Cali Sport 256MB MP3 Player

256MB Internal Flash - MPN: 90260473

Description: The rugged and lightweight Cali keeps your music playing, no matter how rough the ride.

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Mats13 from CA

Member Since
May 2004

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User has 10 Days of experience with this product

This is my first MP3 player. I did alot of researc ...

Strengths:

Great sound quality, easy to use, tons of storage space, durability, size, backlight display

Weaknesses:

Software can be a bit hard to navigate (how do you re-order/move songs), radio sound quality is weak, joystick can be hard to use when running

Posted May 18, 2004 - This is my first MP3 player. I did alot of research etc., and settled on this one. I bought the Cali on Ebay, and I have been really happy with my decision ever since. Although you can get much smaller MP3 players, this one is durable, it's easy to download songs, and is still quite small considering its 256mb capability. It easily fits into any size pocket, or in your hand. The belt clip is great, and the armband is ok too. I have jogged with it (it is better on your waistband rather than using the the armband). I have dropped it a few times already, and it has been no worse for the wear. I agree that the colour is a bit too military-ish like. The sound quality/equalizer/volume is great, as well as the provided earphones. The radio sucks however, and trying to set your presets is another issue. If you purchase a Rio Cali I am sure you will be more than satisfied. PS, you can rip your songs using MusicMatch Jukebox (8.2), but not Real Player.

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phrixion from CA

Member Since
Aug 2004

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I was looking for something to listen to when I hi ...

Strengths:

Small, Light Weight, Expandable Memory (additional 1GB), Price (factory refurbished), FM Tuner, FM Pre-Sets, Equalizer, Stop Watch, Expandeable to 1GB

Weaknesses:

Only up to 1GB, ear phones (included), belt clip/case (included)

Posted Aug 4, 2004 - I was looking for something to listen to when I hiking/runing and something with a good bit of storage that wasn't going to break or was too nice to be played with hard, like an iPod. Additional memory gives it 1GB of storage and uses 1 AAA battery for about 6+ hours of continuous play. It has a nice set of features: stop watch, clock, date, FM Tuner w/ presets, equalizer and PC software. I was impressed with the quality of sound with good ear phones and the functionality of the equalizer. The software driving the product is very nice, hardware is only OK. I didn't like the battery cover, which can be broken easily, in addition to the nipple used for play back control seems too fragile for a durable player.

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bradmorrell from ND

Member Since
Mar 2004

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User has 1 Days of experience with this product

Overall a good player for the money ($152 from New ...

Strengths:

Decent price, upgradeable memory, good sound, battery life.

Weaknesses:

Radio reception is poorer than a walkman, jog dial is difficult to use when running, and like many I don't care for olive green. How about a deep red or blue?

Posted Mar 12, 2004 - Overall a good player for the money ($152 from New Egg), but an extra button or 2 would be helpful to reduce the number of submenus to navigate when using the radio, changing EQ settings, etc. The radio is difficult to use and only picks up the strongest of stations. If I could do it again I would probably buy a cheaper player without the radio. Like most flash players it uses USB 1.1 instead of 2.0 which is retarded, and I haven't yet figured out a way to delete songs/albums from the player without deleting everything on it by reformatting. This would be less of a nuisance if the songs didn't take 5 times longer to reload due to slower USB (which still only amounts to a few minutes, but why waste my time?) Of course I just got it today, so maybe I haven't had time to completely master the player or the software that comes with it.

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drkhalifa from MI

Member Since
Feb 2004

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User has 2 Weeks of experience with this product

This is a decent MP3 player, light weight, long ba ...

Strengths:

light, long battery life, user friendly (downloading and transferring songs)

Weaknesses:

storage space is small compared to other MP3 players. I dont like the head phones that much. Expensive. No variety in colors.

Posted Mar 3, 2004 - This is a decent MP3 player, light weight, long battery life, good for sports. Its a little bit expensive considering that there are other players with more storage space. I'm not sure about the control botton for its durability. The head phones could've been designed better. My overall experience with this player is some what good.

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sup3rnaut from TX

Member Since
Jan 2004

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User has 2 Days of experience with this product

I am an avid runner. I bought this to replace my ...

Strengths:

big memory, good feel

Weaknesses:

terrible controls, scratchy armband

Posted Jan 21, 2004 - I am an avid runner. I bought this to replace my workhorse Rio500. I wanted a Sports MP3 player, and this definitely is NOT made for the active listener. The key problem is the joystick. Controlling play/pause, back, forward, and stop the stick is too small to control with accuracy while working out. While running with it on my hip (fairly stable compared to if it was on my arm), I try to skip forward, and accidentally hit stop or pause. And don't even think about fast-forward (forward-hold for two seconds). No way you will be able to keep stable enough. They provide a shoddy armband that really feels scratchy when I put it on. I think this could have been the perfect sports MP3 player, but instead it is one more MP3 player I returned to Best Buy within the first week.

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diskins from FL

Member Since
Jan 2004

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User has 15 Days of experience with this product

I had high expectations and this product did meet ...

