The Best of Both Phone, and Tablet
Entered CNET Catalog: 08/12/2003
SKU: 90260467
Manufacturer: Digital Networks North America
Manufacturer description
The Fuse is a tiny player with a huge sound. As a full-featured music player, it has a brightly lit LCD to display ID3 track details, equalizer presets, and multiple play modes. A fully adjustable equalizer controls bass and treble. The built-in USB connector plugs directly into most computers - without the need for a cable. Transfer up to 30 songs using the intuitive Rio Music Manager, then unplug it and you're done.Product summary
The good: Small and lightweight; backlit LCD; great software; playlist support; great battery life.
The bad: No armband, belt clip, or lanyard; no FM radio or voice recorder.
The bottom line: The Rio Fuse USB plug-in player is affordable, capable, and ultraportable, but it lacks extras found on competing models.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 11/12/2003
The Fuse is the smallest digital-music player in Rio's updated product line. The 128MB ultraportable is listed at $129, but you can find it online for $30 less.
The Fuse is a plug-in player; it hooks up directly to a computer's USB jack. The connection, protected by a pop-off cap, is on the unit's left side. We had to remove neighboring peripherals from our PC's USB hub to accommodate the Fuse's wide, teardrop-shaped body. It measures 1.5 by 3.5 by 0.7 inches, slightly larger than some competitive models. Rio should have narrowed the device or included an extension cable. But the rounded edges make for a comfortable fit in your palm.
The player itself is a study in simplicity. In the center of the face is a rectangular LCD, which is backlit with a gentle blue when activated. Flanking the screen are a menu button and a small five-way joystick that acts as a transport control and a menu navigator. Large volume-up and -down keys sit on the right-hand side. The power button, the sliding Lock switch, and a standard 1/8-inch headphone jack share the top. The compartment for the single AAA battery is accessible from the bottom of the player.
The tiny Fuse has limited functions. It lacks a voice recorder, an FM radio, and--like all other plug-in models to date--expandable memory. But the player does offer the basics: MP3 and WMA playback, shuffle and repeat modes, autoresume, six equalization presets, and control over bass and treble. You also get a stopwatch and a time/date display that updates automatically during syncing. The included Sennheiser MX-300 earbuds are nothing special (you can get them separately for just $8), and their 26-inch cord is a little short. And you'll have to carry the Fuse in your pocket; Rio doesn't include an armband, a neck lanyard, or a belt clip.
Unlike many direct-connect units, the Fuse requires you to install hardware drivers and proprietary software, so you can't start dragging and dropping song files onto the player right away. But Rio's intuitive Music Manager 2.0, which also ships with most of the other models in the company's autumn lineup, is top-notch. It makes moving tunes and playlists a pleasure. The Rio Taxi application lets you use the Fuse as a data drive. And a Windows Media Player 9.0 plug-in enables integration with Microsoft's ubiquitous music program, as well as drag-and-drop file transfer in Windows. Another plus is the Fuse's compatibility with the Macintosh version of iPods with this jogging-friendly Rio.
The Fuse sounds good and has a power output of 16.9mW per channel--more than enough loudness for most users. Joystick navigation is simple and intuitive, but the control is smaller and more fragile than the one on the Fuse's sister devices. More encouraging is the battery life, which came out at 17.5 hours on a single high-performance AAA--right in line with Rio's 18-hour rating.
Its lackluster feature set notwithstanding, the Fuse is a fine jogging companion, providing about two hours of music. But the player has an increasing number of affordable, full-featured plug-in competitors. For about the same price, you can purchase Creative's MuVo NX, which adds a voice recorder and an armband. The Jens of Sweden MP-110, which costs closer to $200, also includes an FM radio. And for those who don't mind a slightly larger form factor and a cable computer connection, Rio's own Chiba offers the Fuse's software and interface, plus an FM radio, an SD expansion slot, and a sturdier joystick--for as little as $10 more.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14out of 14 user reviews
Stripped down, sweet little player
Pros: Tiny, weightless, can be used as flash drive
Cons: No extras, if that bothers you.
You can use the hold button but exclude volume, so that everything but the volume is deactivated. I found this feature incredibly handy. You can have it in your pocket and not have the buttons accidentally get pressed, but quick reach in and change the volume (which wouldn't get pressed accidentally, generally).
It looked silly, I guess, but I just popped this player in our iPod armband to run with, and while it didn't fit perfectly, it worked just fine. So it would be nice if it came with a lanyard or something, but it fits inside just about anything (purse, pocket, other armbands), so you can work around it.
It's usable as a flash drive, which several times was quite handy when I needed to move a document file from one place to another but didn't have the proper disk. You just take off the cap and plug it in to the USB port - easy!
It doesn't hold a ton of files, but for use for working out or taking the bus places, I had more than enough songs and/or podcasts to keep me surprised. The Rio software isn't fantastic, but it's usable.
