Rio 600 @ BB 49.97 B&M YMMV

[kevisbrucelee]

Got mine...thanks bubbadu. And that stupid a$$ CSR @ BB said "Only one per customer." He is lucky that I am so broke from all the other Anandtech deals, or else I would have brought all my friends to buy that sh!t up. (and posting them for Anandtech members of course)

 

[TBP]

<<

<< You pay $49.97+tax now and get $50 rebate back in 6-8 weeks. >>



Ok, thanks. But I got a little confused. First of all, where do I go buy it? BB? And do I need to PM to get the $49.97 price plus the rebate or will it just ring up that way?

Finally, does anyone know anything about these players? Is the memory upgradeable? i.e. If I buy a 256 MB compact flash card, will it work in this player? what about a 128 MB card?

Thanks. Sorry for all the questions. I usually stick with the hot deals that don't require PM but this sounds like it's too good to pass up. >>



You buy it from Bestbuy. No price match needed.

The memory is NOT upgradable with compact flash. You need to buy a special "backpack" for it.

 

[BlueMysticWarrior]

Yep, just picked up a couple for free. The BB guy was telling I can only get one, b/c only 1 per house. I said I'll take my chances. I know he wanted the other one, b/c he was shocked when I showed him it was free.

 

[gametalent]

Anyone know any good place to buy the Rio's accessories?? Thanks

 

[WhiteMouse]

Read some terrible reviews about this player, for both hardware and software. While I can do nothing about the hardware, at least I can skip their software.

I am using XP Pro. Plug the USB cable up, XP knew it's a Rio 600, and loaded all driver for it. Open Media Player, you will have the access to the player. Too bad XP knows too much about this player and does not treat it as a removable storage (like my JamP3), otherwise, it can also be used to transfer files.

 

[kevisbrucelee]

BTW: Here's a summary of the info any one who is confused...
1. This deal is for the RIO 600 32mb NOT the 64mb version. There are TWO RIO 600s with two amounts of memory.
2. This is a BB (I have not checked with CC) B&M deal only. As far as I know, when I checked, the price was still $99 online (CC). If you check BB online they only have the 64mb advertised for $149 (That is where the mention of a $20 rebate comes in, only for 64mb version)
3. The price of the player @ BB B&M is $49.97. The $50 rebate prints at the register.
There you go. Any questions PM me. I'll help as much as I can.

 

[yourharddrive]

can u hack the memory packs to put in CF's??, i heard that inside the packs there are actually CF's or SM's

 

[IshmaelLeaver]

I got two at my local Best Buy (they had none at 2 Best Buys, 5 at the third I went to.. I won't get into the usual BB hassle story). One of the buttons was broken on one of the players, so I had to go back and exchange it.

I originally bought one for my gf and one for eBay, but after trying out my gf's in XP using .wma format, I'm keeping mine. This thing is really nice, even if it cost $50 (which it didn't)! At first, I was worried about the small size and 64kbps .wma's, but it can actually hold over a whole album in 64kbps .wma format, and the quality is just fine.

I called my friends and they are in the process of putting them on hold at various local Best Buys...

Thanks for the deal!

 

[MysticMan1]

Anyone find any left in the L.A. area?? Westwood,Pico Blvd, Burbank and Curver City are all out, but were selling for $49.99. I couldn't check Glendale or Woodland Hills by phone. I need a a store with the player in stock for a CC price match.

 

[IshmaelLeaver]

BTW, the latest firmware is not 1.55, it is 1.56. For some reason there is no link to it on the SonicBlue site, but here's the link:

ftp://ftp.diamondmm.com/pub/rio/rio600/rio600_firmware_156.exe

I haven't tried it yet, though.

[EDIT]: The quality control on these is awful. There are quite a few "open box" ones at various BBs in the area (I think that I know why these are open box - they are broken), and of the three new ones I've gotten, two had to be taken back because they were defective!

 

[cLiPLiK]

can anyone pick up an extra one for me? i'm willing to pay them an extra something for their troubles, really would like to get in on this deal!
PM me if anyone has an extra one in their area, thanks

 

[Nefrodite]

anyone have a hotdeal on memory packs? last time i checked(a while ago) the packs were atleast as much as the player

 

[DRS]

Just got one! Started at the BB at Tuttle mall in Columbus OH, they only had the display so I went over to Polaris, they had one left. There was another one that was open box but it looked rough so I passed. Thanks!!

Now... where are the deals on memory for this thing? I hesitate to buy proprietary memory though, this might just be my spoken word player.

 

[WhiteMouse]

Flashed firmware to 1.56. Thanks!

My Rio is still working fine, as 1.55. I know I should not fix sth which is not broken, but I am not afraid of breaking a freebie

 

[WhiteMouse]

Also compared both 128 MP3 and 64 WMA, same song. Cannot hear any difference. Will try different type of music tonight. If 32M (actually 28M) can hold 1 CD, 128M backpack(?!) will hold 4-5 CDs. Guess I don't need CD changer in my car anymore.

 

[IshmaelLeaver]

the 1.56 firmware gives you the ability to add a 128M backpack, and fixes problems with audible files. (I think they mean audible.com?)

i tried to return my second defective player, but all the BBs in my area are out. Guess I'll just deal with no backlight, not a huge deal. Maybe I'll send it in for warranty repair...

 

[Lars]

Yeah, I got the last one at my local BB.

 

[IshmaelLeaver]

n/m just noticed the offer expired.

 

[wfay]

<< can u hack the memory packs to put in CF's??, i heard that inside the packs there are actually CF's or SM's >>


that's EXACTLY my question... really considering breaking open the memory card and seeing whats inside it... hmmm...

pls post any info / links you guys find if you find any info on hacking this thing's memory... =)

--wayne

 

[hevnsnt]

KC People listen up.

The only ones left are at Banister Mall Bestbuy (last I heard they had 3).. And for AT people only, I have 2 reserved under the name Bill.. Be my guest at these, I picked up 2 at circuit city..

Circuit city people were pissed to find out that it was only $50, and then when the rebate printed out I thought the guy was going to have a heart attack.. hehe. He mumbled under his breath, "You have got to be kidding..."

loved it.

 

[im2smrt4u]

<< Circuit city people were pissed to find out that it was only $50, and then when the rebate printed out I thought the guy was going to have a heart attack.. hehe. He mumbled under his breath, "You have got to be kidding..." >>



The cashier at BB reacted the same way!

 

[chrisjor]

Yowzers!! Got a couple at the Eastgate (Cincinnati) store, shelf tag clearly says free after rebate. People were walking up, picking them up and reading thebox, and putting them back!! I think they had no idea what they even were. Still around 10 left!! I was in this same BB yesterday, they had at least 50 of them on shelf marked 99.00. Get home last night and saw this post and knew I needed to get back there today.

Thanks for the heads up!!!!

 

[uwannawhat]

Thanks bubbadu scored one tonight @ BB.

Rang up @ $99 but shelf tag was $49 no mention of rebate before price taken so it cost me $3 & change for tax AR.

Nice deal.

 

[GoRaptors15]

Picked up 3 between me and my buddies There are 4 left in Schaumburg, Golf Rd Best Buy as of 3:00 pm this afternoon. There is a clear sign that said "Free" after rebates. I have a feeling that they have some more in stock since some employees seem to know about this deal and they are in no hurry to grap these. Good luck.....

 

[bajel]

Me and my buddies cleaned out the Elk Grove BB. Tag said 49 - 50 rebate but rang up @99 - lucky the manager price adjusted it to 49. Sweet deal!