Geartest.com Diamond/S3 Rio 300 personal MP3 player real world review [4]

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Diamond/S3 Rio 300 personal MP3 player [4]

The included software has its problems too. The biggest complaints about the Rio Manager software are that the controls are too small when viewed on today's high-resolution computer screens, and the display area doesn't automatically refresh. While these might seem like minor complaints, try loading the Rio with songs just before leaving for work or school in the morning while you're still half-asleep.

In the same department, the hardware unit would benefit significantly from a larger, more detailed alphanumeric display.

While the Rio emerged from physical impacts relatively unscathed, it did tend to skip, stop or even shut off, contrary to Diamond's claims that the Rio is a skipless device. Still, fitness aficionados will appreciate the Rio for its light weight, belt clip and (usually) skipless performance.

For the price of $ 200 US, the body of the Rio should be made out of some other material than the cheap-feeling plastic that Diamond settled on. The battery door is held closed by two small plastic teeth, one of which broke after about four months of use. Any way you look at it, the price is quite steep when compared to other non-MP3 portable music devices, and expansion memory cards are correspondingly pricey.

Although it's not the first portable MP3 player -- that honor goes to the Saehan MPMan, distributed in North America by Eiger Labs -- it definitely gives us a taste of great things to come.

SonicBlue (which acquired Diamond Multimedia) has now introduced the Rio One, an updated and enchanced version of the Rio 300. The Rio One is the entry-level MP3 player in SonicBlue's digital audio line with more capabilities than the Rio 300 and a lower price.

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