Pros: Light weight, easy way to have portable music. No skipping. Great for runners! Cons: FM radio is worthless. Crappy earphones.
I walk or run an average of 15 miles each week. That's not very many, but it can get pretty boring when you are indoors on a treadmill. After a few months of rain and using the treadmill at my gym, I decided to get serious and add some music to my ...
Pros: Compact and Very Portable, Good Looking, Easy to Use, Sounds Great Cons: Earphones, Radio Quality, Expensive
Website states:
"Whether you're a weekend warrior or a serious athlete, good music can motivate you. The Rio S35S gives you up to four hours of skip-free music in a rugged, durable player. A large, backlight display lets you easily navigate by...
Pros: Relatively inexpensive quality sound for those fitness types! Ease of use! Costco sells it! Cons: No auto off feature, case could be easier to use
I was looking for something to use at the gym and ended up with this player. If you are looking for something you may drop, bang around or just go working out/running with, you should probably stick with a flash memory player (no moving parts) vs. a ...
Pros: Very small and light with good sound and a varied selection of sound effects. Cons: Poor battery life, expensive to use, cheap feeling battery door.
Rio S35S Blue Sonic is a ‘Rio’t.
Well, curiosity does get the best of me at times, especially with the latest electronics. I am always looking at the newest toys. It must be a guy thing. What I do find is that the latest is not...
Pros: Small, Expandable, Great Music Quality, Good Battery Life, No Moving Parts Cons: Exposed Proprietary USB Connector, Only One AAA Battery, Proprietary Software Required
This is The Best portable MP3 and WMA player designed for active usage and workouts that is currently available in mid-2003.
While the other reviews have done a great job expressing the Pros of the player, I would like to dedicate this review...
Pros: Innovative Design; intuitive menu system; expandable memory; integrated FM radio; good for exercise Cons: Inconsistent radio reception
The Player
The S35S has rubberized case and asymmetrical, ergonomic shape and at 2.5 by 2.75 by 0.8 inches and 2.2 ounces it is very portable and convenient to carry around. The player comes with over-the-ear headphones that are comfortable...
Pros: Nice lcd, FM radio & stopwatch, sturdy, great sound, intuitive menu. Cons: FM reception, headphones.
I traded in my Creative Nomad MuVo for the Rio S35S, with no regrets - and I'm one tough customer to please. Sonicblue may have had trouble with a few players in the past but this doesn't make all their products bad.
Pros: Small, expandable, arm-band, FM tuner, good online support community, frequent software updates Cons: Directory system for tracks needs work, awful headphones, not available at local stores
In truth I'm not the user of this device, but purchased it for my wife. She runs long distances and wanted a device to use while working out. We were not looking for a massive-capacity player, but 128MB seemed about right for most of her purposes....
Pros: Small, stylish, rugged, easy to use, GREAT for workouts! Cons: Headphones malfunctioned straight out of box, but who cares?
This is my first portable MP3 player, and I needed something that would be suited for my workout. Truth be told, I couldn't be happier! The software it came with makes it incredibly easy to rip songs from your CD collection, fix their ID tags, and upload...
Pros: Great for listening to those MP3's while working out (or out working) Cons: None really; only minor gripes about battery and headphones
The Sonic Blue S35S is what you want if you are looking for a small, lightweight, and durable MP3 player. It has a 128 MB memory card, which means it is by definition skip free and holds about two hours' worth of CD-quality music (bitrate: 128 kbps)....
Pros: small, lightweight, easy to use, doesn't skip, cute, Cons: no rechargeable battery, headphones crackle sometimes, cost of memory cards
I wanted a portable mp3 for the gym. Although I would like to have my whole music collection at my fingertips, every other machine I tried was too heavy, or had only a neck band etc.
This machine is PERFECT. It is small, lightweight, clips to your...
Pros: Lightweight, Easy to use, sufficient battery life, tough and durable Cons: Not enough memory, cheap headphones, poor FM radio.
This player turned out to be a pretty good investment. However, 128 mb wasn't enough so I soon found myself investing in a 256 mb sd card. The main reason I won't be keeping this mp3 player is that it just doesn't have enough memory for me. You can only ...
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,...
Pros: Expandable Memory. Lightweight, yet Solid.
Cons: Included Headphones questionable. No advanced filing system.
While searching for an MP3 Player for working out, I came across the RioSport S35S. I was thoroughly impressed with SonicBlue's latest offering. They were able to include many features including expandable memory, an FM tuner, and Solid Design.
...
Pros: Small, expandable, lightweight, relatively rugged, well thought-out display, am/fm flexibility, and efficient power use. Cons: No am/fm or voice recording. Accepts rechargeable batteries, but doesn't allow recharging while in unit.
