There are several problems with this MP3 player that I think should be mentioned. I made the mistake of ignoring the negative Amazon reviews when I made my purchase. Save yourself the stress and forego purchasing this thoughtlessly designed piece of junk.

1) The Rio transfers music at a very slow rate. It can take minutes to upload a single song. If I am transferring large quantities of new music, I leave my computer for 30-45 minutes while the Rio does its business.

2) There are long pauses in between each song in a playlist. The length of the pauses seems random; it takes anywhere between 1-5 seconds to play the next song. This is especially annoying when playing songs from "fluid" albums. It cannot be adjusted-- the Rio Cali hardware is simply slow at processing requests.

The 3rd and most troubling flaw in the Rio Cali design is listed below. This is the main reason why I recommend anyone interested in expanding memory not purchase this MP3 player. (And it is unrealistic to expect an individual only wants to store about 15-25 songs.)

3) The internal memory card and SD card are not recognized as part of the same unit. This is a serious hardware/software integration flaw that should have been fixed long before these MP3 players became available on the market.

Because of this flaw, playlists will NOT work properly. It does not matter what music transfer software you use-- Rio Music Manager or otherwise. If the playlists are uploaded to the internal memory card, only music included on the internal memory card will play. The same applies to the SD card.

The only way to solve this problem is to keep playlists for the internal memory card and the SD card separate. This requires manual adjustment-- you must access your Rio Cali through My Computer (if you use Windows) and cut and paste playlists to the appropriate memory card. (If anyone would like specific details on how to accomplish this, simply leave a comment.)

4) The radio is mediocre at best. Take a walk through the house and you're guaranteed to lose reception at least 5 times.

5) You'll be happy if you get the full 18 hours out of your AAA battery. I get 8 at the most.

I've had my Rio Cali since they first came out. It has been through gardening, many falls and drops, house construction, more falls and drops, many bangs and knocks and it still works perfectly well. Nothing on it is broken and the screen is hardly scratched. These players were made to take abuse, and they are great for both working out with or just working with. I listen to it all of the time, and it has good quality sound and has an easily manageable format. I recommend this MP3 player very very highly.

I have a couple of IPODs, the mini, and the video and I also have the Rio Cali. It doesn't have a lot of features, in fact it's pretty basic. It plays MP3 well, it's light, has pretty good battery life, and I love the work out timer.

When I go to the gym I grab this and not my mini. For one because of the price I'm so concern about it being stolen, or damaged, or with my absent mindless lost. It does what it suppose to do and does it well. If you are looking for something small that just plays music and you don't want to spend a lot, this is a great little MP3 player.

I know that others have said they have had problems with it but I have dropped it a dozen times, sweated on it etc and it's been over a year with no problems.

This player was easy to load songs onto and easy to use. The belt clip is super handy for running. It is also easy to use while running. You don't have to see the screen (like an ipod) to control it - you can go by feel of the buttons. I have dropped it several times and still had no problems with it - GREAT PRODUCT!

I don't know why everyone is whining about this terrific little MP3 player. I love mine. The only drawback is that you can't put 30 gigs of music on it. However, as cheap as the SD cards are, you can change them out.
I have washed my Cali in the washing machine not once, but twice, and it still plays!!!! Not to mention the numerous times I accidentally took it into the pool or lake with me. I just let it dry out a couple of days, and it played fine.
I gave mine to my daughter with the intention of buying another for myself, and was devastated to learn that I couldn't find a replacement. That's how I ended up at this site. I ended up buying an ipod, and like it okay, but just love the simplicity of the Rio. I am buying one from this site for my husband, who knows absolutely nothing about computers, electronics, or mp3s. It will be perfect for him.