Rating: 
Summary: It's OK, but..............
Review: I had bought my Rio 800 in July of 2001 and like many of the reviewers, I have had problems with it. The battery died after 5 months, also I had the thing replaced 3 times (for various reasons)! It is so delicate, that if you first drop it (without it being in the case), you won't hear anything. The headphones were OK, but get different headphones because they are so uncomfortable in the ears. I had sent it back in January 2002 and it took 2 months to get both parts!!! So far it's working great, since Rio has improved it's player. I love it anyway, despite how many times I had to replace it and how long I had to wait for a new one after I sent it back.
Rating: 
Summary: OVERRATED
Review: This product, and all products from Rio or Sonicblue, is overrated. For the money spent the product is less than satisfactory. The unit itself is made from thin ... plastic that can easily break, it is notorious for having power problems with its backpacks,you get ... unreliable headphones, the hardware and software do not always recognize each other when installing on the PC harddrive, incredibly poor customer service. Oh yeah, you have to buy memory expansion backpacks from them as opposed to the smart media cards that most mp3 players and portable electronics use now. The only thing good about this Rio 800 is its attractive design and backlit LCD display. Buy an mp3 player from a more reliable company; like the Techno Yepp or Pendant Yepp from Samsung which are comparably priced. Or, splurge and get the Sony mp3 Network Walkman. Don't let the "professional" magazine reviews fool you.
Rating: 
Summary: Big Expectations. . .And a Big Disappointment!
Review: I am on my third 800 Extreme (last two were remanufactured replacements under the warranty.) Let me first say that the product is superbly designed. However, the execution is extremely poor. It does not turn on most times (I have to take the battery pack off and reset the MP3 player), sometimes it won't turn off, some times it freezes on a song. The battery life which is rated for 12 hours has lasted from 4 hours to literally just two songs before the battery failed!!! In addition, the software is very buggy. It hangs up telling me that it does not have enough memory (it does), it can't fidn the player (it hooked up!), it tells me that there is no external memory ... and it generally hangs up for no reason. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Smooth as silk!
Review: I've worked with computers and networks for many years but had never ventured into the world of portable audio (i.e., MP3) until May of this year. I had read many negative reviews of the Rio 800 (mainly problems with the rechargeable battery and firmware upgrade)and hesitated to buy it but it was one of a very few that is compatible with Audible.com downloadable books so I decided to take a chance. I rec'd it yesterday and looked over the quick-start instructions. The first order of business is to properly calibrate and charge the battery. I think this may be where a lot of problems can occur. I followed the instructions and left the unit on charge overnight. The next morning, though bleary-eyed, I installed the software (instructions say you MUST do this BEFORE attaching the Rio to your computer), then plugged in the Rio and turned it on. My computer (Dell Inspiron 5000 running Win98SE) had no problem installing this new USB device. That was encouraging! Then I launched Audible Manager (software for downloading audio books from audible.com). It immediately detected that the device was "ready" but that a firmware upgrade was needed before I could download my book. I followed the onscreen instructions for upgrading the firmware and that also went very smoothly. No reboots required (except possibly at the beginning...don't remember). After the firmware was upgraded I was able to download a 6 hour book into the Rio with room to spare in its memory (128MB). Using the menu on the Rio itself is a bit of a challenge but not difficult to overcome. My biggest problem was being able to see the screen as the factory default for the contrast is extremely low. Happily, I was able to change this (which may well impact the amount of battery time...we'll see). Playing it couldn't be easier and the sound quality was very good. I haven't yet downloaded any music but that will definitely be in the future. I'll report back if the battery ends up giving me any problems. As it stands now, I highly recommend this unit!
Rating: 
Summary: Another love hate relationship
Review: The Hate Part.
I have had my RIO 800 (64MB) about 14 months. I had the usual battery problems and total failure of unit problems and the manufacturers support much like the Microsoft helicopter joke "accurate but totally usless". Eventualy I found a sympathetic ear at Sonic Blue he got my unit repaired and shipped back to after about 6 weeks of waiting. He also provide me with the back of an old RIO 600 unit which uses a standard AA battery.The Love Part This is a great unit for exercise holds about 45 minutes of music in 64MB and is easy to upload with Windows Media Player. I dumped the original headset and bought a Sony MDR-NC5 noise cancelling headset which is great in a noisy environment including commercial flights. The unit has proven reliable after the initial problems. This is my second Rio (RIO 300)and I like the product even with it's limitations and poor support.
Rating:
Summary: Whew! Rio 800 is working fine..........
Review: I bought my Rio 800 on April 5th 2002. I usually do extensive review perusing before I purchase an expensive electronic item. The Rio was an execption. It was a Friday afternoon spur of the moment purchase. A bit later I read the extremely low ratings for the 800. I was sure I had just thrown my money into a pit! I am pleased to say that one month and 1/2 later the unit is working extremely well. Battery life has been reasonably close to the estimates. The unit is shipped with a Rio version of Real Jukebox. You can go to Rio's site and download the driver for Windows Media Player. I prefer the Windows Media Player interface. Transfer rates are much slower with Windows Media Player. So I am sticking with Real Jukebox for now. My favorite use: connecting the Rio VIA AN AUDIO OUTPUT CABLE directly into the stereo. Comes in handy in case your friends have a lot of lame music. Just hook up your Rio to their stereo and ROCK ON!
Rating:
Summary: RIO 600-800 32 mbytes to 384 mbytes
Review: I have a RIO 600 with 64 Mbytes and external 64 mb. I have a RIO 800 with 32 mbytes and external 128 mbyte. I have a RIO 800 Xtream with 384 mbytes(256 internal and 128 external). I had a problem with batteries and disregarding instructions from SonicBlue, I installed an Nimh 1800 mah AA batteries in all three. I have a couple of spare backpacks but have only done initial charge on them. I purchased these in December 2001 and got straight in January. I have converted from MP3 to WMA and this gives me so much more time it is rediculus. I have a 6 part book in 7 hour increments plus 5 other books loaded on the extreme and then in the external I have 72 wma music files which I converted from MP3 at 128 KBPS to 48 KBPS in WMA. I use the two 64 Megs unit for my daughter who drives 45 miles to work and then back each day. She plays it through tape player on the car system and really enjoys. She gets two weeks from each load. My wife has the 32 meg/128 meg and she likes to walk. She enjoys the books from audible.com but I snag a few songs on there for a change up. They get by with one recharge per week while I usually need two or more. We took them on a two week vacation and we had plenty for the trip. I thought about loading the spare backpacks to take along but turned out we didn't need any more. I have a hewlett packard that came with a 1.1 GHZ P4 and Windows 95 which I have upgraded to 1.7 GHZ P4 and Windows XP. Added a 17.4 inch TFT and I use RIO Audio Software and Audible.com manager. I keep a set of music as MP3 @ 128 and a set as WMA at 48. I have to say these are very hardy pieces since I have dropped the Extreme a dozen times or more while working out at the Gym and once in the parking lot. It bounces but didn't break. I don't want that you should do this cause yours might not be as lucky as mine. I have gone through several chargers and have not experienced the problems charged to them. I can't specifically recommend that you replace SonicBlues battery cause they tell us that we should not and I have probably lost any warrantee claims I might have used but I haven't had any problem since changing and doing the 5 hr charge.
Rating:
Summary: good things to say about SonicBlue Rio 800 128MB
Review: I have read so many bad reviews of the Rio 800's battery problems that I almost cancelled my order. But it had so many good points (good price for 128MB + ability to voice record + accessories that come with it + design + positive editorial reviews), that I decided to try it anyway. At the moment, I'm thrilled (but still holding my breath) and wanted to send some positive feedback to tip it's rating scale. I followed instructions PRECISELY on calibration. I did not need the v1.55 update because mine came with it (although, I have now been informed by SonicBlue that there is a v1.56, which I will download). Mine also came with the new power charger/ac adapter. I found the directions straight forward and easy to understand and execute. The first re-charge worked perfectly and far more quickly than I had expected from other reviewers comments.
PROs: sound is great - holds about 35 mp3 files - very compact & well-designed and carrying case is great & well thought-out so that it doesn't interfere with the player's functions - although not the originally stated 9 hours of running time, it does run about 6 (they now advertise it as 4 hours) - it seems to be everything I was looking for at a very good price (for 128MB, that is) - any support questions I've had about the product (mostly through email) have always been promptly and efficiently responded to
CONs: display, although large, accommodates so much information that it is hard to read - I had to set the back-lighting to stay on all the time in order to be able to read it - controls are a little hard to operate, at least for a woman with long fingernails
If this product keeps functioning as it has so far for me, I love it!!
Rating:
Summary: Difficult at first
Review: Initially I thought, like many people this would be easy, I was wrong for the first 5 hours. It does take 5 hours to charge initially, that is before you do ANYTHING at all. A warning do not shut off the player during this 5 hours or you will have to start over. It's a bit of a pain but you never have to do it again. The headphones are awful unless you are bald. They are uncomfortable, they pull your hair like a dull razor, throw them out! Software. You unfortunately have to use Realjukebox and at first it was confusing. Just remember when you are copying to your player, to initiate transfer after you have copied the list, you have to go up to tools and select 'begin transfer' (at least I think that's the button). Otherwise the software is pretty easy to use. If you get confused read the online instructions. It is smooth sailing from then on unless you have big fingers. I found the memory to be a little too small for my needs I have roughly 40 Mp3s. It's a good size I almost bought a bigger model with 10gigs, but I figure I've got it on the computer the transfer rate is relatively quick. Enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Battery problems, poor interface
Review: The Rio has very serious battery problems. The first unit I got couldn't hold a charge, so I returned it and received another one which couldn't hold a charge. This even after I had received a new adapter of the type recommended by Sonic Blue. Besides the battery performance, the interface was difficult to use and non-intuitive. It was never really clear to me that the center button functioned as an "OK" or "select" button - maybe it should have been labelled. I would also stay from this product for other reasons. The first one I got didn't play sound to the right earphone, even when I changed headphones. Overall, a very disappointing experience. I would never buy a SonicBlue product again.
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