RCA offers up four new Lyra players with a yawn

If the RCA's Lyra line was harboring some sort of hidden cache of street cred, we're not sure how much longer it'll last, thanks to this lackluster offering of low-end DAPs. The RD2112/2115/2117 players to the left are "splash proof" units with 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB of memory respectively. They all feature two-line LCDs, but at least they're fairly cheap at around $110 for the 512MB version. The real excitement begins with the RD2415 carabiner-styled unit. It's a 512MB offering for the same $110, and seems to mirror the rest of the functionality offered by its peers, other than that sweet carabiner action, of course.

[gnome @ Mar 28th 2006 12:25PM]

Gasp!!!Amazing!! Unbelievable! Not. cheers

[russdogg @ Mar 28th 2006 12:46PM]

If they could build an mp3 player totally into a functional carabiner that can withstand at least 18 Kn, now that might be something useful, but even then doubtful. This unit is just wrong and ugly, and obviously was designed overseas.

[me @ Mar 28th 2006 12:52PM]

That carabiner one has been out for a bit now, its always at Radioshack.

[Scabies @ Mar 28th 2006 12:55PM]

Looks to me like this is aimed at all the middleschoolers that have seven times more keychains than keys. We probably wont be laughing when iPod makes a shuffle on a carabiner-like clip and call it the iPod Tween and sell 3mil units.

[Mister.Matthew @ Mar 28th 2006 12:58PM]

ok 2 things...

firstly, these units have been in the marketplace for quite some time, the carabiner version has been out since at least last summer and I know the splashproof models have been out for awhile...I'm not flaming, but I thought you guys only reviewed the newest/latest/greatest products?

secondly, a gripe to RCA, if this is the trend they're heading towards with their mp3 players, then I'm sorely dissappointed, their easlier versions of the Lyra with the SD expansion slots were great, reliable and took a lot of guess work out of buying an mp3 for those who aren't technologicly inclined, I work in retail and I swear that I sold those more than any other model or brand in my store, based solely on the fact that they were expandable...

[JimmyD @ Mar 28th 2006 12:59PM]

The Red Triangular one looks like it was extracted from the late 80's... haha, I thought that style was dead.

[glacia00 @ Mar 28th 2006 12:59PM]

Rant loading

If they don�t force me to their own personal proprietary software just to get a song onto it I'll buy 10 of them. I have had it with players that force you into their raggedy-_ssed software.

I've been holding off for a long time buying a small DAP because so many of them are in love with their own software. It's flash memory for gods sake, let it act like it instead of hobbling it with your trashware. Just let me dump my own stuff on it quickly so I can go.

No I don�t want to hear anyone�s lame rational for why some company�s software is like mana from heaven or how the software brought little Timmy�s dog back to life. It�s a useless tumor hanging off of the player and who the heck wants a tumor?

Rant complete

[yuppicide @ Mar 28th 2006 1:07PM]

If it's a yawn then why bother us with posting it here?! Slow day for news or something?!

[glacia00 @ Mar 28th 2006 1:23PM]

Screw you guys I'm goin' home. Just kidding Rob It's all out.

It's really hard to get under my skin in a forum like this. Although seriously, proprietary software to load files onto what is essentially a flash drive, really really stupid ans even stupider to pay for it.

Most software is full of... problems. Having used computers for over 30 years I just shake my head at it any more.

[Andrew @ Mar 28th 2006 1:34PM]

Why is it that all these DAP makers continue to make crappy MP3 players when they could make Ogg Vorbis players, which are highly lacking in both number and features?

[MikeS @ Mar 28th 2006 1:40PM]

Rob, I agree with your comments on the "raggedy _ss software". With only one exception, it's all been junk. TDK had a steaming pile that amazed me by it's ability to get out the door, considering its ~35% reliability rate of getting music onto the player. Smartphone with Media Player 10? Works okay, but putting playlists on the thing is apparently beyond me. The SanDisk used drag and drop, but then no playlists. Oy.

So I gave up and bought an iPod. :-)

[TookyG @ Mar 28th 2006 1:49PM]

Wait, they like the carabiner style DAP, but not a carabiner style USB drive that was pictured on the site a day or two agao?

[jnasato @ Mar 28th 2006 1:49PM]

The RCA Stabbing-Weapon.

[Steve @ Mar 28th 2006 1:50PM]

Why are these models only appearing on here now? Like "me" said, the carabiner model has been out for a long time now at The Source here in Canada also, the splash proof units have been out since just before the new year in our stores as well ... must be a slow news day

[bla @ Mar 28th 2006 1:58PM]

i have an earlier version of the lyra, and it says you have to use its special software, but all you have to install is the drivers, which im not even sure is necessary, and you can drag and drop, or even use a plugin for winamp, which is what i do

[glacia00 @ Mar 28th 2006 2:19PM]

Mike, that's like saying you bought a hammer that required you to hit your fingers every time you used it so the solution was to find a better hammer to hit your fingers with.

Just get a hammer that doesn't require you to hit your fingers...

[yuppicide @ Mar 28th 2006 2:42PM]

Nobody gives a rats butt about OGG Vorbis. The name itself doesn't even sound cool. You try listing that on your commercials on TV. Now plays "OGG Vorbis" and most people will be like what?! The only people that might try to understand are people who see the commercial in the middle of a Star Trek marathon.

[Nick @ Mar 28th 2006 3:54PM]

OGG Vorbis would be a nice addition, but the basic truth of the matter is that OGG Vorbis requires more processing overhead to decode than lc-aac or mp3. So whatever device you're playing back your music on will have better battery life if you stick to mp3 or lc-aac (but he-aac will drag down your battery life more than OGG).

OGG is nice for master backups of my music on my main desktop system, but for portability I will transcode into a less processor hungry codec to preserve battery life.

[diulei @ Mar 28th 2006 5:36PM]

I swear some companies are just plain STUPID.

[Aaron @ Mar 28th 2006 6:58PM]

Yeah, I'm not impressed with those.

As for the debate about proprietary software... I love my iPod, but I absolutely hate iTunes. I don't mind the UI or anything, but the fact that it ignores what few settings it has is a little bothersome. Podcasts are a good example. I tell it to download everything whenever it sees new episodes, but it only downloads the latest one. Meaning I have to go through and click the stupid little "GET" buttons next to each episode it didn't deem worthy of downloading. Grrr...

[Tim @ Mar 28th 2006 8:56PM]

I'm sure RCA made the carabiner's for Stallone's 1993 super action packed hit Cliffhanger...

[Kin Enriquez @ Mar 28th 2006 9:57PM]

Lyra? I thought it died a long time ago...

i agree.whoever thought of the name Ogg Vorbis should be tied to a stake set on an anthill...

[padieg @ Mar 29th 2006 7:41AM]

JimmyD read my mind. The one on the right looks so 198 something!

[glacia00 @ Mar 29th 2006 2:06PM]

The point is the software is completely unnecessary. It's only in the company's interest to get you using their software. It's the biggest beef I will have with Apple for many years to come. They sucessfully convinced consumers that they have to have a proprietary piece of software to load something onto a storage device.

[ApeMan @ Jun 28th 2006 1:00PM]

I have a question about this player. From the picture, I assumed you could just plug this into USB and transfers songs that way, (which would be simple and convenient). But from the comments I've read above, you can't do this? You have to install software? Is this true?