Buy It Bin It ?! (Rio PMP600 32 MB)

Member Name: cool_matt11

Product:	Rio PMP600 32 MB
Date:	17/04/02 (254 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap Value For Money , Good Sound Quality

Disadvantages: A few minor faults

Rio 600 Review

I first saw this product in a magazine called ‘Gear’ the magazine was a bit tacky, but they seemed to put forward some good points on most of their reviews. There was one article that really caught my eye, it had a caption saying
“You can jump on the Mp3 bandwagon for under £150 nowadays,”
Two things crossed my mind, Mp3 and £150, these two things never usually go together, not until now that is. The Diamond Sonic Blue Rio 600, retails at around about £150 in shops, but on the internet you can get it for under £100. The Rio 600 (as it is more commonly known) is a Mp3 player which like most Mp3 players has a screen, a few buttons, software for both Microsoft and Mac users and some fancy headphones. However it stands out above the rest with its looks, simple to use software and quality sound from such a small portable. To start off with you can get a 32mb player, which comes with approximately half an hours playing time.

Incidentally when looking at Mp3 players always be sure to ask about how much playing time it has, and when the company responds, ask what Mp3 setting it is on, 128kbps, 96kbps, or anything lower. If your completely confused about this, all you need to know is that each song on a 128kbps setting will take up 4-6mb on your memory, 96kbps and each song will take up to 3mb and so on. Most retailers say that it can hold up to four hours of music, when actually the song wouldn’t be audible to the average person!

Going back to the Rio 600, the standard memory capcity is 32mb, special edition portables are available in either 64mb or maybe 128mb, but they only come out at Christmas or special events. I got a special edition 64mb Rio 600 from Amazon, and it only cost me £130. This kind of contrast between shops and the internet is expected, but be careful about the postage and packaging on all the online stores. Also be sure to read the return policy to check how hard it will
be to return faulty goods. The Rio 600 isn’t a entry level product by any means, and don’t be mislead by the lack of buttons, this is a bonus which you will soon realise. The more buttons, the more complicated, and the more that can go wrong. The Rio 600 has got interchangeable fascias which like mobiles can be changed to suit your mood, but watch out, they do come with a price attached!

When you turn the Rio 600 on for the first time there will be a welcoming message waiting to be played, this is basically an advert for the rest of the accessories that can be brought, but they do offer some advice. After that you have to load up some software onto your computer. This takes a few minutes to set up, and it has a few problems that can stop you enjoying your Mp3 player. These are shown at the bottom. After that you have to either convert CD’s onto Mp3 format or simply start downloading songs straight from the internet. Some useful sites are also shown below. After that you have to transport them from your computer to your Rio 600 via a cable (that you get at the start) after that you can just simply listen! It may sound complicated, but I assure you from experience that this program is one of the simplest. If you do have any problems that aren’t shown below, email me with the address shown below.
I would say that the sound on the Rio 600 hundred is above standard, the controls are very easy to use and the software is very simply. I can easily rate this product quite highly, but because of a few minor faults with the loading and performance I will give it 4 out of 5. Its not quite 5 because of the problems explained below, but it is still worth the money.

Value for Money: 5/5
Performance: 4/5
Sound: 5/5

My email; cool_matt11@hotmail.com

Minor Problems. Make sure you record mp3’s on the digital setting not analogue.
If there is a problem with the program transferring your songs to
your mp3 player, and it comes up with a notice saying the device cannot be detected, go to the options menu, go to portables, and change autodetect device to Rio 600.
Put the USB cable in the Rio with the curves facing away from you, it may take a bit of pushing but don’t worry.
The Rio will freeze if shaken violently for a long period of time or if the batteries run out. To remove the screen simply push out the battery and memory pack.

Matt Pemberton

Summary: