TUNE DIGITALLY

Review by Phyllis Rhodes:

I recently purchased this printer in an effort to free up more space in my home office. I replaced my laser printer, scanner and fax with this single compact unit and couldn't be happier. As others have mentioned, the duplex printing feature is a MAJOR plus in my opinion - a feature that they've seemed to include as a "freebie" and adds major points over competitors. The quick start guide was really simple and I was up and running in a matter of minutes.

A super quiet machine when not in use (thanks to the Energy Saving feature), I've used the printing features and the results are timely, crisp, clean pages with seemingly excellent paper handling (no jams so far). It's got many more print options (2 on 1 page, 4 on 2 pages which is really 4 on 1 with the duplex option) and a ton of other cool features and capabilities that aren't listed in the product description. I have sent and received faxes without a problem. Copying is just like using the larger machines: just lift the cover or use the document feeder to copy originals. I haven't scanned anything yet, so I can't comment on that particular functionality, but the manual mentions scanning to PDF which is what I really need and like.

Size is truly relative - It is a bit larger (height and width) than my old laser printer (a Samsung); but does 4 times more work and its footprint is definitely smaller than the three units I replaced!

For less than 0 with free shipping, it's solved my space problems and exceeded my expectations regarding functionality and quality. A great deal, imo. I highly recommend!!

Review by bayareakirk:

Awesome:

1. Very quiet.

2. Goes in to hibernate quickly to save energy and bursts back to life instantly when needed.

3. Great print quality.

4. Does it all (except for color)including fax, copy, scan, and duplex printing.

5. Duplex printing saves a lot of resources (paper and money).

6. Most of the settings and buttons are user friendly.

Not so awesome:

1. The manual that comes with it is nice and easy to read and use, but skips too many "advanced features". For advanced features you must look at the online .pdf guides.

2. Even with the advanced guide, it is not immediately obvious to me how to set up the machine so it will screen calls as phone or fax. It wants to answer all calls as a fax machine. I need to experiment more with the available (but confusing) settings that should fix this.

I like having a do it all printer but also realized I no longer need or want color. Here's why:

1. Printing photos at home is not what the marketing would like us to believe. Sending photos to Kodak or Shutterfly (or any online photo printer) is cheaper, of better quality, and of more archival quality than printing at home. It also offers more choices of print size and paper quality and so forth. It's just not quite as fast. Email the photos in and have them in a few days or a week at most.

2. Color inkjet printers do not work well long enough. They frustrate me as contributing too greatly to our throw away society. It is cheaper to buy a new printer than to buy ink, print heads and other needed repairs that come up after a year or two of use.

This Canon is great and it is unreal that it lists at such a low price for the quality and functions you get.

Review by hiway12:

I bought this printer over better reviewed color laser multi-functions because of my good experience with the b&w Canon MF4270. my large format color HP died, so now I needed color and color MF's had scaled in price and size. Setup was easy enough, although the menus were deep and complicated. just finding how to set up Distinctive Ring required a call to tech support and I never call tech support. But I felt better when the question stumped two techs. Then the problems began, the next morning the machine disconnected from the USB connection after entering 'Sleep' mode requiring a reboot of the printer. Then I spent two hours a day with Canon tech support, every day since receiving the printer and they couldn't fix it. Next I was unable to set paper defaults, every print job involving the MF tray requires user input and I couldn't print more than one page of anything (checks, letterhead, etc) because placing more than one sheet in the MF tray causes a 'jam' every single time. Canon clearly states this possible but in reality it does not work. Canon's solution to turn off any default thereby requiring direct input from me to menu thru and tell the printer what kind of media I was inserting. Crazy, right? you must also 'wake' the printer to begin any task except receiving faxes. it's also really noisy, a print job finishes and printer grinds on and on. I will say the color output was excellent.

I returned it and now have a Brother MFC9320CW that does everything with zero input on my part and it's wireless and a couple of bucks cheaper.

Review by B. Fugly:

I thought this MFP would be a little easier to use from reading pre-reviews and Canon's hype. It takes a while to wake up and is quite noisy. In order to use an envelope one has to fumble through the LCD menu to set it for envelopes. Print quality is good but it certainly takes a a while to spit out the 1st page. I had to turn the sleep mode timer all the way up so it doesn't take as long. If you have this in your work area, expect it to be noisy. When I print from a network printer I cannot do any other task on that computer until the job finishes spooling, quite annoying, none of our other network MFPs cause that. It is a competitively priced unit initially but a complete toner change is 72% the cost of a new rig. I think I would spend the extra money on a higher end unit, I like our Brother MFP but it was black & white and we needed a splash of color.

Review by M. Madej:

I bought the Canon imageCLASS MF3240 about a month ago, and so far it has exceeded my expectations. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the market for a multifunction device without the need to print in color. If you prefer getting your digital photos printed by an online or in-store photo processor, a laser multifunction is usually the way to go -- since it's a lower cost per page, it's faster, and the output is better quality than an inkjet.

APPEARANCE/CONSTRUCTION:

You can tell that it's a sub-0 machine by the construction. Don't expect the same kind of solid feel that you'll get from a much more expensive piece of equipment. A few of the plastic parts feel a little flimsy, like the paper tray. But they all seem to work fine, and I don't have any concerns about durability. Unless you're really tough on your office equipment, you should be ok.

The MF3240 isn't the sexiest looking multifunction out there (if you're looking for a great looking device, try the Canon PIXMA MP830, which uses inkjet technology so you can print in color too). In fact, my wife keeps saying the MF3240 looks like a cooler sitting on the desk. But the buttons are laid out logically on the keypad, and from the investigating I've done into a lot of different multifunction devices, the footprint on this one seems to be a reasonable size.

PERFORMANCE:

So far, so good. If you're really a stickler for the highest output possible -- if you need the most crisp, darkest text and flawless images -- this probably isn't the machine for you. Don't get me wrong...the output is very good, borderline excellent. But you can tell that it wasn't printed on a ,000 heavy-duty laser printer.

This baby is fast! Total time for the first page to arrive in my hand after clicking the Print button (including warmup time) was 13 seconds. It's considerably faster warming up than my old HP laser printer.

It's not the quietest machine I've ever heard, but I wouldn't call it too loud either.

It has a toner saver mode, but I'd call this an annoyance. You're supposed to be able to set the toner saver either directly on the printer control panel or through the printer driver. I've tried a number of times to set up two profiles: one that uses toner saver and another that doesn't. It works sometimes, but other times it'll end up in the wrong mode. Even when I get it to work, I don't notice much of a difference in output between toner saver mode and the regular mode.

I've also been having a minor problem with the fax. I have the MF3240 hooked up to my phone line, and a phone extension hooked into the fax machine. The fax machine is set in Manual mode, so it shouldn't do anything unless I take action on my own. But I've had one or two phone calls on the extension that's hooked up to the fax where the machine hangs up on the person I'm talking to after about 10 minutes! If I can't get this problem to stop, I may end up getting a splitter for the phone line and hooking the phone extension into the line separately.

SOFTWARE:

It comes bundled with a light version of OCR software. I tried it once, and it seemed to recognize every single word on the page I scanned. I was quite impressed -- much better than older versions of OCR I've tried (although I must admit this is the first OCR software I've tried in at least 6-7 years, so I'm sure the technology is much better now).

It also installs a piece of software called Canon Multifunction Toolbox 4.9. This is the most pleasant surprise I've experienced with this printer so far. It allows you to click one button, go through a couple simple settings, and then get a scan and go straight to an e-mail, or straight to a PDF, etc. The smartest feature is that it allows you to pick a target file size, and it'll adjust the resolution to achieve that file size. So it eliminates trying to scan something and then finding out the resulting file is 20MB, then needing to go back and re-scan it at a lower resolution before you e-mail it. You simply pick your target file size (let's say 1MB) and the software will scan your document at the proper resolution to achieve that file size. Very smart!

