Rating: 
Summary: 8 Months and no longer working
Review: Actually, I love the Rios S35S MP3 player. It's lite, I can strap it around my arm and forget it's there, and it sounds great! However, after only 8 months of ownership and use, the button controls quietly stopped working ... can't skip through recordings, can't go to the menu, can't change the volume ... can only get it to play, and but not always. Warranty's short, and it's over, so I can't send it back. Called support and they said they could trade me a refurbished one for $79. I'm probably better off buying a new one, but if it's only going to last 8 months, why bother???
Rating:
Summary: Not Impressed
Review: As a software engineer for embedded devices, I might be particularly critical to this kind of thing, but I also know that these little MP3 players are not really all that complicated, and they should be able to get these things to be darn near perfect.My primary complaint is that there is a ridiculously loud buzz if you're listening to the FM tuner and the display backlight is on. Backlights can cause a lot of noise which can be noticed on many devices that use them, but the effect can be controlled so that it's hardly noticeable - if it's there at all. RIO, however, seems to have made no attempt to fix this - the buzz is many times louder than the static you get from the FM tuner. My second complaint is the use of a non-standard data transfer mechanism. They use a unique cable and you are forced to use their software (which has it's own set of problems). So if you want to manage your MP3s from both home and work, for example, you need to bring the cable and software with you. If the device acted as a simple USB drive, this would not be an issue. Thirdly, the 'holster' that you use if you want to clip the device to a belt doesn't fit right. It partially covers some of the buttons and the headset jack. Overall, I was very unimpressed. Ya, it plays mp3's, but big deal. That's easy.
Rating: 
Summary: It's great but the battery life isn't
Review: This MP3 player is about perfect. The interface for adding or removing files is exceptional. A child could set up and operate this thing. The armband is a great addition but the ear buds tend to slip out when you sweat, I recommend getting different headphones. You can upgrade the memory which is a huge addition as it allows you to spend less money than just buying a 40gig I-Pod which is going to die after 6 or 7 months. My only complaint is that they say you have 10 hours of playing time on one AAA battery. Unless there are some nuclear-powered super batteries I am unaware of, that time quote is a farce. You're lucky to get half that play time on one battery. I switched to a new battery yesterday. Used it for 1 1/2 hours at work, 2 hours at home loading music (I'm picky about my arrangements OK, sue me) and the battery is half empty according to the meter on the display. That being the case, it looks like I'll get MAYBE 6 or seven hours..certainly not 10. Other than that fact, this thing is great. I use it for running and if I'm running for more than six hours its from the police, not for leisure so my problems are far beyond the battery life of my equipment if you get my drift.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible Design...Do Not Buy!
Review: Terrible design, short battery life, the tuner doesn't work, the holding case is awkward, and the headphones are cheap. My wife bought me this player for Christmas. It is very nice to be able to listen to MP3s (from my copied CDs) as opposed to the endless loop on commercial radio, however, that's the case with all MP3 players. On the good side, the display is fine and the software is easy to learn. Now for the long list of problems... 1.Design - For years I've owned a Sony Sport Walkman (you know, they're yellow). It has served me well, but it only has a radio. This MP3 player has a raised circular Play-pause/forward/reverse/stop button. I am constantly bumping it. It is incredibly frustrating. Like most people I listen to my "sport" player while I'm on the move (working out, mowing the grass, walking the dog, etc.). My old Walkman's buttons are recessed and I never accidentally push them. With the Rio, the slightest bump and the song will start again, stop, or pause. What's worse is trying press the circle properly without looking at it (like I said, usually it's clipped to my belt and I'm doing something else, hence the "sport" part of this player's description). No matter if I put it in my pocket, clip it to the front of me, side of me, or back of me I always bump it again and again. It's so frustrating. There's a "key protect" in the menus, but navigating to it requires you to stop what you're doing. Not convenient! With my old Walkman I could easily press the recessed buttons when I wanted without a key protect. The design of the buttons makes this player worthless. But, if that's not enough...
2.Battery life - The player sucks batteries. In my old Walkman I'd change them every six to eight weeks (two AAA's). With this player I change the 1 AAA battery every 8 to 10 hours. What a joke!
3.AM/FM Tuner - It simply doesn't work. Even the stations that come in crystal clear on my old Walkman don't come in at all.
4.Holding case - The MP3 player has an awkward plastic case (for clipping to your clothes). It makes the on/off, volume, and menu buttons hard to push. It also makes it hard to plug in the headphones.
5.Headphones - Speaking of the headphones...they're complete junk. You'll need another pair.
6.Software - It was easy to learn at first and transferring files to the player is simple. However, I can't pull over my play lists from Windows Media Player (maybe I'm just missing something) and each time I copy another CD I need to refresh the music library which takes a bunch of time. In summary, this player is a complete piece of junk. Avoid it at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: piece of junk
Review: The buttons started malfunctioning only 1 week in to use., I went to return it and they told me that since it has been 30 days (it was a christmas gift) since my friend had bought it for me they could not longer honor it. The fast forward button doesn't work and it shuts off all the time for no reason. Do NOT buy this thing.
