Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Buy
Review: I've had my Chiba 128 since Nov-2003 and it has worked fantastic the whole time. I use it 5 days per week while working out.
I've used the Rio Manager tool for Windows and the Rioutil for Linux and both work great. Battery life is very good, which I supposed is due to no moving parts. The SD Card expansion is probably one of the best features of this unit. With the price of these cards dropping, you can continue to upgrade your capacity as you see fit. The only flaw I have found, which is probably more user error than anything, is when you have the unit stored in a bag or something similar, the lock needs to be on otherwise, the power button will be pressed and drain your battery. Simply setting this lock before storing has eliminated these user errors.
I highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a good, affordable, userfriendly mp3/wma player with expansion options.
Rating: 
Summary: Great flash based MP3 player for the price
Review: I've had this for about six months now, so I feel I can review it fairly accurately. It's a standard flash based MP3 player with 256 megs internal memory and an expansion slot.
Syncing isn't a problem, it goes fine using Media Player Nine or Ten (I have multiple devices that I need to sync, so I just always use Media Player--then I don't need to learn several different software suites).
The sound quality is fine, although I do reccomend buying better headphones for maybe 10-20 bucks--the bundled ones aren't all that good. Navigation in the player is a breeze, and the controls took me maybe 10 minutes to learn, if that, even before I read the manual. It's easy to go in and change any settings, set the time, etc. if you feel the need to do so. The manual that comes on CD is sufficient to teach you how to fully use your player. If only most computers and techie toys came with manuals like that--not elegent, but it gets the job done well.
Given how cheap even 512 memory cards have gotten, it's feasible to turn this into a 768 meg player real quick. Without a card, it holds about 65 songs at a 128 bit rate. It's not got the capacity of hard drive players, but it's cheaper, and it doesn't skip, which is good for those of us who tend to drop them, and/or use them during physical activity.
Battery life is great; I've been using it for 3 30 minutes bike sessions a week for over a month (although I have missed one or two), plus in between classes at college; haven't replaced it yet. The machine seems durable enough; it shrugged of a glancing blow when I dropped a 10 lb. plate on it in the gym (the plate slipped outta my hands while I was cleaning up) . It's not as solid as a rock, but stands up completly fine to day-to-day use.
If you want a good, inexpensive flash based player this is a solid choice
Rating:
Summary: Rio Chiba Review
Review: OK. I bought the Rio Chiba on Amazon.com and then quickly returned it. Before jumping to any conclusions, I returned it because I found it way cheaper on eBay for $105.00, brand spanking new with the UPC code. This MP3 player is more than I bargained for. For $105, I get 256mb of storage, portability, durability, and FM tuner. For these options, the price I paid for is a bargain. This MP3 player is perfect for those people on the go. I definitely prefer this over an Apple iPod or iPod mini or any "jukebox" players. Really, the real question when buying an MP3 player is, "does the battery life match the play length of the play?" I mean, why buy a player that can play 1,000 songs when the battery can only last up to the 75th song without recharging or changing the batteries. This MP3 player is quite easy to use. If you are confused with the player, then go back to "walkmans." The software to create lists is not hard as people say it is. Also, You can pretty much transfer songs from any computer. Battery life is pretty good at 18 hours max on 1 AAA battery. You would most likely change your headphones. They are pretty weak, especially when running. This is the only reason why i gave this MP3 player 4 stars. I recommend this player to those who don't want to spend $150 or more. I recommend this player for smart people. I also recommend for those that run around a lot. It's so durable that "extended warranty" plans doesn't really matter.
Rating: 
Summary: Its ok, but for 200 bucks...
Review: The sound is good, could be louder..and for 200 bucks they could have made it stronger, the battery lid comes off really easy, its amazing they cant get the most simple aspect of the machine right. Im taking it back tomorrow!
Rating:
Summary: Beginner or advanced MP3 player enthusiasts, this is gold!!!