OVERALL:

Amazon has even knocked ten dollars off the price since I bought it...now it's going for about one hundred fifty bucks...so it's an even better value today. This is a very good multifunction device for light/moderate home or home office use. Given the chance to do it all over, I'd definitely buy the MF3240 again.

Review by C. LI:

Pros:

- Inexpensive (I paid 5.99/free shipping here at Amazon which is amazing considering all the functions I get from this solid machine)

- Good computer printing... it does what a b/w laser printer is supposed to: great on text and ok on graphics. It does a comparable job as my previous HP LJ1100 laser printer. Internal paper tray which holds 250 pages is an improvement over my HP.

- Appropriate scanning result. Good for document archiving purpose. I tried to scan an old color photo and print it in another color inkjet printer. The result is beyond my expectation.

- Copier does what it is supposed to. Pretty easy to operate and configure different settings.

Cons:

- FAX function in general is a dispointment. First, if I connect the printer with my phone (i.e.,in-line or serial), the printer "wakes up" from idle mode whenever I pick up the phone. I have to use a splitter to avoid this nuisance. As a result, I pretty much need to set it to Manual mode for FAX. Also, as other people mentioned, there is no auto feeder for FAX. Fortunately I only use FAX occasionally.

- A little too loud for my taste. I have seen many other models that are much quieter than this.

Bottom line:

If you are like myself who does not use FAX that frequently, you will love this unbelivable bargain. It does everything I used to get done at Kinko's at 6!

Review by Kevin L. Bell:

I purchased 5 of these for my office and they are quite a disappointment. It is very hard to get any sheet into the machine to auto start. And I suggest not trying to put the 6 sheets it struggles with 2. We are returning all 5 and will try to buy another brand. Also they are very small 15in tall and 12wide.

Review by Judith Keating:

This was my first purchase for a paper shredder. I have been so pleased with this shredder. I have shredded documents that were paper clipped and also credit cards. All were shredded quite easily with the powerful teeth.

It has a forward, reverse as well as a safety feature.It will shred up to 6 sheets at one time.

Overall I would recommend this shredder to anyone, the price is moderate.

Review by B. Merritt:

Having read over some of the comments and ratings on this average size paper shredder, I haven't encountered the problems others have. The shredder activates easily once paper is introduced and I've not had a problem having to adjust how the paper was introduced to the activation mechanism. It's the perfect size for my small home office and the right color (black).

You know those pesky credit card offers that come to you through the mail all the time? Don't even bother opening them. They're not too thick for the shredding capacity and it'll save you time by only having to introduce one piece instead of multiples if you cut open the envelope.

Credit cards whip through it without hesitation. And the basket size is just right (I empty mine about every 10 days now).

Reliable. Great price. Perfect size. Works flawlessly. What's not to like?

Review by Rebecca A. Slazyk:

This is the first shredder that has not broke or jammed up on me within 2 weeks of purchase. Shred per instructions and this will do the job. It holds a lot more than it looks too. Easy lightweight basket to empty. Not as loud as previous ones I have owned. I am very happy with my purchase. I compared prices before purchasing too.

Review by Linda Mardel:

I recommend this product, and would buy it again or give it as a gift.

This is the third desktop shredder I've purchased in about eight years. The others were very good, and they were for my Mom who is in her 70's. The first lasted about five years, and now she's on her second, not this brand. My floor model gave out and I decided to get a desktop model for myself.

Advantages of this model over the others we have owned:

*handle on the top motor housing for easy lifting

*cleaning tool (no more rummaging for screw drivers and crochet hooks!

*a pocket on each side for the cleaning tool

*cute oval design

*not as noisy as the bigger floor models

*really cuts the paper, doesn't just rip it up

Review by Rodrigo A. Cardoso:

it looks a bit fragile, but has been working well. i wouldn't use it but sporadically.

full sheets of paper have to be folded to fit into the "throat".

size and color are convenient if you want to keep it discreet (in the home office, for instance).

Review by Cathy B. Puckoris:

This shredder is perfect for home shredding. It does exactly what it says it will do. We have shredded CD's, thick envelopes and letters, etc. with ease. No jamming has occurred, the shredder has handled everything wonderfully and shreds in tiny pieces like confetti so we do not worry about identity thieves. Such a relief. Highly recommend this machine.

Review by Oliver Shaw:

I'm totally satisfied with the AS1018CD - it does what it says it will.

It is a great improvement over my old cheaper Aurora shredder which also

did what it said it would. This one is about 4 times as fast and a bit

quieter as a bonus. I recommend it for home/home office use.

Review by Drake Li:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2KSLBB7WY5UHJ (Video) Could have been better quality, but too large and wouldn't upload.

First off, This speaker is incredible for it's size. There is almost no distortion in sound when playing on MAX volume. It comes with a USB splitter, to charge and a 3.5mm plug so that you can connect multiple X Mini II's together. It also comes with a handy bag to store your X Mini II in. I had an Altec Lansing iM207 before this, and the X Mini II blew the iM207 away!!!. The size difference was one thing, and the sound quality was another. The iM207 also ran on 3 AAA batteries. There will also be distortion in the iM207 on full volume. The playtime with the batteries was terrible. I had to switch batteries every week, with only around 20minutes of playtime each day. For the X Mini II, it can play up to 8 hours. There are also LED indicators of when you need to charge again, and when it is fully charged.

Review by John D. Steere:

I bought this and the iHome rechargeable mini-speaker at the same time. The iHome mini-speaker is much louder, but the sound quality of the X-Mini II is better for music, at least in my opinion. You get more of the high and low tones with the X-Mini II, and I am surprised that it does not have a tinny sound. The iHome speaker is good for movies or if you need a loud but small speaker for parties. The X-Mini II is slightly larger than the iHome speaker, but not much. I recommend the X-Mini II for listening to music, and it works really well with my netbook or with an mp3 player.

Review by Michael S. Manna:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001JHSD3Y/eutilities-20/ rel="nofollow">i make music for a living, and i have a music system in every room of the house...i have also owned a dozen different types of portable active speakers.....but, these iHOME speakers are awesome!.....crystal clear.....a very innovative portable design.....and, after using them for a week at a time, i will plug them in (even though they don't need charging) and they take maybe fifteen minutes to charge up....sometimes in the middle of the night, i will put one of these on each shoulder and lie in bed listening to my ipod.....and they have become my low-fi test speakers when we mix in the studio.....

Review by L. Huynh:

Since I cannot post the link here, look up the X-Mini Max II review on CNET, a website that reviews all things involving technology. Compared to the iHome iHM77 review, the X-Mini Max II's have been said to provide a much better sound quality and even some bass, although not very much. These speakers do deliver on sound quality and are amazing, very loud, and do offer some low end sounds. I HIGHLY recommend you get these speakers, all of the reviews point out the X-Mini Max II's are much better than the iHome iHM77 since the iHome iHM77's have NO bass whatsoever and sound somewhat tinny and even distorted at higher volumes. Now as for the iHome iHM79's, the newest version of the iHome ultraportable speakers, I am not sure as to how the sound quality compares with the X-Mini Max II but from the reviews I have seen, the sound quality of the iHM79's are better than the iHM77's but there is still no bass and the size of the iHM79's (which can be bought at the Apple website for ) is increased dramatically (it also looks uglier). I HIGHLY recommend these speakers they are absolutely amazing. If you don't believe me, look up the reviews for this product.

Review by Rhonda Roberts:

I saw the C-Net review, and yup, these live up to it. I use these with my little tiny re-furbed 8gb fuze. The sound is broad, deep and very full. Lots of bass, treble and mid-tones. The sound fills the room. If you have concrete walls it will rock your space from end to end. Panel covered walls, about 3/4 the distance. Outside, these things are just amazing. They look cool, charge up quickly and use a standard mini-usb. You don't have to use both at once, but you will want to because they are 'real' stereo as opposed to two speakers that just repeat the same sound. And they are very, very clear and sweet.

They weigh almost nothing and tuck up into an egg shape. The magnets that hold them together are very strong. I haul these around in my purse all day and they do not come apart. There is no storage compartment for the little charging cord (which also connects the speakers). The cord is about the size of a standard set of ear buds and wraps up nicely around the speakers if you want to do that. Keep it where you keep your ear buds.

