PoGo! RipDrive 20 GB MP3 Player
By: PoGo! Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 13
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 On: 2005-07-17
At first Iloved this player, sadly after a few weeks the constant resets and lockups started to bother me often need to be left alone while the battery discharged. After owning it for a few months It wont even start up anymore Ive sent it back to pogo and got it "fixed" only to have it lock up on starting every time 3 weeks after getting it back. My advice save your cash and get a diffrent player
On: 2004-10-23
Dear Pogo Execs,
I just wanted you to know how disappointed I am with you Rip Drive Product. I was a loyal PJB-100 customer (which Ive gone back to, by the way - at least until I can save up for an IPOD). I loved the PJB-100, hate the rip drive. You have a great concept, just bad execution.
Reasons why I hate the rip drive:
1) Interface stinks. To be specific, it has the following problems -
a. Hard to find songs
b. Cant start playing at a folder, must choose a song. So what if you want to play all of an artist, but you have 10 disks under a sub folder of the artists name. You cant play all of the artist unless you put a song in the root folder for that artist.
c. Must go to "Menu" if you want to change many settings - should have an easy way to set things like auto-off and sleep timer
2) Settings dont really save. They often reset, so you have to set it up the way you like it too often.
3) Mine locked up. Customer service said "re-partition the drive, but you cant use windows, because it wont do a 40 GB." So I buy partition magic. Not really the problem. They gave me new firm ware.
4) Now my new firmware lets me make changes through the USB interface that show the changes on the PC interface, but when I turn it on, its like no changes happen. I even let the battery run out. Still, no changes. - Its would actually be a pretty cool feature - change all the files but well remember your old settings, except I cant get to my new music.
5) Mine shorts out a lot. Static electricity makes it restart. And since it doesnt save where you are in a play list, oh well, just use the crappy interface to spend 10 minutes to get back where you were. After a few minutes, the static electricity will build up and short it out again.
6) Did you know random is not random? Same crappy random as last time I chose random.
7) Its nearly impossible to open the USB flap with just fingers. Thats just another irritation.
8) Yada, Yada, Yada
You know, I usually just take it, because Im too busy to worry about complaining. But this product stinks so bad, I thought Id complain. I know it would take years to get a refund or a replacement because Ive tried your customer service and that is no joy. They asked me my order number once. I said, "I ordered it through the site, can you look it up." They were baffled that Id even ask.
Sincerely,
A disgruntled customer.
PS- Im going to post this note as a review on Amazon as well.
 On: 2004-10-13
I researched mp3 players for a couple months before finally making a purchase.
My minimum requirements were:
- Minimum storage size of 5GIG.
- FM Receiver.
- No drivers, needs to act as a USB drive.
- Replaceable rechargeable battery.
- Has to be able to play MP3, WMA and WP4 (iTunes).
There were several players that fell into this category and finally it came down two brands, the ripdrive which I had never honestly even heard of before seeing it on here and in a PC Magazine review/comparison and the Creative Zen drives.
After checking into both the Zen drives all seem to be prone to a problem with the headphone jack after a short period of time. So this was a deterrent for me as Im usually rough on my toys.
Anyhow Ive been using this player for about a month now and the only complaints I have (which are minimal) are:
- The text is so damn large on the screen that you cant see much of the song name and have to wait for it to scroll, would be nice if the font size was adjustable (pretty lame complaint).
- Cant recharge the batter while listening to it, you can however use the AC adapter while using it save the battery.
- Cant find a desk stand for it, would be nice to have one to make it easier to play with at my desk at work.
The mic works pretty good, Ive recorded a few things with it and they came out pretty good. The output and input works great, I can plug this puppy right into our home stereo system and play music for hours.
The battery is awesome, they claim 10 hours and thats totally reasonable to me. I use it a couple hours everyday and recharge it once a week, which takes a couple hours to get a full complete charge.
One thing that might put off some people is the fact this puppy is large in comparison to the ipod mini or some of the others on the market. Although this hasnt been an issue for me since I pretty much only use it at home or at work and Im not walking around with it or anything. It does come with a carrying case that fits it nice and does have a sturdy belt clip -- I havent had a use for this, not nearly as much as I would for a desk stand. ;)
Anyhow I would highly recommend this device to anyone who is thinking about picking up something comparable. The quality is great and it works as advertised.
On: 2004-10-12
I researched mp3 players for a couple months before finally making a purchase.
My minimum requirements were:
- Minimum storage size of 5GIG.
- FM Receiver.
- No drivers, needs to act as a USB drive.
- Replaceable rechargeable battery.
- Has to be able to play MP3, WMA and WP4 (iTunes).
There were several players that fell into this category and finally it came down two brands, the ripdrive which I had never honestly even heard of before seeing it on here and in a PC Magazine review/comparison and the Creative Zen drives.
After checking into both the Zen drives all seem to be prone to a problem with the headphone jack after a short period of time. So this was a deterrent for me as Im usually rough on my toys.
Anyhow Ive been using this player for about a month now and the only complaints I have (which are minimal) are:
- The text is so damn large on the screen that you cant see much of the song name and have to wait for it to scroll, would be nice if the font size was adjustable (pretty lame complaint).
