#177187 - 28/08/2003 11:53
First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
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member
Registered: 31/12/2001
Posts: 113
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Here a review of the RIO Nitrus if anyone wants to read...
RIO Nitrus Review
brian
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#177188 - 28/08/2003 12:15
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: booey]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
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MATTHEW FORDAHL should be sacked for that garbage review. Quite frankly, he appears to be an iPod lover told to do a review. Even though he acknowledged the existance of 6 other forthcoming players he was completely unable to make the leap necessary to judge the Nitrus upon it's own merits, and stuck to the "Let's compare it to the iPod" formula instead.
As such, he completely marginalised the physical advantages that the Nitrus has, whilst utterly playing to the capacity vs price crowd;
But Nitrus doesn't recapture the music player crown for Rio. The sleek black gadget is too pricey, its software lackluster and hard drive too skimpy for the price. It simply doesn't offer as much bang for the buck as the iPod, which itself isn't cheap.
At $299, the Nitrus offers 1.5 gigabytes of storage, enough for about 375 songs. The $299 iPod, Apple's low-end model for either Macintosh or Windows computers, has 10 gigabytes of space - enough for 2,500 songs.
I have commented here before that I'm not sure that the Nitrus launch pricing will be seen favorably, and also that it's going to be hard to break the traditional flash=cheap/small/limited vs disk=pricey/big/capacious mindset that has prevailed recently. It's disappointing that AP couldn't find a reviewer capable of doing so.
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#177189 - 28/08/2003 12:20
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: genixia]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31597
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Hate to say it, but the reviewer has a point. I agree with him that it's too expensive for only 1.5 gigs. Its only advantage over the ipod is form factor.
You complain that the reviewer is comparing apples and oranges, but I don't see anything else to compare it to.
I think Rio would have a much better chance of selling the Nitrus if it weren't priced exactly the same as the 10-gig ipod.
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#177190 - 28/08/2003 12:31
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: tfabris]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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Agreed. The Nitrus is really cool, but its price puts it in a bad position. If it came down to Nitrus or 10GB iPod, I would have to choose the iPod.
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736
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#177191 - 28/08/2003 12:36
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: genixia]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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It's disappointing that AP couldn't find a reviewer capable of doing so. I don't think one reviewer can buck the press and industry trends towards judging products on one or two specs. All of the favorable AMD reviews on the planet couldn't impress upon the public that AMD chips are faster per clock cycle than their Intel counterparts, which forced AMD to stoop to the "XP" naming system.
Likewise, the price/GB metric is the one that stands out in most peoples' minds.. The cool features and form factor of the Nitrus will definitely help them sell, but I think comparing it to the market-leading iPod is perfectly acceptable. Frankly, unless the whole thing fits inside your ear or attaches to your brain stem, there isn't much of an advantage to the Nitrus' form factor over an iPod, because they're both "small." (Small enough to be not very noticable when you're carrying them.) Basically, at the sizes we're talking, capacity becomes the most important feature... It seems to me nobody's going to pay a premium for anything smaller than an iPod without other selling points.
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#177192 - 28/08/2003 12:39
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: genixia]
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addict
Registered: 24/07/2003
Posts: 500
Loc: Colorado, N.A.
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I might've thought this line from the review would've provoked something:
... if its software were more fully developed.... I have to admit I'm a little shocked myself that RMM2 doesn't rip CDA straight to MP3. Is the thinking there that people who buy MP3 players already have better, dedicated ripping/encoding s/w?
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-- DLF
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#177193 - 28/08/2003 12:42
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: DLF]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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Is the thinking there that people who buy MP3 players already have better, dedicated ripping/encoding s/w? More like the thinking is people are downloading MP3s. My brother has truckloads of MP3s on his computer but he would have no idea how to rip a CD (of which he owns 10).
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736
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#177195 - 28/08/2003 12:43
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: DLF]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31597
Loc: Seattle, WA
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I have to admit I'm a little shocked myself that RMM2 doesn't rip CDA straight to MP3. Actually, it does, if you've got a suitable codec installed into the Windows codecs. I think the problem is that some versions of Windows don't come with a licensed MP3 codec.
If I recall correctly, that is. Rob, correct me if I'm wrong?