Review: There are several reasons for my selection of this RIO as my player of choice and I will explain as best I can. So read this review in its entirety.Before ever owning the RIO Chiba 256M, the first MP3 player I had ever tried was indeed a RIO (the RIO 800 128M model before the new line of RIO MP3 players were recently put out on the market).The look and size was as instrumental in my choosing of any MP3 player back then (as it is now). I was frustrated with bulky discman CD players for years....because the bottom line is you CANNOT wear them without skipping at some point (no matter how long the anti-skip protection is) or major player instability while attached to your body. These were MAJOR issues for me. So it was no mystery that I sincerely enjoyed the RIO 128M model especially because of its SIZE and the wonderfully convenient BELT CLIP!! It turned out however that after using this 128 M RIO player for about a month I had found myself longing for more songs thereby larger internal memory.It was then that I visited the RIO website and discovered the new line of MP3 players with the RIO Chiba 256 soon to come out. I concluded 256M would be enough internal memory for me so while waiting for the RIO Chiba 256 to become available, I tried and subsequently returned MP3 players from IRiver, Samsung, RCA, and Creative Labs.All had plenty of "bells and whistles" for features but none had the shear small size advantage AND compactness (belt clip convenience) of the RIO 128M model I used to own. The general EASE OF USE(ridiculously easy), battery-life saving feature (all RIO players shut off within 5 minutes of inactivity by default), great sound quality via the more advanced graphic equalizer, as well as a very attractive blue-backlit LCD screen were other secondary but still significant advantages the RIO model had, those other players did not! When the RIO Chiba 256 finally did come out I purchased one without a second thought. And now I'd like to add something!All these reviews of "cheap this, cheap that" are frankly nausseating if not comical!!People, you do not purchase this or any MP3 player to lose sleep over "what material its made out of" or "what would happen if i dropped it compared to another model".Yes, this player is not made of some space age plastic or material but no MP3 player is.The reality is this player has SOLID construction. It is sold at 199.99 on the RIO website and not counting participating department store discounts(about 20 or 30 bucks) such as Circuit City, for a $200 dollar value you can rest assured you are getting something of good foundational quality)!AND it designed to be used and carried around LATCHED in the provided beltclip compartment.Once its secure in the beltclip compartment and latched on to you via your belt, there are no issues with battery compartment looseness and very little chance of the user dropping the player.Wow, imagine that...a beltclip,what a concept!!Yes indeed everyone is still clumsy at somepoint.Regardless I have dropped my model at least ten times since I purchased it, it remains in one piece AND the sound quality remains exceptionally!C'mon people, have a little practicality in your reviews!!! Ease of use is OK, however the included RIO MP3 transfer("ripping")software has ONE flaw, it doesn't recognize every MP3 or WMA music file you have.The solution to this problem is very simple.Uninstall the RIO software if you have already loaded it, then download and use Windows Media Player 9.0 for your Chiba's transfering needs.Windows Media Player 9.0 recognizes and plays EVERY music file,including all the ones the Real Player can.I find it to be of higher quality and more reliable than Real Player(in regards to suddenly shutting/closing down due to bugs in Windows XP). The best headphones for this player ARE NOT the included Senheisser earbuds, but rather Sony, the SON MDRW08L model to be exact.I would highly recommend you invest the $10 bucks these sell for. You will find out within 15 minutes of use why these are 5000 times more comfortable than the included "ear soreing" Senheissers not to mention complement your Chiba's graphic equalizer settings with ridiculously crystal clear sound(due to Neodynium magnets for sounddrivers in each earpiece). I have been using the Chiba for about 5 months now, I believe for beginners or advanced MP3 player enthusiasts alike RIO makes the best overall MP3 player on the market!!
Rating:
Summary: Superb Flash MP3 Player
Review: This is easily one of the best flash MP3 players.
I used the Chiba for about a month with no problems, but I needed more memory.
My favorite thing with the Chiba is the expansion slot. I added a 1GB SD card so now I have 20-40 hours of music in an extremely compact and ergonomic package!
It has a large backlit screen so you can easily see what you're listen to.
I couldn't be happier, great product.
Rating:
Summary: So easy to use!
Review: This is so easy to use. Just install the software, plug in the chiba, open Windows Media, and BOOM! transfer your music. doesn't get any easier. This little gadget is just as easy to listen to. The controls are super simple to figure out, the tuner works well (There are only 2 good stations in my area), but the reception isn't terrific inside. I like that the memory card is hidden away inside the battery compartment. The belt clip cover thingy isn't too attractive, but the Chiba is still easy to use when it's in it. I had to cut the hole in the case a bit larger to fit my headphones, but aside from that, no other modifications need be made. This little thing even has a stop watch! I had another player for a very short time, but the software refused to work with my computer. Not the chiba! If you look around, you can find this for a cheaper price than Amazon offers it for. It's well worth the $130 I paid for it. Lots of memory and it's expandable!
Rating:
Summary: Rio Chiba 256MB - Easy to use ( 1 hand) and sounds great.
Review: This unit Sounds great and is easly controled w/one hand while on the belt clip. No arm band provided though. includes FM stereo w/8 presets and manual tunning mode (yea). Headphones are in-ear type and sound very good: by way of comparison Sony MDR-G63 sportphones sound just slightly better. WinXP's Media Player 9 recognizes the Rio and can transfer songs, delete songs and format the player: but be careful as I somehow deleted all my songs once.
Included software seems OK (I only had the unit 24 hours.)
There's a firmware (software) upgrade available: The upgrade was
so easy I did'nt realize it was done and almost did it again.
256MB = about 60 songs at a 128-192bps (Medium high bitrate).
Now I just need a cheap SD mem card (It takes up to 1Meg of SD/MMC memory). And there's the rub. Once you get used to having your music on demand you'll wnat more, more, more.
I gave 4 stars only because I have nothing to compare it to.
MK
Rating: 
Summary: Cheap Construction
Review: This unit was in my possession for only 3 days. The battery cover constantly comes off and the battery will fall out. The interface and screen is pretty nice, as well as the button placement. Sound quality was also excellent. Its cheap construction cannot be overlooked. My unit's battery cover didn't even lineup correctly with the case. Pass on this one.
|
