plays MP3, WMA, and Audible (#2 and #3) formats * slot for optional SD or MMC memory cards * upgradeable firmware * backlit LCD displays MP3 ID3 info * 128MB embedded memory holds approximately 4 hours of music at 64 Kbps, or 2 hours of music at 128 Kbps *
1 What a disappointment!
Even though it is advertized as a sport player. It is not durable enough. The worst part the player stopped to power on after 90-day-warranty expired. The rio customer support squeesed out "sorry" as a final word in my case. Well, actully before the final verdict, they offered me to repair it for $49 which I found insulting (bought the player for $80).
My final words - "Never Rio again."
2 Don't waste your money
These players are way too fragile. My first one lasted a week before it stopped working for no apparent reason. I returned it to Amazon and the replacement lasted 2 months before the FM tuner went out and the Volume down button quit on me. This player is a complete waste of time, money and life in general.
3 More like a disposable player.
Bought this unit to replace a Rio S35 Sport model that had lasted about a year with heavy gym and travel use. The S35 was pretty durable, and a Rio replacement seemed like a good idea.
But the Rio Forge Sport is a big drop-off in quality. Much flimsier. And, as many other reviewers have reported, almost any bump or nudge causes a total shut down. The problem gets worse as the battery strength declines, so you only get about half of the battery's actual value before the player becomes totally useless.
4 Does the Job
I had a Rio Cali before I bought this unit and they work about the same - but this one looks more solid and durable. The Cali shut down on me on occassion but was never a big deal. It seemed to be sensitive to certain songs I loaded on it (maybe I ripped them wrong?) This unit hasn't done that to me (yet?).
I use the unit while working out, riding my bicycle, and even riding my street motorcycle. I picked up some nice Sony earbud headphones for it and the sound quality is great. I've added a 512 SD card - it has room for lots of music - and the battery life is incredible. I don't use the radio much - but it works. I've never used the stopwatch. The software is excellent and easy to use.
I wish the armband would narrow down a bit more because I prefer to wear it on my wrist (like a watch) when riding the bike. The armband is designed to be used on the upper arm - which would be OK for runners I suppose. I was able to adjust the Cali armband down - but I can't do the same thing with this design (it's different).
Overall - I'm very happy with it.
5 I must've got a good one
I've had my Forge for 6 months now and I've never had a power-down issue. I use it 2-3 times a week, mainly for running or at the gym, and it's been great. The file transfer software did get buggy, so I just transfer via drag-n-drop from iTunes, which works fine. Sound quality goes WAY up with better earphones (I got Sony MDR-EX71s and enjoy them).
6 How I Improved my Rio Forge 128
I had problems with it turning off. These are the things I did that fixed all my issues. The spring that holds the battery is too loose. You must stretch it (half it's length) to add tension on the battery to avoid voltage loss due to any shocks or jolts. Here are other improvements: I updated the driver for the unit at their site. I bought a 1 gig 32X Kodak SD card and installed it. (slot is located behind the battery when you take it out. Using my Windows XP I formated the unit using 32 and NOT FAT 32. I did the same to the SD card. Using Rio Music Manager I save all MP3's to the SD card and NOT the RIO unit. The unit now is flawless. This unit gets lots of bad press but if you do a couple extra steps you'll own an awesome MP3 player. P.S. The radio still stinks!
7 Garbage!
I purchased this item from a major electronics retailer with an extended warranty. I'm now on my seventh replacement which I'm about return because it shuts off with the slightest bump. The previous ones that I've owned have had a multitude of problems, ranging from complete shutdown (wouldn't turn on), downloading issue, and storage/memory problems. My advice: do not buy this MP3 player.
8 Don't waste your time
I got a Forge for Christmas, returned it in 3 weeks because it turned itself off every time I touched the volume button. The second one turned off right after hooking it up to the computer to load it with music and never turned back on again. The third one got as far as playing it's first song and quite. In two months I gave 3 Rio Forges a run for their money and every one of them failed miserabley. I have since replaced it with an
I-River that works great. Don't waste your time on the Rio Forge. Even the customer service department at Rio admits that the product has issues.
