Customer Reviews

RCA S2102 2 GB Digital Media Player/FM Radio with Sports Features (Red)

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BACKGROUND: I was looking for a replacement for my iPod Shuffle that I had been using at the gym. It developed a short after less than a year of use so I wanted something designed for fitness. I found the RCA Jet series from CNET's guide, and it seemed like the best choice.

THE GOOD:

* Better than average sound
* Designed for fitness (sweat/splash resistant)
* Menus are similar to other mp3 players
* Comes with an armband

THE BAD:

* Navigation via the 5-way controller is less than optimal
* Music transfer with Windows Media Player doesn't work properly
* No support for playlists
* Included headphones are not comfortable

OVERALL: The RCA Jet 2102 is a sufficient mp3 player for fitness usage. If your needs aren't for active use, I would suggest the SanDisk Sansa Clip instead. My detailed usage based review follows.

SETUP: The Jet comes with a USB cable to connect to your computer (I'm using Windows Vista Home Premium). The first time you plug it in, it will prompt you to install the RCA Easy Rip software. My initial thought was to skip this and use Windows Media Player. I have used Windows Media Player for my Sandask mp3 players without issue, and I find this intuitive to use. The initial charge took nowhere near the three hours minimum advertised in the user guide. It was more like an hour and 15 minutes.

MUSIC TRANSFER: While I mentioned Windows Media Player above, you can also work with the Jet as a mass storage device much like you would a USB flash drive. Some people prefer to simply drag and drop files using Windows Explorer. I prefer Windows Media Player myself. I selected 1.5 Gb of music and transferred it over in a single sync. With USB 2.0 this was quick, and everything transferred successfully. I've since added some additional music with no issues. However, the Jet behaves a little odd for music transferred using Windows Media Player. If you navigate to an album, the songs appear in alphabetical order rather than in numerical order by track.

So, I wiped everything and started over using the RCA Easy Rip software. Transferring music using the RCA software has the desired behavior. This is very annoying to me as the UI for Easy Rip is poor compared to Windows Media Player. It is also interesting that you can create playlists and transfer music this way in Easy Rip, but the playlist is nowhere to be found on the device. The description of features and the user manual omit any discussion of playlist support for the Jet, and it would be better of Easy Rip didn't give the user the false impression that the Jet supports this feature.

SOUND QUALITY: The Jet does a better than average job with sound quality. With this being designed for fitness I wasn't expecting great sound. While it doesn't quite match the iPod Shuffle or Sandisk Sansa Clip, I don't have strict sound requirements for my workouts. The main thing for me is whether or not I can hear my music over the ambient noise of the gym (or traffic if I'm running outside). You will want to go into the settings and change the "Equalizer" setting appropriate to your music style. The default does not sound very good. However, the Jet isn't really targeted and audiophiles so if that's your main need you might want to look elsewhere.

USE/NAVIGATION: The menus on the Jet are similar to those on the SanDisk Sansa mp3 players, and it uses standard 5-way controls like an iPod Shuffle. The control has a bit of an odd design though. The fast-forward, reverse, volume up, and volume down controls are on a narrow outer ring. This makes the controls rather small and hard to press. I would like to have seen something easier to press and more responsive for a device targeted for fitness use.

The Jet approximates a playlist by allowing the user to add a song to "Favorites" by pressing the play/pause button during playback. The Favorites list plays back in the order in which you add the songs. RCA should really look at adding playlists.

One design item they have correct regards fitness usage. The USB port has a cover to keep moisture out of it. Both it and the headphone jack are located at the bottom of the player so that sweat is unlikely to run into this area. This is in addition to generally being sweat and splash resistant.

The fitness features are fairly cumbersome to use due to the difficulty in using the 5-way control. However, I would expect serious fitness users to have a heart rate monitor or sports watch that handles these features much better.

FIRMWARE UPGRADE: I saw that there was a firmware upgrade on the RCA site, and I thought that they might have fixed the song ordering with this so I decided to install it. I followed the instructions on the RCA support site for manual installation (note that the Jet must be in MSC mode rather than MTP). However this did not complete successfully. So I tried it again letting the Easy Rip software manage the process. It worked using this method. It seems that the trend is to use Easy Rip if you want things to behave properly.

ACCESSORIES: In addition to the USB cable, the Jet ships with earbuds and an armband. I have been using in-ear earbuds, and I found the included set incredibly uncomfortable. My experience also suggests that these will not stay in during heavy cardio activity. Luckily I still have the earbuds that I was using with my iPod. I wear the armband on my forearm because it feels like a boa constrictor on my bicep. However, it works just fine that way. The only concern I have is for how it will hold up as the attachments are leather (or something that looks like it), and I wonder if these might rot after absorbing sweat over time.

I had a Lyra from the same company that was literally indestructable. When it finally died (after about 7 years of continual use), I wanted to go with another RCA product.

Initially, I was thrilled with this MP3 player. It was tiny, had a shuffle feature, and was easy to use. However, the battery life was really short - it wouldn't even make it through a 2 hour workout (which is a standard length workout for me). After less than a month, it completely died.

Since it had received several good reviews, I thought that maybe I just received a bum unit. I ordered another one and ran into the same issues with battery life. This time, the unit lasted a whole 2 weeks before dying. RCA was no help with a warranty or anything.

Skip it!

Only had item for short time; concerned about arm strap connections not secure enough for fitness activity (i think a velcro strap would be better). I bought for sweat resistance feature....... luckily, early on I took it apart and FIXED the internal gasket/seal that was not seated properly during assembly. Software could be better if it let you more easiily alter existing playlists. All said, GREAT for the price!!!!