I remember, as a child, going to a local retailer and spending $100 on a "portable" music system. I may be giving away my age, but it was a 7lb. am/fm radio with 8-track player that required 8 D-cell batteries when not plugged into an 110v outlet. Having...
Pros: Good idea, looks tough, good display, user-friendly controls Cons: Hard to reach non-rechargeable battery, low-quality inconvenient belt clip, useless wrist strap, bad software support.
My biggest complaint against this product is that it's the only hardware I've ever seen that doesn't have drivers to download from the manufacturer's website. They SELL drivers CDs instead. You can download a "Rio music manager" software but it WILL NOT...
Pros: compact, stable for active workouts Cons: headphone quality, no rechargeable battery, basic one-way file transfer software, exposed (corrosion prone) USB terminal.
After my wife stole my Sony MSNW-7 to use for her workouts, I found myself in need of another device ...
Pros: Won't Skip, Great Size and Great Sound. Cons: Expensive memory & buggy software
I bought this unit to replace my Sony mini-disc but it it's not that good. It's very good if you want a skip free unit for the gym but be mindful that the radio gets virtually no reception indoors. I can hold a total of 4 hours at 128 quality mp3 with...
Pros: light,compact ,produces better than the average player sound,You don't expect Ipod for this price.. Cons: You don't expect Ipod for this price..
cheap plastic parts,
256mb ram would be better
It's very convenient to carry around and when you do any physical activity . It is also very user-friendly and downlading songs from your computer is a breeze with the provided software.Lightweight and very good sound. I find the controls such as...
Pros: Size, Functions, Ease of Use, Upgradeable memory Cons: Button are TOO easy to pause/stop by accident, Ear phones are NOT comfortable
The two main reasons I purchased this unit was for using at the gym and while skiing. At the gym it's great, I can tune into the televisions with the FM Tuner, or use the MP3 for my own personal music. I used it this past weekend for skiing. The...
Pros: FM tuner, good memory,digital skip free music Cons: the WORST sounding headphones
I have the S30S witch has 64mb memory instead of 128mb.Otherwise its identical in features.Great player and I LOVE IT!!However the weak link would DEFINITLY be the headphones.They the sporty style that wrap around each ear.They are comfortable and...
Rio Sport 128MB Digital Music Player with FM tuner. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a serious athlete, good music can motivate you. The Rio S35S gives you up to four hours of skip-free music in a rugged, durable player. A large, backlight display...
Pros: Easy to use, simple and quick to add songs to player. Great for workouts Cons: Radio function, and the headphones that are included
I would buy this again without a doubt. The 35s is small, light weight, and very simple to use. On average it took around 10seconds for each song to transfer, and I stored 30(mp3, 128bit) songs on the installed memory. The radio was a bit of a let...
Pros: 1) Size and memory. Cons: 2) Terrible Headphones (Didn't work)
3) FM Reception is non-existent indoors.
I like the actual player; however, the product should not be shipped with headphones, since they either don't work (in my case), or sound terrible. Secondly, you need to be outdoors to get any kind of signal with the FM tuner.
Pros: good size, good starter Cons: Need to update with a connection faster than dial-up, FM doesn't work
I bought myself a Rio S35S for Christmas as my first MP3 player. Overall I was very happy, it was relatively inexpensive with all the perks I wanted. 6 months after purchasing it, all of a sudden it stopped working. The computer no longer recognized ...
Pros: Big memory, and potential for upgrade.
Tuner
Stopwatch.
Ergonomic design.
Good cost to performance ratio. Cons: Tuner could be boosted a little.
Headphones need to be upgraded.
I bought this MP3 player for my wife about 2 months ago so that she would have more fun going to the gym. She now goes to the gym every night and praises the MP3 player. I use it when I am training on my stationary bike. It has 12 tuner presets for FM...
Pros: Very small, light weight, durable, 128MB upgradeable to 256MB. Cons: CUSTOMER SERVICE is non-existent! BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK! Also, the headphones fit weird.
I was very excited to receive my Rio. I had researched the latest MP3 players and the Rio s35s appeared to be one of the better models of a fairly reasonable price. The software was very easy to load and I transfered my music to my Rio without a hitch....
Pros: Compact, FM Radio, Expandable Cons: Customer Support Very BAD !!!
I purchased the S35S in December 2002. I had it for a month and had to return it to SonicBlue because the unit froze on me. I was told to return the unit and all the accessories to SonicBlue.
Great little simple rugged unit by camcary ,Feb 22 '04
Pros: Rugged, easy to use, no skipping, inexpensive, memory expansion Cons: FM reception
I have had my player for three months and I love everything about it except the FM reception. Easy to use, sounds great, inexpensive $129 at Comp USA, rugged, doesn't skip and very simple to use. If your looking for a unit to work out with, this is the one. I can get 33 songs on the standard memory and have not yet had to buy a stick, but I am thinking about it. The battery lasts me about 10 hours, but I use recharge-ables which don't last as long as a regular battery. I took back the I-pod my wife bought me for Christmas for this one. The I pod was just too much for what I needed and I don't like the idea of a battery not being replaceable. Recommended. Yes.
