Cali Sport 256MB MP3 Player

"upgrader"

Posted Oct 15, 2005 - When I first bought this I was happy with my purchase. At some point around 9 months into it I got the dreaded "upgrader" error. After talking with their support their only suggestion was to buy a refurbished unit. I am finished with Rio. I can't imagine why there is no fix for this. The tech told me I corrupted it with my music files because they had "degraded". Does that make sense to you? Avoid rio for the potential upgrader problem or until they face some responsibility.

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

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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Horrible Product

Posted Sep 11, 2005 - After 3 months of use, the device got stuck in "upgrader" mode and basically froze. The company was of no help so I had to send it in and get a replacement for nearly the same cost. Additionally, the sport case may be the worst design ever. When jogging or working out, the device has fallen out of the case countless times cracking the face. Basically, one of the worst purchases I have ever made.

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No problems in the beginning. I used it sparingly, ...

Posted May 25, 2005 - No problems in the beginning. I used it sparingly, but enjoyed its sound. Slight hum in the music but only noticeable in-between songs. Started using it heavily 3 weeks ago(2-4 times a week for 3 to 4 hours). The other day UPGRADER locked the unit up and apparently there is no way to fix it. They recommend to upgrade the firmware, but if the host computer cannot see it, this is useless information. Throwing it away now, and buying an Ishuffle or Ipod. Take your chances with this one

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

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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I've owned this player for almost 10 months withou ...

Posted Mar 22, 2005 - I've owned this player for almost 10 months without a single problem thus far. I mostly use it throughout the day (at work, commute) and occasionally for working out. In contrast to some of the other reviews, I've found my player to be very durable. I've even dropped it a couple of times. But, the fact that my player seems durable and others have examples that are not doesn't speak well to the consistency of build quality. Ditch the factory earphones for a better pair, and invest in a AAA battery charger (it WILL save you money over conventional batteries in the long run!) I've found FM reception to be outstanding, I could get it in the lab located deep inside the university where I used to work. Also, all of my music is WMA on my hard drive, so loading is a snap. Haven't tried expanding to 1GB yet. Overall, I'm very happy with it.

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I bought my Cali refurbished to save some money an ...

Posted Mar 21, 2005 - I bought my Cali refurbished to save some money and hopefully avoid the reliability issues some users report. So far that has been the right choice. I use mine almost exclusively for running, and it has withstood some pretty harsh conditions (30 mile race in near-freezing rain) and it still looks and sounds brand new. The earbuds that come with are comfortable, but not loud enough and the sound is somewhat muddy. I replaced them with a set of $20 Sennheisers that sound MUCH better and also go as loud as I can stand. The FM reception is pretty much useless for where I live, but I haven't found any portable devices that can pull in a station I like. The joystick can be a bit tricky to manipulate when I'm on the move, but I mostly set it and forget it. All told, I haven't seen a sport MP3 player in the 4 months I've owned the Cali that I would rather have. I would definitely buy this model again, especially if I could get it refurbished.

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This is a very nice player. I bought it for mostly ...

Posted Nov 27, 2004 - This is a very nice player. I bought it for mostly for exercising. The only weakness I see is the joystick. It took me at a couple of days to get it down. Also the software that it came with sucks. It will not run with other software such as Windows Media Player, Real One Player and others. If I ever get another player, I'd get this one again.

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This product is shown with a red joystick on the m ...

Posted Sep 7, 2004 - This product is shown with a red joystick on the manufactureres site as well on most of the sellers sites. I recently bought one and it had a black joystick. This seems inconsequential but it is very critical as the I have had nothing but problems with the black joystick version. When I contacted RIO (Digital networks) they confirmed that the black joystick version has been problematic. Like the playlist fuction doesn't work properly and you can't reformant the memeory through their program disk you need togo through my computer in windows. Bottom line, these are misleading pictures and you should send the player back if you get a black joystick version

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

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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It is really sad my mp3 player is stuck in "upgrad ...

Posted Jul 19, 2004 - It is really sad my mp3 player is stuck in "upgrader"... hey if you guys do a lawsuit can I join. I enjoyed using it while running, and it was a nice color. this is the first time since I got married that I bought something for myself. I can't believe the "upgrader" thing can not be fixed. Is there a way around it? Let me know if you guys come up with anything.

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I WILL GET EVEN IF THEY DO NOT REPLACE MY UNIT FRE ...

Posted Jul 7, 2004 - I WILL GET EVEN IF THEY DO NOT REPLACE MY UNIT FREE OF CHAREGE. YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK. they are ripping consumers off. there shoulkd be a recall for this defective product. boycott rio

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I'd like to join that class action law suit. I ha ...

Posted Jun 24, 2004 - I'd like to join that class action law suit. I have to believe that what Rio is doing is against the law in some way. This is a great scam. After the warranty times out, the system shuts down. It's a shame because we have two units & the one that works is a good product. Too bad you can't trust this company.

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Never before have I wanted to like a product so ba ...

Posted Jun 3, 2004 - Never before have I wanted to like a product so badly, but became so irritated with the device and the company, that I can not recommend this to anyone. At first I loved this unit. It's light weight, small but expandable with great sound with the right headphones. I replaced the headphones that came with my Cali with a Sennheiser MX 500. The included headphones broke only after 4 months of use. I only use the unit on my daily commute to and from work. The included headphones only offered "ok" sound. The problem I have is what is being termed "upgrader of death." What happens is one day you turn on your Cali and you see the word "Upgrader" appear on the screen for no reason. At first shutting it off and turning it back on a few times got it to go away, but now it just stays on "Upgrader" no matter what I do. This isn't a problem with just a few units either. Do a search on Google for "Rio" and "Upgrader" and you'll see what I mean. All customer service will do is offer you a refurbished unit for nearly the same price as a new unit plus shipping and handling. I bet they have tons of refurbs. They only warranty the device for 90 days. (Hmmmm, foresight?) Apparently this problem also occurs with the Rio Niturs and the Chiba as well. How do you initiate a class action lawsuit against Rio for marketing defective products and doing next to nothing to support it? For those with no problems with their Cali units after three months of use...Congratulations. Consider yourself lucky.

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

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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