There just is nothing else like these. The iHomes are clones of this design, more expensive, and they don't have the bass these do. These are made in Singapore by Xmi Pte Ltd and assembled in China. The x-mini is their original design. I have seen these cloned a lot, but nothing sounds like these.

So for a small amount of money you can get a seriously cool set of speakers to carry around in your bag! I got rid of a logitech blade to get these. These are not quite as loud as the blade but it's OK.

Special bonus - these come with an additional cord you can use to attach other X-minis to! You can make your own x-mini parade of dancing little egg things and put them anywhere. I am not sure if you improve the sound by doing that, but you certainly spread it around more. Plus it looks goofy. You can attach another set of these or up to (I think) 16 of the single x2s. They are the kind of thing you want to collect - they work, are really small, and are rechargeable so I can see this catching on.

The egg shaped ones are getting harder to find. I probably paid less for these than you will here on Amazon. When I shopped for prices I just went with an Amazon prime shipper because it worked out to be less. I did notice other places had sold out or were waiting on replenishment. So if you see them, grab them. If you don't like it you can probably resell these for what you paid for them or possibly a little more if they stay popular. I think they will.

Review by Vulpes Abnocto:

The Veho v360 is a tiny little egg-sized speaker with a VERY large sound.

Innovative collapsible design makes this a perfect on-the-go speaker for your mobile mp3 devices.

It handles even heavy bass well, with little distortion.

Multiple hookups for devices such as Sony and Nokia phones make this quite a versatile product.

My only gripe might be the lack of an A/C adapter for charging, but all in all, I'm entirely satisfied, and will be recommending the speaker to a number of my friends.

The Price Pros shipped my order promptly, and it was at my doorstep within two business days. I would be more than happy to purchase from them again.

5/5 stars

Review by cbe2:

The speaker is very small and has various connection cords included, so it fits to virtually any MP3 player and many mobile phones. Quality of the sound is very decent considering its size. Like I said, A must buy!

Review by a buyer of stuff:

I just received this speaker and I love it! The color is great.Size wise the speaker is about half the size of a tennis ball, expanding it makes it a bit larger.Build quality is very nice.Sound quality is excellent for it's size, really it's quite amazing.It's loud and without sounding tinny or distorted.I use it with my DSlite and my Ipod Nano.

My only minor quibble is that the cord is really short ( look at the customer submitted photos on the Black X-Mini II speaker) Also , you must remember to turn it off after use.

Overall, this is one of those rare items that you will love instantly.A nice treat for yourself.

Review by T. Niccum:

My wife and I had been on a recent trip to the tropics and a few days it rained to the point that we really couldn't be outside much. Stuck in our room, we turned to my iPhone. I had loaded up some comedy CDs from iTunes prior to our trip. If we laid quitely on the bed we could listen to the iPhone, and it was OK, but about what you'd expect. Weak volume, tinny, etc. When we got home I thought I'd research to see if there were very light, easy to transport speakers. Being a fairly light packer I wanted my solution to be very small and light.

I stumbled on the X-Mini II on Amazon during my research, and ordered it. What a nice surprise. The speaker is not much bigger than a golf ball, but expands a bit when you twist it - there's an accordian-like structure that allows it to elongate. You don't have to do that, but the sound seems a bit better if you do. The x-mini comes with a small USB to USB-mini cable for recharging. Mine came fully charged and I used it for an hour or so... it didn't need to be recharged even then. Since i carry an iPhone I always have some way of charging that device, and whatever method I use will also work with the x-mini.

The sound was quite surprisingly good. Deep and as loud as I can imagine needing it. I don't know if you could use it for a big party, but I'm sure in a room with several people it would be just fine. I think you'll be surprised by how good it sounds.

Review by Christian Oliver:

I've had previous versions of this product and find this one much improved.

- It does work with my iPhone 3G, including the charging.

- Improved sound quality.

- Battery powered (optional)

The only downgrade with respect to past versions is the remote control:

- Less intuitive buttons. Difficult to operate in the dark

- Dependent on Infrared, instead of the old RF. This means you need direct line of sight to the unit for it to work.

Review by J. Dyer:

I've owned older versions of the JBL On Stage line and this one has been the best experience yet. The sound produced from this model is great and gets loud enough without distortion to use in any environment. When you first dock an iPod or iPhone with it and begin playing, it starts out on a low volume setting so you have to turn it up each time you dock it but it keeps you from being blasted out like the older models did. I haven't bothered to use this one running on the 6 AA batteries since I've always been somewhere with AC power for it. I've only used this with the original iPhone. There are some changes Apple made to how the 3G iPhones charge that although they will play music through older devices, they'll display an error message when you first connect them. With the original iPhone this speaker worked perfectly, though.

Review by terryoregon:

It has been noted that the 4th generation iPod Nano has some backward compatibility issues with other devices. For example, the 4th gen nano won't charge on a lot of older docking stations.

I can confirm that these Altec Lansing speakers will charge your iPod Nano 4th generation. See uploaded photo. I was actually assuming it wouldn't because the description only says compatible with "iPod nano 3rd gen".

These speaker sound good for their size. The "aux" in jack is on the back if you want to use these speakers for other types of mp3 player.

Review by frank63:

I got this speaker because I was looking for a loud, portable unit that did not use a lot of batteries, Well This fits the bill, It is loud, decent sound quality, (it has some of the biggest drivers for a portable dock, so I thought the bass response would be deeper, no so..But sufficent for portable use, I takes only 3 aa batteries!.. and plays for long time, and you can get it for a good price online..also to get the best volume, turn off the sound limiter on your ipod..can play loud enough with limited distortion, but not all the way up...oh, 1 more thing, it will charge your 2nd generation ipod touch (alot of older docks will not)

Review by Samuel Chell:

Presently this JBL On Stage Micro is going for 60% below the price of any other color, making it a no-brainer pick-up among docking speakers normally selling on Amazon for 0 or slightly more. JBL is a stylish, quality brand manufactured by Harmon International--durable, dependable, crisp-sounding. Despite the sharply divided reviews, the sound quality of virtually all speakers in the -0 range is the same, with minor variations subject to differences in taste. I've found popular rechargeable units such as those made by Altec and Logitech to be unstable--sometimes changing iPod models will throw them off completely, requiring a reset with no guarantee of a fix. The JBL Micro, on the other hand, can be depended upon to deliver with either its AC connection or AA non-recharging alkalines.

Best disregard low-end merchandise--iLuv, GPX, Colby, J-Win and, unless you're looking for a clock radio, iHome. The sound is best described as "plastic-like," clearly inferior to a monaural speaker such as that of a Tivoli, Sangean, or Boston Acoustics radio. If you want a substantially improved system, one that goes beyond merely "covering" the entire frequency range to "reproducing" the sounds of the actual instruments, think more in the 0-300 range and look for a Klipsch iGroove, Athena iVoice, or Bose Sound Dock (the drawback--they're not set up for portable, battery use).

[In response to some misleading reviews: the JBL Micro has proven one of the more durable systems in its price range, and it comes with exceptionally smart packaging (form-fitting, padded storage bag with places for the adapter, remote and cord), guaranteed to make a great impression even before it's been used. Finally, it indeed DOES have a volume control--the left button for softer; the right for louder. Bass is admittedly weaker than some models in this range, but treble is superior and power is ample. If you hear cabinet "rattling," back off on the volume of your source; if you get a loud "hum," simply do an off-on reset. The only problem I've had is misplacing the tiny remote. I see that currently it's not on sale, but I would judge a hundred a "fair price" (not, however, the two bills that I see some sellers are asking). I've been able to both charge and play 3 different generations of iPod models with this handy doughnut.]

