Introduction

Don’t you wish someone would manufacture an MP3 player suitable for all occasions? No? Well I sure do. Don’t get me wrong – I’m an avid Apple iPod fan and user and I think that it’s the closest thing to perfection. With that said, the Apple iPod unfortunately isn’t perfect. There are occasions where the iPod isn’t suitable for use. What might these occasions be? If you perform a great deal of physical activity, then the iPod’s use of an internal hard drive might be of concern to you. It’s easy to forget that the iPod has a moving piece of machinery inside known as a hard disk drive. If you’re jogging on a treadmill, then a spinning drive is the last thing you want to worry about. What you really want is something that uses solid state electronics with no moving parts. Enter the Rio S30S Sport 64MB MP3 player. This device is small enough to wrap around your arm and uses solid state electronics to store large quantities of music. The Rio S30S specifically targets the sports audience knowing full well that this is the niche where it will stand a chance against the likes of the iPod. In my own workouts at the gym, I really wanted something that could be hidden away and also stay unobtrusive. One day I dropped my local Costco warehouse to load up on food and I saw the S30S on sale. Out came the credit card and home came the Rio S30S. How did this work out? Dig in and find out!

Packaging

The following are pictures of the Rio S30S as sold at my local Costco warehouse. Inside this plastic packaging (which is a royal pain to tear open without a scissor!), you can find the following accessories:

• RioSPORT S30S digital audio player
• Sport earphones
• Carrying case with belt clip
• Adjustable armband
• AAA battery
• USB cable
• Rio Music Manger software
• Audio management software for PC and Mac®
• Getting started guide

Here are pictures of the packaging for your viewing pleasure.

Specifications

The following are the specifications of the Rio S30S Sport MP3 player.

• 64 MB of built-in memory
• Upgradeable to 576 MB using SD or MMC memory cards
• Plays MP3 and Microsoft Windows® Media (WMA) digital music
• Integrated FM Tuner
• Clock and stopwatch
• Up to 15 hours of battery life on one AAA alkaline battery
• 100% skip-free, no moving parts
• Large, backlit display for easy navigation
• New Rio Music Manager software for easy music transfers to your player includes 12 promotional songs
• Packaged with RealOneTM and iTunesTM software to organize your music
  Includes MoodLogicTM software that corrects ID3 tags and creates mixes, tempo, year and mood for 100 tracks
• USB connection for fast music transfers
• Supports Microsoft Windows Media digital rights management
• Upgradeable to future music formats
• Accepts NiMH rechargeable batteries