9 OH PLEASE!!
oh give me a break, i listen to my mp3 player more than ANY of you guys...it hasnt died once...i dont know what you guys are talking about...i might have just got lucky, but it doesnt turn off without somebody dropping it, but the only con i have is that if you accidentally drop it just a little bit, it will turn off, but it will turn right back on right after that.i listen to my mp3 player in school, outta school,(ive even gotten it taken away like 5 times b/c i was listening to it during class!)and not one did it just..... die unless the battery ran out. it is definatly not a piece of crap, unless all you guys are rich..and can afford an iPOD, then this is a great buy because its cheap (i guess not for me though....maybe for my parents((wink wink))!!) i love this machine...it is my WHOLE life....believe me...its MY LIFE!! the 128 memory kinda sucks but i bought a 1 gb chip for it so i could get more on it...but its all good! this is definatly a GREAT buy!!get it now and if you want something with more memory try some of the rio carbons too!
10 Well, that's a disappointment.
I received this product as a gift for Christmas. When I inserted the battery and turned it on, everything worked...until I attempted to adjust the volume. Then it seemed as though the player shorted out, because everything just turned off. Eventually, after trying over and over again to get it to work...the player wouldn't even turn on anymore. So my mother exchanged it for another model. I used it sporadically over my holiday break, and for the past 2 weeks I've been using it every day at the gym. More and more frequently, it would 'short out' and I'd have to turn it back on, but today it just stopped working. I thought maybe the store it was bought from just sold defective merchandise, but after reading many of these reviews, I'm inclined to think that it's the company that PRODUCES defective merchandise. I don't have a heavy workout by any means, and I've never dropped or otherwise mishandled this player. But after TWO defective models, I would highly suggest that you look to a different company for an MP3 player. It's a shame, because these are so much more affordable, but if you want something that is going to last, don't look here.
11 ditto the rest: It's a piece of junk
Same problem everyone else has. Except for me it worked for less than two hours before overheating and conking out. Tried plenty of different batteries and it just won't turn back on. Save your time and money and buy something else.
12 Junk - Please don't buy
At first thought that people were not giving the product a fair shake in their reviews. Because of the price and the features, I thought I would give the Forge a shot. BAD DECISION. I worked great for two weeks (even the radio worked.) But today the thing just died on me. I tried five different batteries but it just won't power up.
If you want something that works great for two weeks, this is your player. If you want it to last, look elsewhere.
ZERO STARS
13 What a bummer
I received this player for Christmas-my first one-and it was nothing but trouble. The sound was alful-like it was comming from inside a tin can. Then I realized it had filtered out all the main vocals and I was hearing only backup vocals and music! I tried repeatedly but nothing worked. The only bright spot was Best Buy who took it back no problem. I bought a MPIO for about the same price and LOVE it.
14 Not durable
I bought my Rio Forge this past October. It worked great for about 2 1/2 months. Now it won't turn on. It started shutting off periodically and I'd have to turn it back on. Now it won't come on at all. I will not buy another Rio product.
15 Great little player for workouts
I'll admit I was a little worried when I ordered the Rio FORGE MP3 player and then read the reviews. However, I must say that this little player is great. Small, light and very useful when doing workouts. Battery life is excellent. The FM tuner works well but doesn't have great range. Sound is great! Far better than the first generation Dell Hard Drive players. The menu is simple and easy to navigate and figure out in a matter of minutes. Really my only complaint is the clock has to be reset when you change the battery. Good luck finding another 128mb flash player for the same price as this one and with as many features.
