Amazon.co.uk Review
Diamond Multimedia's Rio line of MP3 players has always been top-notch--and the latest iteration, the
Rio 600, proves no exception. The nifty-looking
Rio 600 also offers detachable faceplates, allowing users to customise its appearance (although they are a bit pricey). But it is not just the aesthetics of the Rio that are so appealing (although the über-trendy, over-the-ear headphones make another nice touch). What really makes the Rio unique is just how simple it is to use. From installation to manipulation of the player interface or the
RioPort Audio Manager software, it's as easy as MP1-2-3. Intuitive on all counts, the Rio will rarely force the user to consult the manual--whether in the middle of setup, switching songs on the road, or transferring MP3s.
In addition to the nearly ubiquitous MP3 format, the Rio 600 also handles the new Windows Media Audio (WMA) format, and Diamond says it will be software upgradable to upcoming formats. One downside of the player is the fact that it ships with only 32 MB of flash memory. While this can handle over an hour of WMA-formatted material, it holds only around 30 minutes of MP3 playback. To compensate, the Rio 600 will be upgradable to 372 MB of total memory, and Diamond offers a unique upgrade approach. They will sell the memory enhancements as new backs to the player, providing different types of memory that users can choose from and, as Diamond puts it, "future-proofing" the player against diverse upcoming memory types.
The USB-only interface proves to be another double-edged sword. On the one side, you'll need a USB port and to be running Windows 98 or Windows 2000 to hook up the Rio to your PC. (For the Mac, you'll need a USB port and Mac OS 8.6 or higher.) On the other, the transfer rate is like a hare compared to older tortoise players using parallel ports. It takes only around 10 seconds to move a four-minute MP3 song from PC to the Rio.
The Rio 600 is not a perfect player--32 MB just isn't enough for taking songs on the road and it lacks a belt clip--but the other players on the market aren't earning perfect marks either (yet). And with its unique format and memory upgrades, the Rio 600 is built to last. --J. Curtis
