What the Critics are saying about the Rio Carbon:

Ease of Use: very easy to use straight out of the box, nimble navigation

Design: The design is small slim and sleek

Software: One of the easiest to use and it works seamlessly between the player and the computer

Sound Quality:  sound quality is good

Connectivity:   easy to connect to MAC or PC,  ultra fast and easy to transfer music. You can add songs directly to your play list, without software via USB 2.0.

Batteries:  Energizer-like battery life  of 20 hours                                             

PRO'S: Sleek 5GB player with great sound and ergonomics. Supports Audible audio books and includes extras such as a stopwatch and voice recorder. Exceptional battery life. pcmag.com
 

CON'S: No FM Tuner. Hard to use if you are left handed. Carrying case protects well but covers controls; no belt clip

COMMENTS:

"The Carbon largely lives up to the hype. This mini hard drive player has a great design, an excellent  interface, and Energizer-like battery life." CNET.com

"The Rio Carbon is a worthy competitor to the iPod mini, with a gigabyte more storage, great style, excellent sound, and extras such as voice recording and a built-in stopwatch. It charges via USB and doesn't need a driver or dedicated software." pcmag.com

"the new leader in microdrives is thinner and lighter than the competition. It also sounds better- even through the bundled earbuds. ....At 5 gigs, it offers more storage than Apple 's mini for the same scratch." wired
 

Compatibility

Music Downloads		File Formats		Transfer with Media Players
	Napster		MP3		Napster
	iTunes		AAC		iTunes
	Streamwaves		WMA		Windows Media Player
	RealPlayer		RA		RealPlayer
	eMusic		OGG		Musicmatch
	BuyMusic		WAV		Winamp
	MusicRebellion				Rio Music Manager
	Wal-Mart
	Audio Lunchbox
	Audible
	Live Downloads
	Musicmatch
	Bleep

 

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compatibility chart credit to MP3.com

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For a complete overview of the MP3 Player Market and a description of how the review was done click here;