Sonicblue ships two portable CD players

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By Frank Thorsberg

(IDG) -- Sonicblue has introduced two new CD players to round out its line of portable audio devices at the high-end and entry-level points of the market.

"The RioVolt SP250 is our new flagship, high-end product," says Jonathan Sasse, product marketing manager for Rio portables. "We have added more features, more accessories, and basically polished up what the RioVolt 100 was."

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The SP250 comes with a customizable user interface with a backlit LCD screen and features an FM radio tuner with presets, 8-minute shock protection, two types of headphones and 15-hour battery life. Suggested retail price is $179.

The top-of-the-line model is a step up from the benchmark RioVolt 100 that was introduced in June and now sells for $149.

Options, Accessories

"What we added is an FM tuner that is built in to the device which has an improved display and user interface that is nearly identical to the Rio 800," says Sasse. "We also added the ability to charge batteries in the 250, which ships with nickel-metal hydride, AA batteries, which are rechargeable."

It also includes simple PC and Macintosh audio management software and features adjustable EQ, repeat and shuffle play modes, plus programmable playlists.

Sonicblue is shipping a basic remote control device with the 250 and also offers a remote with a visual display as a $29.95 accessory.

The second new model, the SP90, is basically a stripped down model for new users that sells for $99.

"This unit is designed to cater to those customers that are looking for an entry-level product," Sasse says. "Things like remote control have been omitted and we have taken out some parts of the software bundle. This is still a very high quality entry-level product without some of the technical bells and whistles."

The SP90 offers 2-minute skip protection for MP3s and 45-second skip protection for CDs, Sasse says. It also has battery life of up to 15 hours.