Rating: 
Summary: Rio Riot...Does exactly what i expected it to.
Review: So after months of hype, I finally got my 20 Gig Rio Riot. I would've given this relatively small device 4 stars, but a lot of haters are seriously underscoring this device. There are many things I love about my Rio. The interface is clean and easy to navigate. When I first ordered the Riot, I didn't think I'd use the Rio DJ functions much, but I've been using these features the most. For the most part, the Rio DJ creates playlists for you, on the fly, based on genre, music decade, top played songs, etc. trust me...this is too cool of a feature. The unit is a little hefty, but I take to the gym with me without any problems. The carrying case that accompanies the unit makes the rio slightly larger to carry, but fits comfortably on your belt or pants. I take this thing to the gym with me and never have it get in my way. The radio is another great feature...in case you get sick of your 4000 songs. For those that complain/hate about the speed of transferring songs, you're a bunch of techie losers...don't you all have a lan party to go to or something? After the initial download, i've been uploading a handful of cds each week...takes about the time of a normal dump to get about 5 cds on the unit. Firewire or USB2.0 would've been nice, but not necessary. Now to the annoying things about the rio riot. My main complaint is you can't queue songs while another song is playing. Also, while a song is playing, the back button gives further song info, it doesn't go back. These are minor issues that can be fixed in firmware updates. I've noticed about 5 or 6 songs that had glitches in my first upload of 600 songs. I deleted everything off my rio, closed all applications running at during the download process, and have noticed a difference. My major complaint about the rio is that you can't upload from the device to a computer. Kinda makes it worthless as a permanent storage place for my mp3s. I've been burning all my mp3s on cds to back them up. 20 gigs worth of CDRs shouldn't cost more than 20 bucks. Overall, the thing that sets this mp3 player apart from all the others is the innovative navigation system. It's easy to use and easy on the eyes. In the end, this thing is so cool, it just may get you laid...
Rating: 
Summary: Too[costly] for a mediocre player
Review: I have had Rio Riot for a week I expected 20G and very good organizing capability.
All I got was 20G. It cannot be used as back up hard drive. I can't transfer files from Rio Riot to my computer. I can't transfer non-Music files and retrieve them later. It lost some of my files. For the top dollar I paid I should have waited for a better Hard drive base MP3 player. I don't recommend it It does the job of a [less costly] one for the price of a [costly] player.
Rating: 
Summary: Promising concept riddled with glitches and problems
Review: I wanted to make sure that I purchased the best hard drive based portable mp3 player so I test drove the Archos 20 Jukebox Recorder, Apple 10gb iPod and Rio Riot. While none of the players are perfect, the Rio Riot turned out to be the worst. It is by far the slowest, using USB 1.1 and seems to transfer slower than other USB 1.1 devices. The Archos uses USB 2.0 and trasferred the fastest (at blazing speeds). Next was the iPod which transfers a little bit slower than the Archos on Windows with it's Firewire connection. I've heard that it is faster on a Mac but have never tried it on one. The Riot has the biggest display screen but has the worst backlight and is difficult to read. It also is amazingly non-intuitive to navigate. The menu, volume, and select buttons are spread out all over the player. I kept hitting the wrong buttons repeatedly. I'm certain that if I kept the player for a long period of time I would eventually adjust, but the worst thing is the playback. A good portion of transferred songs were riddled with digital clicks, pops, and blips. Songs would cut out part way through and move on to the next. I tried re-transferring songs only to have noises and cut-offs in other parts of songs. It was basically unlistenable. The battery indicator also had issues. It kept saying that the unit was charged but when i unplugged it, it would say 'low battery'. The large screen and varied playback options are something i'd love in a quality player. 20 gigs are also a luxury, but overall this player turned out to be a lousy experience. In the end I'm going with the iPod for it's ease of use and superior sound quality. For a larger drive but unsophisticated interface, the Archos isn't a bad choice. However, I would not recommend the Rio Riot at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't want to be hasty
Review: I don't want to jump to conclusions, maybe my unit was an exception, but it lasted less than three full days before the on/off switch simply stopped working and my unit wouldn't turn on again. It worked great when it was going, and whether or not this represents bad workmanship or simply a rare exception I'm not sure. Just thought I'd post this in case someone else has the same problem.
