According to this Press Release from TechTV the Rio Riot and the HSX-109 are both finalists in their categories for TechTVs best of CES2002.

While it remains to be seen how these products will do in the market place the stuff I am reading on Cnet and elsewhere indicates that both these products have got favourable press reviews so far.

Maybe SB has finally got the killer products for the mp3 market.
Hopefully if they have they will know how to market them better than they did with the RioCar.

If the HSX-109 gets an award then the ermpeg Guys can all take a bow for a job well done.
[For those that aren't aware, the same guys who did the RioCar/Empeg HW & SW also did the HSX-109 HW & SW].

I have to say, I'd like to own both these products but their current pricing is too high for me to consider.

Maybe once they are available in the 'retail channel' the street price will drop a bit and then it may be affordable.

I was watching the Screen Savers on TechTV last night and they showed the RioRiot. I have to say that I'm not overly impressed. It looks very bulky and cumbersome. Although the features and display they have are pretty awesome. But until I get one in my hands, I think that the iPod is still the reigning champ.

Yeah, I've been thinking that it's pretty big. It's got alot to fit in there. Huge screen, FM tuner, etc. I don't really see a way that it could be the pocket size of the iPod or Archos products.

An FM tuner's not so large -- most of the better handhelds have it. My smallish Nomad II MG has one, and voice-recording capability to boot.