The sporty RCA Lyra RD2212 ($129 list) packs some great features for joggers and gym rats into a small 2.2-ounce body. But despite very good sound quality, remarkably low distortion, and Audible.com support, the player suffers from difficult navigation, a slow interface, and a few other quirks. And 256MB of flash memory is just too low for today’s market.

RCA Lyra RD2212 Reviews

PCMag reviews the RCA Lyra RD2212 and write – ‘The Lyra RD2212A uses a double-A battery, giving it longer-than-average battery life (50 hours, according to RCA), but also making it a bit on the chunky side. The rubberized face and grip around the contour of the device keep it from slipping out of sweaty hands and protect it from shock and splashes. The multiline backlit display shows adequate information with good readability. Unfortunately, the rubberized controls offer a lot of resistance and aren’t very responsive. Instead of a hold switch, which we prefer, you lock and unlock the controls by holding down the menu button for a couple seconds… Overall, this is a very good-sounding, rugged player with decent sports headphones and some nice extra features. It also comes with an armband and a belt clip, which makes the device look a lot like a 1990s pager. It’s not a bad choice for fitness nuts, but we wish it had better controls and navigation, and perhaps a bit less bulk. And with only 256MB of memory, the player should also be cheaper.’

CNET Reviews the RCA Lyra RD2212 and gives it a ‘Good’ rating. They write – ‘An athlete-unfriendly interface spoils an otherwise solid workout MP3 player with awesome battery life. Sporty, splashproof design; excellent battery life; includes fitness-friendly extras such as a stopwatch, a calorie counter, and a pulse-rate monitor; supports DRM-protected WMA files.’

RCA Lyra RD2212 Press Release

RCA LYRA 512MB Sports Model includes; Splash proof easy to wear design for workouts, Stop watch, Pulse rate monitor and Calorie counter. Digital FM Tuner with FM Record. 3 Line Dot Matrix backlit display for navigating through this product’s different features and for navigating through your music selections.

RCA Lyra RD2212 Specifications

Product type– Radio / digital player
PC interface(s) supported– USB
Digital player supported digital audio standards– MP3, WMA, Audible, WMA DRM
Weight– 1.4 oz
Battery technology– Alkaline
Mfr estimated battery life– 50 hour(s)
Included accessories– Arm band, Belt clip
Software type– MusicMatch Jukebox
Service & support type– 1 year warranty
Audio system built-in display– LCD
Equalizer factory presets– Pop, Jazz, Rock
Tuner type– Digital Radio tuner
Headphones type– Binaural
Cable(s) included– USB cable -
Battery– 1 x Alkaline AA type Standard battery

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