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http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/08/02/rio.carbon.music.player/

Rio ships new drive-based Carbon music player

updated 09:25 am EDT, Mon August 2, 2004

Rio Carbon music player

Rio today introduced new portable digital music players, including three flash-based , which offers 5GB of internal storage, a USB 2.0 connection, a 5-band equalizer, and a 20-hour battery as well as captures voice memos. "The four new players...are designed with a combination of stylish metallic sheens, bright LED backlight displays and refined ergonomic designs that provide a distinctive look and feel to fit a variety of lifestyles. This next generation of Rio MP3 players all feature a new touch sensitive directional pad for simple and intuitive navigation and playback control." Carbon is $250, while the Forge players are $140 (128MB), $170 (256MB), and $200 (512MB).

The Rio Forge supports USB 2.0 and includes a variety of features such as FM tuner, stopwatch and FM recording on the 256MB and 512MB models. They are expandable via SD/MMC cards. The new design integrates the grippy, protective rubber from previous models with a new shiny stainless steel face plate for added durability.

Both the Forge and Carbon players support Microsoft's WMA formatand MP3 playback. The Rio Carbon and Rio Forge MP3 players are expected to begin shipping in August. The products will be available through a variety of retail outlets in both the U.S. and Europe.

by MacNN Staff

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crayola
Junior Member

Joined: Jul 2003

0

08/02, 09:54am | report spam | close Reply |
not bad...

a decent competitor to the mini but not exactly a mini killer.

cmoney
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Sep 2000

0

08/02, 09:55am | report spam | close Reply |
stylish != cute

Somehow I don't see this in an ad in Lucky magazine inducing women aged 16-40 to rip out a small piece of paper that looks like it so they can imagine how it will coordinate with the rest of their wardrobe.

Nor do I see legions of teens walking into any electronics store in a mall just to play around with it.

Apple really did well with marketing the iPod mini and companies aren't going up against just the physical iPod mini, they're going up against mindshare, marketing muscle and worst of all, "cute"!

koolkid1976
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: May 2003

0

08/02, 09:59am | report spam | close Reply |
Kill the "killer"

You know. It IS o.k. to list a new MP3 player as a new MP3 Player only, as opposed to "iPod Killer" or "iPod mini Killer." The features and design rarely ever qualifies them for that title. And until the iPod and iPod mini's are killed, ther are NO killers.

cooner
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2003

0

08/02, 10:08am | report spam | close Reply |
$250?

For all the complaints that the iPod mini is overpriced, I find it interesting that Rio's equivalent iPod mini 'killer' is the exact same price ... $250 ... It has a few extra features, like a bit more drive space, more battery life, and voice memo recording, but so far features like that haven't allowed any other players to topple the iPod ...

testudo
Forum Regular

Joined: Aug 2001

0

08/02, 10:19am | report spam | close Reply |
Well,

First off, Rio doesn't put any size specs on their site, so its hard to tell how big/small any of these things are.

Second, I see no place where Rio calls this an 'ipod-mini killer'. Apparently quoting text without showing the source is valid in some editorial circles.

Third, no one (and I mean NO ONE) will buy the Rio carbon when, for just $50 more, you can get 4 times the storage with the Rio Karma.

Fourth, its a piece of c***! No color screen. No picture viewing. No line-in so I can do high-quality recording! No DVD support! Who would make a cool thing like this and leave off all these essential features???

tabarnak
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2003

0

08/02, 10:23am | report spam | close Reply |
their website.....

sures looks A LOT like macromedia.com!

Deal
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Apr 2001

0

08/02, 10:31am | report spam | close Reply |
Let them Claim

The more they claim iPod killer, the more advertisement it is for Apple. Every time somebody says it, it's another cycle of advertisement.

This really does let people know, "hay, the iPod is the thing to get!"

vvedge
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Jul 2001

0

08/02, 10:33am | report spam | close Reply |
at least...

... it's mac compatible. Too often they try to beat the iPod or the ITMS without targeting an important user base: Mac Users. If you want to gain our respect of your players, give us something we could actually use.

jjqueenan
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2001

0

08/02, 10:48am | report spam | close Reply |
Not bad...

...but of course I won't be buying one.

Realistically, there will be non-Apple players, like it or not, no matter how they succeed or fail, but at least this one seems competently and attractively designed at least at first glance.

Praising competitors != Apple/iPod bashing...

VadersCape
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

0

08/02, 10:54am | report spam | close Reply |
It's GORGEOUS!!!

For an egg timer.

JeffHarris
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 1999

0

08/02, 10:59am | report spam | close Reply |
Competition is GOOD!

Not a bad looking player, though I really hate shiny metal things. The navigation button is nasty.

I think the voice recorder feature is excellent.
After I gave my girlfriend an iPod mini and she "got" all the features, the first question was if it would record voice.

The third party recorders like the Griffin unit is okay, but built-in voice recording would be a very nice addition to the iPod line. It just adds another "gotta have it" excuse.