16 Working Great So Far
I bought this over a month ago and have enjoyed it immensely. I never had an MP3 player before and was surprised how small and lightweight it was. My friend has had the Rio Cali for over a year and loves it so I thought I'd try the Rio Forge (with $20 rebate) out. The protective rubber and new shiny stainless steel face plate make it quite durable, and the new armband is more useable than the Cali. The Stopwatch and Lap Timer are almost useless because you have to keep switching back and forth between the menus - something that's very difficult while running. The batteries last a long time - my first set just went out at over 20 hours of play. I installed the firmware upgrade before I tried the FM tuner and found it to work well. I'm not sure if the FM tuner would have worked before the upgrade, but based on postings below, I doubt it. The 256mb Rio Forge has a record from the FM tuner which I don't think is necessary so I'm glad I went with the 128mb. I did install a 512mb SD card (inside the battery compartment) and it works great. I figured $60 for the Rio Forge (after rebates) and $25 for the Kingston 512mb SD card (after rebates) made it a much better deal than the 256mb Rio Forge. I really like the option to use SD memory - one of the main reasons I purchased it over an iRiver player. Playback is excellent and the wrap-around headphones have stayed in my ears without fail. When I run, I route the cords up the back of my neck so they stay out of the way. I'm 6' 4" and the cords are just long enough. If they were much longer you may catch them on your arm as you run. The software that came with it is outstanding. It installed without any problems. Whenever I connect my Rio Forge it quickly recognizes it. Burning CD's is quick and painless. I set up my playlists in no time at all. Switching between artists, albums, and playlists is very easy. I don't have anything to compare it to, but from my perspective (so far), the Rio Forge is a great MP3 player for the money.
17 Trust Me and the Others
Updated Feb 9, 2005.
I got my replacement and it seemd to go good for about 2 weeks and now my player has just stopped from working. This thing is a huge piece of junk. And who wants to pay 6 bucks everytime to see if they can get one that works actually right. PLEASE PLEASE FOR PEAT SAKES AVOID AT ALL COST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Luckily Amazon rocks and gave me a full refund
***************
I guess you could say that I dont' like to beleive other people. Even though I red the reviews on the site about it being a bad player I went a head and ordered one after reading the review on CNET. I figured that the problems here could have just been a freak of nature and usually there is a defective one of everything. Well let me tell ya there are a lot more with this player. I got mine and got excited and opened it up. I put the battery in the unit and tried to turn it on. My player just keeps on trying to turn itself on and turns itself right back off after the screen flashes on. I'm having another one sent to me so I'll post the new review after I get it but do me a favor and spend a littl more and get a better player.
18 Do Not buy This!
This device has many problems it turn off, problems reading SD Cards and bad sound quality, i do not recommend this item,I am a computer certified expert, and i do not like it at all, bad usb sync and has too many problems
19 Easy to use, good for MP3s, makes nice gift... FM is useless
I've been playing with the Forge for the past 1-2 months now and overall I'm fairly content, although it could be better. I've also had a chance, recently, to try out the Sandisk player for a bit, so I'll throw in a few comparisons for now, until I get the chance to write a full review on that one.
Main things I was looking for:
- USB 2.0
for fast transfers... don't settle for USB 1.1 devices at this stage. Even if your current computer does not support USB 2.0, you might want to download some music at a friend's comp that does... and your next computer will certainly support it.
- USB Mass Storage Device
any USB-enabled computer will read the Forge's memory as just another drive, when connected. No special software is required to transfer your files, although you can always use your favorite music software to transfer your music.
- Flash-based
My main purpose for this MP3 player is for the gym and snowboarding, so I didn't feel like risking any impact-damage to a microdrive-based player. Flash-based media has no moving parts and makes it ideal for any sort of activity. You can get various opinions on this topic, but this is mine. :)
- FM tuner
it's always nice to have an alternative to your own music, from time to time. Also, some gyms broadcast TV audio on a short-range FM signal, so it's handy for those situations. Why Apple never added an FM tuner to their iPods, I'll never know.
So on to the Forge...
First off, everything people have been saying about the FM tuner is true. It's horrible. I can pick up one station pretty clearly... sometimes... maybe... but that's about it. Static galore. If an FM tuner is important to you, don't even bother with the Rio Forge.
However, loading and playing music couldn't be simpler. I was up and running in a matter of minutes. You can load the player by simply dragging and dropping files onto Rio or via Windows Media Player, the included Rio software, or your favorite music program.
Playing your music is just as easy. The easy on-screen interface is intuitive, simple, and loaded with features. The player indexes all your tracks by Album, Artist, Genre, Track title, Year, and when you added it (to play newly added music), so it makes accessing your music a breeze. You can use any program to create your own playlists as M3U files and drop them onto the filesystem. You cannot create playlists on the player itself.
