Take RCA's RD1000 Kazoo digital audio player on the go and listen to MP3 digital audio files. With the 32 MB internal flash memory, you can enjoy over half an hour of near-CD quality, skip-free music (there are no moving parts). You can also use the MultiMedia Card (MMC) memory slot and insert up to 96 MB of additional memory for even more songs. (See our selection of MultiMedia Cards.)
Connect the Kazoo to a PC with the USB connection and transfer songs from your computer or directly off the Internet at speeds up to 2.4 Mbps. You can specify playlists and what songs to transfer using the included MusicMatch Jukebox and RealJukebox software. Also included are headphones, batteries, a carry bag, wrist strap, and neck strap.
1 What's the deal?
I bought this little thing ages ago. Today, I still use it. I have Windows XP and the Kazoo works fine. I've also added a 128 MB MMC memory card into the device and have filled it. Works fine for me. The complaints about operating systems and low memory haven't been a problem for me. Only thing I didn't like is the memorcy card slot ONLY accepts MulitMedia Cards and not the usually compatible SD cards.
2 Needs More Memory
Every thing is good but can't fit more than 10 quality songs on it.
3 No Memory?!?!
I bought this little guy and was really excited. I installed all the software on my Windows 2000. When i tried to put my songs on the player, it said i had no memory!?! I even put in 64 MB extra! Its very annoying. I wouldnt reccomend this product.
4 Excellent MP3 Player
I just love my Kazoo MP3 Player made by RCA. It is great for plane trips or working out at the gym. I highly recommed it.
5 Nice
Pretty sweet gizmo. Not much memory but with the mmc card its pretty sweet. I was able to fit 28 regular songs in it so thats pretty decent. The battery runs out quick if you use it continuously. Just dont loose the driver installation stuff cuz its kind of hard to track down.
6 SO AWSOMe
What can i say..So easy to use..Wow i never seen nothing so great liek this..
7 Its so useful!
This mp3 player is sold cheap here, .... Well i have no regrets because this is awesome! It's so easy to download music from my computer and just take it and go. Easy as 1, 2, 3. I really recommend this item to anyone looking for a small electronic that plays lots of music whenever, wherever. Its the best! (its even good for kids if they wanna sneak it into some class at school, its barely noticeable! (-; Jk!)
8 pretty good
this player is very well worth the price. it sounds very nice if you buy better headphones. i had no problems at all installing the software and drivers. i think all in all, i was able to begin listening to my player with 10 songs (@ 96 kbps) in it within 5-10 minutes. although the player is truly small, i think the picture here is slightly deceiving. the part where the batteries are inserted in the back potrudes slightly outwards such that the player isn't flat. if you look very carefully at the picture, you'll see that it curves in the back. also, besides the not so hot headphones, the case that they give you is pretty ugly. it's all clear with two buttons (like metal buttons on a jacket). but since the case is all clear and the player so small, the buttons are comparably big, obvious, and ugly. that's why i don't even bother using it. the player has all the basic features and the following:
dsp (flat, bass, pop, rock, jazz)
mode (shuffle, repeat, both)
lock
expansion slot (up to 128 mb = 128 + 32 internal = 160 mb)
there is no resume feature nor a backlit lcd (just a regular one). i use this player for running, walking to class, and when i'm doing chores around the house. the battery life is very good. with 2 AAA batteries, i usually get about 8-10 hours of life. i haven't really dropped it much, except in the house where there's carpet, but so far no problems whatsoever. for the price, this player is a pretty good buy. i would recommend getting a cooler case if you want to go running and strap it to your arm. else, just slip it in your pocket and you barely feel that it's there.
9 GET THIS ONE - PRICE AND QUALITY
I wanted an MP3 Player for running and I didn't want to spend a lot of money. Also, I know the ones with the built-in FM will get cheaper as time goes by, so after reading many user ratings and since there was a [$$$] rebate, ... I decided to get this one. It is sooooo awesome! The sound and size of this player are great! It blew me away from what I was expecting at this price. The thing with Windows XP - The MusicMatch software (ver 7.1) from the CD it came with did not work. Instead ... download the newer version 7.5 for free. Also, it is a 32mb, but you can buy a card and pop in more memory. I am very happy with this player and highly highly recommend getting it, it is definitely more bang for your buck! ...
10 NICE!
Very small and lightweight, and good for running. I wish it had a better belt clip.
11 WHY
WHY IS EVERYTHING I LIKE YOU DO NOT HAVE.
12 Your basic MP3 player
I like my little MP3. I've been wanting one and asked for this one for Christmas because it's cheap. Yeah, the 32MB of memory is not alot. At near CD-quality--96kb--I was able to fit nine songs on my first try. But three of those songs are over eight minutes long. (I also got Led Zeppelin Early and Later Years for Christmas!) Recently loads to the device give me about 12 normal songs. Not much, but enough. It was very handy while traveling and has stood up to several workout so far. I think I'll buy the extra memory.
The software that it came with could use some improvement. I had to go online and get the program from the company that makes it? Why? The program on the included CD didn't work. All in all it took me about two hours to get music loaded and running. Not terrible, but certainly not plug-n-play.
Bottom line? If I had the bucks, I'd buy a player that comes with more memory. But this is still an emerging technology and a good, inexpensive way to get in on the fun.
