Rating: 
Summary: Great Product So Far
Review: I bought this product about a week ago and so far it has been great. It has lots of storage room and the sound quality is exelent. Also the menus are easy to navigate through. However, after reading other reviews I have noticed that most peole are having some type of a problem w/ the batery. After I realized one thing about my battery it has been perfect. Anyway the one thing is when calibrating the battery READ WHAT THE COUNT DOWN METER SAYS. What happened to me was when I set the RIO to calibrate and I got a countdown timer, but right when there was about 1-2 hours left until the calibration was complete the countdown meter went blank. The first time I mistook this as a sign that the calibration was done. However, when I turned it on I only had 60% battery life. The second time I waited the time the meter said in the beginning and when I checked back it said calibration complete and I had a 100% charged battery. If when you calibrate the battery, you don't wait the amount of time you have too, the battery won't fully form and know that it can be charged 100%. Essentially if you don't wait the amount of time you will turn a 100% battery into a 60% or 50% or any other percent battery. All in all this mp3 player in my oppinion is a good buy.
Rating: 
Summary: BAD QUALITY, great product
Review: Review of SONICblue Rio 800 (128 mb version)I have to admit, i was impressed upon opening it. but once i charged it, the red charging light turned off 5 minutes into the charge. Its supposed to stay on 5 hours, but i shrugged it off thinking it was okay. After calibration (the first charge, lasts 5 hours), the player worked extremely well. Unfortanately, 30 minutes into my music listening (sound was great), the player shut off. I thought it maybe got bumped or something, so i switched the slider to off and then to on again. It didn't turn on. Now i have to return it to Amazon. I'll probably get an Arcos Jukebox (the 6gb one), or maybe an Intel Pocket Concert.
Again, THIS ISN'T WORTH GETTING!!.
Note: I purchased two of these, one for me, one for my little brother. His died about thirty minutes into playing also. They were charged at different times, so it wasn't a power out or anything.
Rating:
Summary: BAD QUALITY, great product
Review: I have to admit, i was impressed upon opening it. but once i charged it, the red charging light turned off 5 minutes into the charge. Its supposed to stay on 5 hours, but i shrugged it off thinking it was okay. After calibration (the first charge, lasts 5 hours), the player worked extremely well. Unfortanately, 30 minutes into my music listening (sound was great), the player shut off. I thought it maybe got bumped or something, so i switched the slider to off and then to on again. It didn't turn on. Now i have to return it to Amazon. I'll probably get an Arcos Jukebox (the 6gb one), or maybe an Intel Pocket Concert.
Again, THIS ISN'T WORTH GETTING!!.
Note: I purchased two of these, one for me, one for my little brother. His died about thirty minutes into playing also. They were charged at different times, so it wasn't a power out or anything.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Quality Player... Questionable Software
Review: I recently purchased the Rio 800 128mb player and so far I have
been very pleased with its performance. I've noticed people complaining about having to calibrate the battery before use. While this is annoying (not being able to use your player for 5 hours) its quite easy if you READ the directions. My main complaint about this player isnt the player at all more the software that comes with it. They ship Real Jukebox. Not being a fan of any of Real products I was skeptical at first. And my fears were justified after upgrading the firmware on the player to 1.56. After the upgrade I was unable to add files from inside Jukebox to the player. It would get to 50% and tell me the device was full. When it wasnt. I searched the Rio support docs, not being able to find anything I checked the list of updates for Jukebox. Still nothing... Eventually I installed the
Windows Media Player plugin and was able to copy songs without a problem. Overall the player works very well. And I am very happy with it. I would recommend it to anyone in the market for a higher end mp3 player.
Rating:
Summary: So Far! So good!
