Rio Sport S35S (128 MB) MP3 Player

Pros: Fantastic Sound Quality! Good Price. Highly Durable! Easy-to-use Software. Uses only ONE battery.
Cons: Volume output could be stronger.

I've had my Rio Sport for about 2 years. I've taken it across country (from California to South Carolina), I've dropped it, accidently sat on it, gotten it wet & it just keeps coming back for more! Other reviewers criticize the beltclip, and ...

Pros: Rio name, ease of use, design, belt clip, arm band
Cons: Battery life, memory, durability.

I bought the Rio Sport S35S about 2 years ago, during the whole MP3 craze. I needed an item that I could simply carry my music in a compact case, and look stylish and unique at the same time. Unfortunately, I did not do all of my research for this ...

Pros: Cute, large LCD display, extra memory slot, worry-free software, portable, reduced price
Cons: TERRIBLE manufacturing - breaks quickly, shoddy headphones, and CUSTOMER SUPPORT DOESN'T SUPPORT CUSTOMERS!

I bought this thing after extensive, grueling research on all contemporary mp3 players. After reading good recommendations from other epinioners I settled on this because it fit the largest mixture of my personal criteria: -Portability: I was going to ...

Pros: Good playback, fast interface, nice compact unit
Cons: Very susceptible to water damage, poor fm, poor customer support

Had the S35 for 3 months and loved the mp3 player. Good controls, fast interface (important if you want to scroll through 250+ songs with an add on SD card). The FM radio sucked big time but I didn't buy it for the radio. However, the unit got wet that fried the electronics. Rio certainly did not stand behind the product even though it was supposedly a "Sport" model and their customer service gave me the run around. Eventually offered to repair it for what $10 less than what I payed for it. I would be very careful buying another Rio product because of the lack of customer support.

Pros: Sound quality is ok.
Cons: Overall quality is a joke...a very bad joke.

This product lacks durability considering it is marketed as a sport model. The armband device is a bad joke. It is poorly made. The holes for the device switches are mis-aligned and it is very difficult to remove the player. The battery lid is very flimsy. The on/off switch is crude as is the volume control. Mine separated along a seam for no apparent reason rendering the unit virtually unusable. That was after 4 months. The quality of this product does not inspire confidence.

Pros: Everything is great about it!
Cons: None!

I must say, this is the best MP3 player I have owned. All the other ones I purchased couldn't hold up to my tests and seemed to break down after a couple of uses. This MP3 player has lasted!

It is very user-friendly and has many great functionalities. The sound quality is great, the buttons are perfectly placed, and the carrying pouch is very convenient. I love that I can see what song is coming next.

Pros: price, Size, uses 1 AAA battery, easy to use, FM radio, upgrade memory
Cons: anytime you change battery you need to reenter date and time. Cannot create playlists.

An MP3 for under $100 is great. It's durable and easy to use. It's small so it fits in your pocket or you can use the belt clip or the arm band. I love it! I use it when I go to the gym. Great MP3 for the athlete. The Rio Sport does have a lock button so if you accidentlly hit any buttons it won't skip or forward to the next song. The buttons are very sensitive so you will want to use the hold button. You can have about 10 to 12 songs for about 1 hour and 1/2 of music. I know you can upgrade the memory but I haven't done that yet.

Pros: Sound quality was great for this tin ear. Software was glitch-free.
Cons: Belt clip and holder are bogus. USB cable port is vulnerable to corrosive sweat.

You'd better be if purchasing this or any Rio product. My S35S worked great for about six months and died without warning. Going round and round with their customer "service" department for six months has resulted in no resolution to the fact that I'm still in possession of a dead Rio and a worthless warranty. From what I've read in other reviews my experience is not uncommon.
On the other hand I liked the S35S enough while it was still working that I bought one for my wife and hers is still functioning, at this moment anyway. I do know that when hers fails I won't waste any time trying to get Rio to ante up.

Pros: Lightweight, takes one small battery, easy software, good sound quality, holds a lot of tunes.
Cons: Headphones, poor radio reception (but could be due to interference in the gym)

This was my introduction to an MP3 player. I highly recommend this model to the moderate music fan. (Serious music lovers would probably appreciate a more elaborate player.) It has been trouble-free, and very easy to use. Also, the music downloads pretty quickly with the USB port.
As far as sound quality goes, I only notice that I have to turn up the volume on songs downloaded from my older CD's.
Also, I use my own sport headphones because the headphones that come with this player kept falling out of my ears. Otherwise, this is a really great product for the price.

Pros: The only player made for sports
Cons: The player can fly off your arm and break while running.

If I put this Rio’s armband directly on my skin, the player can come flying off the band. I dropped it twice by having it strapped to my shirtless arm. The second time it cracked open and I had to do surgery with a small screwdriver. I was never able to put it back together right. The control pad is misaligned and I have to press play about 10 times before it will respond. I was unable to get to a certain screw in the battery compartment that was popped loose in the accident.

I would say that this thing needs a much better arm band and heavier plastic and molding clips.

I am going to buy another one for my wife because this player is the only one made specially for sports. She will not have to learn the nasty little lesson I did. The problem is not enough tension on the armband. By keeping a shirt underneath the strap you can keep the player from flying off its armband during heavy activity. Its a good player, but just keep this in mind if you buy it.

Pros: Size, uses SD cards and AAA battery
Cons: With a large SD card, takes awhile to jump to specific songs.

Really happy with my S35. Best features are the size and portability, like the armband for when I run. Like that it uses a standard SD card which I can swap with my camera in a pinch. Also, it uses a single AAA battery which is easy to replace.

Pros: The player is incredibly durable. It is lightweight and comes with tough rubber case.
Cons: The headphones on this are a bit annoying. Buy new ones.

I've had this player for well over a year and spent twice as much on it. The price fell dramatically, but the product was well worth it. I jog often, lift weights, and take it on errands every now and then and have never been let down. There is a button lock on the player so don't be discouraged by the reviews. I was also a bit bummed at how sensitive the player was when bending and how the player would advance to another song, but soon discovered that you lock the buttons simply by scrolling through the menu.
This player never skips, easy to use software, and the tech support if needed is always available.
I've dropped the player approx. three times and it never misses a beat. The player gets sweat on it, turned on and off often, etc. and still keeps on going. If it had a problem now I would immediately get another one. Well worth the purchase for the active person.

Pros: small, that's it!
Cons: needs a button lock the functions are too sensitive for active lifestyle.

I used it one weekend snowboarding and was very bummed that I wasn't able to listen to my music without it skipping. I would have the music playing prior to getting on the ski lift, when bent over to tighten my bindings, the music would stop. I would have to be really careful not to move the wrong way or the super sensitive buttons would either advance to another song, pause or stop the music.

Pros: Lightweight, small, comes w/ useful accessories
Cons: Wastes battery life while uploading songs. Other than that, it's great

It's light weight and easy to run with. Easy to upload songs through USB cable. I would definitely recommend it!

Pros: Big screen, Great Value, and good sound for the money.
Cons: does not hold very many songs, AM/FM signal is weak, short battery life!

I really love it! The only thing was though that it didn't
hold as many song as I wanted. But I loved the AM/FM tuner and the info screen! Its great for the money and great for starters!