My one pet peeve about the playback system is that when you select "Play All", it typically plays all tracks in alphabetical order, based on the track title tag. If you play back an album, however, it does play the tracks in order, although I'm not sure if this is due to the filename convention or the track number tag info. For the most part, however, I turn on shuffle so it doesn't affect me too much.
Physically, the display is nice and large and is beautifully backlit by white light behind black LCD text, making the text very easy to read, compared to some other players with colored LCD backgrounds. The plastic bubble covering the LCD, however, is another story. Due to it's form, it pretty much picks up reflections from all angles, somewhat negating the nice readability of the white backlight. Perhaps it seemed like a really pretty idea when they designed it, but it really should have been flat to reduce reflections.
Another gripe is the mini-USB jack cover. It's basically a little rubbery plug which has to be completely separated from the player in order to insert the USB plug. I know that someday I will lose this little piece and I will curse the day. I have a similar gripe about the battery cover, which also completely separates from the case.
Wearability-wise, the Rio compes packaged with a little plastic clip that wraps around the player, which then in turn can clip onto the included elastic armband. I think they called the plastic clip a "beltclip", but if they did, it is a total misnomer, because the metal clip portion won't clip onto most belts. Although the clip could be stretched a tad bit, I usually end up just clipping it to a pocket or a beltloop. But it certainly won't clip around a leather belt, for example.
In terms of durability, the player feels a bit fragile. Overall, it feels like there is a lot of hollow space within the casing, making me wonder if it will crack into pieces if I ever drop it. The black rubber in the design is more decorational than anything. Don't let it fool you into thinking that's it's any more shock resistant because of the black rubber areas.
Sound quality is pretty good. I'm not terribly impressed by it, but I'm not disappointed either. The included earbuds are actually also quite nice as well. They are rubber wraparounds which keep them firmly stuck to my ears regardless of any sort of movement and sound pretty good. But then again, you shouldn't be buying any sort of player based on the headphones anyways, so if you don't like them, just get your own pair and be happy.
Battery-life is decent. Obviously this depends largely on how you use your player. I use it on the average of 1-3 hours a day and a single AAA battery usually lasts me a little under a week.
Some tips:
1) turn backlighting off or set to the minimum setting 2sec
2) power save to 1min (the shortest setting)
3) when not in use and it's powered off, slide on the lock, so it doesn't get turned on by accident
Memory-wise, 128MB certainly is not enough for anything, in my opinion. I immediately went out and bought a 1GB SD card. Expandability wasn't much of factor foe me, because I was looking around the 1GB capacity range anyways. The only reason I picked the 128MB Rio is because it was cheaper and I knew I'd be buying a 1GB card along with it. With 1GB+128MB onboard, my player currently holds around 230 MP3s encoded at 128kbps.
However, it is this expandability that makes this player an excellent gift idea. Assuming you're on a budget, you can get them a fairly well featured (and popular) MP3 player for an affordable price and still leave the recipient room to expand the player's memory on their own, somewhere down the road.
My quick wrap-up of the Rio Forge:
PROS:
- ease of use, intuitive on-screen interface with lots of features
- large display with white backlighting make for easy reading
- good sound quality
- player reads and indexes tag information
- USB 2.0 - decent speeds.. not the fastest, but still better than USB 1.1
- USB Mass Storage Device - use your player as a storage device and transport any kind of file you want to
CONS:
- crappy FM Tuner
- USB jack cover is easily lost
now for my mini-comparison with the Sandisk 1GB MP3 player...
Physically, the Sandisk does a lot more right than the Rio. Its USB jack is concealed by a rubber cover which still will remain attached on one edge, so chances of losing it are lower. The same goes for the battery compartment cover, which slides over and then hangs on a hinge.
The player's cigarette-lighter shape fits into a transparent latex sleeve, which adds a little padding and protection to the player. As a whole, it feels more solid than the Rio. And although I won't be putting it to the test any time soon (on purpose), it feels like it could handle a drop much better than the Rio.
FM Tuner on the Sandisk is excellent. Then again, anything is better than Rio's tuner, including my aging alarm clock/radio. But the Sandisk really picks up stations quite well and quite clearly. After the Rio, I was beginning to think that most small players would have problems with their FM tuners, but the Sandisk proved me wrong.