If nothing else, these things will keep Apple on their toes.

3dAnimation
Dedicated MacNNer

Joined: Jun 2000

0

08/02, 11:15am | report spam | close Reply |
Larger Image?

When you click "Larger Image" on their website, the resulting Pop Up window contains an image SMALLER than the original one! -3d

Roehlstation
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

0

08/02, 11:19am | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Kill the "killer"

I totally agree, everytime someone releases a new MP3 player you guys always write it up to be the "whatever killer". It is just getting old. People do buy iPods for different reasons than the specs. The iPod navigation is unmatched by anything, and no one else can get it right. But iPod has made a name for itself and a lot of people really are buying it for the name. There is nothing wrong with that at all.

jimothy
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2000

0

08/02, 11:28am | report spam | close Reply |
re: well

I can't tell if you were being sarcastic or not, but your third and forth points could be made for the iPod mini as well as this Rio player.

jjqueenan
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2001

0

08/02, 11:32am | report spam | close Reply |
egg timer

My point is that it's not bristling with all kinds of 1970's AM radio like k****, wheels, latches, sliders, buttons, grills, grooves, but that it is as stripped down as it gets.

Unlike say, this piece of c***:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004SDRZ.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

chas_m
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2001

0

08/02, 12:22pm | report spam | close Reply |
"Killer"

The first product that will truly be an iPod Mini "killer" is one that matches or exceeds the product specs (as this one does), is in its own way just as stylish/elegant/aethetically pleasing (this one tries, but fails), and most significantly is PRICED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER.

IOW, this ain't no "killer." It's just a viable alternative to people who were going to purchase an iPod Mini but need voice recording.

testudo
Forum Regular

Joined: Aug 2001

0

08/02, 12:28pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: killer

IOW, this ain't no "killer." It's just a viable alternative to people who were going to purchase an iPod Mini but need voice recording.

Actually its for anyone who wants an iPod-mini but wants to use an on-line music store other than iTMS.

testudo
Forum Regular

Joined: Aug 2001

0

08/02, 12:30pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: egg timer

Unlike say, this piece of c***:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004SDRZ.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

OMG, OMG, OMG! I must have this thing. its so cool looking (and it plays "son of a preacher man", which most people wouldn't admit)! Where can I find this thing!

BobVB
Forum Regular

Joined: Oct 2000

0

08/02, 02:07pm | report spam | close Reply |
Looks pretty huge...

... if you figure the screen is about the same size as the iPod mini (who could read text smaller than that or want to?) the player is much bigger than the mini.

If so its really in competition with the 20 gig iPod no matter what they say its in competition with.

ADeweyan
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

0

08/02, 03:42pm | report spam | close Reply |
It's the scroll wheel...

...stupid.

I can't believe that in all the iPod challengers, not a single one has featured the iPod's large, central scroll wheel, or something akin to it (figuring Apple probably patented the scrollwheel interface). More than any other feature, the large scroll wheel makes the iPod stand out. Can you use a k***, thumb wheel or small scroll wheel to scroll infinitely and fluidly while also controlling the rate of movement and reversing easily?

Their design department needs to be taken out and shot for not trying to reinvent the wheel.

Drakino
Grizzled Veteran

Joined: Apr 2001

0

08/02, 07:24pm | report spam | close Reply |
It is small

Size wise, It's going to be similar to the iPod Mini. I've held a Nitrus, and the Nitrus is larger and thicker then the Carbon looking at the pictues they have up, and using the USB plug as reference.

and in response to "Can you use a k***, thumb wheel or small scroll wheel to scroll infinitely and fluidly while also controlling the rate of movement and reversing easily?"

Yes. The scroll wheel on the Rio Karma does an excellent job at sensing the speed I am scrolling it, and can quickly get me from top to bottom of an artist list in one quick spin. Slower movements let me home in on what I want.

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Rio ships new drive-based Carbon music player

updated 09:25 am EDT, Mon August 2, 2004

Rio Carbon music player

not bad...

stylish != cute

Kill the "killer"

$250?

Well,

their website.....

Let them Claim

at least...

Not bad...

It's GORGEOUS!!!

Competition is GOOD!

Larger Image?

Re: Kill the "killer"

re: well

egg timer

"Killer"

Re: killer

Re: egg timer

Looks pretty huge...

It's the scroll wheel...

It is small

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Rio ships new drive-based Carbon music player

updated 09:25 am EDT, Mon August 2, 2004

Rio Carbon music player

Related Articles

Recent Articles

not bad...

stylish != cute

Kill the "killer"

$250?

Well,

their website.....

Let them Claim

at least...

Not bad...

It's GORGEOUS!!!

Competition is GOOD!

Larger Image?

Re: Kill the "killer"

re: well

egg timer

"Killer"

Re: killer

Re: egg timer

Looks pretty huge...

It's the scroll wheel...

It is small

Login Here

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Subscribe

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