Rating: 
Summary: Very Satisfied!
Review: Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this device. I can keep about 15 very good quality songs on the player (64MB). This gives me about one hour of playing time. The "2 hours" of time as advertised would be close to achievable if I went through most audio files and re-recorded them at lower quality bitrates; that won't happen any time soon.I use the Rio to work out, jog, and when my wife makes me wash dishes and clean house - definitely helps things go faster! It never skips, the sound quality is excellent, and the features on the player offer enough playback options. I bought some Sony miniature headphones (MDR-W08) instead of using the included ones. The Rio software is relatively easy to use, although it could be more user friendly. USB transfers are fast and the software makes it easy to convert existing CDs to MP3 format. I used Rio's rebate to buy my Rio 500 and received the check about three months later - I had heard rumors of problems with this process.
Rating:
Summary: Great Product
Review: The Diamond Rio 500 is a great product! I am very happy with it, and am glad that i didn't buy the 300 model. The 64 bit memory is great, the design is small and compact, it sound GREAT, and it is so easy to use. There are a few disadvantages to this MP3 player, but they aren't big. There is no AC adaptor, so you are always running off batteries, but it lasts a long time, and if you really want to, got some rechargable batteries. The head phones do suck, but oh well. They are a good brand (Koss) but they are uncomfterable and the ear buds are too big for most people. Those are the only disadvantages that I have come across. The music is great, and it takes 5-7 seconds to download from your computer to the player. It comes with softwear, carrying case, headphones, the UBS cable, detailed instructions (you won't need them, the softwear is very easy to use) and one hell of an MP3 player. I am however looking into a memory upgrade to store more music. I can fit about 12 songs on the memory I have now. I would recomend this product to amyone who wants to listen to great music on the go.
Rating: 
Summary: More Rio support for XP users
Review: This is a durable little MP3 player. I have had mine for about 4 years and it's still going strong. I also had the issue of the software not working with XP. Rio audio products are now owned by Digital Networks, but there is little to no help at all on their website for the Rio 500. Anyway, that is my only complaint. There is a great website called Rioworld.org that has several different freeware programs available that will let your Rio 500 work with XP. There is also a couple of recovery files in case you get a gray checkerboard screen (problem that can occur if there is a power failure during upload of a song).
Rating:
Summary: Seamless integration with the Mac platform
Review: The Rio500 is a great MP3 player - in this reviewer's opinion, the best on the market currently. Its size (smaller than a pack of cigarettes) and weight (about an oz.) recommend it to shirt-pocket musicophiles and, especially, athletes! (You can jog all day with nary a skip, and with the included netting belt-clip, it will definitely NOT pull your jogging shorts down, weighing about the same as a pager.) Interface with any USB Macintosh is seamless, and the included software, Casady & Greene's SoundJam MP, is the finest Mac application in decades. All you need to know is how to work the plug, and how to drag and drop, and you'll be organizing your Rio playlists with no trouble. If it isn't already, SoundJam will become your MP3 player of choice, too. The Rio takes SmartMedia cards and can reportedly handle any size, including the upcoming 100+ MB cards; mine works perfectly with a 32 MB Sandisk SmartMedia card. (96 MB is just about perfect for listening to a full 72-minute CD recording, say of Beethoven's Fifth, at 160 kbps sound quality.) I also get great sound out of a phones-to-cassette adapter, which I use to playback MP3's in my car. My only complaint is that the included ear-beads are terrible, both acoustically and for the fact that they just won't stay in! Alternative headphones can be used, but drain the power source (1 AA battery) rather quickly. A solution might be NiMH high capacity rechargables.