13 Buy something else
The case for this is terrible, the little snaps are extremely annoying, and they tear out within a week. So after the case broke I was using this little strap they give you, but using the strap broke off the corner by the battery case. I never dropped this or did anything that should have broken it. It is just really poorly made.
That, plus the fact that you have to use MusicMatch, makes me recommend not purchasing this device. MusicMatch is a horrible program.
Oh, one more thing. You can only fit about 5 songs on this the way it comes, so you have to cough up another 50 bucks for a memory card. Its not a very good deal.
14 Cheap, Strong, and SMALL MP3 Player.
This is a very cool MP3 player! After finally killing my cd player, I decided on getting an mp3 player. I love no skipping!!
I bought this one because at the time it seemed like the cheapest and the best deal I could find. I believe it is. It's a very small player, u can easily conceal it.
I've had mine for a couple of months now (almost a year I believe), and it still works!
As an avid bus rider, it's great for me because I'm always on the go to work, or school, or on errands. I can't go anywhere without listening to music!
The headphones weren't that great so I got rid of those right away and bought another pair, but the player is really good.
It holds 32MB. It's not a whole lot of space for me, so I bought a viking 64mb Multimedia Card.
This player is very durable. I can't tell u the number of times I've dropped it, the batteries went flying, and I just picked it up, popped the batteries back in, and began listening to my music as if nothing had happened.
I'm very klutzy, and I tend to drop it often. It still works, and it's not that scratched up either! Did I forget to mention I dropped it once, it hit the cement, then fell into the gutter filled with water? I'd swear this little device is waterproof.
The LOCK feature is very cool. When the lock is on, pushing any buttons won't have any affect. It's really helpful for me when I throw it into my backpack and don't want it to accidently turn on and waste the batteries. I recommend buying some rechargeable batteries if U intend to listen to it all day, such as I do.
This is a really neat gadget. I love it when people are impressed by it. Showing it off is fun. When people ask about the memory; I just pop out the Flash card, show it to them, and the music that's on the player will continue playing exactly where it was. Unless it was on the card I took out, in that case the next song on the built in memory will play. It's very cool!!
I totally recommend buying one of these. If u can afford it, perhaps try the newer version with the 64mb built it. But if you're always short on cash like me, I recommend this MP3 Player.
~Mari
15 For what it does, it does it well...
Considering the price, one should expect a rather simple product. This is what is given. I reiterate someone else by saying there is no compatibility with XP, thus maybe you should read the box. For those of us who can use it, it works great, to me at least. People are complaining that it scratches if it drops. Maybe you shouldn't be dropping it... Nonetheless.. I agree, I hate musicmatch, which is the lone reason I DID NOT give it 5 stars. The headphones are faulty, which is the cause for many of the sound problems, try new ones. Otherwise, again, for what it does, it does it well.
16 it turns of frecuently
I like the sound of the mp3 I useit for runing ,, but I have the problem that some days does not turn on , and other days works fine ,, I already change the bateris a lot of times but the problem remains , and I dont know were to aask for the warranty regards
17 RCA K@zoo MP3 Player
This is a great buy! I am a active girl, and I listen to this while talking on the computer, and on the bus going to my basketball games! The earphones were not that great, so i bought some more, but other than that this is a great mp3 player for the money, and has not given me problems, and is VERY durable! I run with it, and it is skip free, unlike portable CD players. Downloads songs in 10 seconds, and is very easy to install and figure out!
18 I think it's great!
This little MP3 player is outstanding! I have never used an MP3 player before and I am amazed at how easy it is to operate it. The wrist band makes the player easy to use when working out, running, or even just walking. The headphones fit really comfortably and the sound is nice and clear.
I only wanted an MP3 player to use when I work out or go for a run. This one is perfect for doing just that. If you want an MP3 player that can play very nicely, this one is for you.
19 Nice and Easy - Great 1st MP3 Player
I've had my K@zoo for a few months now, and I'm glad to say that it was a great purchase. I use it when I ride my mountain bike and walking to and from work, and for those purposes it absolutely does the job well. I usually sample at 64k and get about an hours worth of tunes on it, but I am thinking about buying a memory card for it eventually.
Sound quality is pretty robust, and the headphones that come with it are pretty darn clear sounding. Controls are simple and there's a lock mode that will keep you from bumping the buttons and chaning songs when you don't mean to. The DSP modes don't really seem to do much, but that'd be splitting hairs in such an already nice sounding player.
It's got basic play modes: random, repeat all, and that's about it. It's a budget minded player with just the right essentials and not much more, but people tend to buy more than they need when it comes to electronics. If you just want to take some MP3s on the go, then this is a great player.
20 GREAT BUY!
I bought this itiem about a month or two ago and since haven't went to the gym without it...although it does only have 32mb of built in memory (I would recommend an upgrade to 128) for the price and sound and options and the software (which I've used to convert my entire music collection into MP3's) you can't beat it. The sound quality is incredible! I do recommend upgrading the headphones that come with it. They're great, but they could be a little better. It comes with an arm band and a sweat-resistant plastic cover, which are a must if working out, or a neck band for just walking around. I recommend this to anyone who is serious about their music or who just wants a great MP3 player at a great price.
