Rio 500 64 MB USB MP3 Player (Gray)

by Rio

Product Features

• Supports Microsoft Windows PCs and Mac (iMac and G3)
• Skip-free design--no moving parts
• Automatic bookmarking features for listening to spoken audio
• Palm size for easy portability
• AudibleManager software for spoken audio content (Windows 9X only)

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Product Description

Amazon.com

This metallic gray Rio 500 stores up to two hours of digital-quality music and up to 32 hours of spoken audio programs. Rio 500 is also the first portable digital-audio player to support both the Macintosh (iMac and G3) and Windows 9X platforms. Access thousands of music and audio files at RioPort.com and over 16,000 hours of Audible.com audio programs. Instantly create, customize, and mix your favorite music and audio selections on your PC or Mac for playback. This lightweight unit plays skip-free music, as there are no moving parts. It's the perfect companion for active people on the go.

The Rio 500 contains an updated hardware design featuring easily accessible controls and a backlit display that shows song/book title, artist, time, and more. And it uses just a single AA battery for up to 13 hours of continuous play.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 109 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected November 22, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Electronics

This is my second plunge into the world of MP3 players and the experience has been considerably better than my first. The Rio 500 offers about as much as you could expect from an MP3 player these days (outside of the cheap headphones). The USB upload is considerably faster than the parallel ports that most MP3 players utilize. The sound is good and the software program that is included makes transferring audio from CD to the player a snap. Transferring downloaded files is just as easy. My only real complaint is the terrible directions/manual. Instillation of the drivers (Windows version) was not adequately explained. I'm somewhat of a computer geek so I figured it out in short order, but somebody unfamiliar with plug and play instillation could easily find themselves stuck with the player unable to communicate with his/her computer. Outside of that this player is, in my opinion, the best available.

117 of 119 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Device Terrible Technical Support and Documentation November 20, 1999

By Carol L. Riegel

Format:Electronics

I just purchased the Diamond Rio 500 and after you get it working it is super but don't look to Diamond for any kind of support. The technician I spoke to didn't even seem to know what a MP3 player was much less how it works. He referred me to a manual on the CD that doesn't exist and provided nonsense answers to my questions.

I purchased the Diamond Rio 500 for both music and Audible books. The Diamond technician stated it doesn't and never would work with audible books.

I was ready to return the Diamond Rio 500 to the store for a refund but I decided to call Audible first. The Audible receptionest was very helpful. I found out that the firm ware to run Audible books on the Diamond Rio and other MP3 portable devices is expected to be out the 2nd week of December.

They have a prototype Diamond Rio 500 and Audible's receptionest said the quality was excellent better than thier own player which can be purchased from them for $99.00.

The receptionist at Audible knew the answers to all of my questions about the Diamond Rio 500 even the ones unrelated to the Audible books. THE SAME QUESTIONS THAT THE DIAMOND TECHNICIAN COULDN'T ANSWER.

Thanks to Audible I have the Diamond Rio up and running and it is fantastic. I am anxiously waiting for the firm ware upgrade so I can listen to books while I exercise or do housework.

Due to the lack of documentation and support, I would not recomend this player to anyone without a lot of patience. Anyone who just wants to just "plug it in" and start using it is going to be disappointed.

86 of 87 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great purchase -- well worth it November 24, 2000

By Amy Battis

Format:Electronics

After researching and reviewing a number of mp3 players before making this purchase, I decided on the Diamond Rio 500, mainly for its 64megs of memory on board.

A week after the purchase, I could not be more impressed. Within 15 minutes of opening the box, I had the software and drivers installed and the first set of songs uploaded. I also upgraded the firmware from the Rio site, which gave me several more preferences and options (equalizer, program play, backlight options, etc.)

A few points for consideration when purchasing, which took me days to gather and confirm:

** I can get anywhere from 13 to 17 songs on the 64 megs on board. That is more than I expected, but I will be investing in a 64 meg Smart Card (which the Rio can accept once you upgrade the firmware) to have more songs at my disposal.

** The Rioport Audio Manager software (what you use to transfer songs to the player) is not great, but not nearly as bad as I had read. It is not intuitive and does not come with directions, so it's a trial and error thing. I will try MusicMatch or Real Jukebox to see if it's any easier.

** The player itself comes with very weak documentation. I suggest going to the Rio website and looking for the manual, which is slightly better. I usually learn hardware without the book anyway, but if you are manual-dependent, this may be a problem.

** I'm up to about 7 hours on my first battery, including 3 transfers of songs. This is not nearly the battery hog I expected it to be. I have purchased lithium batteries because I read that I can get more play time off them, but I'm still waiting for the first battery to die!

** The song quality is excellent, both with mp3s I've downloaded off the web and those I've converted from CD. I will complain about the headphones. Not because they mess up sound quality but because the pads keep falling off them! They aren't as comfortable as I prefer.

** I use the Rio for jogging/walking and 90 minutes of train travel to work every day. It is small, compact and impossible to make skip. It suits my needs (compact, ease of use, more mobile than a CD player) just fine. It has also been dropped once with no ill effects.

I could not be more pleased with this purchase, and highly recommend it for others looking for mp3 players!