Rating:
Summary: A great purchase -- well worth it
Review: After researching and reviewing a number of mp3 players before making this purchase, I decided on the Diamond Rio 500, mainly for its 64megs of memory on board. A week after the purchase, I could not be more impressed. Within 15 minutes of opening the box, I had the software and drivers installed and the first set of songs uploaded. I also upgraded the firmware from the Rio site, which gave me several more preferences and options (equalizer, program play, backlight options, etc.) A few points for consideration when purchasing, which took me days to gather and confirm: ** I can get anywhere from 13 to 17 songs on the 64 megs on board. That is more than I expected, but I will be investing in a 64 meg Smart Card (which the Rio can accept once you upgrade the firmware) to have more songs at my disposal. ** The Rioport Audio Manager software (what you use to transfer songs to the player) is not great, but not nearly as bad as I had read. It is not intuitive and does not come with directions, so it's a trial and error thing. I will try MusicMatch or Real Jukebox to see if it's any easier. ** The player itself comes with very weak documentation. I suggest going to the Rio website and looking for the manual, which is slightly better. I usually learn hardware without the book anyway, but if you are manual-dependent, this may be a problem. ** I'm up to about 7 hours on my first battery, including 3 transfers of songs. This is not nearly the battery hog I expected it to be. I have purchased lithium batteries because I read that I can get more play time off them, but I'm still waiting for the first battery to die! ** The song quality is excellent, both with mp3s I've downloaded off the web and those I've converted from CD. I will complain about the headphones. Not because they mess up sound quality but because the pads keep falling off them! They aren't as comfortable as I prefer. ** I use the Rio for jogging/walking and 90 minutes of train travel to work every day. It is small, compact and impossible to make skip. It suits my needs (compact, ease of use, more mobile than a CD player) just fine. It has also been dropped once with no ill effects. I could not be more pleased with this purchase, and highly recommend it for others looking for mp3 players!
Rating:
Summary: Long time user and lover!
Review: Gosh, I think I've had my Rio 500 Diamond for over a year and a half... AWESOME. I'm gonna buy my first memory card tonight. Never really needed it. As long as you put songs 3 minutes or under, you can get quite a bit of music on it. Right now I have 14 tracks ranging from 6 minutes 1:25 (on average 3 min). I love it for running...small, light weight...unlike walkmans or portable CD players. The case is very protective (don't worry about dropping, it won't be phased) and has a clip which is very sturdy--holds in place even with loose running shorts while running! Turn off backlight to conserve battery (as with all electronics). I've never used the bookmark. Random feature is great for speeding up the download time (don't have to organize order to seperate songs by the same artist). Rio software is easy and fairly quick. CD quality sound as far as I'm concerned, only better cuz there's no skipping. Head phones are good, but I've found louder(not necessarily better). They thinly and conveniently wrap around your ear to stay on your head and leave your hair free. Nice style, compact size. If you plan on going on long trips and don't like listenting to the same songs over and over, a minidisk player is probably better. This was a gift from a person who did a lot of research at the time and said it was the best on the market. And by the way, Rio's were also the first!
Rating:
Summary: Rio 500 and Windows XP
Review: To the person who can't transfer music to their Rio 500 under Windows XP, check out Sveta Portable Audio from http://www.dbpoweramp.com/. I've been using it since I got a new PC with XP installed and it works great, much simpler interface compared to the supplied Rio software.
Rating:
Summary: Good player, terrible company
Review: The player is great, small, light and easy to use. You must either use a Mac (works great with iTunes), the Riositude program (freeware, google for it)or win98. I use mine whenever Im outside:running, yardwork whatever. You'll need to replace the earbuds but if you buy a used one do you really want to use someone else's earbuds? The serial number will rub off so write it down as another reviewer suggested. Also, if you buy a used one, make sure you get the USB cable. It's proprietary and you can't get it anywhere. (Refer to rio support coments below.) Customer support at rio (or sonic blue or whatever they call themselves this week) is a joke. I will not buy another product of any type from them ever.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent product Works with xp (need to download diff prog
Review: This product is excellent!! i have one for 3 years and have never been happier. When i upgraded to xp the softwear dis not work! so i did a bit of research. there is a program called music jukebox which you can download at www.musicex.com/mediajukebox/ you download this program and then you go to settings/plug in manager and then handheld. it takes you o a site where you find the rio 500 and then download the plug-in. after that it works great!! i have not had a problem with it since!! I hope this helps all the other people who have upgraded to windows xp and found themselves stuck
Thanks!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Bummed out
Review: I used to love my rio 500, but now i can't seem to find any help with new software that is compatable with my new computer and XP. Rioport.com is aparently out of bus. and i have been misdirected several times. If anyone has any useful information for my I would be extremly happy. as for now i don't have anyway to change my music on my rio.
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