“Software posted to the Internet in the past week will allow
owners of the Rio MP3 player to do what manufacturer Diamond
Multimedia had hoped would remain impossible. The hacks permit
users to transfer data and music out of the portable unit and back
into a PC.”
“We specifically disabled the ability to copy files from the Rio
to other devices as a form of copy protection,” said Wirt.
“But that didn’t stop… two enterprising hackers… who
separately managed to restore the unit’s two-way transfer
functionality.”
“On 14 January, The Snowblind Alliance, an open-source software
development group, released software that would allow Rio owners to
interface their players with Linux-based computers.”
“While the group’s code didn’t support the two-way transfer of
files between the Rio to other devices, the two other coders added
the feature.”