21 Quite Impressive
I bought my Kazoo mp3 player a few months ago and I have since consistently used it on a daily basis. It has taken quite a trashing from using it to jog and running it between my car and the pc to d/l songs to it. It only has a few scratches on it, otherwise it still works perfectly. I use Energizer Titanium batteries (the ones that claim to last 5x longer...and actually do) and go through about 2-4 batteries a month. It is very easy to use, and by going to the RCA website to get the update, it works perfectly fine with Windows XP and the included MusicMatch Jukebox. My only complaint is the standard memory but there is an expansion slot and the option of buying the available 64mb version.
22 Great, portable MP3 Player!
I got the Kazoo MP3 Player as a gift, and I have to say, this is one of the smallest and lightest MP3 Players you'll get youir hands on, as of now. The sound quality of this player is great, and you can adjust the sound to your preferences by using the graphic equaliser presets. The 32 MB version can store upto 8 songs at 128 kbps, which is a bit low, but it can be upgraded using a mmc card. The cons are that it finishes batteries rather quickly, and no ID3 tag support. But the advantages overweight the disadvantages, and overall, I would recommend this player for people who need a very compact, lightweight MP3 player which they can take along with them whereever they go!
23 Poor Product
This MP3 Player only lasted two weeks in my possession. Despite new batteries, the unit never played another tune after limited use. Would not recommend this for a purchase. Now I guess I know why it was 47% off the regular price.
24 Very nice and small - works fine with XP
This is about the smallest MP3 player you can get. I just got it today and had it working in about 5 minutes with WinXP Pro. I don't know why other reviewers are complaining. You can have MusicMatch downsample your MP3s when you transfer them to them to the Kazoo. This is a very nice feature if you have tons of storage hogging MP3s on your computer. Just use 64kbps and you should be able to get more than an hour of music in the built-in 32MB of memory. I was surprised at how good it sounds. Another handy feature is that you can fast-foward/reverse thru a song. The only mystery is how long the batteries will last...
25 Still doesn't work with XP
The Kazoo is frustrating, because it would be an excellent player if only it worked reliably with the now-standard version of the world's most common operating system (XP). Like some other folks, I enjoyed it under ME. It has reasonably good sound (good enough for running); it's compact and light--I barely notice it on my wrist. It does go through the batteries fast, but you can't have everything. Sadly, it's been erratic since I upgraded to XP (more than 50% of the time, I can't change the files on the player).
If you don't have XP, get the 64 MB version and you'll have about an hour of music. If you do have XP, wait until you see some positive reviews. I'll give it five stars when (if ever) it works for three months continuously.
If you still don't believe the XP warnings: as mentioned elsewhere, there really is ZERO SUPPORT coming from RCA on this. The useless email support offered the same advice as the useless PDF on the useless website. When I asked for further support, they suggested I make a long-distance phone call during the day. (They also said they offer free support by email--in the same message that said they couldn't offer any further support!) No wonder RCA went bankrupt. Believe the warnings!
26 Not for XP users
I bought this device and brought it home with great expectations. I was disappointed. First off, the company does not make XP drivers, and the only drivers you can get for it work with Music Match Jukebox. That's OK, if, like me, you use Music Match. However, the drivers are Beta versions, and they are not approved for use with XP. Not only that, whenever I turned off my computer and plugged the device back in to reload MP3s, the computer forced me to reinstall the drivers. I was willing to live with that, but I was not willing to live with the problems that I had once the files were downloaded. Everything seemed flawless, until I started playing my music back. It seems as though parts of the song don't make the trip and the music seems to skip. Very annoying and frustrating. This problem happened on both of my computers at home which use XP Pro. However, when I used it with my computer at work, running Win 2K, everything worked great. SO the bottom line is, if you don't use XP and you never will, this is a great purchase. If you do use XP, this little thing with give you big trouble.
27 Cheap Product with Cheap Software
I recently bought this mp3 player in hopes to put my old cd player to rest. I hoped for skip-free music at a decent price. Somehow within the transfer of music from my computer to the device, it recorded skips. So I attempted to call customer service. Well it doesn't exist. First of all, RCA does not make this mp3 player; it just puts its name on it. So after finding the manufacturing company, they just told me to call my place of purchase. No help what so ever. So my next approach was to ask my IT-specialist boyfriend to attempt to help me out. He provided no new answers and just got further angered by the product.
The body is made of a very bright plastic (I bought the 64mb one in red) that looks very cheaply made. I dropped it once and left a horrible scratch in the side.
On another note, I do run XP, and didn't have any major problems, but my boyfriend thinks the skipping comes from it's inability to work well with XP.
And lastly, the software is cheap. It's great software when you purchase the updated edition. They basically give you the free-be and attempt to get you to upgrade for an additional fee.
Needless to say, it was returned.
28 This is an AWSOME MP3 Player for a great price
I love to listen to music while I work out so I decided to get an MP3 player becasue I was sick and tired of carrying my CD player and my tape cassette around. Besides, when you are on the treadmill jogging you get kind of sick and tired of your CD player skipping. Anyway I'll make it short and to the point. This little MP3 player packs a mean punch!! The sound is great and the software included makes the music really easy to transfer. It comes with a neck strap, carry case, wrist strap and digital headphones. I perfer to use the wrist strap while I'm working out. Anyway (I did say I was going to make[price]. The only downfall is that it comes with 32 MB memory which means you won't get but about 10 songs but it has a slot so you can expand the memory. All in ALL it's a great MP3 player for your buck.