Review by M. Rosen:

My wife got one for her iPod. The JBL interfaces perfectly with the iPod and right out of the box the sound was better than expected. Lots of presence for such tiny speakers. Here's a trick we found out: Don't place the JBL directly on a hard surface, such as a desk top. You get too much reflection of the treble, and weak bass. Just place it on something that's a little sound absorbent: upside down mousepad, placemat, etc. Just not too soft like a towel, it should have a fairly flat surface because the unit does rely on some reflectivity from the base. Anyway, it clears up the bass and softens the treble noticeably. Placed in that manner, this thing produces sound quality well beyond what's expected from such a small, inexpensive unit. A lot of great audio names have been bought out and now produce junk (Altec-Lansing, Fisher, etc) so it's great to see JBL is still designing superior products.

Review by Clockspinner:

OK, so you want to play your two hundred dollar iPod to someone on the move. These little speakers will surprise you, as you take them out of your pack, unfold the unique design, plug in your iPod (or whatever sound device, it has a standard mini-plug), and bang! you have a sound system. So, it doesn't rival the quality of my 34 speaker six amp system at home. But it is surprising how well these little guys do sound. A steal at six bucks. Everyone I've used them on has been very impressed. A plus is that they are amplified speakers, so you don't get the "barely there" sound of passive speakers out of an iPod. They run off a standard USB port for power, I use my iPod power adapter, which was a mistake, as I have to decide which batteries to run down if I use it for music at night (I sleep better with music playing). I would suggest going ahead and getting the inexpensive power adapter, that way you could keep the iPod charged even as you listened to powered speakers.

Most of the time, I use them at a friend's house, and depend on the four AAA batteries that will run this puppy for some time, even at louder volume levels.

True audiophiles may put these down, but for the average person who's best sound system is in thier car, they work great. I would give it five stars, except for the lack of bundling both the USB cord and power supply, and because it really will let you down for the low frequencies. It is not a true audiophile speaker system. It is, for the price, one of the best deals on external iPod speakers. (again, it will work with any device with a standard mini-jack, I only use iPod as a term for generic MP3/CD/DVD/Laptop etc.)

These probably are better speakers than are found in most laptop computers, so they are a good choice for that use as well. The cord is a bit short, even for an iPod, it just barely stretches out enough to get to the top of the iPod. This is because of the ingenious storage system: the cable wraps around the battery/amplifier case and locks in place with a small tab on the jack.

I've seen the same speakers in systems that cost five times what this one does, which was .88 plus tax and shipping, so it came to around ten bucks in the end.

What it isn't: A high end audio system.

What it is: An impressive device that is a great design for portable audio. Sounds bigger than it is, you probably won't have to turn it all the way up. Rugged enough to be tossed about in a backpack. (I do sometimes wish it weren't as chunky folded up, but this design easily protects the speakers. Too big to carry in a pocket, you'll need some kind of bag to carry these everywhere, like I do. You'll hear more on the standard iPod earbuds, but at least you can share your music, and most people I play it for couldn't tell a high end audio system from a tin can, so for the money, it's really all you need.

I also like this product because it's black instead of that nasty Apple White. My iPod and protective cover are also black, so it matched my system unlike the more accessible white unit (sold under a different name).

Bottom line: Great little speakers at a bargain basement price.

Review by J. Hancock:

I wasn't expecting much, to be honest, but when I plugged this into my usb on my work computer and listened, the sound was very good. Admittedly I cannot crank it really loud at my desk, but for office use, I can hear it clearly and someone else over the cubicle wall does not hear it at all.

It folds up nicely and precisely, compact enough to fit in my lunchbox.

Now, the downside is that it doesn't come with an ac adapter, even though it needs one if you don't have a usb port handy. The BIGGEST annoyance though is that even though it says ipod nano, and its the right color, there's no way it was designed for it. In order to plug in your nano it has to sit upside down in a slot 4 times bigger than it needs to be...so in other words, your nano is very loose. For sitting on my work desk, its no biggie, but if you were thinking it was going to look like the cool ad for it, it won't.

Review by Nuknuk:

This speaker only works with the 3rd generation iPod Nano MP3 player. The nano sits snugly on the TravelSound i80 docking speakers. You may need to push it down a little harder to make it snap but make sure you are not pressing on your iPod's LCD. Together, it is just the size of a pack of cigarette so you can trully say it is pocketsize. The wall adapter connects directly to the side of the speaker. I was able to charge it fully in just 2 hours. It uses Li-ion battery which is known to be light, no memory effect, and a slow loss of charge in storage. Has a rotary volume control and an LED indicator for battery status.

This is great when you want to share listening to music but don't want to share earbuds. Although it is suprisingly loud for such a small speaker, the sound feels tiny as it lacks base and thumps (it can only go as low as 180hz). It sounds great in the bedroom if you do not need to crank it up. And of course, just perfect for listening to podcasts.

What you get in the box:

a) Speaker/dock

b) Wall adapter with a 3-foot USB cord, 5V DC output.

c) Stand

d) Black pouch with the "Creative" logo on it. Both the speaker and the nano fits inside it

What seems to be missing in the box:

a) A Mini USB cable. Make sure you have one if you want to sync to Itunes or if you want to charge using a PC or Mac.

Pros:

-For such a small speaker, it is impressively loud. Sound is clean even at high volume. I live in a moderately size townhouse and it can fill the whole floor with sound.

-Charges both speaker and iPod at the same time

-You can have your iPod play music, slideshow and movies while charging

-Sleek and handsome, designed exclusively for the nano.

-Lightweight

-Popular named brand

Cons:

-Price

-Noticeably lacking in base

-Watching slideshow and movie feels awkward because the speaker is at the back.

-Provide your own Mini USB cable

Review by Craig B. Thayer:

After buying and returning three iPod speakers I finally found one that is compact, easy to use and loud enough to enjoy away fron home. It doesn't have the quality of a home music dock (due to its tiny size) but nonetheless I recommend it stongly.

Review by M. Pickering:

After reading MANY reviews, both here on Amazon and on many other sites on the Internet, I have observed that most people either love Bose and everything they make or they seem to hate everything that is Bose. Well I can honestly say that I do not fit into either of these categories. I do own some Bose products and I enjoy them very much. However, Bose items are extremely expensive and I will not pay out that kind of hard earned cash for a product just because of the name. I have learned, when it comes to Bose I ALWAYS insist on listening to the device first before buying it. I have heard some excellent sound from some Bose speakers but some of their speakers are only mediocre. Their headphones are a mixed bag as well. I never purchase a Bose product unseen or unheard. My decision to purchase this second generation Bose SoundDock Portable Digital Music System was no exception.

I was on the fence about this purchase for several weeks. I had researched the first generation Bose SoundDock digital music system for iPod for quite some time. I found a couple of shortcomings that prevented me from buying that unit. First, it did not have a battery for portable use, so you always had to have it plugged in. Secondly it did not have an aux input, so it would only work with Apple iPod devices. What if I wanted to plug in my daughter's Sandisk MP3 player, or my son's Creative MP3 player? The second generation Bose SoundDock does not have these limitations. They have included a battery system, for hours of portable music without being tethered to A/C mains. They also include an aux input, so you can plug in any device's audio output with a stereo mini plug. They also added a slick swivel dock, which swings back into the speaker system when not in use. As far as the sound quality goes, both first and second generation systems seem to sound just as good; solid bottom end, crisp top end, and mild yet adequate midrange.

I was tempted to order this item from Amazon, as their prices, shipping, and customer service are always top notch. However, I was still a little unsure as to whether or not I would be completely satisfied with this product in my home. After all, it is 0.00! I decided to purchase it from a local electronics store, which offers a 30 day return policy, in case I decided that it was not worth the price after listening to it in my home. Well I am pleased to report that this Bose SoundDock sounds simply amazing. I don't know how they get such BIG sound from such a little device, but Bose has definately done a wonderful thing with this SoundDock. The sound is deep but not too boomy. The stereo soundfield is a little narrow but that is to be expected from any portable sound dock, as the speakers are so close together. Still, Bose is known for their ability to use angled speaker technology to offer a wide stereo sound. I guess they just didn't feel that this aspect was important enough for their SoundDock product. That is a shame. I must also note that the sound produced from this device seems different when listening from different angles. If I sit the device on a table and sit down right in front of it, the high end is crisp and bright but the lower end is a little on the weak side. However, if I back up a few feet the bottom end really jumps out, and yet you lose a little bit of the crispness of the highs. Overall the SoundDock sounds great and it really fills a small and medium sized room with full bodied sound. You can crank this puppy way up without any audible sounds of distortion. Very impressive indeed. I have listened to Pop, Rock, Country, Dance, House, and even classical music on the Bose SoundDock, and all sounded equally impressive. Bass notes are very tight, not boomy or sloppy like I have experienced on several other iPod music systems. My only complaint is that the midrange seemed a bit weak on a few tracks, but seemed just fine on others. This may have to do with the equalization of my iPod Touch, but I don't notice these differences when listening through headphones.

