Guys, I know there was a thread sometime back about mp3s and suitability for training use (I would use mine for warm up and stretching time) and I would like your recommendations based on experience. I was looking for an ipod mini but they are in short supply here in Vancouver, and I had the Rio carbon suggested as a viable alternative.
Now the mini has a 4 Gb capacity compared to the 5Gb of the Rio. The Rio carbon is 1/2 the depth of the mini and a 3/4 of the size, sligthly lighter too. I know of the benefits of the i tunes system but am unsure of the Rio’s system.
So mp3 guys, what are your recommendations and comments on the functions mentioned.
does anyone have the nike one on the armband?
I have the Carbon and love it. I download tunes from Walmart.com $.88 Only thing I don’t like is it has no good workout case.
J
Why do you guys get these huge things? Here is what I have…(128M but you can get 256) and it is an FM radio.
I’m not familiar with the new Rio. But, FWIW I think the mini is awsome. I wouldn’t want anything smaller. It’s ergonomically as close to perfect as you can get, the iTunes interface is fantastic. I am beyond impressed with it. The only complaint I have with it, and most MP3 players, is that the volume doesn’t go as high as I’d like. Then again, I’m over 50% deaf in my right ear. Seriously.
Mine isn’t that small but it is a PDA, phone, media player, has internet, messaging, email, games, and much much more…
Better yet - new MyFi portable XM radio: it is awesome! Have to pay a monthly fee, but still probably cheaper in the long run than downloading MP3 all the time and having the same playlist. 130 channels anywhere you want, all the time. Also comes with everything you need for a car conversion as well (if you don’t already have one in the car). Doesn’t cost much more than an iPod
Oh, I should probably add that you can stream music through the internet connection 
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Oh, I should probably add that you can stream music through the internet connection
Yes, you should. …and you should also add that it is too nice and too big to run/bike with. Face it HID, I have the smallest and best MP3 Player. Take it like a man.
I am not sure about the Rio Carbon but I had a Rio Forge. I think it is based on the same design. I broke 3 of them in about 1 1/2 months. I run with them on the treadmill a lot and I think they got sweat inside. The display on one of them fogged up. I ended up returning the Forge and got the Nike Audio player. It has a protective rubber case. I have had it for 3 months now and the headphones stopped working about 1 month ago. When I took off the foam covering there was some rust on the ear piece. Anything I attached to my body ends up falling apart for some reason…
Yo Monk… I don’t think that you have tha best…
I’ve had this one for almost 2 years…
thru rain, snow, sweat and bouncing in my gym bag… I can’t kill it (I wouldn’t mind either… cuz I got the replacement deal from best buy). I had 2 Rios that lasted about 6 weeks each.
I have one of the smaller Rios so I can’t make a direct comparison. But my daughters got iPod minis for Christmas and I have to say I have been mighty impressed with the iPod. You can assume any player is going to play the music you put into it. The big advantages the iPod has is the slick integration of the iTunes software, the iTunes store and the iPod itself plus the stellar usability of the player itself.
The Rio software is OK (I assume the Carbon comes with the same software). I had no problems with it until I saw iTunes but now I see its limitations. There really is no comparison. iTunes is simply several worlds apart in terms of making it easy to access and organize your music and while I have been a big fan of Walmart.com for music, after using the iTunes store, it really is better both in terms of selection and ease of use. Also, the “click wheel” on the iPod makes it really easy to scan through your music libarary and find the song you want to play.
There is something about the iPod that just makes you want to pick it up and use it. I’ve heard all the hype and was sceptical but after playing around with one, it is instantly obvious Apple really nailed the design.
Important Note: Any music you have purchased on line WILL NOT play on the iPod (unless it was purchased form iTunes). I think there is a work around by burning it to a disk than reloading it on the computer but watch out for this. If you have big library of purchased music, this may be what tips the scales for you towards Rio.
Spinning disks and running just don’t mix for me… unless you are talking about ultimate frisbee…
I had a RIO Cali which was fine, but I never really had an easy time using it (the interface, etc. just isn’t that intuitive…I work in the tech industry for Intel).
I actually bought the standard iPOD (20G) because it cost less than the mini and provided more storage. There is a really nice neoprene arm band available at www.xtrememac.com which is proving excellent for running and lifting and also seems to provide some nice protection for the player.
In short, this Intel guy is saying…Go buy the iPOD.
Cheers,
Jonathan C. Puskas
Thanks Jonathon & everyone else that chipped in their 2 cents. As I am not based in North America (currently) I shall not be buying Hid’s phone combo, Monk’s fm mp3 or the XM radio unit. It seems that the other Rios have reliability issues based on your experiences, are not too easy to download music onto and have a limited selection of accessories suitable for our lifestyles with this in mind I declare the ipod mini the winner. Also where is the best deal in my current locale (I have seen $339 cdn)?
Now who can tell me if I will experience download problems from my existing Cd/Mds or from my pc as I am not rich enough to have a mac!
Julian in Vancouver.
Yeah - luv ultimate, played in college.
I have both the Rio and the iPod. The flash media has limitation as to the variety of music you can easily have access to. Thus, I have the iPod because iTunes has so much more music. However, I train with the Rio as it is bulletproof (well almost, I have been through a couple - buy the extended warranty). I have had at least a half dozen or more of mp3 players, including the a couple of the Nike/Phillips products and the Rio has been the best performer.
My girlfriend uses it with my old PC laptop. No problems. Apple says you must use USB 2.0 or firewire but I’m using USB 1.0 just fine. It’s just slower than I’d like. To date we’ve only been using music ripped directly from CDs and we’re using the MP3 format rather than Apple’s AAC format. MP3s are bigger but we use the files for multiple players.
I just got the Dell DJ mini and love it, 5 gig, 12 hour battery life
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my sister has used Rios for several years with no problems. The smaller ones (Cali, Forge) can use SD cards to increase memory by 1 gig.
I just stopped into Singapore and picked up a Philips Micro audio jukebox HDD070/05 two days ago. I took a few back to Spain with me for friends and everyone loved them, for its size and ease of use. I tried out the Rio but had read of problems with them on several forums.
I sold my mini iPod after 6 weeks because of the crap system used for the music, not being able to download and share any music I want was a big turnoff. The Philips comes with software to turn CD music into MP3’s so any cd’s you have are easily uploaded. Theres no restrictions and where you can get music or who shares it.
I like the way the Philips looks but the iPod looks more stylish!
Sound on the iPods are by far the best but I like the philips.
tri-espana y thailand