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#177197 - 28/08/2003 12:52
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: robricc]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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My favorite response:
"Apple Employees get back to work"
Darryl on 28-Aug-2003 06:23:18 AM
Pros: A product can't even be bought in stores yet and already lots of negative comments, sight unseen. Now we know why Apple's iPods have been slipping. They're too busy posting on boards like this. Get back to work.
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#177198 - 28/08/2003 13:12
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: robricc]
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addict
Registered: 24/07/2003
Posts: 500
Loc: Colorado, N.A.
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Sssshhh! 
The R*I*A*A will hear you....
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-- DLF
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#177199 - 28/08/2003 13:22
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: DLF]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
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Yeah, that cnet review is _so_ much better. Suprisingly, very little of it is trying to do iPod comparisons, and yes, they've noticed that it's targeting a new niche.
I find it bizarre that one reviewer describes the button placement as "random" whilst another "well-placed". And the software, "incomplete, lacking" vs "polished, powerful".
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#177201 - 28/08/2003 13:27
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: tonyc]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
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No, not really. That's a personal taste preference and purely subjective.
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#177202 - 28/08/2003 13:33
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: genixia]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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That's a personal taste preference and purely subjective. Exactly! So is one's opinion on button placement, and one's like or dislike for the software.
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#177203 - 28/08/2003 13:43
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: tonyc]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
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He could have said that he didn't like the placement of the buttons. Or that he didn't like the software. That would have been subjective.
We know that the button placement is not random.
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#177204 - 28/08/2003 13:50
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: genixia]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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We know that the button placement is not random. True... I do agree that his tone is definitely pro-iPod and anti-anything-else, but most reviewers throw snide comments like that in when they don't like something. My main gripe about reviews of *anything* is that reviewers are so conscious about not appearing "wishy-washy" that they go to one extreme or another. Either a product is the top-of-the-line best-in-class killer app, or it's a piece of garbage. He probably doesn't hate the Nitrus as much as he says he does, but feels the need to leave the reader with a "buy no-buy" decision. You know, sometimes products are just *average* and should be reviewed that way...
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#177205 - 28/08/2003 14:02
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: tonyc]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
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Hmmm... "Cons: Being so small like this, when will we be able to stick these things into a car receiver just like an audio tape?"
Hahahaha.
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#177206 - 28/08/2003 14:05
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: CrackersMcCheese]
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veteran
Registered: 19/06/2000
Posts: 1495
Loc: US: CA
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A few companies have (and have had) devices exactly like that. For instance, this.
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#177207 - 28/08/2003 14:08
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: ricin]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
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I was more referring to the fact that the Empeg rules out the need for it.
The new Dension unit has a pull out hard drive that can be used as a portable player - I'd like that feature on the [future] Empeg.
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#177208 - 28/08/2003 14:11
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: CrackersMcCheese]
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veteran
Registered: 19/06/2000
Posts: 1495
Loc: US: CA
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Yes. I was just pointing out the fact that it's been done, and he apparently doesn't know it. 
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Donato MkII/080000565 MkIIa/010101253 ricin.us
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#177209 - 28/08/2003 14:12
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: ricin]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
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Sorry, I need my bed. Its been a hard day
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#177210 - 28/08/2003 14:20
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: CrackersMcCheese]
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veteran
Registered: 19/06/2000
Posts: 1495
Loc: US: CA
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No kidding. Today is "Bring your kids to work day." I think I've heard the words "Mom" and "Dad" today more than I ever have in my life. 
I feel left out though. I'm one of the only ones who isn't married with children.
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Donato MkII/080000565 MkIIa/010101253 ricin.us
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#177211 - 28/08/2003 17:55
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: tfabris]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 21/05/1999
Posts: 5335
Loc: Cambridge UK
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RMM rips to WMA, Ogg or FLAC out of the box. For MP3 you need an ACM codec - we link to the Intervideo codec. The reason is simply that the cost of an MP3 encode license is too high to be included in the box. We bundle Real One to provide this (wish we didn't!) if people want MP3 encode for free.
Rob
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#177212 - 29/08/2003 01:39
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: tfabris]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
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Its only advantage over the ipod is form factor. The Ipod's only advantage over the Rio Riot was form factor. That was enough.