29 I love it!!!!!
I just bought it yesterday, so I have no info. on reliability. I did a lot of research before buying and the Kazoo had what I was looking for. 1. Plenty of on board storage (I got the 64M model) 2. Takes regular batteries- with all the problems with batteries on other players, being able to replace the batteries is a plus. 3. Uses easily attainable memory media- beware... some players use memory storage devices that you can only buy from THEM. Bad idea- no competition means they control the price! A friend of mine has a RIO. I like it except that it uses an internal rechargeable battery (a problem on the 800... read the 800 reviews) and you have to buy their "backpack" to add storage. The only thing I don't like about the Kazoo is that its too simple! I've read bad stuff about the Music Match software in other reviews, but I already had the software, so I just downloaded the correct driver and used my software. There should be a piece of paper in the package that tells you how to do this. I have also read that XP is a problem. Mine came with instructions about how to install for XP. I have ME so I don't have any info on this issue either.
Pros:
Small- very portable
Uses regular batteries (buy rechargeables and a charger!)
Uses common storage media (Multi media cards)
Fast- I loaded up about 12 songs on it in approximately 2 minutes. (About 21M worth of data)
Cons:
Simple- some people like simple stuff, not me!
Can't seem to transfer from the player to the computer, only from the computer to the player.
Overall, I would highly recommend this player. If you have XP, I would do some research on it before buying.
30 If you need portable and basic, this one's excellent!
Wow, I really loved my Nomad Jukebox... a million years of music on one unit. The problem was that when I took it on the train, I had to hang it on the back of the seat in front of me; when I went on walks, I had to bring a backpack to toss it in the back.
In plain English, what makes the Kazoo an awesome unit is its size and simplicity... provided that's what you are looking for (you don't buy a Honda Civic expecting Porsche performance, style and handling). The Kazoo IS small. A 5-year old could nearly wrap his/her hand around it. It is simple: play, pause, forward, back, stop, random, repeat, repeat random, and a decent 'equalizer' called DSP that lets you select a type of music and base/treble etc. are adjusted accordingly (I like to put mine on Jazz... even if I'm listening to Ninjatune stuff). As far as looks go, the unit is rather appealing. The only downfalls may be no tuner (hey, price... size?) and the software is not as good as my Creative Labs software. Also, I have not had any problems with sound, whatsoever.
So, nowadays, I just hang the Kazoo around my neck or attach it to my belt... and off I go.
P.s. I have the 64mb version, but haven't added an addition 64mb yet.
31 great deal if you don't mind your entire computer crashing!
I ordered the kazoo knowing that I would have to put some work in to getting it to work with windows XP, but I had no idea that it would completely wipe out my computer! I downloaded the necesary driver from the musicmatch website, turned off my computer like instructed, and then I tried to computer on again and it wouldn't boot up! I just about broke down in tears. I was so excited to get my kazoo and then to have it ruin my computer just broke my heart! I spent all day and night talking to technical support people (thank gosh for Best Buy, the RCA people were no help). In the end, I ended up having to completely erase my 3 month old computer and reset it to factory settings myself. I'm grateful I didn't have anything too important on it! I eventually got the correct driver downloaded and my kazoo works just fine now. (Note to people who already have musicmatch 7.0 or 7.1 already installed on your computer: do not install the musicmatch that comes with the Kazoo, just go to 'add new features' under options, pick the picture of the kazoo, and follow the directions from there. I really enjoy the kazoo now, but I'm not quite sure it was worth having to erase my entire hard drive for.
32 RCA 64
Many problems with XP.
Software [is not good]
Sound quality is not great. Lots of "skipping" sounds.
I might return it.
But nice and small.
Do research on other players
33 Disappointed - poor quality construction for daily gym use
The sound quality of this MP3 player is OK. In my opinion, not as good as Rio's, but certainly nice. However, doesn't hold up to daily gym use. To use the arm band that comes with it, the player must be inside its slick plastic envelope. Unfortunately, the snaps on the plastic envelope tear easily, leaving you without an arm band option. I can live with that. HOWEVER, now the plastic housing around the battery case has cracked, so the batteries can't make contact. Epoxy held it together for a week or so, but no longer. I've never dropped this unit, and keep it in a padded neoprene bag when I'm not using it. You know there's something wrong with the design of this RCA unit when my original Rio 300 player is still going strong.
34 Nothing shy of perfect
Light weight, attractive, easy to use, fast download, great sound, inexpensive, in a word...perfect. The biggest surprise for me was battery life. I read that the RD1000 got about six hours of play, but it's more like ten from my experience. I can't say enough good things about the RCA RD1000!
35 best portable mp3 player on the market (xcept 4 long trips)
I just recently bought the 64mb version of this mp3 player ...and it wuz more than worth that. Its so small that i can have it anywhere and have it not bother me. My favorite part is that the bass is incredible!(im even using the included headphones!) The display tells me everything i need (i dont need the time on it bcuz thats wut a watch is 4). The icluded music match has always been my favorite music management software and it works easily and quickly. with 64 mb i can fit up 2 30 songs in the .wma format and the battery drain is very low. the buttons are easy to press and all the included accesories are really cool like the carry case and neck strap. the usb download is very fast and it took me less than 2 min 2 fill up the internal memory! I have yet to find a problem with this player and i dont think i ever will!
