Rating: 
Summary: It's Rio's conspiracy against honest folk like us
Review: Yep, like a lot of other people here, my Nitrus became defective 2.9 months after I purchased it, so it was too late to take advantage of the warrenty. My problem FIRST was that music scanned through w/o playing. I called customer service, they told me to reformat and upgrade firmware (i already had the latest). It worked and I retransferred 500 mb of the music again, because Music Manager and Media Player both said player was full (which it wasn't - only 500 mb full). It played fine but later in the day the unit wouldn't boot up past the RIO screen. I reset the player, and it got stuck again. I reset again: same result. Called customer service again, told me to reformat the player AGAIN and upgrade AGAIN. I got cut off somehow (but it didn't really matter b/c the guy was no help) and now the player boots up fine, and it shows no tracks. The USB connects fine and the comp, MM, MP all recognize it as RIO Nitrus, but whenever I try to transfer the music it says either "Operation Timed Out", "RIO command failed" or "Windows has encountered an unknown problem". Ok, very pissed by this time. I go to rioevolution.com or some forum like that, go to the message board, and discover that TONS of other people had problems the SAME EXACT AS ME at approximately THE SAME TIME FRAME (almost 3 months after purchase, too late for the warrenty, etc). Coincedence? You decide. Though I've already made my conclusions. The Nitrus is just sitting in my room collecting dust while I surf the net for another MP3 player that's NOT from RIO. I suggest you do the same.
Rating:
Summary: Warning Defective Product: "0" star rating!!!!
Review: I bought this unit for my daughter for Christmas. Like many others, the unit worked for a short period (100 days...10 days passed the warrantee period). Then it locked up with the "upgrader" message. The power button would not turn the unit off. I phoned Rio tech support 5 times in a two day period (they were giving me the run-around, trying to reinstall the firmware) and they were useless, and spoke in very poor english (which made it an even more expense long distance call since they had to repeat every word they said...I had a different person, all from India/Pakistan, each time). They're only recommendation was to reinstall firmware which didn't work or send them $125 for another piece of crap Rio product. They said the unit is defective, BUT since it is out of the warrantee period and they can't do anything for me. The only good thing about this player is the player housing design, they designed it so it'll really skip when you throw this defective piece of junk into the nearest lake. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PLAYER. Notice, all the positive comments have only had their player for a very short time. Theirs, too, will crash given some time (about 100 days). I have a iRiver that I've put through hell in the last year (I work in an extremely dusty environment farming in West Texas and take the iRiver to work with me) and it still works like a charm.
Rating:
Summary: Like everyone else says, great until it breaks...
Review: Like everybody else, I absolutely loved this thing for the 11 or so days that I owned it, but I have to add myself to the list of people whose Nitrus broke within weeks of buying it. My problem wasn't UPGRADER, or timeouts, or any of the standard failures (which seem epidemic on their own). Mine became useless when the "volume down" button got stuck and stopped working. Looks like it was caused by cheap parts/manufacturing (and why volume BUTTONS? Anybody remember nice, reliable volume dials?). I was allowed to return it for a refund and not just another Nitrus that I'd never like. I consider myself lucky.
Rating:
Summary: Beware
Review: I loved this product for about a day. Then it broke. I lplan to return it and get an iPod Mini.
Rating: 
Summary: little problem, expensive solution
Review: I, like many, loved my Nitrus. I got it as a X-mas present and it worked fine. Thankfully I didn't experience the dreaded "Upgrader" (yet) 5 DAYS AFTER THE WARRANTY WAS UP the volume decrease button loosened up inside (or something); I considered this a miniscule problem. BUT The (unhelpful)Indian lady at support informed me that Rio DOESN'T a repair center but I could pay them another $125 to get a refurbished Nitrus OR save the money just buy another Rio. Given another chance I would've asked for an Ipod!
Rating:
Summary: The good, the bad, and the ugly...
Review: I love my Rio Nitrus.. or so I did. I got it for X-mas. It was definatly my favroite gift, it was awesome. Holds hundreads of songs, the volume is loud, and it's pretty simple. But 3 months into having it and it's like the MP3 player from hell. I can't get it to work. It's constantly freezing, and I have to keep calling for help. Right now I'm probably going to return it, I wouldn't EVER buy it again.
Rating:
Summary: Do not buy! Mine broke after 2 months! Avoid Rio Nitrus!
Review: 90-DAY WARRANTY. TAKE THIS AS A SIGN THAT RIO DOES NOT STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT. I got it at the end of Dec. 2003. It was great while it lasted. I took it to the gym, on the plane, to work, in the car... Then one day, it started giving me "timed out" messages when I tried to load songs. I called Rio, and the person on the phone was clearly only trained to say "Upgrade the firmware. Goodbye." So I upgraded the firmware (again - I already did this before I called) and the problem seemed to go away. But no. Then my Nitrus started clicking in the middle of a particular song, and then would shut off. Battery life still on full. So I tried to re-install the firmware (a third time), and then things got interesting. It started just saying "upgrader" on the screen and clicking. So I turned it off, waited, and tried again. That was the end. Now I turn it on, it shows me the name of the company in large letters "RIO," clicks, and does nothing else. I can't even turn it off. I have to put a paper clip in the "hard reset" button to shut it off. I am not the first to have this happen to my Nitrus. There are many, many others. Go to "riovolution dot com" and read through the forums for the Nitrus. So now, Rio is telling me it is defective and I should mail it to them (at my own cost, of course) and they will replace it... In three weeks! Rio could have a good chance at taking market share from Apple if they increase the length of their warranty, improve their customer support (not just train Indians to say "Upgrade your firmware," or "Defective"), and improve the reliability of their products. Beware the "Rah rah Nitrus!" posts. I felt this way, too, when I first got it. When it breaks down on you, you will feel that you wasted your money.
Rating:
Summary: horrible
Review: I have been through three of these. It works for a few months then displays "Upgrader" on the display and will not restart. India tech support is useless.
Rating:
Summary: Defective Device
Review: First the battery would uncharge if the player had not been unused for more than 1 day. Second, the volume dial no longer worked. Notice that most of the bad reviews came after Christmas. I'm not sure if they manufactured a bad bunch or they new they were bad and shipped them anyway. The 90-day warranty is a huge risk and I will never buy anything from Rio again unless it has a better warranty. Also, they refused to refund my money because it was greater than 30 days when I called. You can get a replacement unit, but you have to call tech support first to get a "RMA". I currently have a request into Amazon to see if they will do anything. If they won't and you used a platinum credit card, try using the extra warranty to get your money back. Or you may be able to dispute the charges via your credit card. Good luck!
Rating: 
Summary: You bought the ipod!?!?
Review: I was bought this as a gift for christmas, brought over to the UK by my Auntie. I had spent hours researching this on the internet, and found this to be the best affordable player. I now take that back. It is, straight out, the best player on the market. My only complaint is the volume buttons, as they are rather fiddley, but I use the same volume most of the time, so it does not bother me much. As for sound quality, it doesnt get much better than this. The Nitrus comes with a Custom EQ, along with 5 presets, so whatever type of music you listen to, it always sounds just right. The bundled software is also one of the best on the market, so the 1.5gb hard disk feels 10 times bigger. With software like that, there is no need to buy a 20 or 30 gb player! The bundled headphones are some of the best to be bundled with any player, and produce consistantly excelent sound. Another great point is the price - in the UK £70 cheaper than 1.5gb Muvo2, and at least £130 cheaper than any ipod. If you want supperior sound, small sizes, and a great price, along with software, and storage to match, why go with anything else?
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