over 65 mb mp3 players

I've had my Rio Cali 256 for a couple of weeks and so far it has been a joy. I did a LOT of research before choosing an mp3 player and considered the iPod mini as well as several others, but I decided I just wanted a good, easy to use, light-weight and reliable player for working out. If you are a total audiophile and want to listen to hundreds of songs at once, this may not be for you, but for working out its great..It's tough, durable, lightweight and the sound is great. I have over 30 songs loaded on it already and still haven't got close to maxing out the memory.

The Rio Jukebox software that comes with it is adequate for quickly downloading songs (it downloads most songs so fast that at first I thought it hadn't worked....literally a split-second) but its pretty basic. Fortunately the Rio can also be used with MusicMatch which is useful if you want to buy and download music (forget about iTunes as this player is not compatible with AAC format).

The AAA battery has lasted a decent amount of time (over 10 hours so far and still at two bars!), and you can also use a rechargeable battery.

I've only used the radio a couple of times but it was very decent each time. A small amount of static if you move around a lot inside but not unreasonable.

I only have two minor complaints so far. One, I accidentally tried to copy a song file that was missing (but still had the track tag) onto the Rio which caused it to freeze up. That was solved by removing the battery but it was sort of annoying. My first mp3 player (a Digimedia from ages ago) actually lost all the memory when the battery died or was replaced so this is a huge step up for me!

Two, the armband works great but it is a bit difficult to get on and off. I go back and forth between running and cardio where I like the armband to weights, were it actually is better clipped to my pants, so it would be nice if the armband were a little bit easier to take on and off. Overall these two items are very minor and I am very very happy with my purchase.

I am so impressed with the Cali that I bought for my husband that I'm going out to get one for myself! I love the easy-to-use software! I found that you can easily download a MP3 upgrade (for FREE!) in order to RIP songs into MP3 format as well as WMA, FLAC, and OGG! It's lightweight, has an FM Tuner, an expansion slot for additional storage space, and is designed for an active lifestyle. What more do you need? I too had a little trouble at first with the ear buds, but quickly got used to them. When in use, they drown out nearly everything else going on. I love it! I stumbled across this one and have since looked at what else is out there. This is the MP3 player for me!

I had my wife buy this for me for gym use. That way I wouldn't have to listen to BORING 24Hr fitness music. Initially it worked fine. Downloading was easy and the software was user friendly. The sound was rather "flat" though. I like a lot of hip hop and the sound was mediocre. The radio easily lost reception while moving around in the gym. After a few weeks it started shutting of in mid song so I replaced the batteries. NO JOY. It still was shutting off. So I returned it to Walmart in hopes that exchanging it for the 256 CHIBA would be better. I will let you guys know if it was worth it.