Sonic Blue Rio S35 128MB MP3 Player

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.

Customer...

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.

I finally received a replacement unit in April...

Pros: Size, design, controls, durability
Cons: battery life, battery placement

GREAT MP3 player. It's small, unobtrusive and sturdy. The armband works fine ... use it while runn ...

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.

Pros: Sound quality, size, weight
Cons: Tech support, reliability, robustness, breaks easily

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.

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...

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.

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.