The Sandisk also seemed to transfer files faster than my Rio, although I need to do some more accurate benchmarks.
So I bet you're thinking now... well, the Sandisk sounds perfect! Well... some things that I didn't much like about the Sandisk:
1) blue backlit LCD
I really like the white backlighting of the Rio. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I find myself squinting at the Sandisk. The display on the Rio is much easier to read due to the backlight, the screen size, as well as the overall layout
2) clunky interface
while definitely still usable, the interface is nowhere near as slick as the Rio. Navigation is strictly by folders and not by tag info and menus are incredibly confusing to navigate when you first start using it, although you get used to it eventually. If you're getting a player for someone else, consider the type of person that you're buying for.
But I'll save my full Sandisk review for another day after I've had more time to play with it.
Overall, I like the Rio as a good middle-of-the-road MP3 player, as long as you ignore the FM tuner. Its main strength is great user interface and ease of use and is perfect for beginners and people who don't like to read manuals. Design-wise, I think there is still some room left for improvement, but for the most part, I'm happy with it.
20 Wonderful
I bought the Rio Forge player for personal use. I needed something that would not skip. I have had it for over 2 months now and have not had any trouble with it at all. The tracks play fine, the FM tuner has clear reception and can play all of my favorite stations, the USB 2.0 transfer has no problems, the structure of the device is nearly flawless, the headphones have beautiful sound and fit comfortably, it's easy to use, and is very good for its price. The only drawback I have found is that the software that comes with it gives me an error every time I try to load too much music(let the software load too much music from my computer). I have Windows Media Player 10 which has a device sync, so it all works out. Overall the player has great quality and was a great buy.
21 Ack
For Christmas I roderered this for my Mom, at first I loved it. She used her S35s (very nice for its time) until it had a meeting with pavement, skidding it 30 feet into oblivion. However, I open the unit it works, the FM tuner could use some work but its probably OK for running. The headphones are good, but they do fall out lots.
However, I thought I was sold on this unit until is suddenly stopped working on the same night I purchased the unit. Rio has not respinded to any of my support claims yet.
22 Works great
Let me preface this by saying I bought the Rio Forge for running and working out. I've owed it for almost two weeks now and I can't see any problems. I bought the Rio Forge sololy for the purpose of playing MP3s and none of the other features that it has. I have a watch I use to keep track of my times so I don't need the stopwatch feature. I don't plan on listening to the radio while I run either, so I don't use the FM tuner. However, I have turned it on just to check it out and it works okay.
The headphones fit great, the armband keeps the player snug on my arm when running, and the sound quality is superb. The user interface on the MP3 player is very clean and easy to use. I have not noticed any of the problems other reviewers have talked about. My Rio Forge doesn't turn off with a slight tap, nor has it stopped working.
I would recommend this MP3 player if you are looking for a good MP3 player that one can use while running or working out.
23 Yeah
I didnt like it that much either. I dont go to a gym, and i cant wear it when i play football, so i dont have much to complain about.
24 Do not buy! Serious design flaws, poor reliability & service
I bought the old version of this product (the Cali) and was pretty happy with it, so when it was stolen I groaned but purchased the "latest and greatest."
There is a serious design flaw in this player. A very slight tap will cause it to turn itself off. The spring on one side of the battery isn't strong enough to keep a proper connection with the other terminal. Gym use will easily trigger this behavior. Google it or check out rioworld.org (which also has a serious contingent of rio apologists.) It is well known. I wish I'd checked amazon before purchasing this product.
Literally a few days after the one month limit for a cash return my forge completely stopped working. I spent 60 minutes on hold today talking to customer service. It's very disappointing & if it weren't $100+ I'd have to just write it off as a learning experience. I may still need to because in my time with customer service I have 2 "case numbers" & two promises to get back to me.
25 Doesn't work anymore
Memory: I put in a 512M SD card and with the 128M internal, that's plenty for me.
Playback: Good user interface, great sound, easy to use.
Headphones: Sound great, stay in place, I don't even feel them while I'm mountainbiking.
FM: Works great for me, I live about 20 miles outside Albuquerque, NM
Reliability: Terrible. I have had this unit for four weeks. While downloading music, it turned off. It will not turn back on.