- Cant recharge the batter while listening to it, you can however use the AC adapter while using it save the battery.
- Cant find a desk stand for it, would be nice to have one to make it easier to play with at my desk at work.
The mic works pretty good, Ive recorded a few things with it and they came out pretty good. The output and input works great, I can plug this puppy right into our home stereo system and play music for hours.
The battery is awesome, they claim 10 hours and thats totally reasonable to me. I use it a couple hours everyday and recharge it once a week, which takes a couple hours to get a full complete charge.
One thing that might put off some people is the fact this puppy is large in comparison to the ipod mini or some of the others on the market. Although this hasnt been an issue for me since I pretty much only use it at home or at work and Im not walking around with it or anything. It does come with a carrying case that fits it nice and does have a sturdy belt clip -- I havent had a use for this, not nearly as much as I would for a desk stand. ;)
Anyhow I would highly recommend this device to anyone who is thinking about picking up something comparable. The quality is great and it works as advertised.
 On: 2004-05-29
I have a few questions before I buy this. I have hundreds of songs downloaded on Musicmatch can i transfer them onto this product? Also it said that this has a built in battery, will it ever run out of "juice". Please email me if you know these answers. rel61@hotmail.com
by: Anonymous On: 2004-04-14
I purchased my Ripdrive from J&R Music World through Amazon at a 10% saving. Why is J&R gone now? Well, lets review. This is an outstanding player and certainly beats any memory card player. I downloaded ~ 7GB of music (2145 songs) to it in less than 10 minutes, so you wont have to wait an hour or more to load the player (USB 2.0). It is extremely simple to operate and has only ten buttons. For those seriously interested, I recommend downloading the manual and reading it. It has superb playback and volume. Im currently trying to run the battery down, but its been playing 8 hrs. and 17 minutes and the battery indicator still shows full (> 70%). However, it took 6 hours to charge from 40%. I purchased a backup battery just in case from Pogo Products for $20.00. If you play it in random (shuffle) mode, it remembers the order it played the songs in, and you can backtrack. Also, if you turn off id3 tags, it will show the previous and next songs even in random mode. The time display can run in either elapsed or remaining mode. The picture of the player is still wrong unless you get to it from ThinkGeek. (See the manual or preferably pogoproducts.com.) It has a number of repeat options: All, directory, subdirectory, and single. It also has an A-B repeat feature. Transferring files couldnt be easier. Simply drag and drop or select and then move or copy. I simply mirrored my main music directory on it. You can browse through the files or search for a particular file. You can create playlists on the fly. Updating the firmware (mine came with the latest version) is also extremely simple. Download the latest version from pogoproducts.com and copy it into the FIRMWARE folder. The display is fairly large (160X105) and shows just about everything that you could want. It comes with a belt clip case that allows complete access to all buttons and ports, so you never have to remove it from the case. All cables are provided, along with earbud earphones which I didnt bother to open. I also purchased an FM transmitter (Belkin - seems quite satisfactory) which plugs into the earphone jack so that I can play my music collection through car radios. It has the capability to record voice on its built-in mike or any audio source on the line in jack which can be analog or digital. It can also record from its FM receiver which allows for 20 presets. This player has a number of other features which I wont go into here but which will no doubt pleasantly surprise you. The warranty is for one year, unlike Zen. I did considerable shopping on Amazon and also physically at Best Buy, CompUSA and Circuit City. Whatever you get, be sure and check out the warranty. An Archos that I was considering had one year parts, 90 days labor, which means that after 90 days youd probably do better to can it. Usually when I purchase a piece of gear like this, I find a number of points that I disagree on with the designer(s), but I have to say that I really cant find any nits to pick with this player. The price is low, it has more than ordinary functionality, and the performance is great. 5 STARS! Apple eat your heart out. Addendum: I was interrupted while writing this review, and the battery now has 12 hrs. 41 min.and still shows 2 bars (40-70%).
On: 2004-03-02
I love it, highly recommended. The battery is very powerful, the features are great and easy to use. The only downside is that it doesnt play protected audio files downloaded from pay services like musicmatch (WMA files with DRM).
I think this is better than the Ipods, why? PRICE!--20G!!. I bought my Ripdrive from Amazon and I paid less than $300, Cool!.
PoGo IT Support (and Customer Service) is great. I am sure you will love this powerful digital auido player.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-14
Unlike some I have had the product for more then 5 minutes and it is USB 2.0 compatible and you can transfer a song a second!!!!It is funny how people who write negative reviews always promote another product. Anyways here is an unbiased one. Do I have an IPOD or ZEN or another product??? NO But I do have the RipDrive and the picture AMAZON has is incorrect. What can I say about it,I love it. The unit has one great feature no OTHER PLAYER has. The ability to upgrade your hard drive in the future up to 137GB. I added an 80GB HDD and it works great!!! 1.You can set your own EQ levels, make on the fly playlists and store anytype of digital files in it. That is just for starters. I love the fact you need no drivers to use the product and the quality of playback is awesome (especially setting your own EQ levels) The unit also can record (it is built in) from any audio source. It has a line in and built in internal mic. I was able to record meetings/conversations and upload those fast using my USB 2.0 system. It also has an FM tuner and that gets good reception in my area. The unit weighs 10oz and comes with a cool case that you can attach to your belt or side (much like a cell phone) It is not heavy at all and feels and looks very durable. The user manual instructions are easy to follow and written in good english. So far I love the unit and use it to transfer all my data files. Look around and you will see a 1GB SD card costs 300+ dollars. This is an all in one backup solution and portable MP3 player and recorder with an FM tuner built in. I love it. GOOD JOB POGO!