36 Good Player...but with Faults
Not a bad player for the price, I paid [money] for an open box at [a store] and at that price its definitely worth it. Its compact, nice looking and has above average sound for the price. I found it easy to use once it was set up, but have concerns about XP compatibility. I was able to download an update at Music Match, but it is not recognized by other software on my XP machine (I prefer Sony's Sonic Stage for my MP3 collection). I've been forced to switch to Musicmatch which I don't really like. Deleting songs from the player also could be faster, but all in all, to get 64mb under [money] with good sound isn't bad at all
37 Great MP3 player for working out
I bought the RCA RD1000 for only one purpose...to have music while running and working out. The player is barely larger than a typical pager and you can wear it on your wrist, belt, or around your neck. I think the included headphones work just fine; they stay in place while I'm running and the sound is more than acceptable. I bought a 64mb MMC card along with the player but the price was still much better than a typical 128mb MP3 player. With 96mb of total memory I can get about 90 minutes of 128k bitrate MP3's into the player...plenty a for a nice long run! Overall, I'm very happy with this MP3 player. It was obviously designed for a 'mobile atmosphere' as opposed to being a player for having around the house...that's what those players with the multi-gig harddrives are for! RCA did a great job with this player.
38 Deep Down in Texas
The Kazoo is tiny enough to fit in your pocket, it's simple enough that my wife can use it (I bought it for her), and it was extremely affordable.... It comes with 32MB of internal memory which seems small, but buying an additionaly memory card, or two, is really cheap and vastly expands what this toy can do. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants the most portable MP3 player available with great sound for [good money].
39 Now I have to get one for my husband....
I purchased the last one of these in my town. Then I made the mistake of showing it to my husband. Now he wants one. I studied the reviews on the MP3 players and then I figured what the heck and tried this one.
Set-up and the first download took about 30 minutes (on a Windows ME machine.) On the windows XP machine it was a little more challenging, I had to update Musicmatch, then update the drivers. The RCA site had good support and led me to the download. I'm still fiddling with what would be the best sampling rate for sound quality. Definitely buy a card, well worth it to have a couple of hours of music in your pocket.
The only downside is no FM tuner, and limited expandablilty. It works great for what I bought it for, working out in the gym. Who wants to work out for 3 or 4 hours? ;) Compose your own custom workout playlist and download it.
It's a great gadget that makes my trips to the gym a lot more appealing.
40 this is great
I have been considering getting an mp3 player for a while, except i was never really impressed by the size of all of them out there. i think the first small ones I saw were the panasonic ones, but they were around 300 dollars. the size and the price impressed me as well as the ability to expand with mmc cards.
The controls are simple but what else do i need besides play, stop, forward, back? it sounds great but I recommend getting different headphones, i found the ones it came with uncomfortable.
The little plastic case could be better. I would prefer a leather one.
There is support for windows xp, but everyone looks in the wrong place. Don't look at the RCA site but the MusicMatch site.
This would be even better if I could download mp3 to the computer form the player itself.
I would recommend this player to anyone who wants a small basic mp3 player for a small price.
41 Good, except for MusicMatch ...
I don't think there's anything I can say about the player that hasn't been said already - it's great!
My only beef is that they include MusicMatch on the CD for uploading music to the player. As soon as I installed MM, it started nagging me for my personal info .. WTF? Not only that, but everytime I'd shut down the program, it would constantly nag me to update to the ... version which had a bunch of extras that I didn't need or want. I finally went and downloaded ... for the program just so it would leave me alone.
42 LOVE THIS THING
HAVE IT FOR A MONTH NOW AND CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT. IT'S GREAT!!!
43 xp drivers
We purchased a Kazoo for our daughter at Christmas because of it's size and memory size. The price was good as well. We are running xp and like other people foud out, the drivers were not compatible. I spent many days searching the internet for drivers and e-mailed rca. The response was that they are in the process of making/building drivers but did not know when they would be available. I then had a friend search for the drivers and he did find them. So, I am happy to say that we can run the Kazoo with windows xp. The only other comment I have is that the batteries do not seem to last long.
44 Love it!!!!!
I was given this MP3 player by my teenage son for my birthday last week after hinting around that I wanted a walkman. When I first got it, I thought "how can anything this tiny be any good????". Well, I was quite pleasantly surprised! The software loaded swiftly and smoothly into our Windows 98 SE operating system, and it even came with MusicMatch 6.1. I immediately tried it out by popping a couple of cd's into the cd-rom drive, transferring what I wanted to MusicMatch's library and then selecting the tracks I wanted to download to the kazoo and...VOILA!...I had cd-quality music that sounded GREAT in no time!! With something this small, I can download all my favorite sounds and take it to work and keep it conspicuously out of sight of the boss! This is a powerful little gadget and I thank my son a hundred times over for giving one to me!
45 THIS PRODUCT NOW SUPPORTS XP!!!
A lot of the reviews here knock this player because at the time it did not work on XP. There is now a plugin for musicmatch. ... .
Anyway, I like the player a lot. It's size is very nice. My main reason for getting it is to have about 8 or 9 songs (at 128 bit rate) while jogging plus it is small enough to either slip into your pocket or put on the included neckstrap.
The only reason I am writing this review is because so many people gave it a bad score because it didn't work on XP for them. The packaging does not say it supports XP!
46 Great Player
I recently bought the Kazoo and I am thrilled with it. I bought a 32mb mmc and it doubled the amount of songs i was able to put on it. The software was very easy to use as well as the player itself. By reducing the kbps of each song to 64kbps I was able to put a little over 2 hours (30 songs) onto the player. It reduced the quality but it still sounds amazing. The only fault I can find is that it drains the batteries kind of quickly. I reccomend this player to any first time user.
