Hi folks,

Just some boring front matter first to say I've got my Karma...

So I got my Karma from the USA via eBay (took a week to get to Brazil).

So far I'm very very impressed. Great quick start instructions, great software, and most importantly a great player loaded with features and no major issues so far. Quite simply it's the best portable audio player I can see on the market (with the slight pain of small hard disk size).

I found a Canon camera case (in leather) which is almost a perfect fit. There is a small shoe repair shop closeby to me, so I'm going to ask the guy there if he'll make and stitch some cut-outs, to make it work even better. I have also ordered some film protectors from eBay to protect the screen and front face.

Anyway, on with the real stuff. I have one installation note, one possible problem/question, and three straightforward questions:

1. I installed the latest version of RMM, and when I connected the Karma for the first time it detected firmware needed updating (I had already downloaded the latest, but thought "what the hell, I'll follow what the software says"). It downloaded the firmware, and seemed to apply it. I restarted the player (although no indication on the player was given that it had applied) and there was no change. I then checked the firmware I had downloaded manually, and it mentioned putting the player in recovery mode first. I followed the rest of the instructions, and the firmware applied without problem. This was the only fly in the ointment of an otherwise painless install.

2. Charging in the dock. I've noticed several times that when I place the Karma in the dock (after the battery is flat) the "I'm connected on mains" symbol appears but doesn't change to the battery charging symbol. If I change the settings to pulse the dock light when charging it always seems to charge. If I don't, it often won't charge (although say 50% of the time it will). Not a major major problem, but a little strange. Anyone else get this?

3. Where do I submit bugs and wishlist items? Is there a public wishlist available? How responsive are Rio to wishlist requests? (OK several questions here)

4. Is there a quick way to change the play mode e.g. to shuffle mode. The only way I can find (which is a bit slow to access) is through Settings > Playback.

5. Does Riovolution.com seem to suffer availability problems for anyone else? Often I can't access the site, and it requires repeated refreshes to open.

TIA

Mark