hardware was easy to set up, and the rioport software is great. The instructions aren't in depth, but I could understand it easily and it was my first time working with an mp3 player. My only complaint is that the player included lackluster headphones, which should be replaced. Other than that, it is a great product. If you are looking into buying an mp3 player, go with this one-you will be very happy once you have it.
Rating: 
Summary: cool man
Review: I think the Rio Diamond sounds real good and stuff and it looks pretty sweet man. The only thing it needs is to be a bit tuffer so you can do welding and stuff when you listing to it y'know. Overall is pretty not bad apart from being a wussy piece of equipment, not like my truck dude.
Rating:
Summary: An exercise in futility
Review: I suppose if you have some experience dealing with the MP3 format, this is as good as the reviews state. Not for me. The Rio comes with no written instructions and the software "HELP" is next to useless. A myriad of small irritating problems such as why when I check off only one or two songs to transfer do I get a message that the rio doesn't have enough memory available. The only clue being that mysteriously all songs on transfer list are now checked. Probably most of the issues I had could have been easily resolved but to make a long story short I threw in the towel and gave mine to a friend.
Rating:
Summary: Rio 500 - great if you use Musicmatch software with it!
Review: Like everyone else who reviewed the Rio500 I agree that the earphones aren't the best. And the little case that comes with it could be designed better too, or you can just put it in your pocket. Its small enough. But the software is difficult to use. .... The program also burns cd's in case you need that too. The memory on the Rio is 64mb, which isn't too bad unless you listen to a lot of house music remixes like I do that are 9-12minutes each and wind up being 9MB-15MB a piece. Then you can only fit like 6 or 7 songs. ....
Rating:
Summary: One of the best on the market!
Review: If you're looking for an easy to use, highly compatible, USB MP3 player this is it. It may lack an FM radio or organizer like others have but the same and its quality make up for that. If you want an FM player I suggest getting a Walkman by Sony or Aiwa. Audible is now compatible with the Rio and has many interesting types of audible content. I have personally used my Rio in other ways than in my ears. I have hooked up an optional Rio-to-cassette adapter, which you may already have or have to purchase, and listen to it in the car or in a stereo system. The software is the best of its class. If I'm not mistaken I'm sure it uses Winamp technology for it's sound, which makes it well worth it to listen to it on your computer too (the Rio 500's quality is just as good if not better). My collection of MP3s ranges over 200 so I advise anyone who gets this and has a vast variety of enjoyable music or audible content to have 1+GB of space available on your system. That's nothing for newer systems. The Rioport software which is included allows you to: rip tracks off of CDs, burn copies of Cds if you have a CD-Rewritable Drive, have a playist, copy songs to your Rio, browse the Internet, convert MP3s to .WAV format, etc. I would highly suggest having an Internet connection as it is very helpful. Also the headphones on this piece of equipment can blast up to wazoo and its max is way to high for anyone's ears. Thats more used for auxilary output anyway. The menu on it is easy to use yet I would suggest keeping your Rio up to date. When you buy your Rio it comes with 64 MB of space on it. You can store 1 song up to about 40 depending on the bitrate (ex: 64 kb/sec, 128 kb/sec). When you open the box you get as follows: A USB cable, the Rio 500(which has a back lit display so you can see it when it gets dark and read the track info and other info), the earphones, a user's manual, coupons for online music related stuff, a small case that can be clipped to your pants/belt (yet the Rio is so small it fits in your pocket). If you want to listen to more songs you can buy smart media cards... and add on an extra 1-20 songs proportional to the bitrate. Your songlist on the Rio is dynamic (changing) which means you can delete and add songs at any time. If you are a music lover this is for you. Oh I forgot, THE MUSIC NEVER SKIPS because there are no moving parts. Believe me it is a must!
Rating:
Summary: Diamond Rio 500 Delivers
Review: I recieved my Diamond Rio 500 today from Amazon and this player is awesome. I can fit about 23 songs on the player at one time. The sound quality is excellent, the functions are easy to pick up on and learn. The software is also excellent. Some complain about the headphones packaged with the player, but while they definately are not the best, I think they are really comfortable. You really can't miss with the purchase of this player.
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