Customer reviews for Rio 90260558
Ratings
Category: Electronics
Brand: Rio
Model: 90260558
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
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Rio 90260558 Review by Carter "Carter" (New York, NY USA)
Like anything, this just takes a little getting used to. It's my first MP3 player and I've overall been really happy with it.
An anecdote - one thing I noticed on my player was that you really have to push to get the headphones in all the way. I thought the player was broken as the sound quality was tinny and metallic - I was scouring the internet for hours to see if anyone else had experienced the same problem - I was about to send the thing back. Turns out I simply hadn't pushed the headphone jack in all the way. My friends still haven't let me live that one down...
Pros:
- Extendable memory
- Looks great
- Stopwatch
- FM Radio
- Easy to use menu
- Good display
- Good battery life
- Software easy to install and use
- Armband is good
Cons:
- Headphones are cheap (good enough for running with though as they hook nicely over your ears)
- Stopwatch only shows last two laps and takes a bit of getting used to
- Carry clip needs to be bent into shape otherwise the player will fall out
- USB cover will get lost after two minutes of owning it
- Designed for righties
- Only plays certain file types (it won't accept a lot of the RealPlayer formats - you'll have to use Windows Media format or MP3)
Rio 90260558 Review by J. Qiu (San Diego, CA)
Before I graded the firmware to 1.33 (properly), the player was almost unusable (very poor FM reception). Unfortunately the upgrade instruction from the downloaded firmware file is INCORRECT. Just when I was ready to return it, I called the support line and got the CORRECT instruction to upgrade the firmware which made a HUGE difference. Now the FM reception is as good as my Sony Walman (which is acceptable). Here is the instruction:
1. remove the battery for 20min to drain the power, then reinstall.
2. press and hold the menu button while turning on the power. The display should now show "upgrade".
3. Connect the USB and run the upgrade program.
4. After the player shows "Idle", disconnect the USB. It will now turn off itself.
5. Turn on and reconfigure the player.
Note: this upgrade procedure will erase all user settings.
It gets a 4 star, because it still shuts down from time to time. Hopefully it won't get worse. (...).
Rio 90260558 Review by sure_shot (Phoenix, AZ)
I've spent about 4 days with a 256mb Forge, and find the features better than any other player. I wanted an iRiver flash player, but have an investment in SD cards from my Palm T3. I like the quality and software that I've experienced with an iRiver and this is my first Rio of any kind. My final decision is why pay the same for an iRiver when this has the same memory, but I can add SD cards?
I wont go into the obvious details; the product description does that.
The contoured shape is interesting and sometimes I'm not sure how to hold it. The D-pad controls seem to be better than the iRiver, not having ever held the iRiver, but its very PDA-like. Running on a AAA battery, the unit is incredibly small and delivers a claimed 20hrs. Its a trade off for the iRivers AA battery claim of 40. I haven't needed to change the battery yet, but it is definitely on track to reaching that claim.
I listen to recorded radio shows like Howard Stern and require the resume features in any player. The same requirement would be for Audible users I would imagine. The resume features are excellent. By default, it remembers the track and location at every shutdown. You can also create 10+ bookmarks for various locations.
The build quality is only OK. It looks good in pictures; solid, made of metal. In reality, its not the most durable handheld device I own. In addition, the flashy chrome looks good, but is distracting trying to read the already curvy, reflective screen. I find myself changing the angle to see the screen trying to avoid reflections. I'm also concerned the chrome will peel off in a few months.
The backlight is great; a nice even white while lighting up the controls in red. I like blue backlights, but this is a nice change for a modern look. The UI is great also, very much like my iPod, especially for such a small screen. Apple has forced manufacturers to make usablility much better.
I have had 3 issues so far:
1. Once it calaimed that my 512mb Lexar was full when it was far from it. I attribute it to the dual purpose use with a Palm PDA, so I formatted it for a clean filesystem. No problems since.
2. Occaisionally, it would reset itself, and lose my place in my track. I think is that the battery is not tight enough in the compartment, disconnecting power with a moderate bump. I stretched the spring a bit for a tighter fit. That should fix it.
3. It would not recognize the device on a Windows XP SP2 machine, but was recognized on a SP1 machine, so that may be a SP2 issue.
Overall, I would recommend it if you like the features. That is exactly why I'm willing to work through the small issues. There is nothing else that matches it feature for feature for the money.
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Rio 90260558::Description
Rio Forge 256MB Sport MP3 Player
Rio 90260558 : Limited time offer!
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