47 For non-XPers, this little bugger is awesome.
As I'm sure by now, you've heard that the k@zoo isn't XP compatible, so I'm not going to get into it. For those of us who don't have XP... it's great.
It met all my requirements. It's small, small's not the word, it's tiny. Its memory is upgradable with equally small MMC's which are relatively cheap and available, unlike the Rio "backpacks" I just wish they came in 132MB. It uses commonly available AAA's. The battery life is pretty good. I haven't clocked it, but I can get about 6 hours out of a pair of AAA's. Best of all, you can have one for under a hundred bucks and batteries are even included.
So, if you're not running XP, I say snap one up. Especially if you're looking for your first unit. Who knows, maybe RCA will get on the stick and come up with drivers for it.
48 RCA drops the ball on this one
Run don't walk from this product. It was heavily hyped this Christmas but despite it's strong features it does not work with XP. Imagine getting a new computer loaded with XP and a cool MP3 player only to find that it doesn't even work with the O/S loaded on your machine.
RCA drops the ball by saying it's not sure if it will support XP. What a cop-out. Run don't walk from RCA PC related products. They just don't get it...
49 Good Player but some faults
Simply put, I have enjoyed this player. I have had problems finding a variety of software to support loading the player, so I've been stuck with the plugin for Real Jukebox. Not too bad, but not the one I use on a regular basis.
Loading time was slow with Real J. but the player holds ample songs if you are willing to reduce quality to roughly FM quality. Which is fine for me for the money.
The little plastic back it shoves in to attach to the armband is pressed plastic and is sharp on the edges. It's also a little touchy -- I ripped the snaps off within the first week. Ug.
THERE IS ONE MAJOR WEEKNESS OF THIS PRODUCT:
I upgraded to XP and could no longer load the player. After contacting RCA their response was: "we are not sure we are going to support XP". What a bad answer. I will NOT buy another PC related item from RCA after this. If they attribute so little importance to driver management, this can only be indicative of what they will do across the board.
BE CAREFULL.
I'm now shopping for another player because I can't load the Kazoo anymore. I suppose I'll ebay this Kazoo so go there and see if you can get one for 1/2 price first!
50 Fantastic!!
I love the size, the sound, and the ease to use. I did however purchase another 64mb Viking and now have 1.5 hours of music on something the size of a TicTac container. Very cool.
51 One of the Best
I recently purchased a RCA Kazoo Mp3 Player, it already has made an impact on my music. With the ability to transfer Mp3 files onto my computer. I could get any song I wanted. Without any charge. It's quicker than burning a CD. Much faster than normal players. Even with the price, it was worth to buy it. So buy it.
I love it.
52 Great Xmas gift
I got this for Christmas, and it's great. The only problem was that I also got WinXP, and well, the two don't work together... YET. I emailed RCA, and they said they were working on drivers right now. So, if you're planning on upgrading to XP in the near future, don't let that stop you from buying the RD1000. It's very easy to use, and the perfect gift!
53 First Time MP3 User...LOVE IT!!
Just got this as a xmas gift and for a first timer as myself using an mp3 this by far was the simpliest and easiest thing to use. In a matter of an hour I downloaded the program and dowloaded 12 tracks worth 45 minutes of play using an additional 16mb media card. I have never fooled with an mp3 so it was just so pleasant.
Now the sound from listening is amazing. It has 5 different sounds types from flat to bass, just depends how you want to hear your music. It has a great neck strap and wrist strap so that you can carry it with you everywhere and it's so lightweight you may forget you have this thing on you. Comes with the batteries (after 10 min though showed the life 1/3 down) and comes with a great plastic protector, and also very stylish loud headphones not to mention this unit is loud!! It is very simple, but highly effective. Also like the key lock feature so when wearing it if you press any of its buttons nothing is effected. It is just a cool mp3 starter, think you will be pleased!
54 It sounds and looks fantastic!!
This player is tiny, sounds great, and is very cheap. It also has a great Bass booster that really thumps. The biggest complaint I hear about other players is the sound quality and loudness. This player sounds great and has super loud sound. The screen is VERY is easy to read and the controls are superb. I love it and would recommend to all!
55 Small with a great sound.!
The RCA RD1000 is great! It is so small very easy to hide or for your car! THE SOUND IS GREAT. It has excelent volume and high quality BASS. 32 mb will get you 30 min of music at 128bits but lower your bit rate and you can get almost a hour's worth of music on it... The Display is large and easy to read...
MY Step son who is 14 is very impressed which is hard to do!
The software is easy to use... Evey thing is top notch.. With a Upgrade with a 64mb Card We will be able to get over 2 hours of music on it.. Not bad for a player 1/2 the size of a pack of cizzs...
56 Works great, except with XP.
Well, since my primary computer is using WinXP Pro., this device doesn't won't work with it. IT works fine on my other machine, that has Win98SE, and is networked with my primary comp., though. The device itself is a really great player, and is totally skip free. Soon, it'll have Mp3Pro support, and will hold 2x the songs. If you want a really good, skip free player, get the new Napa 8cm CD-R MP3 player, I own one of those also, and it's GREAT.
