Product Reviews

If Rio's Carbon MP3 player had an evil twin, it would look like the ce2100. Both share the same slim case and controls, but where the Carbon comes in silver or pearl finishes, the ce2100 is shiny black.

Inside the differences are more significant. The ce2100's 1" hard disk is only 2.5GB, so it has a lower capacity than much of the competition. It also lacks a microphone for recording voice notes,

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but few are likely to miss this.

The ce2100 can be charged from the mains or through a USB cable, and its excellent battery lasted over 14 hours in our test. Filling the player with music took just over 13 minutes using the USB Hi-Speed interface.

It's straightforward to use, with a clickable scroll wheel that controls volume and menu navigation and the standard playback buttons on the front. The mono display is bright and easy to read, displaying the usual information you'd expect to find.

As with its other players, Rio supplies the ce2100 with Sennheiser earphones. These are leaps and bounds ahead of the headphones bundled with most players, and the sound quality is excellent.

The ce2100 is a top-notch player that's easy to use and has great sound, but the price could be a drawback. At £120 it's expensive for a 2.5GB player and not much less than a 4GB iPod mini. That said, there's a lot to like about this player, and you won't be disappointed with the results.