If you don't want an ipod, this is a reasonable punt (Rio CE2100 2.2 GB)

Member Name: mgoldman

Product:	Rio CE2100 2.2 GB
Date:	27/07/06 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: not an ipod, cheap, does not need itunes, works with media player and cd's

Disadvantages: Menu system weak, battery not great

I have eventually succumbed to MP3, but did not want an iPod, as I did not want to get mugged. This seemed a reasonable buy from Morgan Computers for about £50, and seemed pretty simple.
My refurbished model looks like new, and I cannot tell if the battery is a bit duff, as I can't get 20hrs life, but I have the volume turned up fairly high.
Installing the software is easy, and the interface is friendly enough. The device looks like an additional drive in Win XP. I have not sorted out whether this is flash memory or a hard drive, as information is conflicting.
It is small, and fits easily into a shirt sized pocket. It is light. Provided headphones are above average. Also in the box are USB leads, and mains charger with enough adaptors. The device will charge either from mains electricity or a usb socket. Seems to take a few hours to charge fully.
Display is small, and there is a minimalist menu which makes selecting a track tedious.
I have loaded mp3 and wma tracks and the latter seem to work best. Thus recording from CD via media player needs the computer hard disk as an intermediary.
Speech loads well from podcasts.
I have had minor software glitches when the battery is not fully charged, and the device switches itself off.
I have found it works well with aux sockets on car audio, but the volume needs to be fairly high, which burns up battery power.

Summary: Fairly acceptable unfashionable basic MP3 player

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