Rio Unveils Super-charged Nitrus 4GB MP3 Player and is Number One In Mini Hard Drive MP3 Market
Tuesday January 6, 8:06 am ET
New Rio Nitrus 4GB Expands the Revolutionary Mini Hard Drive MP3 Market Developed by Rio
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Expanding the successful mini hard drive market that Rio developed, Rio today introduced, to its already first-class MP3 line-up, the Rio Nitrus 4GB MP3 player. This new player is built on the award-winning Rio Nitrus 1.5GB MP3 player platform, keeping the same sleek, stylish and pocket-sized design along with more than double the memory and weighing less than two ounces.
Recent reports show that the Rio Nitrus 1.5GB is the best-selling 1.5GB MP3 player on the market and has become a favorite with consumers and retailers, proving that this new MP3 segment is redefining the MP3 market. In the most recent NPD Intellect market share report, Rio claimed stake to the market share lead for all mini hard drive MP3 players.
Additionally, the Rio Nitrus 1.5GB was recently honored with the prestigious CES Innovations Honoree Award in the Audio category, selected as the MP3 player of choice for American Music Awards gift baskets and has earned an upcoming spot on the hit FOX show "The O.C."
The successes of the Rio Nitrus 1.5GB, along with the rest of Rio's thriving MP3 player line-up, have contributed to Rio's comeback status. With its innovative designs and top-notch quality products, Rio proved once again why it's considered the top MP3 brand.
"The cult-like success of the Nitrus has really shown us that there is a huge market for these new types of devices," said Kevin Brangan, vice president of product marketing at Rio Audio. "By introducing a 4GB version of the Nitrus we're building on the best selling mini hard drive MP3 player on the market and plan on increasing our mini hard drive market share."
When it debuted in August 2003, the Rio Nitrus 1.5GB was the MP3 market's first cross between a hard disk and flash-based player, providing a new option for the MP3 consumer. Offering yet another option for the MP3 consumer, the Rio Nitrus 4GB, weighing less than two ounces and smaller in overall size than a deck of playing cards, can playback over 2000 WMA songs (132 hours of music) on a built-in 16-hour LiON rechargeable battery, and includes a five-band parametric equalizer. The Rio Nitrus 4GB supports USB 2.0, allowing for lightning fast transfers of content between multiple PCs.
Availability and Pricing
The Rio Nitrus 4GB will begin shipping in January and will be available through Rioaudio.com, and all major retail outlets in the U.S. The estimated U.S. street price is $249.
About Rio
Rio Audio, a Digital Networks North America company, pioneered portable digital audio technology in 1998, with the launch of the Rio 300. Since then, Rio has become the world's number one brand of portable MP3 players by developing a host of award-winning portables that let music lovers take their music with them wherever they go. For more information regarding Rio, or to purchase a Rio digital audio player, please visit www.rioaudio.com.
Media Contact:
Colleen Henley
Porter Novelli for Rio Audio
+1-408-988-2100
colleen.henley@porternovelli.com