Rating:
Summary: You can do better than this.
Review: After owning this product for about 2 months I feel I know it enough to write a fair review. I'm not too impressed with this MP3 player. This is the first one that I have ever bought and have found a few major things that I don't like about it. First the volume is not nearly loud enough. I'm listening to it in the gym and can hear outside noise even with volume at full on this thing. The plastic case that holds it does not fit the player. That means that the buttons on the thing are barely accesable. The radio part of it is garbage and can't really be used. It's like tuning into a distant AM station. I ditched the headphones immediately and can't tell you if they are good or not.
Do yourself a favor and skip this one, wish I had. Oh yeah and if you buy something take a minute or two and write a quick review about it. It really helps people out.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware !!!!!
Review: The one good thing about this machine is that when it does work, and if you use a pair of upgraded headphones (not the ones supplied with the player), the sound quality delivered to the listener is quite good - superb in fact. As for the bads, and there are many:
1. the plastic clip-on case (not pictured in the on-line advertisement on Amazon or anywhere else) doesn't actually fit the player, so if you want to press buttons during use, you have to stop what you're doing and remove the player to be able to access the buttons - this makes it incredibly impractical as a "sports" music player. 2. within 2 weeks the actual waist/belt clip simply snapped (during routine, ordinary use) because it is made of poor quality, thin rigid plastic. Result: when I use the player now, I have to carry it in my hand or keep it in my shorts pocket. I have called the company numerous times only to be told that no additional holders are available, they're on back order. I guess other people have had the same problem as me!! 3. battery life is more like 4-5 hours if you use the player in a gym where it is likely to be noisy (often with background music, machines, people yapping) and you need to crank it up. The advertised 14 hour battery life may be attainable if you are listening in a quiet room and not moving a muscle. 4. the headphones supplied with the player stink, don't even try to use them 5. the software interface for Windows is a disaster and has crashed several times, requiring time-consuming un-installs and re-installs, ultimately requiring that I ditch the CD supplied with the player and go to the company website, under phone direction from their help line, and download the on-line version. Song order gets jumbled by the machine during transfer so the coherence of an album becomes unrecognizable. Finally I learned to bypass the company software altogether - music can be downloaded to it via Windows Media Player, as long as you have the most recent version (which I needed to download for this sole purpose). My verdict is that the device has promise - sound quality itself is great and the price is competitive, but there are so many bugs with the product (hardware and software) that I think the company should be allowed a hiatus to stop and figure out what it is doing, and come back to us 6 months from now with apologies and major upgrades. They need to realize they can't skimp on the holder for the player. Had I known all this earlier, I would have spent the extra $100 or so on the smaller iPod. I have the bitter feeling that this was $118 poorly spent. My advice to any potential buyer would be to STAY AWAY from this company and product. I could go on but I need to go to work. Good luck!
Rating:
Summary: A nice little flash player
Review: This is a good bargain player with about a 30-song capacity. It's very easy to trade music in and out -- the supplied software is just fine, and it also works well with the Musicmatch Jukebox package. It's not comparable to a hard-drive player, but it's a good little flash memory machine, with decent battery life. The accessories are, as others have noted, terrible. The case doesn't fit, and the headphones are the worst I've ever come across. I sliced off the top of the case to unblock the buttons and still use the clip part, which I've found sturdy enough, and, with my own decent set of 'phones, it's a good item for the money.
Rating:
Summary: Rio S35S POOR QUALITY!
Review: I've owned 2 RIO S35S MP3 players in the past 12 months. Both of them started behaving poorly within one month of purchase. The first one would randomly restart itself from the beginning of the playlist, and would occasionally just stop playing altogether, even with new batteries. After 1 month, the 2nd one began locking up in the middle of music uploads from my PC. Eventually it just stopped functioning. DO NOT EVER BUY THIS PRODUCT IF YOU EXPECT TO USE IT FOR LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS!
Rating: 
Summary: Much better than the alternatives!
Review: I first purchased a different brand that I was not impressed with. I returned that one and have been totally satisfied with this one!
1. ONE AAA battery!! (Come on, how can you not like that?)
2. The sound quality is awesome.
3. The cover is not hard to get on and off, but it won't come off unless you want it off. And it protects the on/off button, so it doesn't just turn off or fall off while you're running (duh). The case also keeps the headphones plugged in.
4. The stock headphones are of average quality and stick in your ears really well. Were you expecting Bose headphones to come alone with the incredibly inexpensive package?
5. The software has worked without any hassle, unlike my previous purchase.
6. It has an equalizer!
7. And a tuner (that's a radio)!
8. It's totally lightweight.
9. It's easy to use, even with all the options it has. However, I must admit, the reason I was online looking for Rio stuff is because I just snapped the little plastic clip off of the back of the case. Hopefully they're not on back-order anymore.
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