If nothing else, the 5GB Carbon is noteworthy for one simple reason: It's a light-as-air MP3 jukebox that doesn't look anything like the iPod. Weighing just 3.2 ounces, it's slightly smaller than Rio's older Nitrus, and yet holds more than three times as much music.

The sleek Carbon is shaped like a trapezoid with rounded corners. The center of the player features the basic controls for playing and selecting, and a bright display fi lls the top half. The top edge is where you'll fi nd ports for the USB 2.0 cable, a power switch, the headphone jack, and a wheel, which is used for adjusting the volume or quickly scrolling through menus. Though it's not as effortless as the iPod's clickwheel, the Carbon's control a great way to quickly move through song or artist lists.

What you won't fi nd is a manual control lock. You'll have to lock and unlock the controls using the menu and preassigned button combinations. That's too much effort just to keep the Carbon safe from accidental button presses.

The Carbon's user interface is basic but functional. You can browse through your music by song, artist, album, year, or genre, or by your preselected playlists.

The Rio also features a great bookmark function that enables you to quickly save your place if you need to interrupt your listening. This feature is especially useful for audiobooks or voice recordings. A built-in microphone is included.

The player also features some preset equalization settings, and a manual EQ that allows you to customize them. In general, the unit sounded good with a wide range of music styles, and had plenty of volume.

The included earbuds will get the job done but won't give you a great range of sound. While we recommend using different headphones, beware that if the base of the jack on your set isn't insulated and it touches the carbon's chrome top, you'll be assaulted with a horrendous amount of static. Rio says this issue will be addressed in future versions.

An AC charger is included, though you won't need it often. Not only does Carbon receive power via the device's USB 2.0 connection, it also has more than 20 hours of battery life-more than twice that of the iPod mini.

The Carbon also comes with a slipcover. It's a nice addition, but it's somewhat diffi cult to get the device in and out of the case.

Files can be easily moved to the unit just by dragging and dropping them, but the included Rio Music Manager software can also perform the dragging and dropping for you. The software is basic, but allows you to create playlists and shows you both how much space is left on the player and how much space the fi les you're about to transfer will take up.

The Carbon's small size, incredible 20-hour battery life, and relatively high capacity are its most noteworthy features. It's only $20 cheaper than the Creative Zen Touch, which will give you four times the capacity, but the Carbon is so slim and light, it makes the high price worth it. This is a highly portable and handsome player that's perfect for carrying a small library of music, whether you're running or just on the run.

PROS	CONS
• Extremely thin and light • Stylish design • Good hardware interface • Great battery life	• Poorly-designed slipcover • No lock switch • Problems with some headphones

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