“So far, no gadget has come very close in mimicking the style and simplicity of Apple Computer’s top-selling iPod digital music player,” writes Matthew Fordahl of the Associated Press. However, he says the Rio Nitrus, which offers 1.5GB of storage (about 375 songs) and weighs just 2 ounces, could be “a real contender” because it is “more compact and runs longer on a single battery charge” with “excellent” sound quality. “But Nitrus doesn’t recapture the music player crown for Rio,” he concludes. “The sleek black gadget is too pricey [US$299], its software lackluster, and hard drive too skimpy for the price. It simply doesn’t offer as much bang for the buck as the iPod, which itself isn’t cheap.”
