Rio 500

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Review: Rio 500

With 64MB of onboard memory, the Rio500 is the big brother of Diamond's initial offering, the Rio300. That 64MBs of RAM can hold up to two hours of music and the Rio500 runs on a single AA battery for a continuous playtime of an amazing 13 hours. Other features include a slot for extra flash-memory cards for more audio storage space, a nice carrying case, a USB connector cord, and headphones to get you going immediately.

Using the Rio is as easy as one, two, three. Once you've loaded the software, you can upload your MP3 files by clicking "Devices." The program will link up with your attached Rio500 and you'll have a choice of selecting any and all songs to upload (and make folders to put them in, like R&B or Mom's music, etc). The process is amazingly fast and hassle-free - we averaged less than 15 seconds to download two songs (which varied depending on their size). You can convert any CD, AIFF, QuickTIme, and WAV files to MP3 mode for download with the software. And of course, the cool-blue backlight display will be the envy of all your friends.

Don't fret Macheads, the included download/player software can be used with your Mac as well.

I noticed that some songs didn't quite have the "oomph" when it came to bass, but I attributed it to the headphones. Switching to another pair of headphones produced better bass, but I had to crank the Rio500's volume to the max - and it still wasn't quite loud enough for my taste. You may want to use a pair that lets you control the volume with the Rio500.

The Rio500 is a good choice for those on the go - it's tiny and weighs just 2.75 ounces. And you'll also get an excellent support/download site at www.rioport.com. At $269, it's not the least expensive unit on the market (its little brother, the Rio300 sells for $99), but it's got enough features and performance to make you want to shell out the extra bucks.-- Danny W. Lam / GamePro