Overall I am very pleased with my Bose SoundDock Portable Music System. It produces rich, room filling sound, offers perfect portability (thanks to the inclussion of a Lithium Ion Battery Pack), and has an auxiliary input for all of my family's digital music devices. Sure, 0.00 is a lot of money to spend on a portable iPod music docking system, but now that I have experienced the solid build and beautiful sound quality of the Bose SoundDock, buying anything less would always leave me wanting the Bose SoundDock. Still, I cannot find it within myself to give the Bose SoundDock a perfect 5 star rating. The narrow stereo soundfield and premium cost keep my rating at 4 and 1/2 stars. I take music sound quality very seriously, and in my opinion this Bose system, while expensive, is still worth the money. I highly recommend this product for anyone that is extremely serious about excellent sound quality and isn't afraid to spend the money to obtain it.

Review by Donald Bruce Jones:

I spent countless hours researching portable speaker systems. After reading many web site and owner reviews I narrowed my choices down to four models. The first model was the Altec Lansing InMotion im7. I wasen't able to find this model in any store so I could listen to the sound quality for myself, so I eliminated it. The others were also Altec Lansing based on good reviews. First up was the InMotion im600, Second was the m602 and last the Bose SoundDock Portable. My final decision came down to the ability to listen to these three models side by side.

There wasen't any real comparison after a listen to the Bose. They blew the other two away. Great base and great highs. I was sold. I do realize the Bose are pricy but like most people out there, these are not my first IPOD speakers but the will be my last. Go for it and get the best first. The Bose are the way to go!

Review by T. Parmer:

This portable speaker system from Phillips certainly comes in handy. It is extremely easy to use--just plug it in and insert your iPod or iPhone in the very obvious jack, then press "play" and you're good to go. That it charges as you go is of course helpful. And it is small enough you could easily take it with you in a bag or suitcase, with no extra pieces to worry about losing or breaking. However, the sound quality is not that big of a step up from what comes out of my iPhone itself when I simply play it with the headphones detached. It sounds at best like a decent small radio or car radio. Considering that I recently purchased a 5-disc changer stereo system that ALSO interfaces with my iPhone for only less than 0 more, and which has large speakers and superb sound quality, I have to say this little system is somewhat overpriced. Honestly I could not see spending the money on it unless I traveled very frequently and needed a charger with speakers for that purpose.

Review by Shopperholic:

I was excited to get this product as I travel, go camping and also frequently spend time on my boat.I like it very much, the sound is much better than the cheap folding speakers I had been using. I was quite surprised by how loud the volume got before there was distortion.

I used this with an iPhone 3Gs and it worked perfectly. No pop up about having to put the phone in airplane mode or any interference.

I have an Incipio Silicrylic case on my phone and was able to get it into the dock without too much trouble, which was nice. I hate accessories that require you to remove the case.

The speaker looks good, and comes with a neoprene case to protect it. The case isn't very pretty though. There is an odd, somewhat floppy, attached pouch for the a/c adapter that looks like a bit of an afterthought, but at least it's there.

The only reason I give this 4 stars is the stand. It is thin plastic and swivels out when you press on it. The attachment does not feel terribly robust, and I worry about its durability. Also, the battery cover is behind it and didn't close securely the first time I installed the batteries.

Review by Terrell Varvorines:

I have this excellent product. I like it so much I take it back and fourth with me to work everyday. I grew up poor but happy and now that I am on my own, I like to make sure I am getting my moneys worth of anything I buy. This ipod dock may be small but don't underestimate its high quality and simple design because of its size!

I compose music and am acutely aware of the tonal frequencies when listening to my music in different speakers. These speakers are extremely high quality and have a surprisingly full spectrum of sound. The high end frequencies (5k-20k hrtz) are crisp and clear and the low end frequencies such as the bass (80-140) and even a minute portion of sub the bass (40-79) comes through very nicely. I was really surprised and just sat there looking at these little speakers in amazement the first time I plugged in my ipod.

The handy remote makes it so convenient while at work, I don't have to get up and go over to the cabinet across the room when I get a call or some one stops by my office. The remote also accesses menu options on your ipod! I can find a new play list, choose to shuffle or repeat with the remote!!! Sometimes during lunch when I am out at the coffee shop with free wifi, I drain my ipod battery by downloading new apps or movies. Plugging in my ipod to this dock charges it back up!

I have to admit, I did not have to purchase this because I won it as a bingo prize. Had I walked past this little thing in a store I would not have given it a chance but now owning it for a week now, I absolutely love it! It is worth the money they are charging on Amazon!

It is an extremely high quality product!

I may even add a video response for this product later...

Review by Beth:

For the price, this is a great little speaker system for your Ipod. I have the Ipod touch, and use this docking station in my baby's nursery to play him music at night, and fun music during the day. It puts out some serious sound for being so little. We will enjoy this for years! I like that we can take it with us, as it is very portable, and doesn't take up much space on the bookshelf. It's a cute little system, and very unique in style! We have the red and black one, and it does resemble a ladybug. Very cute!

Review by M.M.:

the case is good quality, even in high levels of heat (traveled to the middle east).

Review by Jewelry Lover:

Very attractive case. My daughter was thrilled this xmas when she received a pink olympus camera and this case. It's small (roughly 4 1/2" L x 3" H x 1 1/2" deep) but the Olympus F series and Stylus models fit perfectly. It is NOT big enough to hold the charger, but has 2 slots for additional memory cards. I'll try to upload a pic of the inside of the case...

Bottom line, well made, attractive and perfect for a young (10-20+/- year old girl). This is by far the nicest (dressy) case I've seen.

NOTE: The camera fits snug enough, I doubt it would fit inside with a skin on it. Choose one, not both!

Review by Patricia L. Schryver:

The case is beautiful leather. Seems sturdy and well made. Would have been more functional if the belt holder was open ended, I thought. I ordered it for my son, but found it very feminine when it arrived. I had to give it to someone else.

Review by M. Rogers:

I received this item within a week of ordering it. The case looked exactly like what was pictured. It is real leather and the quality is great. The only thing I dislike about the product is that it is a perfect fit for my camera which leaves no room for my spare set of batteries. Can you really complain about a perfect fit though?

Review by Gift Card:

Bought this for my Olympus Stylus600 and have been very pleased. I only wish that there was room for an extra battery (there are two slots for memory cards). Otherwise, very nice, good design and sturdy hardware. There's room for my driver's license and credit cards so no need to take an extra bag!

Review by E. Hilton:

My mother fell in love with it, so I bought her one too. It's really small, and the camera fits perfectly! The leather is excellent quality as well.

I only wish it had a space for an extra battery. It does, however, provide space for two extra memory cards.

Review by D. Stevenson:

Don't need Sony brand cables. This one will work the exact same. Thank you China!

Review by D. J. Streeter:

This Sony Cybershot mini charger with battery and other cables is just what I needed to make use of my camera. The battery has a very long life plus the charger gets the battery ready to use in no time. Great product, worth the price and would recommend to anyone in need of these Cybershot products.

Review by R. Samsel:

I have had been using the Sony MZM200 Professional Portable Hi MD Recorder for the past year for digital recording of meetings and lectures. I have had good luck with it but I could never just hand it off to someone else to use. So I began to look at flash based recorders. The model I kept coming back to was the ICD-U70 but I was concerned by the proprietary file format and the difficulty that I had heard about converting it to a more standard format.

