First Looks at the Rio Carbon, Karma 2 a No-Show

Early reviews of the Rio Carbon are already starting to pop up. CNet has a web review and a brief hands-on video. They liked what they saw:

Rio is one of the first places to go if you're not an iPod fan. The Carbon's innovative and stylish design, intuitive interface, and extra gigabyte of memory give it a competitive edge over the iPod Mini--especially for those who prefer to purchase WMA files. Check back for our full review to find out if the Rio Carbon will be a force to reckon with.

Gear, which has been pretty quiet on the audio player front lately (see reason below), also has a brief on the Carbon:

Thankfully, Rio didn't screw around with the outstanding menu system. This scheme is basically the same it's been since the ill-fated Rio Riot. It might not be as intuitive as Apple's menu system, but it's damn close. With plenty of options and extremely easy navigation, the Rio menu system is one of the company's most powerful weapons.

To my eyes the Carbon is one of the best looking portables on the market. The stripped down, quasi-industrial aesthetic is getting a little long in the tooth, but the Rio designers apply it perfectly. A few small physical changes help the looks while adding functionality. Gone is the familiar red stick. In its stead is a silver button with a D-pad surrounding it. The red stick might have been a distinguishing mark, but the button makes for a lower profile, which makes the Carbon more pocket friendly. Rio also scrapped the dumb volume buttons. (The Nitrus ones were extremely small and worked poorly, which made volume control a pain in the ass.) The scroll wheel now controls volume.

You will be happy to learn that the Carbon will hit shelves in two to three weeks for a very reasonable $249.95. Apple users should note that the Carbon will support both Windows and Mac OS.

The Gear article also notes the present whereabouts on the long-awaited Rio Karma 2, specifically that it is being redesigned and won't appear until early 2005.

Finally, we also hear the Mike Wiley, author of countless articles and reviews, is no longer with the site. He says that he'll contribute occasionally and we wish him the best in his next venture.

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