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Outside Magazine, March 2005

Review: The Audio Files
Rock and Roll
Rio Forge Sport, Belkin Tunecast II Mobile FM Transmitter, & Creative Muvo Micro N200

iRIVER H320 & Apple iPOD Special Edition U2 | Sony Network Walkman NW-S23, Creative Zen Micro, & KOSS P-15 Headphones | Griffin Radio Shark, H20 Audio SV iMINI, & Finis SwimP3 | Rio Forge Sport, Belkin Tunecast II Mobile FM Transmitter, & Creative Muvo Micro N200


	Rio Forge Sport, Belkin Tunecast II Mobile FM Transmitter, & Creative Muvo Micro N200 (Photograph by Tom Schierlitz)

PRO TIP: Make mine a wrap. To keep a player dry on the cheap, follow the lead of expedition snowboarder Stephen Koch. He swaddles his digital music device in a paper towel to absorb ambient moisture and then stuffs it in a zip-lock bag.

1.) Expand the memory of the 256-megabyte RIO FORGE SPORT from four to eight hours by popping a separate, stamp-size SD card into the memory slot. The system is so intuitive, you can drag and drop music into the PC- and Mac-compatible player and be out the door in minutes. $169; 866-286-3662, www.rioaudio.com » THE O FACTOR: The thumb-operated Rio, edged with a protective rubber bumper, fits snugly and securely in your palm; features include a stopwatch with a lap timer. One AAA battery lasts an ultramarathon-ready 20 hours.

2.) Twiddle the BELKIN TUNECAST II MOBILE FM TRANSMITTER to any empty channel on the FM dial, then plug it into an MP3 player to hear your own music on the radio. The TuneCast lets you program up to four unused frequencies for this purpose. $60; 800-223-5546, www.belkin.com

3.) About as light as the AAA battery that powers it for 15 hours a pop, the CREATIVE MUVO MICRO N200 still holds 512 megs—or more than 100 tunes. Connect it to a PC, then just drag and drop the music into place; a convenient line-in jack lets you record directly from any audio source. $130; 800-998-1000, www.us.creative.com » THE O FACTOR: Less than three inches long, the tiny MuVo contains a built-in voice recorder—useful for making entries in your audio journal.

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