 On: 2004-02-13
WIth no decent reviews on this product from Amazon.com, I figure Ill write what I can after just holding one of these for a brief 5 minutes before passing on to a better player. For starters, the picture depicted above is wrong at the time that this review was written. For an actual picture, try www.pogoproducts.com. The player itself was huge and heavy. Im not sure what the exact measurements are, but it was clearly twice as thick as an iPod (approximately 1 thick), at least an inch longer, and probably half an inch wider. It is also approximately double the weight of an ipod, making the unit probably the largest on the market. Inside the player sports a 2.5 hd, which is also the one used in the older Zen line players. From what Ive heard, the 1.8 Hitachi drives found in the Iriver and iPod are quieter while the Zen line has more audible clicks that can be picked up when the hd spins. In fact, judging by the fact that both this player and the first generation Zen uses the same hd and has the same battery rating, I would gather that the battery life for this unit is approximately 10 hours. To me, the real strength of this unit is its price, where at $250, this was clearly cheaper than most of the other players out there, sans the Creative Zen. But the build quality of this player also lacks in the quality and size department compared to the Zen, which is mainly made of something shiny and metallic.So all in all, if cost is a greater issue than size, you should avoid this product and get a Zen. If youre willing to fork over an extra $40, you should step up and get the iRiver iHp-120, which supercedes this product in every way possible, and in my opinion, is also better than the iPod. One thing people should know is, this player only has USB1.1 capabilities, so dont expect transfer speeds anywhere over .8 mb/sec. On the flip side, no software is required to transfer files to this player, so if you feel like bypassing all the copyright protection found in the various MD players and I believe some of the other HD player not listed in this review (I personally have an iPod, and iRiver), than this may be a product for you to consider, although I still wouldnt recommend it.
On: 2004-02-13
First of all, the picture at the top of this page is not the product (as of 2/12/04). If you click on the link to see the manual, you will see what it looks like.
My overall impression of this product is very good. Getting around with the controls is pretty easy. It has a good display that shows a lot of info. I assume that the battery life is predicated on only listening as the hard drive only spins occasionally then. I have run it for 6 hours max but I have always loaded more songs which makes the drive spin continously.
The FM radio works well, storing stations is easy. Getting around in the menus is also easy. I have used the built-in mic to record my voice and while it was noisy, it was listenable. I have not yet used the line in to encode anything.
It works with USB 1.1. I am upgrading to USB 2 soon as 1.1 is slow. After connecting the unit to my Windows XP machine, it shows up as a drive. So you can drag and drop items easily. You can create folders and put any kind of file you want to transport to another PC. It has several folders built-in. The Text one allows you to put a text file in it and read it on the display. There is a folder to put updates to the unit into which I have used with no problem. There is also a folder for playlists that I have not used yet.
I have noticed that when there are new files on the unit when you power it on, it takes longer to be ready, but if there are not, it takes about 15 seconds or less before you can play music. The volume is the loudest of all the portables I have encountered. It has preset EQ settings or you customize them and that works pretty good.
All in all, if you want lots of capacity (20GB) and you dont mind it being larger and heavier than flash players, I think that it is a good value for the price. Ive had it for about a month and am very satisfied with it.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-12
I am sick and tired of people rating products without actually testing them. It makes me sick to my stomach. Youre effecting the overall rating of the product, you heathens!
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-12
i have been waiting 4 a reviw to be writen on this product 4 ages!!! i would really be greatful if some1 would write one and let every1 know what they are getting themselves in for when buying it!!! also can this product read files such as "microsoft word" files? thanks a million!! :0)
p.s. how long has this product not been available??
On: 2004-02-11
This player is not "yet released", a piece of information not showing anywhere, only given to me via email from amazon on the last day of the shipping estimate, two weeks after the initial order.
The 1 star rating refers to amazon.com, as I unfortunately still cannot say anything about the pogo! player....
To the unsuspecting customer,it still shows as available.
Very aggravating..........
by: Anonymous On: 2004-01-14
I love this product!It has a huge storage for all my MP3 or WMA files. It can record from any audio source using the line in. The recording quality is great. I can record voice memos with ease. It even lets me view .txt files on its LCD screen!!!! Playback of your favorite MP3/WMA files is awesome!!! It sounds like a jukebox for my ears!!!!!!!!!!! I can make my own playlists and adjust EQ settings. The features are endless. I alos love then fact I can transfer anything to any computer because it does not require driver!!!! Oh and did I meantion it has a built in FM tuner? This is the best Hard Disk product on the market and the only one with built in recording. Get it and you will not be sorry!
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