Although Good, but it's not too practical
Written: Jun 20 '02 (Updated Jul 16 '02)
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Pros: Capacity, FM tuner, Large LCD, Jog Dial, easy user interface, rechargeable battery.
Cons: Misses versatility of hard drive, integrated battery, bulky, lacks USB 2.0 support.
The Bottom Line: Rio can do much better than that, especially with the interface and the features that are present with the Nomad Jukebox 3.
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| lavoisier's Full Review: Sonic Rio Riot 20 MB MP3 Player |
For those looking for a large capacity digital audio player without the bulk, there are many choices other than the Rio Riot, including the Creative Nomad Jukebox. But many users will find that the Creative Nomad Jukebox has the size of a portable CD player, which isn't ideal to carry around unless you have a backpack. The same problem goes with the MP3 compatible Discmans like the Rio Volt or TDK Mojo, only worse because they only have a capacity of 650MB and it translates to only 3.25% of the Riot's capacity. Besides, you need a CD Burner in order to take the full capability of those products. The Apple iPod redefines the size of a hard disk based digital audio player, but it is only Mac compatible (PC requires a 3rd Party software) and it requires a Firewire port. But the Rio Riot is different by using USB interface at the same time it has PC compatibility.
How does it compare to the Creative Nomad Jukebox 20GB?
The most direct competitor for the Rio Riot is the Creative Nomad Jukebox 20GB. As being a direct competitor, the Rio Riot has certain features that the Nomad Jukebox 20GB misses. One of which in particular is the FM tuner, which allows you to tune into any FM radio station for even a greater music pleasure whenever you get tired of your audio collection inside the player. Another of which is the longer battery life compared to the Creative Nomad Jukebox, because the Riot uses a Li-Ion battery rather than a Ni-MH battery for greater performance and longer use without recharging your battery or even replacing them in the long run. Then the Riot is smaller than the Creative Nomad Jukebox, which is smaller than a portable CD player, therefore it's much easier to carry wherever you go, not like the Creative Nomad Jukebox, where it's best to carry a shoulder bag or backpack along with the player, which can be very clumsy. Finally, the Creative Nomad Jukebox 20GB has a very small LCD just to control the playback and the interface is easy to use, but it's not as simplified as the Rio Riot. All this makes the Rio Riot a better value for the money and it could turn out to beat the Creative Nomad Jukebox 20GB on sales.
Features
The player features a 20GB hard drive to store up to 340 hours of music, which can really replace a CD changer in your car, it¡¦s like an endless supply of CDs in your car, road trip and even during your travel. With the internal rechargeable battery that is provided by the system, you can play up to 10 hours of audio without any fear of power loss. But if you frequently turn the player on and off, it the battery might be out even faster. The player also features a large backlit LCD display for controlling your playback; editing your playlist, categorize your tracks and many more. With the jog dial beside the LCD display, I can easily tune into the track that I would like to play and without the use of pressing the scroll buttons repeatedly in some players. Even controlling the volume and equalizer are also within easy reach and they're practically easy enough to really be used, even a kid or senior citizen can do this. Plus, with the hard drive, it does skip slightly, but it's basically negligible to really notice the skipping.
Plus, the FM tuner that is integrated into the audio player allows me to find my favorite track on the radio, so in case I feel kind of bored with my digital audio collection, I can tune into my favorite FM radio station to look for an alternative source of audio.
Plus, with the bundled headphone for the player, it may have certain quality issues as it only delivers a rather average audio quality. So as a result, I would recommend buying yourself a set of headphones, if you want a much better audio. However, if you do want to connect the Riot into a set of 2.1 speakers, like the Creative SoundWorks SW320 speaker system, you'll be pleasantly surprised at what those speakers could really do for you when they're connected to a digital audio player.
As a result, the possibilities are endless with this player, well almost. But I do wish that the player had the versatility of the iPod, where it could also be used as a hard drive to back up your files and many more. But I also wished that the Rio Riot would have a Four Point Surround Sound support.
What about the software though? Well for that, it includes the Real Player for the PC and iTunes for the Mac, along with the main drivers for the player. But here, I can manage what goes into the player and you can even see how much remaining space your player has in the hard drive. This is ideal for those who are experimenting on how much they can really place into the player.
Plus, the player supports either MP3 or WMA as audio formats, so I won't be out of date when I'm still using the player or even outgrow your player.
With the starter's guide in the package, it ensures that anyone can really use this player with ease and it's especially useful for anyone who has just started out on new technology.
With the power adapter, I can charge the batteries and even have endless playback time, without really sacrificing the quality of the audio at all.
Plus, the rechargeable batteries are integrated, so this means if you're not near a power supply, you might want to use this sparingly, as it doesn't provide a separate chamber for backup batteries.
The bundled carrying case makes it easy to carry my audio player wherever I go and the belt clip makes it easy to attach the player to my pants as easily as I place your cellular phone, which makes the carrying case a very useful feature.
But what I find on the downside with this player, is that it isn't as sleek as the Apple iPod and that it's much bulkier than the iPod too, which is one thing that I don't really want to place the Riot into my pockets at all. Even with the carry case, this player is rather bulky, thicker and heavier than the Game Boy Advance. Plus, since it only has USB 1.1 as its sole interface, uploading 20GB of audio from my computer can really take hours, instead of minutes with the USB 2.0 or IEEE 1394 (Firewire).
Conclusion
In conclusion, with the FM tuner of the player, longer run time with the batteries and an easier to use interface than the Creative Nomad Jukebox 20GB. But at a price of $300 it is a thing that you may want to consider if you should spend it or not. But for those who have a gigantic collection of audio files in their computer, then by all means, go for it, if you don't mind waiting for hours to completely dowload your collection to the jukebox. Otherwise the Archos 20GB or the Nomad Jukebox 3 (if using Firewire) are better choices.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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Epinions.com ID:
lavoisier
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Member: Hugh Jazz
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 180
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