Well, with the ICD-UX70 & UX80 this major concern was addressed as the file format used is MP3. Now I can just load it directly to my computer and then to the website for podcasting with no transfer or conversion. I usually do some cleaning or normalizing using Nero but - oh how easy this has become. With the ease of this unit, I can imagine that I might not be using my MD recorder nearly as much.

I have used the unit connected to a sound board, an external microphone (Sony ECM-CS10 Tie-Clip-Style and Sony ECMMS907 Digital Recording Microphone) and by itself, and I have been very impressed with the quality of the recording.

The only thing with which you need to check and be comfortable is the internal mic sensitivity. Do some tests to see how the recording level and background noise comes out. Once you become familiar with the abilities of this unit, I think you will be happy with the recordings.

I think the size is great; if it was any smaller (thumb-drive sized) the buttons would either be too small or too close together for my fingers to operate. Sometimes small is too small - this unit is not too small.

Be careful about your expectations of the internal speaker - you can only get so much sound out of a teeny speaker. It is good to check playback but I would use headphones or play through another powered device if you really need to hear the recording. You can get battery powered speakers for cheap if you really need it.

The only thing that could improve this device is removable memory but for the price, you can buy 2 or 3 UX80s (2gb) for the price of a recorder that uses removable memory. So, this is a minor issue.

Thank you to all of you who complained about the U70 and got Sony to wake-up. I appreciate it.

Review by L. Anderson:

I purchased the ICDUX70 last week. Unfortunately, I wanted it fast and paid at Fry's. (By comparison, the ICDUX80 was 9 (for 2GB) and I thought I could live without the extra Gb of memory).

My initial purchase excuse was to record voice conversations and classroom lectures as well as listen to prerecorded audio recordings, but after reading the documentation it looks equally well suited for dictation or music when used with an external (higher quality) mic or other audio input with excellent audio (see one possibility below). Is reportedly compatible with, but does not include, Dragon Naturally Speaking (I have not tested however).

The use of (the nearly universal) MP3 format is a huge plus (although an open source codec such as Ogg Vorbis might have been nice in some ways). The ICDUX70 records directly to the internal memory which can be easily read and written to by any computer that has USB just like a flash card (Sony only advertises compatibility with Windows and Mac, but my brief test with Ubuntu Linux showed that I was able to transfer (legally purchased) MP3 files to it and listen to them.

Reading the short manual is helpful for some features. The functionality is better than I expected. Included is user adjustable DPC (Digital Pitch Control) which allows play back at slower or faster speeds without distortion or pitch change, and after brief testing of the DPC feature I was quite impressed with the quality of playback.

MiniDisk recorders have in the past been a secret weapon of videographers or sound people for their own projects to capture sound that would other wise be missed. My Sony MiniDisk cost 0 but only had analog out. I normally would avoid compressed formates, but compared to analog audio, I can see how high quality could work well. For example, the UCDUX70 might make an excellent auxiliary audio recording source for event videographers (put in a fresh AAA battery, set record quality to highest (48khz, 192 kbps) hook it up to a good lapel mike, begin recording, activate the 'hold' slider to prevent accidental shutoff, stick the ICDUX70 in the groom's pocket) then sync it up with the DV video later to ensure you catch the "I do's" (much cheaper and more compact (1 3/4 oz) than a wireless setup).

It's hard to think of anything to improve on with this recorder, but if I had to (and for which I gave only 4 stars) I would suggest for the next model:

1) Need to add SD card compatibility for expandability and easier load/unload of data.

2) Higher quality construction - this is not quite IPod fit-and-finish. I'm a bit worried about the multifunction thumb control. Quality of chassis construction is about that of a Sony digital video camera, but appears somewhat cruder due to the small overall size.

3) Perhaps a bit more control of the playback file order (up to 3 levels of folders are allowed which is plenty, but it labels them starting over from 1 within each folder, no matter what the file name). This makes it awkward to listen to my Teaching Company course which has 36 lectures (I put them into 6 different folders which show up renumbered in the folders so I have to calculate which lecture number is which). There is a way to use the wheel to find the actual name of the file, I'm just getting used to it.

4) Built in Mic sensitivity mentioned above is yet to be thoroughly tested. I used it to record a classroom lecture, and it think it did about as well as could be expected given the distance from the professor and the additional room noise. Very audible, but not good enough to do voice recognition automated transcription from. Quality is quite excellent, and volume was acceptable.

5) The included headphones are a bit cheap looking but sound pretty good (I would have preferred the occlusive rubber kind rather than the open type, but open buds have their advantages - safety for one).

6) Side navigation buttons (record, pause, fast forward, fast reverse, next, previous, etc) are a bit small to easily press one at a time for my fingers.

7) It's not clear to me what role USB power plays in powering the device when connected to a computer (i.e. is a battery still needed - haven't checked that yet). I know there are several optional accessories, including an AC adaptor that converts wall current to USB power for the unit. (Otherwise long recordings will be interrupted to change batteries, but only after about 8 hours per documents).

On the good side, I really like

1) Ease of use (Standard MP3, USB plug and play, multi-platform OS)

2) Small physical size

3) Generous recording time

4) Excellent fidelity (from my testing so far)

5) Unlike the MiniDisk recorders, user has direct access to the digital files (not just Analog out). They're MP3 compressed, but digital.

I also bought AAA rechargeable batteries (8-18 hours may be a long life for a battery used in a recording device, but too short time between having to buy and send to the hazardous waste recycler).

After accidentally nearly forgetting my recorder in a classroom, I attached a lanyard to mine (there is a lanyard loop but no lanyard is included).

Overall I am quite happy with it, would recommend it to others, and am trying to think of an excuse to buy another one. Maybe my MiniDisk recorder will show up on Amazon auctions sometime soon.

Review by Erika Valverde:

The digital playback is very useful for transcribing lectures without having to go back and forth. Recordings can be easily sorted in the folders, everything is very accesible. I am glad that Sony added the automatic power off when stopped, I have another digital recorder that does't have a power button, and this is a battery saver.

Review by Orchard Ed.:

As an academic, voice recorders can be a life-saver. Whether recording lectures or presentations, or making research comments without having to drop a journal to make a note, this kind of product is awesome. The old microcasette recorders were heavy and large by comparison, and lacked many of the cool features of these newer IC recorders, but they had the space in the chassis for a decent size speaker, and the tapes could be used in transcription machines. This particular model is very small, which increases its cool factor, but it does have its share of limitations. The tiny screen packs in a lot of information--but the result is that everything is microscopic. Spring for the bigger screen, Sony. Another drawback of the size is the one AAA battery. This makes it small and light, but reduces battery time. Not that there's anything you'll want to record that it can't handle on a fresh battery, but you will have to change it more often. Finally, and most important, the small size leaves this thing with a speaker that is only 1 cm in diameter, and only 95 mW. That's technical talk for too small and not loud enough. You have to hold it to your ear to really hear it. That means that in most circumstances, you'll have to wear headphones to listen back. Once you do, the sound quality is pretty good, but it takes away considerably from the fundamental convenience of the thing. There are tons of other nifty features, but nothing I found indispensable. I brought it back.

Review by Casey Maliszewski:

I am pretty pleased with this purchase. My only criticism is that is does not pick up too much distance. I purchased this recorder through Amazon to record my college classes. Luckily, I am able to record without a microphone, but I have to sit close to the professor and can't hear students on the other side of the classroom. I listen to it through my computer so it is easier for me to hear. If you are going to record more than 15 feet away from the source, consider getting an external microphone.

Now for the things I like. 1.) It's small, light, and easy to carry around. 2.) It's very easy to use. 3.) You can plug earphones right into the recorder if you want to listen it to right away. 4.) The best thing is that you can plug it right into your computer and treats it like an MP3 file so you can do whatever you want with it on your computer. No software to download; it's instant. 5.) It's Mac compatible, which I have not tested yet. 6.) It's just cool looking.

