{{Infobox Information appliance , title = RioForge ioforge.com, image = Robogun_rioforgetrio.jpg , image_size = 240 , caption = All three flavors of RioForge MP3/FM player. The unit in upper left is in Menu mode, the others are playing back music. , manufacturer = Rio Audio, Inc. , type =

Digital audio player A portable media player (PMP) (also including the related digital audio player (DAP)) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. The data is typically stored o ...

, releasedate = July 2004 , connectivity =

USB mass storage device The USB mass storage device class (also known as USB MSC or UMS) is a set of computing communications protocols, specifically a USB Device Class, defined by the USB Implementers Forum that makes a USB device accessible to a host computing device ...

, lifespan = , unitssold = , media =

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

, WMA,

Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or ru ...

, operatingsystem = , input = , camera = , power =

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

cell,

NiMH NIMH may refer to: *Nickel–metal hydride battery (NiMH), a type of electrical battery *National Institute of Mental Health, an agency of the United States government *National Institute of Medical Herbalists, a professional organisation in the Un ...

or alkaline , cpu = , storage = 128, 256, or 512 MB built-in,
up to 4GB more with MMC or SD 1.0 (non-

SDHC Secure Digital, officially abbreviated as SD, is a proprietary non-volatile flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA) for use in portable devices. The standard was introduced in August 1999 by joint efforts between SanD ...

) card , memory = Flash memory , onlineservice = , dimensions = , weight = , touchpad = , predecessor = Rio Cali , successor = , related = The RioForge is a

digital audio player A portable media player (PMP) (also including the related digital audio player (DAP)) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. The data is typically stored o ...

that was produced by Rio Audio, Inc. While it competed in the same market as

Apple Inc Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...

iPod mini The iPod Mini (stylized and marketed as the iPod mini) is a discontinued, smaller digital audio player that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. While it was sold, it was the midrange model in Apple's iPod product line. It was announced o ...

, it is considerably different as it plays from internal memory, SD card, or FM broadcast and runs on a single AAA battery. There are three main models with either 128, 256, or 512 MB of internal flash memory, which can be supplemented with a single MMC or SD (non-

) flash memory card to add up to 4GB of storage. Available colors included blue (512mb), silver (256mb), and red (128mb). The player is one of the few which is light enough to wear with an armband. A RioForge can play

, WMA, and

audio files, and can receive FM broadcast signals. All except the 128mb model can record from the FM tuner to memory. It is Microsoft Windows,

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...

, and

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

compatible since it is usable as a

. The included management software runs on Windows and Mac. The Rio se510 is a 512MB Forge variant without an MMC/SD memory slot nor an FM tuner, with a light blue case. D&M Holdings, Inc., which owns the Rio brand, announced its exit from the portable MP3 market on August 26, 2005.

Features

* Up to 4.5 gigabytes of storage with optional 4GB SD card. * 5-Band equalizer with several presets * Plays MP3, WMA, Audible, and FM broadcast * Built-in mini USB connector * Mounts as

with a drive letter; users can drag and drop data and music files onto the player in Windows Explorer or included software * Runs on single

alkaline battery An alkaline battery (IEC code: L) is a type of primary battery where the electrolyte (most commonly potassium hydroxide) has a pH value above 7. Typically these batteries derive energy from the reaction between zinc metal and manganese dioxide, ...

offering up to 20 hours music playback 4GBRioForge

* Windows and Mac compatible (the player itself is Linux compatible as well, but not the software) * Includes Rio Music Manager software, used to manage the digital music library * Audiobook support: ** Playlists - can be used to play the files in an audiobook in the correct order ** Bookmarks - allow the listener to return later to the exact playlist/track/time in the audiobook

Firmware Upgrades

The firmware on any RioForge can be easily upgraded with the Rio firmware upgrade utility. To complete the firmware upgrade, plug the unit into the USB port of your computer, then run the utility to upgrade the RioForge. This 2-minute procedure will fix any software related reliability issues that were present in older firmware. Firmware revisions: * v1.33 and older: If the version of firmware is older than v1.33 (released in July 2005), the player could lock software-activated controls from operating. The solution is to reset the player with this procedure: remove the battery and let the internal capacitors discharge for several minutes, then connect to a PC by the USB cable and reinstall the firmware. The issue is gone in post-July 2005 firmware. * v1.66: This unofficial version adds MTP (

Media Transfer Protocol The Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) is an extension to the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) communications protocol that allows media files to be transferred automatically to and from portable devices. Whereas PTP was designed for downloading pho ...

) support. * v3.04: This unofficial version, named "The Developers Cut", adds several new features such as large SD card support, and proper support for bookmarks with VBR (Variable Bitrate) .mp3 files. There are no known issues with this version. See external links section below.

Reliability issues

RioForge units suffer from a design flaw where the case-mounted controls operate switches which are surface-mounted on the internal

PCB PCB may refer to: Science and technology * Polychlorinated biphenyl, an organic chlorine compound, now recognized as an environmental toxin and classified as a persistent organic pollutant * Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics * ...

. If the player becomes damaged, taking either out of tolerance, the control (usually the volume) will not operate. An option for players with volume control failure is to use headphones with an in-line volume control.

External links

"Rioforge Information solutions"

Forum thread about unreleased Rio firmware "3.02 and 3.04 The Developer's Cut"
via the

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

RioForge firmware 3.04 "The Developer's Cut"
(Direct Download) Digital audio players Audiovisual introductions in 2004