Rating:
Summary: Returning my second defective unit
Review: I also thought this was an excellent player from the write up. What a mistake. I had to return the first unit after two long distance phone calls to their technical support (no 800 number). The first unit would lock up randomly. It also stuttered and skipped during playback of some tracks. It would stop before finishing tracks, start a track, and then skip randomly to another track. I returned that unit for a second one. The second one still skips, stutters, and stops on some tracks. Then, after only a few hours of trying to get the thing to work properly, the on/off switch failed. I can no longer turn the unit on. Back to the retailer with this one and I won't be trying another one. Also, the unit requires Real Jukebox and will not work with Windows XP Media Player. This forces me to add another piece of software that I don't need or want onto my system. This could be a good product if they ever get the bugs out it. It looks like another case of too soon to market with an untested product or some really poor quality control.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the backpack?
Review: I am almost embarrassed to say that I actually bought the Rio Riot thinking that it was a state of the art player. After I unpacked it, it occurred to me that only Howard Hughes could have possibly built a bigger player. I thought that for 400 dollars I would be buying an MP3 player that I could work out with. Little did I realize that the only workout I would be getting would be lugging this thing around. Forget about jogging with it. I defy anyone to tell me where this albatross can be attached during any activity. I hardly think that a CD sized unit is sleek or well designed. However, if you want a player that resembles an X-Box controller then this is it. I should have realized that this massively-sized player was more at home rack-mounted in a home stereo system when I saw the size of the included headphones. Forget earbuds, I've seen pilots fly planes with smaller headphones then the set that comes with the player. As far as battery life, it barely survives a 4 hour plane flight. To make matters worse, the AC charger is not designed for portability and a separate proprietary USB cable is required for synching. If you travel I would strongly suggest that you save your receipt. The synching process is also a huge disappointment. The software is adequate but it's lack of intelligent synching is unforgivable. There should be no circumstance that allows duplicate files to be imported into the player. I've read with a great deal of amusement how those that love the player seem to downplay the pathetically slow importing process via the USB connection. Perhaps somebody needs to point out to the good folks at SonicBlue that Firewire (IEEE 1394) is available - a concept not lost on those at Apple and their iPod. Then perhaps instead of waiting the "5-6" hours that some feel is acceptable, we too can enjoy 10min transfer times while the player also charges itself via the firewire connection. Admittedly, a 10gig transfer is not an everyday occurrence but why should we have to wait longer than necessary when improved technology is available. I seriously doubt that many of us still use parallel port printers although I'm sure that the apologists here would also argue that a few more minutes per page is just fine, I mean after all how many pages do we normally print at any one time. The decision to use USB 1.0 instead of firewire makes just about as much sense except to those who favor a 56k modem over a T1 line. The navigation system to find files is the one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing player. The menus are well laid out in the display. Yet even here there are problems. The backlight is simply horrible. The readability is marginal at best as the backlight, a misnomer, merely causes an outline of the text to be illuminated. Let Sonicblue design a music jukebox with synching integration similar to iTunes and the iPod. Merely connecting the iPod via a firewire cable causes an automatic synching to occur. This is a feature that is sorely missed in my Rio Riot. Perhaps I would have been more content had I not been exposed to and been able to use an Apple iPod. The iPod's mere existance certainly should have shown the developers at Sonicblue just what possibilities existed. I would gladly forgo the 10gig difference in order to get a player which is less than half as big, portable, much better designed, and truly the industry standard. I can't imagine anybody using the term "intuitive controls" and "Rio Riot" in the same sentence, let alone after using an iPod. Thankfully, Xplay from Mediafour allows the iPod to be used in a Windows environment. This is not meant to be a "promotion" of the iPod or a Mac vs. PC thing (I happily use both) but rather an illustration of how the Rio Riot should be judged - not solely according to what it can do, but also how it compares to other similarly priced MP3 hard drive players.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but lacking a few unimportant features
