(There's actually a "Rio Hard Drive Portables" section of the bulletin board.)

Perhaps we can get your Karma working again for you.

First question: Have you used the paper-clip reset switch?

When you said "it no longer communicates", please be more specific. Does the computer detect its existence at all? If it does, is there an error message when you attempt to run Rio Music Manager?

Are there any errors displayed on the player's screen? Aside from the connection issue, does the player work normally without showing signs of trouble?

Have you installed a new operating system onto the computer recently, for example, upgrading to Vista? Have you tried re-installing Rio Music Manager since doing so?

Have you tried using both the USB cable connection to the dock, as well as the ethernet connection to the dock? Do you get different results for each?

You said you tried different docks, but did you try different USB cables? Did you try plugging the USB cable directly into the Karma instead of the dock? Did you try a different USB port? Did you verify that the USB port and USB cable work for other devices other than the Karma?

If you'd rather just toss the player instead of diagnosing it, perhaps someone here on the BBS would like to take it off your hands.

Regarding your main question: I don't know if the new iPods have bookmarks or not. You could try one out at an apple store if you have access to one of those where you live.