[PeterDLai]

I'm not sure if it's against the rules to post this kind of stuff, but if you're not in the mood for waiting for the latest HDD players, and you regularly purchase things from Amazon, now is a good time to purchase.

Amazon has had a $50 gift-certificate for $250 purchase promotion for a bit already, but I noticed they raised the prices of many of their MP3 players, and I thought it was done in order to counteract the promotion. Well, now, Amazon has lowered the prices back to where they were, and so you can get a Rio Karma for $249 (you need something cheap to get over $250) and also get a $50 gift-certificate from Amazon. That's about $200 for a new Rio Karma, not bad.

Also, the iRiver iHP-120 is back to $300, so with the $50 deal (assuming you make future purchases with Amazon), that's almost like paying $250 for a new one too.

Other notables are the Zen Touch, which you can preorder now for $270, I think it is also valid for the $50 promotion.

 

[PeterDLai]

Or if you want a cheap 40 GB player, you can get the Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra for around $250, and be eligible for the $50 promotional certificate.

 

[sapphiremodena]

That's really a pretty good deal provided there is something else for about $50 or so that you want at Amazon. Plus, there is free shipping within the states... I might consider this. The offer expires August 1st so I'll either get a HD-based DAP before then or else wait it out until the next wave of players come out. (Karma 2, IHP-320, iPod G4)

 

[PeterDLai]

Drawback is Amazon does not offer extended warranties, so if you don't get an outside one or if there are none available to you, you may be in bad shape with a short 90-day warranty with the Rio Karma. I think, though, if you research some, I believe credit card companies (at least Visa I'm sure) offers extended warranty plans.

The HDD failure rate for the Rio Karma is minimal, but it still could happen to anyone.

The other thing I like about Amazon is that they don't charge tax in many places, so free shipping, no tax, reasonable prices, plus this promotional offer = something to think about, for me at least.