I have been very disappointed with my S35. I had to send my first two back to Rio, and tech support was a pain. The third one they sent me worked maybe a month, at which point the warranty had expired. As of now, I get sound out of one head phone if the plug is all the way in, but if I move it about 2/3 of the way in I get sound out of both, but if the plug moves even a little I get no sound. The software is also not that great, but it does sync with Media Player which is nice.
When it works, it sounds great, and even makes my 32kbps files (which allows me to fit 9 hours) sound like almost 128 kbps.
I have had it delete my files a couple of times, and if I bump it too hard, it restarts as if I had pulled out the battery.
Pros: small, good sound, FM radio, stopwatch Cons: none
I got one and i was blown away, the sound quality is awesome, and it is so tiny, and the FM radio is cool. Plus, it has a stopwatch for people that run or exercise, it is the best one i have ever had, i iRiver mp3 player, i returned it, it wasn't very good, then i got his one, it's worth the price, you should buy it.
Hope you don't have problems... by apeeks1 ,Nov 18 '04
Pros: It worked after 5 minutes... Cons: WORST customer service ever...
CUSTOMER SERVICE. After the player kept resetting itself after pushing play, I continually contacted online support and received replies that were childish and ridiculous. I had to eventually call them and after being on the phone with them for over 30 minutes the person accidently hung up on me and I had to call back and was on the phone for over 60 minutes (NOT TOLL FREE). I asked them to reimburse me for the phone charges via regular mail they ignored my request. THIS IS THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED. However, they did send me a REFURBISHED player. I bought a new player and now they send me a refurbished player. Wow...what a huge disappointment. Take what you will from this review, but if anything goes wrong with your product you will experience problems...
Too many repairs not enough money to invest in the Rio company by snpsykes ,Feb 04 '04
Pros: Runs on Triple A Size Water Resistant FM Radio Cons: Expensive to upgrade Poorly constructed headphones that come with it.
I have now started on my 2nd unit on this player. The player produces great sound quality, it comes in handy for the most desolate places that I need music, the waterproof factor came in nice too. Only problem is, this is the 2nd unit I have went through, the construction and design of this mp3 player is not of the highest standards. Being that I am an active person, I thought the sport would be the choice for me, but within the first 30 days of owning my first S35 it had to be returned to the store because the volume buttons wouldn't work, after receiving a new unit in it's place I've come to discover that my power button on my 2nd unit no longer works, even after replacing a possible dead battery. I love the unit, I love the idea that I can take it basically anywhere with me, but I don't like the fact that for a sport mp3 player I have to handle it delicately or the buttons might stop functioning. I hope they've gotten their act together on their newer models.
Pros: NONE Cons: Too expensive, poor technical support, device lasted just under a year.
I purchased a RIO S35S for my husband who was in the Navy. I wanted him to have an MP3 player to listen to while he would go underway. This player lasted less than a year. It just stopped working. Trying to get any kind of support from RIO is a joke. I was given the same "solution" by three different people. I replied telling them the suggested action did not work. So someone else would send me the same exact email in reply. I wasted my money and time on this and will never, EVER buy RIO again!
Pros: Works with Windows Media Player. Small, light. Memory Expandable. Cons: FM reception is weak. Outer Case sometimes get in way
This is my first and only mp3 player. I was looking for something to workout with and did want FM radio ability. I am happy with everything about this player. I like that I did not have to install any extra software to load the player (it works directly with Windows Media Player). I do find it a bit difficult to remove the outer case (used to clip to belt) when I change the battery and the case makes the buttons a little hard to reach...but I do not press a lot of buttons while using it so not a big problem. FM reception is a bit weak, but it works well with the in-house broadcast at my gym for the televisions.
Pros: great sound qaulity, potable, light, attractive shape
Cons: only stores up to 40 songs
this mp3 player i like for its shape and size. Its great for listening to music on the move and with its backlight is great in the dark. the music is easy to find with its easy ey functions and control.
Awesome Player ... Could Not Do Without! by mariejordana ,Sep 23 '03
Pros: Super tough, compact, and light weight. Cons: FM/AM tuner could be better, but it is after all meant for mp3's.
This player is so great! It never skips while doing anything high impact. You can jump rope, run, or just walk with it when going to the store and it won't miss a beat.
I've been particularly rough with this player and not on purpose, but it's held up to its claims. I've dropped the player on a few occasions and lucky it had the durable rubber case provided on and it's been fine. Nearly a year of use and the player is still going strong.
