Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the money
Review: I've had my rio cali for 2 months now and I really dislike it. I use it while running and have found that the joystick control is very hard to use while you're moving. I frequently hit up or down instead of forward and the display is too small to see when you are moving so I don't know what the player is doing.I don't like the metal belt clip because it rubs against my skin and chafes it... I might be allergic to the metal but I currently have two welts on me from the clip. My other complaint about this player is that if you want the songs to play in a particular order, you have to remove all the songs first. If you delete some songs and transfer some new ones, they will fill in the gaps and therefore be out of order. I find this really frustrating because I like to keep whole albums together rather than split between other songs. About the only thing I like about this player is how lightweight it is. I wouldn't recommend it for runners.
Rating: 
Summary: Great gadget!
Review: I did quite a bit of research and decided on this one after reading reviews. I have had it for about 6 months and I am DELIGHTED with it! I got it to run with and it is perfect. Lightweight, easy to use, totally durable and sounds great to me. I would totally recommend this product. Clear screen, easy to use, battery is one AAA and lasts pretty good.
Rating: 
Summary: Great sports player, but with some unessesary flaws
Review: I'll be the first to tell you that the Rio Cali 256 is a great sports player for jogging, gym workouts, or any short activities. But there are some flaws that must be addressed. First off, the radio tuner: One of the main reasons I bought this player was for this capability. I thought that even with a limited (256 mbt IS limited compared to gigabyte ipods, even though you can add memory cards) memory. However, the tuner isn't as great as I thought it would be. I had never had a tuner on my cd player, but compared to a jogging radio, this one sucked. The static is almost too much to bear, and moving around caused more of it. If you find a good connection, though, and stay within that connections reach, the tuner works great. Secondly, the file transfer is somewhat tedious. I find that on some songs, when I try to transfer it, the program give me an error that I have yet to find the answer or patch for. The player says to unconnect and reconnect, but that does nothing. The solution? To unplug your player, leave it alone for an hour, and come back later. Some songs never can transfer, even if you do do the above. Although this is somewhat of a small and maybe personal beef, the player's joystick is annoying after awhile. I've had the player for over six months, and the joystick has really gotten on my nerves. The point on the top that serves to provide grip hurts the finger used on after sometime. Although it is bearable, it seems annoying, considering if you are using the joystick to find options in the player's capabilities, and you have to skip around a lot. Your thumb (or whatever you use to navigate the player), will begin to have a feeling as if its still pushing down hard, long after it was done playing around with the thing. This could be just that I was pushing down on it too hard, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway. Now onto the good. This player is sooooo easy to use. Navigating the functions is clearly labeled, and even technologically impaired users could easily transfer music if they have a lot of patience. The buttons on the player itself aren't clearly labeled, but once you play around with it and learn their functions, surfing your files, stopwatch, and radio, along with the many options, is pure ease. The USB connection is simple- just plug in and turn it on. The transferring program has many options, along with ease of use. The expandable memory (using memory cards to hold more songs) is easy to switch from different cards you have- all you need to do is pop the back, pull out the battery, and slide in or pull out the card. The durability of the player is great- the rubber coating prevents any major scratches, and protects the LCD from all harm-doers. The battery life is superb- one AAA battery gets me through almost a month of frequent listening. Overall, if you want a small, durable player that is easy to use and has some good features for sports, but don't mind about radio inconsistencies and some program problems, the Rio Cali 256 is for you. But if you are looking for a large hard drive, dependable player, check out the Dell one or the ipod.
Rating: 
Summary: BEWARE OF RIO
Review: BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING FROM RIO, do your research -- I'm an adult who purchased 2 of their MP3 players to listen to while using the treadmill at the gym. Aside from the complaints that come with many electronic gadgets (eats batteries, controls difficult to use, etc.), BEWARE THAT THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS ESPECIALLY UNHELPFUL. By checking online, you'll see that many individuals (myself included) have gone through numerous devices to find that the quality is poor, replacement or repair is grudgingly, if at all. LOOK AT ANOTHER BRAND BEFORE YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY.
