iPod 20GB G3 vs iHP120 vs RIO Karma

I bought a 20GB G3 iPod but changed my mind and went with the RIO Karma instead. I highly recommend it, IMHO it's the best hdd-player available. However, it's not perfect and everyone has different needs in a player. So, here's a quick comparison between the ones I narrowed down to for anyone interested:

20GB iPod 3G: $369
- superb button/controls layout... that scroll wheel is pure genius
- pocket-friendly device dimensions and ergonomics, comfortable to hold and use one-handed
- exellent menuing system
- replaygain
- aesthetically pleasing
- firewire connection
- syncs with iTunes
- 4 to 6 hour real-world battery life (Karma and iHP120 more than double this)
- very fast start-up (2-3 seconds)
- AAC support
- smartlists offer cool playlist customization
- can charge through 6-pin firewire port (Karma and iHP120 need AC)
- remote has only a few functions
- bass distortion during playback (especially when using equalizer)
- MAC support

iHP-120: $359
- mediocre button layout... no scroll wheel
- edges not as curved as other players; not as comfortable to hold or pocket
- mediocre menuing system
- USB hdd-mounting possible without drivers
- can organize by DB or by directories
- long startup time if using DB
- limited shuffling abilites (especially if organizing by directories)
- fully functional, backlit remote
- voice recording
- FM receiver
- line-in and line-out
- Ogg support

RIO Karma: $264
- great ergonomics... especially for one handed operation
- excellent controls layout; thumb wheel works well (though iPod's wheel is better for scrolling long lists)
- small foot print, but thick profile (not comfy in tight pants; fine in loose ones)
- excellent menuing system
- impressive number of shuffle/track selection options
- gapless playback
- bookmarks
- USB and ethernet connection (ethernet is through cradle)
- can manage, backup, and stream through network (from Linux, MAC, or Windows box)
- fast start-up (5-6 seconds)
- Ogg and FLAC support
- line out (through cradle)
- responsive development community (RIO is not the crappy company they used to be)
- replaygain is planned
- no remote
- included "case" is just a bag with drawstrings
- short warranty (I used my AMEX card, so not an as much of an issue for me)

I recommend that anyone buying a hdd-player try all of them before choosing one.

Some forums:
http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums
http://www.iriver.com/community
http://www.riovolution.com/forums

Some reviews:
http://gear.ign.com/objects/611/611801.html
http://gear.ign.com/objects/611/611888.html
http://gear.ign.com/objects/552/552410.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/Apple_iPod__...-20155133.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/iRiver_iHP_1...-30571493.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/Rio_Karma__2...-30474134.html

Additional Karma ethernet JAVA utilities:
http://www.inzyme.com/rio

There are a lot of posts about RIO support in the forums (there were issues a while back with previous models). Supposedly, RIO went under and was reformed from other companies (but they kept the brand-name). So, most people seem to think support won't be an issue.

I owned both a RIO300 and RIO500... the software they came with was *awful* but the Karma's is pretty good. However, once you install the drivers, you can use other programs (Windows Media Player, for example) to transfer music if you prefer.

One of the neat things about the Karma is its webserver. You connect it, go to its IP in your browser (can look it up on device if using DHCP) and a page will come up with a readme.txt, JAVA managament utilities (for transfering music or other files), and the user guide.

So, if you have JAVA installed on a PC, you won't need to install any other drivers... just put the Karma on the network, browse to it, download the software from it, and you're ready to go. And there are additional utilies for backing up the Karma and streaming from it (see my link it first post).