Whether you intend to use this for exercise, or just leisure I think you'll find it to be very handy. The software is user-friendly, and on average I can fit about 20-23 songs on it. I would recommend this to anyone who loves music.
Pros: good all round player. good sound, size and beltclip.
Cons: durability is suspect...and people are right: the FM reception is sketchy
I've had this almost a year now...it's seen lots of gym time and a few mexico trips. I have a 256 meg SD card in it so it holds 87 songs. I was pretty happy with it but recently the hardware volume switch broke so that when I turn it on, it comes on at "24" out of "30", and I can only raise it louder, not soften it. I can't trace the malfunction to any misuse like dropping it. I checked with RIO and got a funky answer when I asked about sending it in for repair. I'm bummed. I hate to think it's trash, but it seems to be. You ought to at least have an option for repair after the warr. is up.
Will I buy another?...that's a big MAYBE right now.
Pros: Great Sound, Good Price, Nice Looking, Easy to Use! Cons: It is so light you have to look to see if it's there.
Yes this little GIANT of a MP3 Player does it all and in fine fashion. Small in size, but BIG ON SOUND. This little unit will become your favorite running companion. So Runners after you lace-them-up, just strap-it-on, turn-it-up, and BLAST-OFF.
Player used just twice at... by gymrat_dt3000 ,Feb 15 '03
Player used just twice at gym before falling from holder and hitting floor. Unit no longer functioned properly. Took nearly three weeks of repeated phone calls to speak to a cutomer rep. Took five days from time of faxing requested proof of purchase to response with return instructions.
Has been 1 month since unit returned and still no replacement. Horrible experience!
I dropped my Rio Sport... by dafry_dt3000 ,Feb 24 '03
I dropped my Rio Sport player after one month of owning it and cracked the display. The music plays; however, I can't see what is playing and cannot use the menu. I called customer service and they offered no assistance in the way of getting the player repaired. I've only had my player for 1 month and dropped it. I can imagine this would happen very often since it is a "Sport" player and the packing says "for your most extreme workout." There are even pictures of people jogging, rollerblading, mountain biking, and even skateboarding. Apparently this is not the case. If you want to use this for any athletic activity I would discourage it. I would not be half as upset if SonicBlue would help me get the item repaired, because the features are great and I enjoyed the product when it was working.
I am reviewing the arm band and sport functionality of this player. I have 18" arms and the arm strap fits great and is very comfortable. The Rio fits in a clear clamshell case that is made of a flexible plastic. This case can be cliped to your belt or on the armband. Because the case is soft it will not crack or break if you drop it. The player itself is made out of this soft plastic too. It will only protrude just over an inch. Not too ugly with the sport deep red color.
Transfer with USB is slow though... but it's the only thing on the market that you can put on your arm that has this many features and low price.
This player has the exact... by engine_dt3000 ,Feb 22 '03
This player has the exact spec that I was looking for but when I got it I was very disappointed. After less than 24 hours I had to return the product because the tuner didn’t work and the unit locked up frequently not to mention the fact that I almost completely drained the first battery in the first 2 hours of use.
BIG disappointment for such a promising product
The most practical. Get the... by blah!_dt3000 ,Feb 11 '03
The most practical. Get the extended memory for 4 hrs of playing time. I invested in rechargeable batteries. Make sure you have at least two. Only 15 hrs of playing time.
I really like this product.... by nj-alan_dt3000 ,Feb 12 '03
I really like this product. Its everything I hoped it would be. Excellent quality, good volume (to drown out extraneous sounds). Size and light weight are real important to me because its used almost totally at the gym. I once accidently replaced a battery in the reverse polarity position - in most devices - that wipes out memory - but it did not with the S35. That's real handy as I seem to do that every once in a while.
I'm satisfied with its compactability.The... by sugar_dt3000 ,Feb 24 '03
I'm satisfied with its compactability.The tuner works fairly well,but it can't move around a lot when its on the tuner because of static.I also like the back light on it (which is a blue light)it can come in handy if you are caught in the dark.The downloading is fast and easy,but you have to read up on it and install the software which is also fast.The sound quality is very good.But, you can't record your voice or mucic off the radio.And the battery drained in under 10 hours opposed to the specifications saying the battery life will last up to 10 hours.
My first MP3 player and I am not disappointed. I have the 128MB version and so far I have 40 songs on it and have capacity for more. It is sporty, robust (I have dropped it already), screen lights up which is excellent and the wrap around earpiece is great. It exceeded my expectations.
Ultra Sonic Aromatherapy Diffuser - Blue Aromatherapy - Spa - Home Fragrancing - Easy to use, safe and silent. Add water and your favorite essential oil or blends. - Several time & dispersion...
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.