I was looking for a music source to use on my long runs (3 hours or more). Wanted something rugged, waterproof, and easy to use.

After reading the good reviews on here, I knew this was the one for me. Having had it for about a month now, it's even better than I was expecting.

It weighs practically nothing -- don't even notice it there, clipped to my water belt. It's controls are very easy to use, and I don't have to be looking at it head on to use the controls (as long as I don't have to change between FM and MP3 player, anyway).

It is very rugged, given the plastic holder it sits in. I dropped it on the pavement once, and can't see any sign on it of a scratch.

As others have noted, the FM receiver is very poor. Right in Orlando, I can get about 3 stations, and even they don't come in 100% clearly (on a car radio, would get at least 30 stations). Don't plan to use the FM, unless you're standing right under the transmitter!

The software for copying music files over from a PC is extremely easy to use. It took no reading of manuals, etc. to get it set up -- very intuitive. I had music downloaded within 5-10 min. of when I inserted the CD-ROM program.

At the 128 MB size, I can store about 2.5 hours of music. Am probably going to order the 256MB SD card to expand it to 3x what it has now. (Can get them on ebay for about $65 currently).

Some have criticized the headphones, so I went out and bought a "better" set for $10 at Wal Mart, but I would say they don't sound any better than the ones supplied with the unit (both are acceptable to me).

I also considered the Apple iPod, but was turned off by the reviews that said the non-user-replaceable battery goes bad in about a year, and requires payment of $250 to Apple for a new unit. Having been frustrated at having to buy a new battery for my cordless phone every year or so, I really didn't want to do that with my MP3 player. (The Rio uses a single AAA battery, and I've played it at least 10 hours and it's still going strong.)

Doubt anyone would be unhappy with this unit -- especially if you need something for sports use that can tolerate a little rain or sweat!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 155