Overall, if you don't have to recorder from more than 15-20 feet away, I would recommend this product.

Review by Online Junkie:

I really loved my Sony ICDUXRED recorder. I use past tense as I just lost it and am now shopping for a replacement. The recording quality using the built in stereo mics is excellent! I bought the external Sony stereo mic and that produces even better quality richer sound quality, but the built in mics are certainly acceptable. I used mine mostly as a MP3 player and I found the 1GB memory restrictive as I have about 800mb of music on it and leave about 200mb for podcasts I want to listen to and for recording my own podcasts. I think if I get another Sony (which I'm really leaning towards) I will buy the 2gb model. My 1st one only lasted about one week as the finger selector thingie spring broke but happily, I bought it at Fry's and they gave me a new replacement without hassle. It would really benefit if a case was included to protect this device from damage. It is not rugged enough to put in your jeans pocket, you will damage the selector switch.

I wish Sony would build this device that used micro SD flash cards as memory is now so cheap. The 2gb model is 50 bucks more than this 1gb model which is a ripoff! Today I can buy a micro SD card with 4gb for about 15 bucks or less!

Battery life is not so good. Acceptable. I use ni-mh rechargeable batteries with this device, otherwise I'd be going through a lot of batteries as I play poker and sometimes use this as a player to drown out the mindless chatter around the table. Maybe 8-12 hours of play using NiMh battery. I don't believe that the USB port recharges the NiMh battery when left plugged into my laptop, but I don't know for sure.

So, I really liked my 1gb model, but I will probably get the 2gb model now. I can wait a bit and maybe Sony or someone will produce a recorder/player device of this quality but one that accepts micro SD cards and then I'd give it 5 stars. Sony can sell it a lot cheaper and us consumers would not be limited to built in memory.

I'm looking to buy the 2gb or more model or better yet would rather purchase a device that accepts removable MicroSD cards that has the features and quality of this Sony device.

Review by David J. Hedwall:

I purchased the Sony ICDUX80 Digital Voice Recorder mainly to do voice-over work for the videos I make for YouTube. My computer's built-in mic pics up the noise from the on-board fan, etc. so I decided to get a compact voice recorder.

The SONY was pretty much what I was looking for as far as features and price... plus I have always had great success with SONY equipment. Here are some of mike Pros & Cons:

PROS: Small, compact and easy to carry in a shirt pocket. Good Amazon price. Stereo mp3 files. USB direct plug to go into my Mac. Lots of drive space for the files. Easy to read menus.

CONS: Small, compact size.... I have fairly large hands and it is sometimes clumsy to navigate the menus with such small buttons. Audio quality was not quite what I expected -- even in the highest recording quality. There is a fair amount of "hiss".... something I would expect from an analogue voice recorder... but from a digital one? Also if you speak too closely to the mic, you will get "pop" -- when you pronounce your "P"'s. I have a tendency to over-enunciate when I do my voice-overs, so I had to learn to back off the mic a bit so as not to over-drive the mics.

All in all, I would give the Sony ICDUX80 Digital Voice Recorder 4 Stars

Review by Ed A. Ogle:

I purchased my ICDUX80 from Amazon. There were a lot of positive reviews for this product. I planned to use this recorder in my business and for a class I was taking at the time. Here is a list of the problems I had: 1) It uses 1 AAA battery. It only last a couple of hours at most. You need to keep changing batteries for long meetings. 2) This is my biggest problem. When recording where the sound level is low this recorder produces strange whistling sounds in the background of the recording. I recognized these sounds as MP3 recording artifacts from low quality recording. I thought the recorder was defective so I called Sony Support. The guy I talked to agreed and I sent it in for repair. However they sent it back and it had the same problem. I really don't think they did any repair at all. In the end I just sold the one I had on eBay to get rid of it. I felt as though I had been ripped-off given how much this unit cost. I am eventually going to replace this unit, but at this point I don't know what I will get.

Review by M. Huston:

I ordered this product at the same time I ordered the DS 40 recorder. It took the company more than 10 days to simply ship the product. They stated it was sent USPS priority (which it was NOT) and shipping took another 6 days. In addition, the cost for shipping was an additional fee from what Amazon charged for the total order (almost .00). Still, I thought it would be worthwhile to protect my recorder, etc.

Imagine my surprise when the box finally arrived and it was large enough to fit the entire recorder box. I thought, maybe the case is large enough to actually hold the earbuds, and spare batteries. Sadly, the huge box was filled with packing material so the SMALL FLAT CLOTH case didn't get damaged. Still...there was hope. Maybe, just maybe it would be worth the money. Unfortunately, the case only holds the recorder - no earbuds, no spare batteries. The magnetic closure - doesn't stay closed. The stereo microphone that is included with the recorder, doesn't fit with the case. So the user needs to either not use the stereo microphone or deal with the case not closing at all. In addition, you can't turn the recorder ON or OFF while it's in the case. Because of the location of the power switch, it is necessary to partially remove it from the case (which isn't all bad since then you can use the stereo mic).

All in all, I'm very disappointed. If you are wavering at all between the DS 40 (with this case) and the DS 50 (with the included case) - buy the DS 50. If you're going to get the DS 40 - don't get it this one. It's not worth the money or the hassle. I'll be returning this case and going to one of my local retailers and finding a case that will carry the earbuds, spare batteries, the optional mic, AND still manage to stay closed to protect my investment.

Review by Lohas addict:

This hooks onto your belt and uses a magnet to stay closed. Since I usually carry my voice recorder in a bag with my computer, the belt loop is useless and I worry about the magnet erasing data from my hard disk. I find that it's better to carry the voice recorder in a case for sunglasses - the kind that's basically shaped like a tube. It fits perfectly.

Review by Gadget Girl:

I bought this for my mom's new digital camera, particularly to ensure that the camera didn't break and that there was somewhere to store any extra cards. This handy neoprene case does just that. It's simple and functional. My worry about leather, though it looks stylish, is will it be cushioned enough if the camera falls or gets bumped. Well, this case, because of the neoprene, will cushion any blows and ensure long life and use of your camera. Good purchase.

Review by Isandy C. Urena:

Even though it is soft, provides the perfect security for my camera. I bought it for a Kodak V1003 and it fits perfectly and have extra room for another battery and my card reader. It doesn't have space for chargers or any other type of cables but since that wasn't the goal of my purchase i'm giving it 5 stars, thought you should know anyway.

Review by S. Phillips:

Purchased this to take with me on my trip to the Indian Ocean. Thought it would be a good idea to have with me so that I could safely take my camera in the water with me to use to take shots. Nope. Terrible design. On only my second time out in the water with it I got knocked over by a wave which promptly pulled the camera out of the armband never to be seen again. Lost the camera, "floating" strap, card, and of course all my photos. The flimsy velcro flap that they use to hold the camera in the pocket offers very little resistance to any force that would pull it open. If you must purchase and use this product do so with extreme caution and only if you use a long lanyard or something as a leash to attach the camera to the armband.

Also the sizing was very poor for me, I found it to be awkwardly loose at the tightest setting on my arm and I am fairly average size at 5'10" &160lbs.

Review by tamara:

Took the band out just once to snorkel in - didn't want to test the capabilities of the band out in the stronger surf that i was in...think i would maybe attach a retractable band or something as a precautionary measure so as not to lose my tough 8000 in stronger waters. Otherwise, the band was nice - it's comfortable and fits the camera snugly

Review by Tim in Mint Hill:

Just received this item, and it is a great fit for my FE-5010 Olympus. There is a small elastic compartment inside that will easily hold a spare battery on one side and a spare XD storage card on the other.

Overall quality and durability looks to be quite good, and I like the magnetic closure for ease of use and less to go wrong.

Great value for price and recommend highly.

Review by Damien Feldspar:

Even though it says "Olympus" on the outside, this is a great little case for the Canon S90 as well. After installing the (excellent) custom grip by Richard Franiec, I needed to find a case that would fit the customized S90. This case fits the camera perfectly and provides good protection, looks great and seems very durable. You can even take the Olympus logo off very easliy if you want to go totally incognito. The price is right too.

