Rating: 
Summary: I'd give it no stars if I could.
Review: This player worked great - for the first 12 days. After that, it would no longer load, no longer display information, and no longer play. Customer service is a joke. Three different reps sent the same repair files to download. Of course, none worked. In response for my plea for a return number (don't dare to return the item without a return number) I was sent different repair files to download. After considerable complaining on my part they agreed to let me send back the item. Six weeks later I called to ask about the status and was told they would send a replacement. It is now 3 months since I sent the player back, and still no replacement. Today I was told they will replace the unit with a Rio 600. Judging from the reviews of the 600, it looks like I'm in for more hassle ahead. To recap, if you want a player that will fail within a month, with "customer service" that responds only after you have convinced them you are not going away, and you have a couple hundred dollars you were just going to throw in the street anyway, this is your player.
Rating:
Summary: Great Player - Poor Software
Review: I've had mine for 2 years or more. It's been great but the software hasn't worked for over 2 years. There's some great freeware stuff you can download that works well and even some Linux loaders for it. The company is worthless, no help, no support, etc. While trying to upload the firmware upgrade mine died and I haven't been able to recover it. No help from the manufacturer and of course the warranty is well past It's a shame such a good product has such terrible support.
Rating: 
Summary: Reliable, easy to use, and great features
Review: I have owned the Rio 500 for almost 2 years. It is all I hoped it would be and more! The software is very easy to use. I download MP3 songs from the Internet and it automatically adds them to my playlist. Transferring songs to the Rio is easy with the USB connection.I use my player almost 7 days a week. I workout with it. The beltclip it comes with keeps it affixed even when I jog. I also use it at work. 1-AA battery lasts me almost a full week. I have dropped it many times, but the soft cover has protected it nicely. I am going to buy another one for my wife. I would recommend some different headphones, but that is it. Great product!
Rating: 
Summary: Not a long lasting product
Review: I got this player about 2 years ago and i loved it when i bought it. however, i started having problems with it about six months later. the screen was suddenly going black and white checkered and when i emailed the company about this problem, they told me it happened often and not to worry, it would eventually go away. it did, but now the slightest touch turns the player off and on again. overall, the sound quality id good, but i'd buy a newer player with more memory.
Rating:
Summary: THE PRODUCT IS DECENT, SERVICE IS PATHETIC
Review: First of all, the equipment itself is decent- I would have given it 4 stars. The sound is clear, the blue backlight is nice. However, the thing broke (for no explicable reason) just 9 days after one-year (right after the warranty expired) of moderate use. An MP3 player that sounds nice that NO LONGER works defeats the purpose of offering nice sound, right? Now I'm out $... only after a year. I recommend that if you ever buy an MP3 player, you should invest in an extended warranty of at least 2 years. Here's my warning though. STAY AWAY FROM DIAMOND RIO (a/k/a Sonic Blue) because IF you ever need help or customer service, repair, etc. get ready to be on hold FOREVER. I would give the RIO company itself NO STARS. I was on hold for 30 minutes, never even spoke to a human, was transferred 3 times, and was ultimately informed by a recording that my call "could not be connected." I had to e-mail them and wait four days to get a not-so-helpful (generic) e-mail back from them. Nonetheless, I find myself looking to spend another $... for a replacement unit - and LORD KNOWS it will NOT be a RIO. Also, beware, Rio also makes NIKE'S MP3 Players.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Player, ... Software
Review: The Rio 500 is a great MP3 player. It has all the features I wanted, pretty good battery life, and is a perfect size. PROS:
-Basic, easy to use interface.
-Decent battery life, although not as long as the manufacturer claims. CONS:
-I hate the software interface. It is slow, unstable and poorly designed. I suggest you use Windows Media Player instead to upload files to the device.
-As of firmware version 2.15 (availible from ftp://ftp.s3.com/pub/multimedia/rio/rio500_firmware_215.exe), the player only supports additional smartmedia cards of up to 64mb, to give it 128mb of total memory. Although this is a decent amount, 128mb smartmedia cards have gotten a lot cheaper....
-There is no Windows XP support with the included software. It will work with XP using 3rd party software, which, consequently, is better than the included software...
Rating: 
Summary: If you got windows, dont buy
Review: This thing basically (is bad). The firewire option is great- if it worked half the time. I had to remove the drivers of the usb port, restart constantally, reinstall the program which transfers files, and half the time it still didnt work. And no i didnt just use one computer, we have 3 in my house. I returned it, got another one, same problems. The only way i got it to work is to use a horrible old version of the software which screwed up the names of songs so you have to guess on which one you are adding- big waste of money.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT PLAYER
Review: I owned a Rio 600 and it broke. I got two replacements and they broke too. Then I traded it for the Rio 500. I have had no problems with it. It is a great player and very reliable. One other think I like is the 64MB of memory. I bought another 64Mb card and memory is dirt cheap, much unlike the rip-off 600 backpacks.
The thing never skips and is ok with batteries. Not the best but... If your looking for a great player stop right here. This rocks and I like it.
Some bad stuff it you have to pay for the full software and it likes batteries.
Rating:
Summary: Solid
Review: I've had this player for over a year now and all I can say is that it is extremely durable and a joy to listen to. (Bad) headphones out-of-the-box. Be sure to get a new pair. Also, the bundled software has bugs, so you're best bet is to download the latest version from (website). After putting up with these initial glitches, it has not given me any problems. It handles well during exercise as well. Overall, it's definitely worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: Rio 500
Review: This is a very well designed player. It shipped without instructions of any kind (from Audible) but they are available on the web.
Mine doesn't play MP3s well, they sound fuzzy and distorted. As I use mine primarily for audio books it's not a huge issue. If you get one, check it right away for playing quality. I didn't and they won't allow me to return it now.
My biggest complaint is it's sensativity. If I bump it, it resets to the beginning of the audio track or song. I don't know if their other products do this but this one is awful in that regard.
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