I was pretty hard on this little player - dropped it many times, used it in the cold and held it in my hand while running (sweat got all over it), and it endured for more than two years with flying colors. The little joystick may feel breakable, but after kicking around in my purse and bags and pockets for two years, it's still intact.
Bottom line: This player doesn't do much, but if you're buying one at this point, I'm guessing you're looking for something cheap anyway. It will play your sound files like a champ, and can handle the jostling of everyday life.
(It is a little fun, I must admit, to look for a replacement, though! I'm looking at the Creative Zen V Plus and am so excited that I can have an FM tuner and line-in recording as well as more room for my music! The Fuse is just from a different generation at this point!)
out of 14 user reviews
Compact but challenging
Pros: Small design makes it easy to carry on my jogs and to the gym. Great sound and easy to use buttons. Easy to read display. I really think this is a great product, considering other non-expandable MP3 players with this much memory. Rio's music manager makes
Cons: Had to download driver from support b/c the enclosed disk didn't cooperate w/my XP system. I blame MS more than rio. The enclosed manual isn't very helpful either. Once I downloaded a driver, I was able to use the rio music mgr, bypassing MS' product (to
out of 14 user reviews
random feature and custom EQ
Pros: the random play feature and custom bass and treble control are what i got this for ive had it abou 2 weeks now and used it almost everyday it was "refurbished" but i couldnt tell in any way that it was not brand new ive gotten around 5 hours of battery li
Cons: the headphones sounded great but wont stay in my ears i purchased a different set that work much better the shpe of the player made it so it wouldnt plug directly into the USB on the front of my PC but i had a cord anyway so NBD 128 MB's means about 24-2
out of 14 user reviews
Quite Impressed!
Pros: A great high quality mp3 player. Excellent playback sound and good earbuds. The backlit display is great as well as the portability (no additional wires needed). Very simple to operate. Impressive battery life!
Cons: No clip for when I'm working out. I wish it had expansion capabilities. But, I'll overlook it because it is soooo conveniently small and compact.
out of 14 user reviews
I put mine through the washer and dryer
Pros: Bought this unit for my son. I did tha laundry and didn't notice it in his pants pocket. 30 mins in the washer and 60 in the dryer and it came out steaming hot. Not surprisingly, it didn't work but once I changed the battery it was as good as new. Un
Cons:
out of 14 user reviews
For the money and size... good deal
Pros: Size Sound Jukebox/ripper program
Cons: No Clip/lanyard No file transfer between computers Lack of USB cable
out of 14 user reviews
Excellent Low-Range Player
Pros: Ultra-compact and small, easy to store and carry when moving around, and easy to control.
Cons: Not as much combatibility as you might expect--no OGG support or FM, for example. Also, 128 MB may not be enough for some, especially when working with high bitrate MP3's.
out of 14 user reviews
Great affordable product!
Pros: small, easy use, made from rio(quality), nice EQ functions, playlist feature, easy software.
Cons: no FM radio, no case included, not expandable.
out of 14 user reviews
Great value for something the size of your thumb
Pros: Über compact. Goes anywhere. Works with iTunes. Great features. Easy to use. Easy to read the screen.
Cons: No FM reciever. Doesn't double as a flash drive. Slow (USB 1.1) data transfer. No voice recorder.
out of 14 user reviews
Best gadget around
Pros: good sized storage, small and lightweight, easy to use software for pc, nice earphones, 18 hours playback, button lock, ONE triple A battery
Cons: no expandable memory
out of 14 user reviews
Great mp3 Player
Pros: Purchased for $99 and is a great value. Small, ergonomically designed for your hand, easy to use button without having to take out of your pocket, clear display, stopwatch, sennheiser headphones, ready to use right out of the box without a computer.
Cons: Great toy, but can't expand beyond 128mb, excellent for a commute or workout.
out of 14 user reviews
Alright but nothing special
Pros: It produces good sound through quality earphones (the included ones are not so great) and is nice and tiny. The controls are easy to figure out and the player itself does everything it's supposed to.
Cons: I wanted a player that installs itself as a USB Mass Storage Device to enable drag-n-drop transfer of files just like copying them from one drive to another. The advertising for this player led me to believe the Fuse could do so but it can't. Also if yo
out of 14 user reviews
best 128mb player
Pros: small, no cords, decent headphones, backlit display, adjustable bass and treble with presets, stopwatch, good audio quality
Cons: memory is not expandable, not an ipod
out of 14 user reviews
Packs a lot of punch
Pros: Direct connection with USB without wires. Good sound quality. LCD display. Random playback. Includes software to install music files.
Cons: Due to it's shape, I was unable to plug it into a USB port on the back of my PC without it pushing against other peripheral connections. I had to purchase a USB hub. You can rip CDs, but you have to purchase an MP3 encoder to encode music to MP3 format. D
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