Rio S35S Sport Digital Audio Player

[Archived in $100 - $200, Audio, Over 65 MB MP3 Players, Products, Rio]

Manufacturer: Rio
Price at amazon.com: Used & new from $85.00

List price $129.95



Product Features:

• 128 MB on-board memory; expandable up to 256 MB via MMC cards
• Supports MP3 or WMA files; upgradeable for future music formats; PC and Mac compatible
• Integrated FM tuner, clock, and stopwatch; water and impact resistant
• Up to 10 hours' playback on one AAA battery; accepts NiMH rechargeables
• Includes earbuds, carry case with clip and armband, AAA battery, USB cable, and music management software

Product Description:

Designed with the athlete in mind, this compact Rio MP3 player provides rugged durability and up to two hours of skip-free music. Store and play MP3 and WMA digital music files with 128 MB of built-in memory, or listen to your favorite radio station with the integrated FM tuner. Advanced navigation and a large, backlit display make finding songs and artists simple, while the USB connection and Rio Music Manager software provide quick and easy music file transfers. Perfect for the gym, it has a built-in clock and stopwatch and up to 10 hours of battery life. Packaged with incredible software to help you organize your music, including RealOne, iTunes, and MoodLogic software to create mixes for 100 tracks. Upgradable to 256 MB using MMC memory cards (not included). Includes sport earphones, carrying case with belt clip, adjustable sport armband, one AAA battery, and USB cable. PC and Mac compatible.
From the Manufacturer Designed for athletes, the RioSPORT S35S is built to withstand the elements. This rugged, durable player holds up to 4 hours of skip-free music, supports MP3 and WMA files and the 128 MB internal memory is upgradeable to 640 MB using SDTM or MMCTM memory card. Includes sport armband, belt-clip and has a built-in FM tuner, clock and stopwatch.

Description from Manufacturer:Designed with the athlete in mind, this compact Rio MP3 player provides rugged durability and up to two hours of skip-free music. Store and play MP3 and WMA digital music files with 128 MB of built-in memory, or listen to your favorite radio station with the integrated FM tuner. Advanced navigation and a large, backlit display make finding songs and artists simple, while the USB connection and Rio Music Manager software provide quick and easy music file transfers. Perfect for the gym, it has a built-in clock and stopwatch and up to 10 hours of battery life. Packaged with incredible software to help you organize your music, including RealOne, iTunes, and MoodLogic software to create mixes for 100 tracks. Upgradable to 256 MB using MMC memory cards (not included). Includes sport earphones, carrying case with belt clip, adjustable sport armband, one AAA battery, and USB cable. PC and Mac compatible.Average Customer Rating:

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Comment: A nice little flash player Rating:
This is a good bargain player with about a 30-song capacity. It's very easy to trade music in and out -- the supplied software is just fine, and it also works well with the Musicmatch Jukebox package. It's not comparable to a hard-drive player, but it's a good little flash memory machine, with decent battery life.

The accessories are, as others have noted, terrible. The case doesn't fit, and the headphones are the worst I've ever come across. I sliced off the top of the case to unblock the buttons and still use the clip part, which I've found sturdy enough, and, with my own decent set of 'phones, it's a good item for the money.

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Comment: I LOVE IT!!!! Rating:
After spending a lot of time searching for a MP3 player I opt for the Sonicblue. My thoughts are as follows:

1. I agree with everyone about the radio reception. It [is bad], but I mainly use the player for mp3s so it's a small complaint for me.

2. Customer service also [is bad] but I've only used it twice.

3. The player sounds great. I switched headphones and the music is awesome. It also can play WMA format so you can store a lot more than using MP3s.

4. Transfering music is fast and easy.

5. I reccomend getting NiMH rechargeable batteries. You can chose the battery type in the menu of the player from alkaline, NiCD, or NiMH.

6. The extra features on the player (stopwatch, bookmark, upgradeable firmware, lock feature, etc.) makes it worth the money.

7. The armband may not be for everyone but you can make your own from a velcro strap because of the belt holster that comes with it. I have no problems with the arm band.

I actually would give it a 4.5 because of the radio tuner but if I had to do it again, I would buy it.

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Comment: Big sound out of a small package Rating:
I have owned this item for close to a year now and I have been nothing but happy with this device.

I think that this MP3 player is very well laid out. I run quite a bit and it is very easy for me to skip through songs and adjust the volume while the unit is strapped to my arm. The arm band that this player comes with holds the MP3 player very well, and leaves all buttons exposed so they are very easy to access.

The sound quality it one of the best I've heard from a MP3 player. I recently purchased an IPOD Mini and I still find myself going back to this Rio to listen to during my workouts. I feel that the sound quality of this device is steps above the IPOD.

The battery life is also impressive. It takes 1 AAA battery which lasts me a few weeks with moderate use (an hour every other day).

The software it comes with is decent but not the best I've seen, but it gets the job done and it isn't difficult at all to transfer songs to the MP3 player.

I only had one issue. When I first bought the player it would sometimes automatically pause after certain songs were played. I simply went to Rio's web site and updated the firmware, and I haven't had the problem since.

It's been about a year and I still can highly recommend this device. It's easy to use and sounds great.

Posted at November 11, 2003 06:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)