Strengths:

Support for WPA and MP3

Weaknesses:

USB1.1 Rio Music Manager

Posted Jan 24, 2004 - I had high expectations and this product did meet them all. It's a great product. I have minor complains about the USB1.1 - I'd have preferred 2.0 to allow for faster download. The music manager is good. I'd like to see an on-the-fly resampling feature, so I can store my music at 320 VBR .mp3 and send them to the player at 64 .wma. It looks like this should work from WMP9.0 but when setting it up all it seems to do is a straight copy. I downloaded a batch utility from MS that converted all my MP3's to WMA to speed up this process until these features are available and work. In summary I'm very happy with the purchase.

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matthewsween... from NY

Member Since
Jan 2004

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User has 4 Days of experience with this product

Bought the Cali for use at the gym and it is perfe ...

Strengths:

Good design: easy to use, sturdy; Supports playlists; Long battery life; Earphones fit well and are comfortable for long periods; 4 hours of songs; no skipping; armband and belt clip are great

Weaknesses:

Saving fm radio stations could be a bit easier and only stores 8 presets

Posted Feb 12, 2004 - Bought the Cali for use at the gym and it is perfect for that application. No skipping, using the armband puts the player in easy reach while running and working out, and the joystick control design is very easy to use while running. Playlist support is great so that I can use different playlists each time I go to the gym. The product also seems very sturdy with a rubber grip, although I haven't dropped it (yet). The software included is very easy to use and appears to be updated often as when I first installed the software there were several updates available. It's nice that the player can also be used like a flash memory device to store other kinds of files as well. Overall, I'm very impressed and would buy it again given what I know.

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Sutherland26... from GA

Member Since
Jan 2004

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User has 2 Days of experience with this product

Also bad that you have to use Rio Taxi to to trans ...

Strengths:

Excellent sound and very loud. The player is louder than I would ever want to listen to it, which is a good thing. It feels fairly sturdy and came with a good accessory package.

Weaknesses:

Awful software. Not extremely intuitive. The Windows media plugin allows you to use windows file system to transfer, which is easier, but then you lose the ability to transfer playlists.

Posted Jan 12, 2004 - Also bad that you have to use Rio Taxi to to transfer data files. The headphones are of better quality than I expected: they are of the over-the-ear variety which are perfect for my athletic needs, but a casual user might want to purchase something else. The transfer speed is fairly fast, even for USB 1.1. I would purchase it again definitely.

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DOtheDAN from MO

Member Since
Dec 2003

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User has 4 Days of experience with this product

Pricegrabber is a great website to get a great dea ...

Strengths:

Received mp3 player in 3 days. Saved $25 purchasing from Pricegrabber.

Weaknesses:

Pricegrabber gives you 7 days to return it for full refund. Not good if it is for a Christmas present.

Posted Dec 12, 2003 - Pricegrabber is a great website to get a great deal. Shipping was prompt. I saved $25 on the RIO mp3 Player. I didn't like the 7 day return policy. MP3 player is a Christmas present. I had to give it early.

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oneilljf from NE

Member Since
Jan 2004

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User has 7 Days of experience with this product

This is an excellent player for someone to workout ...

Strengths:

Small size, easy of use, ruggedness style

Weaknesses:

Cumberson software

Posted Jan 7, 2004 - This is an excellent player for someone to workout with, especially jogging. The small size and one handed ops are great. But a price premium is paid for these features. If being able to jog or workout with a MP3 player is not required then a hard drive based system is better. But I do not have any regrets about this purchase.

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scsven from CA

Member Since
Dec 2003

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User has 10 Days of experience with this product

A great piece of gear to run or workout with. Earp ...

Strengths:

Memory, ease of use, belt clip.

Weaknesses:

MP3 ripping software not included (available for $9.95 on line. Paper documentation skimpy.

Posted Jan 9, 2004 - A great piece of gear to run or workout with. Earphones are adequate - I normally break them every six to twelve months - so they'll be upgraded later.

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bib1er from WI

Member Since
Apr 2005

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User has 30 Days of experience with this product

I used it on daily runs but it stopped working aft ...

Strengths:

It looks good.

Weaknesses:

I stopped working after 30 days and i took 35 to get any kind of response from customer support.

Posted Apr 12, 2005 - I used it on daily runs but it stopped working after 30 days. It would work while connected to my computer but it would die as soon as I disconnected it. I frequently had to unload and reload all my music in order to change anything, especially if I used a memory stick. I shipped it back and after several calls and 35 days I finally got a replacement. They send me the WRONG unit. I got a Chiba 256 back. I am going to try this because I am afraid to return it. If this one fails I am just going to buy a different brand. If anyone starts class action lawsuit, please let me know!

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amin_ili from WV

Member Since
Oct 2005

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User has 7 Weeks of experience with this product

very good player used it alot looks nice very good ...

Strengths:

VERY STURDY

Weaknesses:

Satisfactory head phones, and the space for songs i suggest u get a 512mb sd mem. card

Posted Oct 7, 2005 - very good player used it alot looks nice very good and sturdy. The batteries work for 18 hrs(does not come with batteries) only uses 1 batterya t a time .....hold up to 50 songs on itself it will hold like 200 once u geta 512mb mem card.

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