Peter
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#177213 - 29/08/2003 07:33
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: peter]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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The Ipod's only advantage over the Rio Riot was form factor. That was enough. mumblemumblemarketing mumblemumble
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#177214 - 29/08/2003 09:47
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: peter]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31597
Loc: Seattle, WA
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The Ipod's only advantage over the Rio Riot was form factor. That was enough. But in that case, they were both "big disk" portables. So in that case, the form factor was the only major difference between the iPod and the Riot. (I don't know what, if any, price difference there was between the iPod and the Riot?)
In the case of Slate vs. iPod, the form factor is the only advantage, whereas the disk space is a disadvantage, yet they're the same price.
I'm not trying to dis the Slate, I'm just trying to say why that reviewer had a point.
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#177215 - 29/08/2003 15:07
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: rob]
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addict
Registered: 24/07/2003
Posts: 500
Loc: Colorado, N.A.
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Yeah, same as my (not too inexpensive) flash player. You have to upgrade to the "Plus" version of their software for another $29 to get the Fraunhofer IIS encoder. I guess for nearly $500 US, I was hoping for a miracle in the Karma box....
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-- DLF
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#177216 - 30/08/2003 01:19
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: DLF]
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member
Registered: 16/12/1999
Posts: 188
Loc: Melbourne, Australia
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One of my comments was along the lines of:
I've fallen in love with the form factor, but if I hadn't have tried it out for a couple of weeks I wouldn't have thought it was so important. You're going to have pull off an impressive marketing feat to convince the average punter that it's a big deal, and worth the money.
And I think that still stands. For instance I'm seeing iPod marketing on trams, and the das are focussing on capacity. If that's all the public sees then it's going to influenced into thinking that capacity is the key feature.
Richard.
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#177217 - 31/08/2003 07:58
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: DLF]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14493
Loc: Canada
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The odd thing is, there are a few ACM implementations of the excellent Open Source "lame" MP3 encoder out there, but so far I have been unable to find one that RMM will work with.
Cheers
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#177218 - 31/08/2003 08:42
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
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The odd thing is, there are a few ACM implementations of the excellent Open Source "lame" MP3 encoder out there, but so far I have been unable to find one that RMM will work with. I'd better check whether we even claim to support that in current RMM. At one stage at least we were considering skipping that for first release, as all the ACM Lame encoders we found were so utterly nonstandard ACM that we couldn't come up with a common subset of features that actually worked. Either way, we hope to improve support for third-party encoders in future (free, Web-upgradable) releases of RMM. We can't install any of them with RMM for patent reasons, but I reckon that if users have previously installed one themselves then we can assume that they've taken care of the patent thing, or perhaps are in a no-software-patents country.
Peter
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#177219 - 31/08/2003 09:37
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: peter]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14493
Loc: Canada
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Ahh.. perhaps some feedback on the missing bits might help the lame folks with their ACM implementations..
Cheers
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#177220 - 31/08/2003 12:12
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: peter]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
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I'd better check whether we even claim to support that in current RMM.
We don't. If it's not registered as the WMP MP3 encoder, then we don't use it at all. We made this decision to cut down on the amount of QA required.
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-- roger
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#177221 - 03/09/2003 01:37
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: Roger]
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addict
Registered: 10/11/2000
Posts: 497
Loc: Utah, USA
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So, anyone know if there's any version of LAME that can be installed as the WMP MP3 encoder?
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-Aaron
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#177222 - 03/09/2003 02:44
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: adavidw]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
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Not as far as I know.
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-- roger
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#177223 - 19/09/2003 17:30
Re: First Rio Nitrus review ive seen
[Re: booey]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2858
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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I just got my copy of PC Gamer in the mail and it had a pretty good review of the Nitrus. They said it rocked on battery time and weight, but that if hard drive space was a killer issue for you that you'd probably want to go with an iPod or Jukebox Zen NX. However, they seemed to feel that size would not be and issue in everyone's mind. Direct quote: "Really, when it comes to size, ease of use, and feature set, we're hard-pressed to find a flaw in the Nitrus." I'd say that's pretty good press! Overall rating: 83% (Excellent).
Edited by FerretBoy (19/09/2003 20:19)
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-Jeff
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
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