Review: I am just about to buy this and I have to say, it seems great. It has plenty of features. It has a gargantuan 20 GB drive. 20 GB!!!!!!!!!!!! That is all the music you have and then some. It has WMA support. That is great. It means if you are using a PC you can store up to 8000 songs at 64 kbps which is what WMA is said to meet CD quality at. It also has an FM tuner, which is great for running. I run a lot and Music helps a lot. It has a belt clip I think so you don't have to carry it when you are running. You can just stick it in it's carrying case and attach the belt and start running. If you don't like not being able to carry it in your hand, tough. You shouldn't have to worry about skipping songs and such when running. That's what playlists are for. One unique feature about this MP3 player is that you can create playlists right on the player, no computer nesascary. That means that before you go running you can mix a playlist before you start running without hooking it up and starting you computer. If you don't want to create a playlist on your own, you can use the use the Rio DJ that has many different features, which includes a unique feature called "Entertain Me!" This creates a mix of music based on what you listen to and how long it you want it to last. Another plus about this is that it has a great navigation system and a large screen. This is the best navigation system out there. It is easier to find songs than the ipod because it has a larger screen. The Riot has a long 10-12hr-battery life. Now the negatives. It has a slow connection to your computer because of USB 1.0. It would take 5-6 hours to transfer 10 GB of music. But, be honest how many times are you going to transfer 10 GB of music. After the first night long transfer, you probably would only be transferring about 200mbs per month. If this had USB 2.0 it would have gotten 5s. Another negative is that it doesn't have the ability to transfer data file this is annoying but think about it, when would you be playing a game off of this thing with USB 1.0. It would work with documents but not much more. I would expect Sonic blue to upgrade the firmware for this device fairly soon though so it does work as a hard drive. They were probably just trying to get a model out on the market. The last minus about this device is that it has no recording. This is unfortunate if you are in a band and want to record or if you want to copy someone's CD on the go. You can just download the song when you get home though. The recording ability isn't very important though. This is all an all a great MP3 player. .....All an All this is a great MP3 player that is lacking a few features. If you really need the recording or USB 2.0, just wait for them to release it. But before you start that wait, think, do I really need recording on the fly (only 32-160kbps, not CD quality (192 is CD quality)) or a fast transfer speed. For most the answer is a simple one, NO.
Rating:
Summary: Great player despite size and firmware shortcomings
Review: First off, let me say that this is an extremely well built player. The buttons feel good and go what they are supposed to do. The durability is good, I already dropped it once and nothing happened. Here are the good points I found so far: 1) large hard drive
2) fm radio
3) build quality
4) display screen
5) navigation There are some bad things though: 1) big size
2) slow transfer, but you only have to do it once (it took me 11 hours to transfer 11.5 gig of music)
3) have to use realjukebox or realone player
4) firmware could be better (could be able to queue songs, transfer playlists from your computer to the riot, bookmarks, etc.)
5) the carrying case could be better and include a plastic cover or something to protect the screen while it is in the case. I think I am going to end up glueing a pda screen protector or plastic sheet over the opening.
6) not sure if this is a problem yet - but in the cold, the power input plug, and the USB port is left open on the bottom of the player even while it is in the traveling case Overall, if you don't need an extremely portable player and don't mind waiting overnight to transfer files, this is a great choice. I have never had it crash once or fail to work in some way.
You have to make sure that your mp3 ID3 tags are all correct though, as that is the only thing that the RioRiot uses to sort your music. I would recommend an different program, like Tag&Rename, for updating ID3 tags though besides RealJukebox as RealJukebox does not always update the true tag information.
Rating:
Summary: Tons of hard-disk
Review: I bought mine from an ebay seller. It was a refurbished unit. I am very happy with this model. Not pretty, but very functional. I download my music from online and direct from my CD's. Great sound. I use it when I workout. Very satisfied. Again lot's of hard-disk for tons of songs.
Rating:
Summary: A good player but not the best
Review: I've had this unit since they were first introduced which was just pre-iPod. I would say for the money you should shop around, although this is an okay unit. Transfering is slow and not always error free but it gets the job done. A unit with firewire or USB 2.0 would be better. I have no plans on replacing my Riot as long as it works but by the time I do there will be plenty of options.
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