The Rio 900, a US$249.99 pocket-sized MP3 player that features 192 MB of memory for up to six hours of music, is now available from SONICblue. It’s both Mac and Windows compatible and works with iTunes.
The new player, based on the design of the Rio 800, also boasts a rechargeable battery that delivers up to 10 hours of listening time, support for MP3, WMA and Audible formats, an AC adapter, and an accessory kit that includes a Rio car cassette adapter. It has adjustable EQ, repeat and shuffle play modes and programmable playlists. And the ability to upgrade software over the life of the product ensures that the Rio 900 is always kept up to date, according to David Huffman, vice president, audio products, SONICblue.
Optional upgradeable memory backpacks will let you simply snap on a 32 MB, 64 MB or 128 MB memory pack to further increase the Rio 900’s storage capacity, said Huffman said. The MP3 player ships with a custom carrying case that allows for viewing of the Rio 900’s high-resolution, backlit display and accessing all of the player controls. The case also has a belt clip.
What’s more, the Rio 900 digital audio player can store and play back audiobooks, audio editions of newspapers and magazines, and more from a library of 34,000 hours available online. It delivers up to 80 hours of Audible content or six hours of skip-free music storage, “or any combination of the two,” Huffman said. Audible is offering $50 credit for content to Rio 900 purchasers who sign up for one year of the AudibleListener flat-rate monthly membership plans, which offer any two downloadable audiobooks from Audible’s selection for $19.95 per month, or any one book and any one-month subscription, for $14.95 per month online.
The Rio 900 is available now at SONICblue’s e-store and be on sale soon in North American retail outlets.