Gapless playback means no gap inserted other than that already in the album. So, for a live album, or a studio album where songs blend together (Pink Floyd The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon come to mind), the music plays with no audible pause or gap.
This is much more useful than you might imagine, and it has never been supported by any generation iPod. Anyone who listens to albums in their entirety will notice how much non-gapless playback interferes with the flow from song to song...so yes, it does add considerably to the aesthetic appreciation of music.
First off, no one can dispute that the iPod/iPod Mini line of digital audio players are good looking, well designed devices, with a nice user interface. Even though there are MANY players out there that trump the Apple models on sound quality (SNR), features (gapless playback, playlist functionality, supported formats, capacity, battery life, and more...), Apple has done a tremendous job of packaging and marketing. They own the lion's share of the market because they've positioned these capable players properly.
I have owned a 3G iPod, and an iPod mini (for my wife), but have recently converted to a Rio Karma for several reasons (standard cradle with ethernet connection, gapless playback, multiple format support, better sound quality, tremendous battery life, among others). I have to say that my Karma has worked flawlessly since day one. I have had no problems with the hard drive, the stick or the wheel, and find the UI and controls just as easy to use as the iPod. In fact, one of the reasons I did not go back to iPod with the 4G model was the click wheel. While it is slick, it is not as easy to use as the Rio stick if you are not looking at the player, as it offers less distinct position-relative tactile feedback.
As far as the Carbon is concerned...looks are personal, and I personally like the looks of the device. As far as the 5-way navigation pad that replaces the Rio stick...it is probably just as functional, since I have a similar D-pad on my Treo 600, and it works well, especially for scrolling through long lists. A previous post incorrectly said that to scroll long lists with a Rio device requires a scroll/reposition/scroll/reposition... motion on the scroll wheel, when in fact, all you have to do is hold the stick down (or on the Carbon, hold the nav-pad down). Using their logic, the constant scroll motion on the click-wheel of the iPod would be more difficult than simply holding the stick/pad in the down position.
Anyway, I think there is too much iPod snobbery displayed in this thread. Sure the iPod Mini is great...guess what, so is the Rio Carbon...at least it's first impressions would seem so.
Why get so defensive? If the device you own makes sense for you, great. That's what freedom of choice is all about. My choices have led me to a Rio product that works well for me, and in some ways works better for me than the iPod ever did.
Now, on the subject of "freedom of choice"
That is what really bothers me the most about the Apple and Sony products. The insistance on forcing you to adhere to their proprietary standards. Fortunately, I use the only music download service that I am aware of that does not force you to accept only one file format, and does not add cumbersome DRM.
Lastly (I promise...then it's off the soapbox), the Rio Carbon is not only being offered as a 500 unit special edition, but is in stock at every Best Buy in my area. I've read reports that it is in stock across the US at Best Buy. I went to the Best Buy web site, which still lists them as "pre-order", but if you click the link for in-store pickup and enter your zip code, you can see if it is in stock near you.
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Gapless playback means no gap inserted other than that already in the album. So, for a live album, or a studio album where songs blend together (Pink Floyd The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon come to mind), the music plays with no audible pause or gap.
This is much more useful than you might imagine, and it has never been supported by any generation iPod. Anyone who listens to albums in their entirety will notice how much non-gapless playback interferes with the flow from song to song...so yes, it does add considerably to the aesthetic appreciation of music.
I have owned a 3G iPod, and an iPod mini (for my wife), but have recently converted to a Rio Karma for several reasons (standard cradle with ethernet connection, gapless playback, multiple format support, better sound quality, tremendous battery life, among others). I have to say that my Karma has worked flawlessly since day one. I have had no problems with the hard drive, the stick or the wheel, and find the UI and controls just as easy to use as the iPod. In fact, one of the reasons I did not go back to iPod with the 4G model was the click wheel. While it is slick, it is not as easy to use as the Rio stick if you are not looking at the player, as it offers less distinct position-relative tactile feedback.
As far as the Carbon is concerned...looks are personal, and I personally like the looks of the device. As far as the 5-way navigation pad that replaces the Rio stick...it is probably just as functional, since I have a similar D-pad on my Treo 600, and it works well, especially for scrolling through long lists. A previous post incorrectly said that to scroll long lists with a Rio device requires a scroll/reposition/scroll/reposition... motion on the scroll wheel, when in fact, all you have to do is hold the stick down (or on the Carbon, hold the nav-pad down). Using their logic, the constant scroll motion on the click-wheel of the iPod would be more difficult than simply holding the stick/pad in the down position.
Anyway, I think there is too much iPod snobbery displayed in this thread. Sure the iPod Mini is great...guess what, so is the Rio Carbon...at least it's first impressions would seem so.
Why get so defensive? If the device you own makes sense for you, great. That's what freedom of choice is all about. My choices have led me to a Rio product that works well for me, and in some ways works better for me than the iPod ever did.
Now, on the subject of "freedom of choice"
That is what really bothers me the most about the Apple and Sony products. The insistance on forcing you to adhere to their proprietary standards. Fortunately, I use the only music download service that I am aware of that does not force you to accept only one file format, and does not add cumbersome DRM.
Lastly (I promise...then it's off the soapbox), the Rio Carbon is not only being offered as a 500 unit special edition, but is in stock at every Best Buy in my area. I've read reports that it is in stock across the US at Best Buy. I went to the Best Buy web site, which still lists them as "pre-order", but if you click the link for in-store pickup and enter your zip code, you can see if it is in stock near you.
Regards!