One of the first to adopt Ogg Vorbis and to work with the Linux community Rio have always been a little different (in a good way) so when we heard that the Rio Carbon was to take on the Ipod Mini we couldn't wait to see what they produced.

And the Rio Carbon reviewed here is a full 1gb bigger than its Ipod rival and lasts a hefty 20 hours on a single charge, two facts that will mean its way ahead before we even get started inside the box. The Carbon is a small and sleek silver unit which sits nicely in the palm of your hand, its much smaller than the Ipod Mini and yet feels well weighted, so light enough without feeling cheap

The Rio Carbon supports MP3, WMA and audible file formats but has dropped our favourite alternate format Ogg Vorbis which is a shame, getting files onto the little chap is achieved via a USB 2.0 interface which is 4 times faster than the older USB 1.1 standard meaning a quick top up time using the supplied Rio Music Manager software or simple drag and drop.

The USB connection is also used to charge / power the Carbon directly from your PC which is a nice touch or you can use the supplied mains adaptor which is very Apple like!

Now the interface is best described as functional and we are as guilt as the next site for raving about great user interfaces and colour screens, but the slightly milky white screen of the Rio Carbon is not our normal cup of tea, however its actually very good and easily read in most light conditions. Through this screen you can use the basic yet very easy to navigate menu system, unlike you Ipod there is no extras, no appointments and calendars, no games and it won't take your temperature, it just does what its designed to do play music!

And it does that very well indeed, with excellent skip protection and a real quality sound which one would expect from a quality device from Rio, but the real shock was that the cheap looking headphones actually sound ok, sure we'd still say get a real pair but these don't embarrass themselves unlike Apples ear buds!

The supplied Rio music manager software is possibly the best "boxed" software supplied with any mp3 player available, its streets ahead of iTunes and Music match when used with a portable device, it allows you to build play lists quickly from most frequently played tunes or all tracks by artist / type in fact many combinations, these and their media can then be quickly fired at the Carbon.

The unit is supplied with software, USB 2.0 lead, charger and a soft case, which while it keeps your Rio Carbon safe will not let you see the display, so a better case will be in order if you want to use it while keeping it safe from harm.

Things we don't like, well to be fair we struggled here, LP didn't like the built in mic for recording voice as it sounds terrible but that may actually be his singing! the rest of us didn't care for the rear of the unit which has an Ipod Style silver covering which shows every finger print but hey its a fashion statement!

Overall this is a fantastic gadget which seems to beat the Ipod Mini in every way and in our opinion it deserves to, its smaller - yet has more capacity, has a bigger 20 hour battery - yet is lighter and produces a very high quality and yet loud sound.

Better than the Ipod Mini? in a word Yes

More Micro MP3 Players -

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