Review: I waited a few weeks to write my review. After reading some of the terrible reviews I decided to see if my Rio 800 would develop similar problems. So Far, so good. First the negatives. I noticed some initial battery problems. I followed instructions exactly and had similar problems calibrating the battery as did many other reviewers. But I removed the back pack and carefully reseated it and since then I have been getting 6 to 9 hours use before I need to recharge. As far as the accuracy of the battery power level indicator; it is rarely accurate when you first turn the unit on. But while you are listening to music, it is very accurate when you check the level via the menu (maybe it's only accurate under a load). Another negative is the very poor customer service. They hung up on me when I phoned and so far they have not answered my email. Now all that being said; the sound is very good using WMA 64 kbps and you can fit 4 hours of music at that rate. I have had no problems with the Real Jukebox although I have seen better. The size is absolutely perfect. The battery time is fine, as I have said, 6 to 9 hours and a recharge is only 2 and a half hours. Over all, I am pleased with the unit. But if you purchase one just make sure you save your receipt as I guess there are some problem units out there.
Rating:
Summary: Great Product (and good battery!)... when it works
Review: I love this product, except that I have had two bad experiences. But first, a word about the infamous battery. After a relatively short use, it does, in fact, show "less than 7 hours remaining" or "2 Hours remaining" or whatever. The reading is incorrect. I haven't tried to just let it run out, to see if it in fact konks out after another 2 hours, but I have discovered this: If you shut off the Rio, and switch it back on a few minutes later, the read out will go from "2 hours left" (or whatever) back up to the charge it truly holds ("8 hours left"). I have run it on a number of consecutive days to discover that it does run the player for almost 9 or 10 hours, TOTAL, over a period of 2 or 3 days. The defect is not in the charge-holding capacity, but in the READING of the charge. And now for my two bad experiences: First, the battery fritzed out after about a week. I returned it to Amazon immediately, and received a replacement. Thanks Amazon! Now, about four months later, the headphone output socket is on the fritz. I have tried three headphones plugged all the way in, and the sound is intermittent. I can only get a "clean" sound when the jack is plugged only part way. This is unacceptable. Still, because I do love the product itself (when it works), I am in the process or requesting an RMA from SonicBlue for an exchange. But for these glitches, I'd give it five stars. If the next one goes bad, I'll wait for the next generation.
Rating: 
Summary: Beware the battery
Review: I am generally skeptical of rechargable batteries in consumer electronics. My worries were upheld with the Rio 800. Properly calibrating the battery nonetheless led to erroneous power readings and low..low..low battery life (~2 hours, 10 advertised).
The screen seems positioned a bit offcenter, making certain menu items frustrating to read. In addition there were dust particles on the inside of the case, impossible to remove. On the plus side, the sound quality is very good and the earphones better than expected. The unit seems sturdy, but in my mind not worth such hassles at such a price.
Rating:
Summary: No problem
Review: I find that there is no problem with this RIO 800 I have owned the product for about 3 months now, and os far everything works very well, it very durable, very compact, and plays great quility music... I would highly reccommend this product to ANYONE in the market for any type of music player
Rating:
Summary: poor quality electronics and customer service
Review: Like many of the other purchasers of the Rio 800 I have encountered battery problems that in my case began a few weeks after use. Even after correct calibration in the beginning I'm lucky if the battery lasts 2 hours now. Just now after 6 weeks the headphones only give sound on one side. If you try calling Rio for customer service by phone remember to have a meal available while you wait for an answer. In the distant past I remember being quite pleased with the player originally but if it doesn't work who cares about its features and sound quality.
Rating:
Summary: Sell your sonicblue stock
Review: Was it a name change or did Diamond sell the RIO to sonicblue? I ask because I have a RIO500 which is great, but my 800 is not.
Whatever the case, their RIO800 is not good. The battery is a joke, the sound starts off OK, but on my most recent unit after about 2 months (#2 after returning the first defective one), it now plays great metallic static but no music.
Their web site is useless, and their customer service consists of an automated email reply which says they will get to your request in several business days (it's been 8 so far). Do yourself a favor and stay away from sonicblue.
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