57 DON'T BUY
If you are upgrading your computer to XP, do not buy this unit. RCA has decided not to develop drivers to support this unit inspite of the fact that they have a new model RD1060 with more flash memory. They do not tell you this when you buy the unit and in fact lied and said they were working on the new drivers. BUYER BEWARE!!
58 Windows XP
If you have xp or are plannig on upgrading to xp, don't buy this player. I purchased it when it first came out(149.95 + tax)
and have upgraded to xp. It will not work with xp and rca does not plan on fixing the problem. Just a word of warning.
Thanks Patrick
59 Nice and small
I found the RCA Kazoo to be very small and light weight. I had lots of problems trying to delete songs for the player once I downloaded them using the musicmatch jukebox software that is included.
60 GOOD: SMALL SIZE....BAD:SMALL SIZE IN MEMORY
THE SIZE OF THIS MP3 IS 1/10 SIZE OF A CD PLAYER. VERY SMALL AND EASY TO HOLD. COMES WITH PLASTIC PROTECTOR (EXCELLENT) AND NECKLACE. 2 AAA BATTERIES LAST AROUND 8 HOURS. TOO BAD ADDING ADDITIONAL MEMORY WOULD HAVE TO BE THE MULTIMEDIA CARD (MMC). THE MAX YOU CAN BUY IS 64 MB AND BELIEVE ME IT'S NOT VERY CHEAP AROUND...FOR 64MB. IF YOU GET THE RIO ONE, YOU CAN GET THE SMARTMEDIA CARD AT 128MB...TOO. SO WHAT YOU ACTUALLY GET IS 96MB FOR THIS AND 160 MB FOR RIO ONE, IF YOU PLAY THIS WITH 128KBPS MP3S YOU GET AT LEAST 20 SONGS AT 96 MB(ASSUMING EACH MP3 IS AT 5 MB). DON'T GET FOOL BY THE PICTURE ABOVE, THE LARGE DISPLAY DOES NOT GLOW (NO BACKLIT). HOWEVER THE BUTTONS GLOW IN THE DARK (NOT BAD). SOFTWARE IS EASY TO USE, HOWEVER FORMATING(DELETING THE SONGS) TAKE AROUND 50 SEC (COMPARED TO THE RIO ONE, WHICH IS 20 SECONDS) CONSIDER IF YOU ARE ON THE RUN. THE LARGE LCD SCREEN IS INCREDIBLE. ALL THE FEATURES YOU SELECT ARE EASILY SHOWN ON THE SCREEN. THE EARPHONES ARE FASHIONABLE AND SOUNDS GOOD. COMMENTING ON THE BATTERIES, THE LIFE METER IS UNPREDICTABLE. I'VE PUT IN 2 FRESH BATTERIES, AFTER 10 MINS, IT IS SHOWN LOW. (BUT IT ISN'T A PROBLEM)
PROS: SMALL, SOUND IS DIGITALLY EXCELLENT, BASIC SOFTWARE, EASY TO USE. LARGE LCD, CLIPS AND PROTECTOR, EARPHONE IS GOOD.
CONS: MAXIMUM SIZE YOU CAN HOLD INCLUDING EXPANSION MEMORY IS 96MB FOR AT LEAST 20 SONGS. EXPENSIVE MEMORY TOO. BATTERY LIFE IS SO SO. DOES NOT RESUME WHERE YOU LEFT OFF IF YOU TURN IT OFF.
61 Nice size but need more memory
While this unit best feature is it's small light weight size, without a memory card you can only get 6-8 MP3's on the built in 32 meg of flash ram. Also I've heard that the software won't work with Windows XP, I had planed on upgrading soon? The headphones are pretty good although they start to hurt the ears after 30-40 mins. This MP3 player sure blows away those old clunky walkman CD players, it's 1/10th of the size and weight! Smaller is indeed better!
62 nice and simple
great player for the first time buyer. it's tiny, and very cute. has all the basics. very nice price.
63 DOESN'T WORK ON MY WINDOWS XP MACHINE
Even thought I got this thing FREE after rebates with the purchase of Windows XP, even though the Install disk says Windows XP, Windows XP tells you when you try to install it that it is NOT CERTIFIED to run on Windows XP. I figured it must run OK nonetheless, since the Install disk says XP and it came free with Windows XP, but it doesn't on my machine.
In fact, even though the player shows up when you plug it in on the taskbar, the software doesn't recognize it. Windows Media Player doesn't see it either.
The USB cable is too short if you have a tower machine. It doesn't even reach to the counter.
64 CRAPPY
The software on the RCA Kazoo is almost impossible for me to figure out. The RCA kazoo's Headphones also "are bad". I think it is too expensive for what its worth and i am asking you not to buy this peice of junk.
65 Great Product!
I bought this today and I'm very pleased. The size is great (very small), the sound quality is excellent, and the behind-the-ear headphones that it came packaged with are also very nice. The price is very low and the USB feature makes transfer easy. The software included is relatively simple to use and allows you to insert cds, and create MP3 files.
The only drawback is that the 3 ways they made for you to wear it are pretty bad. It comes with a pendant (who wants to have it swinging around their neck?) a little plastic pouch that is very hard to put on your belt, and a wrist strap. I found a good way to wear it, though. Buy one of those little sticky things with the belt clip that you use for a cell phone and then just clip it on your belt with that. Once you get that, it's perfect.
