Hi folks,

Just some boring front matter first to say I've got my Karma...

So I got my Karma from the USA via eBay (took a week to get to Brazil).

So far I'm very very impressed. Great quick start instructions, great software, and most importantly a great player loaded with features and no major issues so far. Quite simply it's the best portable audio player I can see on the market (with the slight pain of small hard disk size).

I found a Canon camera case (in leather) which is almost a perfect fit. There is a small shoe repair shop closeby to me, so I'm going to ask the guy there if he'll make and stitch some cut-outs, to make it work even better. I have also ordered some film protectors from eBay to protect the screen and front face.

Anyway, on with the real stuff. I have one installation note, one possible problem/question, and three straightforward questions:

1. I installed the latest version of RMM, and when I connected the Karma for the first time it detected firmware needed updating (I had already downloaded the latest, but thought "what the hell, I'll follow what the software says"). It downloaded the firmware, and seemed to apply it. I restarted the player (although no indication on the player was given that it had applied) and there was no change. I then checked the firmware I had downloaded manually, and it mentioned putting the player in recovery mode first. I followed the rest of the instructions, and the firmware applied without problem. This was the only fly in the ointment of an otherwise painless install.

2. Charging in the dock. I've noticed several times that when I place the Karma in the dock (after the battery is flat) the "I'm connected on mains" symbol appears but doesn't change to the battery charging symbol. If I change the settings to pulse the dock light when charging it always seems to charge. If I don't, it often won't charge (although say 50% of the time it will). Not a major major problem, but a little strange. Anyone else get this?

3. Where do I submit bugs and wishlist items? Is there a public wishlist available? How responsive are Rio to wishlist requests? (OK several questions here)

4. Is there a quick way to change the play mode e.g. to shuffle mode. The only way I can find (which is a bit slow to access) is through Settings > Playback.

5. Does Riovolution.com seem to suffer availability problems for anyone else? Often I can't access the site, and it requires repeated refreshes to open.

TIA

Mark

Greetings!

First off, I am glad you like the Karma! I know you had a lot of questions and concerns before buying. I hope that those have been answered for you.

Let's see... I cannot comment on all of your items, but...

1) I am surprised that part of the instructions did not tell you to put the Karma into recovery mode. That is a required step.

2) In theory, the Karma should only charge when it sees that it needs to. Otherwise it will turn off the charging circuit to extend battery life.

3) Where to post wishlist items... Hmm... I would guess riovolution is really the official place, but this board is probably far faster and with far less noise.

4) I wish! There were some folks begging for a press/hold on the menu button to toggle shuffle. Add your voice here!

5) I cannot comment because I avoid the site due to the sheer volume of noise.

4) I wish! There were some folks begging for a press/hold on the menu button to toggle shuffle. Add your voice here!

+1

2. I have found that even with a flat battery the charging display does not appear sometimes, as per the circumstances described. It just goes straight to a plug icon.

Out of interest I found when the player is switched off the battery is still charging.

One wish would be for a charging icon to display when the player is off but the battery is charging and/or for the dock light to cycle as per the dock settings.

3. Do Rio seem to respond to wishlist items from this group? It seems that some of the Rio staff post here, which is wonderful to see.

On my first expensive MP3 player, the Creative Labs DAP/NJB1, there was a button specifically for this. I really missed it with the NJB3, and miss it again with the Karma. I'm guessing there must be a quicker way to get the function switched on... also it would be nice to see the shuffle mode displayed as active in some way on the play screen.

it would be nice to see the shuffle mode displayed as active in some way on the play screen

There's a little icon, which looks a bit like some shuffled cards.

Peter

Aaah, sorry! Yes, I remember seeing this now.