Rating:
Summary: This Thing is Cool!!!
Review: I have had this player for about a month now. So far, I really like it. It's pretty easy to use and holds a decent amount of music. I bought it to use while I run and exercise and it has worked well for that purpose. The software that comes with it is easy to use as well. The only thing I don't like is that I have not been able to figure out how to set the order of the songs. Other than that, I wouldn't mind a more quality set of headphones. For the price, I think this is a great player to buy.
Rating: 
Summary: not at user friendly as I hoped
Review: My first MP3 player purchase, I was looking for something my wife could use while running, less cumbersome and less likely to skip compared to her portable CD player. Amazon had better reviews for the cali than the nike model. Likes: small, easy to wear, good sound quality, comfortable ear pieces Dislikes: product arrived with base language in French (phone call to rio support walked me through rebooting it), unable to transfer my itunes directly into my rio manager, can only hold about two CD's of music. Overall I regret not saving the extra money for an ipod with greater storage and only slightly larger size.
Rating:
Summary: Designed by a runner for a runner
Review: This was clearly designed with the runner in mind. It comes with an arm band but you have to attach it yourself, which is actually a good thing since you have the option to instead use the very sturdy and capable waistband clip. I've never liked the armbands, always felt like they were a blood pressure cuff. Volume controls are located on the top in a bold yellow easy to spot color and are easily accessed while in use. Setup was a breeze and song transfer was fast and simple. Just click on the recorder, open my music, click on the song you want to upload to your player and then click on the green arrow. No "dropping and dragging" for this player! The only reason I didn't give the player 5 stars is because the "joystick" control takes some getting used to and can be a little pain. But it's really a minor thing! Overall this is a great value. You even get an FM tuner and the player is expandable. It comes with earbud headphones which I opted not to use. Never really liked those. A big bonus: you actually get a written guide on how to use it, it's in English and simple to understand!
Rating:
Summary: Good MP3 Player-Legitimate Review
Review: I did not know anything about MP3 players when I first began to search...all I knew is that I wanted something smaller for the gym that my CD player for about $100 dollars. I researched various vendors and decided RIO would give me the best product for my needs beacuse the RIO Cali 128 had great reviews at Amazon and CNET Reviews.
When I saw that the RIO Cali 256 was only about fourty dollars more at Amazon, it was a no brainer. However, I ordered the wrong 256 Cali by accident through Amazon and they were unable to undo my order (even after only 5 minutes). Thier refusal policy is pretty straight forward so I ordered the correct CALI and refused the incorrect CALI when it was delivered(I refused the other 256 CALI beacuse the many reviews of poor design-specifically the battery clip.)
I have had this Cali for over a month and it really is great. I have not had any issues with it and the design is sturdy. The sound may be better with other headphones as indicated by other reviews but the headphones that come with it are adequate. The plastic belt clip is pretty cheesy but it is sturdy (I run about 25 minutes 4 days a week at the gym without any issues) and if it keeps the player from dropping, it serves its purpose. I have not used the armband yet but the stopwatch is a nice feature. The radio is adequate althoug it only tunes into FM stations with the best frequency (you have no control over the FM stations it plays). As with any electronic purchase, you really don't know if the item is a good fit until you try it but in all I think with this player you really get more than you pay for.
ADVICE: Make sure the item you order is the one you intend to order.
Rating:
Summary: I dig it
Review: I just got this mp3 player in the mail yesterday and so far I have not reached any problems with it. I used it all during work AND in the gym, no software interface problems with my laptop whatsoever. This is a great player that fits my needs, and thats to drown people out at work and in the gym :P
Rating:
Summary: Forget about customer service
Review: Not a bad player (although file transfer needs help) but forget about customer service. My player gave up the ghost after a few weeks of use. One month after their depot received my defective player, I still do not have my replacement player, just a lot of excuses from their India-based customer service.
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