Rio Cali 256 MB Sport MP3 Player

Rating:
Summary: Rio Should Be Ashamed of Itself
Review: Rio should be ashamed of itself -- they are aware of the "upgrader" problem, but simply refuse to service these devices. Save your money and buy an mp3 player that will last.

Rating:
Summary: Great everyday mp3 player
Review: I bought this mp3 player 8 months ago after becoming frustrated with an RCA model that did not work with macs (despite packaging claims). I use it about four hours everyday: 2 listening to the radio and 2 listening to music. The radio reception is great. The stopwatch is very handy. It interacts very well with iTunes (make sure you have an updated version of iTunes before you try to upload to the player). The battery life is fabulous. I have dropped it and used it in the rain. The arm band is convenient. It has been the most reliable and user-friendly mp3 player I have owned.

Rating:
Summary: Here's The Deal...
Review: this mp3 player does what a player should do: it plays mp3's and wma's and doesn't skip. downloading to and from the included software is fine, though having had the player a year, i find the music manager updates are just fluffy and annoying additions to the original program.

as with many other mp3 players out there in this price range, the ear phones kinda suck. (luckily sony makes a good pair of behind-the-head phones!) attempts the use the radio tuner in my gym - it's a building made of cinder blocks, which i guess mess up radio signals - have been fruitless. in the open air, the radio works fine.

the armband and holster clip work just fine, though i think the holster is a bit of an eyesore.

this player gets four out of five stars because there is no playlist option on the player itself, though the music manager has all sorts of fun stuff to organize your tunes.

the durability of the player is worth noting - it has taken a few spills, been thrown into a bag with wet gym clothes, and been taken running in below freezing temperatures. nifty little machine.

Rating:
Summary: Complete junk -- it lasted about 2 weeks
Review: The title for this piece of junk says at all. This was the worst mp3 player that I ever had to buy. It became completely useless after about two weeks of moderate use. Rio technical support is basically useless, if you can get them on the phone, that is. I sent in the player for a refurbished unit, and I never heard from them again. Please, for the love of God, do not patronize this company, and do not buy this wretched player.

Rating:
Summary: Player died after only a few months of use
Review: This is my second flashed based MP3 player. My first was a Nike branded player from Philips that died after a few years of use, but was replaced by a major retailers insurance. This Rio Cali was it's replacement. Now, after only a few months of what I can only describe as light use (i.e. running on a track a few times a month) my player has been hit by what some on the net are calling the "upgrader" bug (do a google search for Rio Cali and upgrader to see what I'm talking about). Now, everytime I turn this unit on, it shows the word UPGRADER, and won't play any music. It doesn't matter if you turn it off, take out the battery or upgrade the firmware, this player just won't work. I have accepted that it will probably never work and have to be thrown away, mainly because the company wants $100 dollars to take it back and send me a refub unit under their warranty (NO THANKS!). I just want to make sure that no one else gets stuck with this thing and finds it to be a useless chuck of plastic after only a few months like I have. I hope this was helpful.

Rating:
Summary: Great Player - Takes Abuse
Review: I have had this player now for over a year and use it for running 3-5 days per week. This thing has been through the mill, freezing temperatures, snow, severe rain, summertime heat and is still working great. I have never used the FM tuner so can't comment on that, also I must say the headphones that came with the unit were crap, purchased $40 Sony earbuds and the sound quality increased 10 times over. Very easy to use and navigate, memory is small, but great player for running, very durable.