Customer Service: Worst I have ever seen. I called multiple times, they had me fax my receipt three times, I have emailed six times, and I still don't have an RMA number so I can return the unit. At this rate, the 90 day warranty will run out before I can return it. I'll probably just end up having to buy another MP3 player and I'll be out $120.
Conclusion: I wouldn't wish this MP3 player on my worst enemies.
26 Don't Bother with the FM
FM TUNER
(UPDATE #2)
I sent my Rio back for a refund. The unit consistently shuts itself down whenever I press a button. This started happening after a couple of weeks and Rio said the contacts weren't making good contact. Rio support fixed the problem when they fixed the FM problems, so I thought it was specific to just my unit. After hearing so many others complain about this problem, plus it has begun occuring again in my unit, I think people ought to know about it. The same issues have been stated concerning the 256MB version.
(UPDATE) -- Rio fixed their FM problems by adding a capacitor to the unit. The FM tuner is now acceptable, pulling in almost as many stations as the IRiver ifp-790 I compared it to. I would say the Rio, with the fix, is about 90% as good as the IRiver FM tuner.
(PREVIOUS)
The FM tuner sucks. Sorry there is no other way of putting it. I went into the top floor of my house and compared it to my clock radio. I am about 25 miles outside Albany NY and the clock radio pulled in 12 FM stations very clearly. The Forge pulled in 3 stations clearly, the other 9 were so weak they were unlistenable. When the backlight is on, these 3 stations are unlistenable until it goes off. To top that off, once going downstairs and outside for a run, the Forge pulled in ZERO stations clearly. That's right, when I go for a run I can not listen to ANY FM stations, without loads of static.
I brought the Forge to work with me (downtown Albany), and the FM tuner pulls in 6 stations very clearly. I took it around the block and the 6 stations all stayed clear. It seems that if you are close to a big city, live in a big city, or are near an FM tower, you should be fine with the Forge FM tuner, otherwise pretend like the FM tuner doesn't exist.
Memory
Clearly the 128 MB version is not big enough and I will soon be getting a 1GB SD card. This option is what is keeping me from returning the Forge. The IRiver doesn't have the expandable memory and unless you want to keep running to your computer every day to reload playlists, you need a lot of memory.
Playback
Very good. Quality is excellent, even at the lowest sampling rates.
Headphones
Definite thumbs down. They fell out twice while doing my 5 mile run. Let me clarify, the headphone for my right ear fell out twice, the left stayed nicely in. The slightest tug is enough to slowly move the earphones out of position. Another 12" of cord might alleviate this problem. Regardless of their quality (which is so-so), they must be replaced.
StopWatch
This is why I bought the Forge. Well it's OK, but the lap counter only shows the last two laps you completed, and I haven't figured out how, if there is a way, to view previous lap times. Then I noticed if you take out the headphones from the player ( I did this when the cord got tangled) the stopwatch stops. In fact the whole Forge stopped - its as though the headphones are wired to the power and the player shuts down when the headphones are removed (this royally screwed up my time, but I won't do it again).
It also sucks because while the StopWatch is running and you go to player mode, if you touch the lap counter, it doesn't work - you HAVE to be in StopWatch mode. This is a royal pain because in StopWatch mode you can't skip to the next song, so you have to keep switching back and forth.
Software
Clearly excellent. Installed without any problems, easily recognized my Forge and rips CD's with speed. I set up my playlists in no time at all, and selecting artists/albums/playlists is very easy. The RIO engineers got this right.
ArmBand
It's OK. I wanted to put the armband on my wrist so it was easier to view, but the armband isn't designed for such a small circumference and it must go on my upper arm. Body builders will have no problem putting this on their wrist.
Unless I'm doing something wrong, the beltclip must go into the ArmBand to hold the player. Neither the booklet that came with the RIO or the 64 page PDF manual has a SINGLE word about how to use the beltclip or the armband. Big, stupid ommission from the RIO technical writers.
Durability
Player appears to be well built. I'm not concerned about it's long term durability but I will post back if the player has problems over the coming months.
Conclusion
It's an OK player. When (if?) IRiver comes out with a stopwatch and expandable memory, I will EBay my RIO.
