gooberpyle's Full Review: Rio Nitrus Street (1.5 GB) MP3 Player
The Rio Nitrus looks great and it's small and light. It fits in your shirt pocket and the weight is hardly noticible.
I really liked the idea of such a small player holding so many recordings. My listening preference leans toward audio books, language lessons, old time radio shows, and the occasional bluegrass or oldies rock music.
With this player I could store an entire week of listening.
But sadly, I never got to enjoy using it longer than about an hour. That was how long the player worked before locking up and displaying the message "upgrade" on the display.
I visited the company website. A link was given for two forums which cater to the users of mp3 players sold by Rio.
I tried using the support offered by Rio but no indication of my problem was listed so I utilized the forums.
Disclaimer from Rio:
"Many Rio users discuss their players and how they use them online in discussion groups or forums. The forums are not the property or under the control of Rio Audio, and we do not take responsibility for the content within. However, we do read and often respond within these forums. The forums are a great resource for the new user or the inspired enthusiast."
What I learned on the forums were several ways of fixing the "upgrade" problem.
One methed which was offered by an employee of Rio, suggested the owner should lightly tap the base of the player in your hand. That reminds me of a famous movie in which the space craft pilot slapped the control panel and restarted the engines. Slapping doesn't really work. Even for machines.
Other methods involved unsoldering the battery, removing it, and replacing it.
Yes, the battery is not meant to be removed by anyone but a qualified technician.
Translated, this means when the battery no longer holds a charge, you must return it to Rio for replacement. And you pay for this plus a new battery.
And all of the above to be done only if pressing a paperclip in the reset hole doesn't work.
Ironically, the majority of posts by Rio Nitrus owners were statements of regret and disappointment.
I returned mine. The salesman asked me if I wanted to exchange it for another. I declined.
Closing note: I wish I could have found an honest review when researching this product.
Oh yes...This is what people need to read when researching a product. Not all the specs, colors available, inside jokes to other Epinions members,etc. Real information.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 149.95 Recommended for: Audio Book Listeners - Download Audio Books and Radio Programs
1.5 GB HDD plays over 25 hours of MP3 of 50 hours of WMA music Includes Sennheiser earbuds 5-band adjustable equalizer with pre-sets 16-hours continuo...More at Amazon Marketplace
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