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Rio Carbon (5 GB) MP3 Player

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43 reviews Write a Review

Number of Songs: 1200
Usage: Music Recording
Interface: USB 2.0
Main Storage Type: Hard Drive
Storage Capacity: 5 GB

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3.8

Based on 43 user reviews

77% recommend this product

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Consumer Reviews

Showing 21 - 30 of 43 Reviews

Great 5GB player in a very small package...

byv908 Jun 13, 2005

4 Helpfuls 5 Helpfuls Comment

Pros Small size, ease of file transfer, battery life, doesn't use proprietary file...

Cons Silly protective case (no clip), easy to lose!

Recommended it? Yes

I purchased this as an "upgrade" from my still Rio S50. I've owned (and still own) several MP3 players for various purposes and wanted this one for it's balance of compactness (very small/light) against capacity (5GB). So far (two weeks), I am very happy with it. It not only has the capacity I... Read full review »

Nice alternative, but watch the quality and warranty

bycamp9 Jun 6, 2005

5 Helpfuls 6 Helpfuls Comment

Pros Nice design, small size.

Cons Rio shipped me a bad device and were reluctant to give me a refund.

Recommended it? Yes

The Good:
-Great price
-Overall very nice fit, finish, and ergonomics; the bottom outside edge is rubberized, which makes for a good grip
-Recognized as USB Mass Storage (USM) without any issues
-Firmware upgradeable
-Charging via miniB USB
-A/C to USB charging... Read full review »

Great for the Novice

bycosmicrayola_dt3000 Jun 4, 2005

3 Helpfuls 4 Helpfuls Comment

Pros Easy to Use, great sound, great size and it's cute!

Cons The case that comes with it may as well be tossed.

Recommended it? Yes

I am pretty good when it comes to my computer. I am a 51 year old Grandma that is pretty good with soft-wear. When it comes to mp3 players, I am totally clueless. I don't know a thing about them. I really didn't even intend on buying one. I listen to my CD player at home and in the car. Then one... Read full review »

The force is strong with this one!!

bysmille76 May 26, 2005

3 Helpfuls 4 Helpfuls Comment

Pros Small, lots of features, energy efficient, nice user interface, good value for $$

Cons Resets to 1/1/1970 when unplugged from the computer, poor supplied earbuds

Recommended it? Yes

I chose to get this mp3 player over an iPod mini for a few reasons. First, it was roughly 100$ cheaper, it was able to playback .wma files (windows media files) and it was truly plug-n-play, without any copyrights and protections.

I can import my playlists easily with the included Rio... Read full review »

Doesn't beat iPod Mini

byatclausen Apr 27, 2005

1 Helpfuls 2 Helpfuls Comment

Pros long battery life. small size. 5 Gig.

Cons ALWAYS locks up requiring master rest, no belt clip, static problem, slow response at...

Recommended it? No

I have a Mini and a Carbon. We fight for use of the iPod.
I have to carry a paperclip everywhere I go because the carbon likes to lock up DAILY, requiring a master reset. The iPod only needs to be reset every so often, but doesnt require a master reset.
The carbon software is okay, but... Read full review »

Best hard drive storage and mp3 player out there at this price

byalvin44 Apr 10, 2005

7 Helpfuls 8 Helpfuls Comment

Pros very user friendly, sound quality, 4.7 gigs of storage device.

Cons included earphones too large, included case useless,

Recommended it? Yes

I bought the Rio carbon after a long research I had some durability concerns so I bought an extended warranty which is good practice with most electronic devices over $100.00.
I needed 4gb. of storage and this worked perfectly. If you are using Windows XP, buy this unit you won't regret it... Read full review »

Buy or Not Buy

byardi101 Apr 8, 2005

2 Helpfuls 3 Helpfuls 2 Comments

Pros Better than Ipod mini, recorder, cheaper than ipod mini, holds more than ipod mini.

Cons Non-Color screen, no games

Recommended it? Yes

The Rio is a great idea if you like to hold around 1000 songs. The Rio and Ipod Mini look the same, but the Rio is much better. It can hold .4gig more than the mini. It is aslo cheaper than the Ipod. Some extra features are the voice recorder and the automatic music organization system. It also has... Read full review »

Bottom line | Great mp3 player great price |

byspyke_x Mar 31, 2005

8 Helpfuls 9 Helpfuls 1 Comment

Pros (see bottom of review)

Cons (see bottom of review)

Recommended it? Yes

I was in the market for a 4-5gb mp3 player. After doing a TON of research, i narrowed it down to the ipod mini and the rio carbon 5gb. It was a close race, but the rio won because it has 1 more gb of data space, longer battery life, and it is smaller.

I recieved it 2 weeks ago and man do... Read full review »

Beats iPod Mini

bybenchpress Mar 24, 2005

14 Helpfuls 15 Helpfuls 1 Comment

Pros Battery life, form factor, sleekness, sound quality, UI, not an iPod.

Cons Lack of "hold" button, case without belt clip, static problem with headphone...

Recommended it? Yes

I bought my first MP3 player (a RIO PMP) eons ago when the first generation players just hit the market. Since then, I went through a bunch of them including the Creative Nomad II(which I accidentally tossed into the washing machine but retrieved it before the spin cycle), iRiver, Samsung, etc... Read full review »

Decent mp3 player for workout.

bycamillus Mar 3, 2005

7 Helpfuls 8 Helpfuls Comment

Pros Small, easy to use.

Cons No radio.

Recommended it? Yes

I bought this primarily for use while running. For the one month period I've had it there haven't been any problems.

My initial (and ongoing) concern is that the player uses a small harddisk to store files. Normally you don't want to bump or jar the disk while it's spinning because you... Read full review »