66 DO NOT DEAL WITH RCA/THOMPSON!
I bought this player and was fairly happy with it. It is very small and sounds fine. Unfortuneately, I lost the cd containing the drivers for it. I called customer service to get a replacement cd. My first call to RCA/Thompson technical support directed me to a page where I could download software for the RCA Lyra. After telling the representative that I had the K@zoo, and not the Lyra, he said "sorry, that's all the information I have."
Today, I figured I'd try again - maybe there'd be more information. This time I was told, in fact, that the software is not available online, but that the cd could be shipped to me. However, it would cost $12.95 for a cd containing one driver, and 2 free to download software programs. I was about to order, when I was then informed of the $9.95 SHIPPING FEE. TO MAIL ME ONE COMPACT DISK.
Needless to say, I am far from pleased, and I urge anyone considering buying an RCA product to stay far, far away. If you ever need customer service (and judging by the reviews of many mp3 players, you will), you will greatly regret the purchase.
67 RCA K@ZOO
This mp3 player is awesome. It's go great sound and is so small. It's lightweight and portable. The only reason I don't give it a 5 star is because it doesn't have that much memory. I can fit up to 10 songs on it. If it had more memory I would give it a five star. But great for beginners who want a mp3 player because it's so inexpensive and it's easy to use.
68 The smallest MP3 player; very well designed.
After about a week of researching about 25 mp3 players I finally settled on the RCA Kazoo. I wanted the smallest mp3 player possible, but didnt want to sacrifice great sound. My Kazoo delivers for only $... After much research I decided I needed a unit that had: lock (so buttons dont get pushed accidentally), bass boost/ equalizer, digital volume control, big clear display, & fast transfer rate (2.4Mb/sec). You'd be supprised many more expensive units dont have all of these features. I also didnt care about other formats since mp3 is the standard & all formats can be converted to mp3 via software. The included software Music Match & Real Jukebox are excellent. I just dragged & dropped my mp3 files from explorer into real Jukebox. Real Jukebox lets you set the bit rate you would like and automatically lowers bitrate on files to bitrate you choose to save memory/size. This brigs me to the 1 of 2 drawbacks. ALthough 32 mb is common w/ mp3 players it isnt enough (at 128k bit rate). I plan on ordering a 64 MB MM card (dont pay more than $1/mb if you decide to buy memory). I did find out that at 56k the sound was still awesome & I can hold about 75 minutes of music w/o extra memory. The second drawback doesnt apply to me but I read in one review that this doesnt support Mac. If you are a windows user you will be very satisfied!! I can't see why anyone could buy a player w/ a slower transfer rate; USB is the way to go.
One last note: The display is large & easy to read. It shows track, time, bit rate, volume, battery, & dsp. It does not show the name of the current song that is playing the way larger mp3 players do.
Hope this helps & good luck in your search.
69 Not Universal
Beware when considering this product! Although it prominently displays the USB compatability, it does not state on the exterior package that it is only Window compatible. When I found a friend foolish enough to be using Window's software I got some music loaded into it. It is a remarkable device, small, easy to use, good sound quality, and expandable. However, after about 1 month of use the screen died and it is currently in route to RCA for a repair/replace. I complained to them that the word Universal in USB should mean Universal, i.e. both Mac and Windows compatible.
70 This is righteous stuff!
I bought this for one reason, and one reason only: size. Many of the other mp3 players out there were larger and clunkier. I own a Handspring Visor Deluxe and was going to use that as an mp3 player because of the aforementioned clunky sizes of other players. "Why spend money for something that's not much smaller?" I thought. Then, I stumbled across this baby... I read the specs and was admittedly not too impressed. 32 megs is not much, especially if you're going for full stereophonic 128 kbps sound. At that rate you could only get about half an hour of music - enough to go to the store, but not much more. Of course, there was always the option of a memory card but those added to the cost. It looked like I was going to pass this player by until I saw one on sale at an un-named competitor of this fine site. At the price I saw it for, I had to take the chance... Twenty four hours later, I'm still in awe. To begin with, just seeing the darn thing gives you a swell feeling. It's tiny, I mean tiny. It made my wife proclaim it to be "cute." In such a small package I was expecting so-so sound at best. Not true. It is super duper. The built-in equalizer is servicable enough, and it takes a quick press o' the button to change settings. So I was hooked on the sound and size, there was only the capacity issue to consider... Then I rememberd my good friend db PowerAmp Music Converter (search for it on the web). This sweet program lets you convert current mp3's to lame or blade mp3's with a smaller bit rate. Smaller bit rate means smaller size. Smaller size means less space on the 32 meg memory, which translates into more sound. Lovely. Some will decry encoding anything to less than cd (128 kbps) sound, but pah I say. I was born and raised on analog and a little less crispness in my music is actually preferred. The human ear can barely discern the difference between 80 and 128 kbps recordings anyway, so why bother? At 80 kbps I can squeeze about 50 minutes or so of music into that 32 megs. Not bad. Not bad at all. After I buy a 64 or 96 meg card, I'll be waltzing back and forth to work with only my tiny kazoo as my companion. Beautiful. If you are reading this and thinking either "What in hades is he talking about?" or "That is way to much bother for listening to some music!" please reconsider! It takes only a few minutes (even for you 56 k types) to download db PowerAmp and a few more to convert the mp3's to lower bitrates. Trouble? Nah. At least not for the payoff. Sweet music for a sweet price. Did I mention it's tiny and cute? Buy this mp3 player and be a happy camper. It's a wonder.