Review by J. Sperrazza:

Summary:

The DS-2400 is one of Olympus' newest voice recorders optimized for dictation. It provides the ability to record conversations under a variety of conditions with excellent quality. Its intuitive controls make operation so simple that the 8 (2"x4") page Quick Start Guide is all you'll need to start recording and playing back conversations of all kinds. The included DSS Player software supports both Windows (2000, XP, and Vista - including Vista Ultimate 64-bit) and Macintosh (OS X 10.39 - 10.5.6).

Details:

I have owned a voice recorder once before, but it finally got lost, so it was time to do the research to find a replacement. A number of things impressed me, on paper, about the DS-2400

- Brand new model from Olympus (so a long life of support is expected)

- Compact model with all the features I wanted (built-in mono microphone and speaker; 3.5 mm min-jacks for connecting external mono or stereo mics and speakers) clear, easy to ready display and controls; save recordings as new files or append or insert recordings into existing files, multiple folders for storing files; long battery life [24 hours in QP mode, 30 hours in SP mode, 13 hours in playback mode]; settable recording quality; Voice activation; and dictation vs. conference modes)

- Uses removable storage (SD or SDHC cards, from 512 MB to 16 GB), and supports 77 hours of "Quality" (QP) recording in the included 1 GB card, or a whopping 157 hours 50 minutes of "Standard" (SP) recording

- Included DSS Player software supports the latest PCs and Macs

After purchase (and swift delivery from Amazon), I decided to give the DS-2400 a full test:

- Initial setup and use of the recorder was so easy I really didn't need to read the 8-page Quick Start Guide. The 62 page Instructions manual (with sections in English, French and Spanish) is really only needed as a reference.

- Voice quality is excellent. I am not using dictation transcribing software like Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred or MacSpeech Dictate, but do understand that both of these products (which use the same "Dragon" engine) can be used to transcribe these files.

- The software installed and operated flawlessly on my two toughest test machines: a laptop running Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit with Service Pack 2 (Public Preview v. 113), and a Mac Pro running Mac OS X Server v. 10.5.6 (developer beta release). The software is visually and functionally equivalent on both platforms, with differences reflective of the underlying system. For example:

+ a reboot is required when installing on the PC, but not the Mac,

+ the Mac version can convert recordings only to AIFF files (but there are lots of free utilities available to convert from this to other formats), while the PC version can convert to WAV and WMA formats (with a variety of bits per second and Hz supported in each format)

- The DS2 format files used natively by the DS-2400 provide an amazing amount of compression without noticeable loss of quality. Here are some comparisons of file sizes for a 25 minute 35 second-long real-world speakerphone conversation I recorded in QP mode using a stereo microphone (Olympus ME51S):

+ DS2 (DSD Pro native) format @ 28 kbps, 16 khz, mono: 5,311 KB or 5.19 MB

+ WAV (PCM format @ 22.05 kHz, 16 bit, mono: 66,112 KB or 64.56 MB

+ WMA format @ 22.05 kHz, 16 kbps, mono: 3,136 KB or 3.06 MB (compared to DS2, there is a theoretical loss of quality in this format, but I couldn't hear it - I'll be storing my files in this format, to save space)

+ AIFF format (no options provided): 47,972 KB or 48.84 MB

The recorder can be used without a PC. Stand-alone, you can:

- Choose the language of the displays on the recorder (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian or Russian)

- Set date, time, and date & time format (used to date/time stamp recording files)

- Change the various modes of the recorder (LED display & contrast, backlighting, conference or dictation mode, Voice activation on or off, etc.)

- Create new recording files

- Record over, insert recordings, or append recordings to these files

- File recordings in one of 5 (A through E) default folders

- Rewind or fast-forward through files

- Play files back at normal or increased speed

You'll need your PC for some more refined actions:

- Change the name of the default folders to something meaningful to you (e.g., Personal, Work, Vendors, ...)

- Change the name of the "recorder" (added to the files along with the date/time stamp to something other than "DS-2400" (e.g., JOESPERRAZZA)

- Convert files from DS2 format to another, for input into a speech to text conversion program or for sharing with others

Caveats:

- Don't buy this if you're expecting to play MP3s - it is not designed for that

- Don't expect to record music - the recorder itself and the DS2 format are optimized to record and playback human speech:

+ QP mode: 16 kHz sampling frequency, 200 - 7,000 Hz frequency response

+ SP mode: 12 kHz sampling frequency, 200 - 5,000 Hz frequency response

(I'll be recording everything in QP mode, due to the incredible amount of information you can store on just 1 GB SD chip)

- The pictures are correct, and the title of this product is incorrect - it is SILVER, not BLACK

Accessories:

- Olympus ME-51S Stereo Microphone - I use it to put in the middle of a conference table - having two active recording heads, perpendicular to the plane of the recorder, it records both sides of the table quite well. You can plug it directly into the top of the recorder, or connect it via an extension cable. It also includes a removable clip, but it is not "noise canceling", so don't plan to wear this on your lapel while recording. It works best if the recorder is in Conference mode when you use this mic.

- Olympus ME-52 Noise Cancellation Microphone - noise canceling, directional microphone. Includes removable clip, and designed for giving dictation while clipped to your lapel or collar while the recorder is in Dictation mode.

- Olympus TP-7 Telephone Recording Device telephone pickup - a very clever device that pugs into the recorder, then is inserted in your ear. The microphone is on the outside of the ear (but there's air spaces to allow the sound from the receiver to reach your ear). It works to record both sides of a conversation from either regular or mobile (cell) phones because both your voice and that of those on the other end of the conversation are transmitted through the earpiece of the phone as the standard way such phones work. If you can have all your phone conversations you want to record via speakerphone, you don't need this accessory. But if you want to record non-speakerphone telephone conversations without a specialized device or a degree in Electrical Engineering, then this accessory is for you.

Review by James Winkler:

I have used Olympus recorders for many years overall they are good machines. But, Olympus often decides to change file formats without consideration of the end user. This is the case with the DS-2400. This new handheld recorder from Olympus uses a new voice file format called DS2. This file format is playable only with the new Olympus software that comes with the Ds-2400. Olympus will not share this software. You must buy a machine to get a player. This is a serious deficiency for users that may want to send their voice files to transcriptionists or to other people that do not have an Olympus player.

Review by J. Preston:

I bought this as a backup to my other Olympus recorder (which I frequently lend out). My other recorder is an Olympus WS-100 which I bought 4 years ago. It was one of the first digital voice recorders ever made. It has served me well.

This unit contains a number of improvements over the WS-100 and the WS-400.

When I bought this, I was afraid I would have to carry around a USB cable with me. However, this unit has a little slide button on the side which extends a built-in USB connector. Plugging this into a USB port is a snap.

This unit is a little more compact than the WS-100. It also seems to solve the record delay which was a time vampire on the WS-400. This unit starts to record immediately on pressing the record button.

I would give this unit five stars except except the menu is almost indecipherable without spending an entire day memorizing and studying it. This means that you pretty much have to have the manual available for the first months you use this, or memorize the manual, or, you will not be able to use most of the features. (Unfortunately, this seems normal for most digital personal devices nowadays (except for some Apple products)).

The arcane menu arrangement does not lend itself to quick and easy use of the unit if there are constant changes to your recording requirements. For example, as far as I can figure out from the arcane manual you must press two separate buttons, a total of five times in order to something really simple like erase a recording. I erase more recordings than I keep and this is a real time vampire.

Other than that the plusses are that it supports Vista 64 bit, and, contains all of the features of the WS-400. The unit is easy to snap record conversations and other items. One feature I really like is that it comes with its own, easily replaceable, NiMH battery. If you keep this unit plugged into your USB port, it will repeatedly charge the battery. (It is a REAL advantage that it doesn't need its own docking station to charge, or, new batteries every few hours of use).

It is a good buy at the price and easier to use, with all of the features, even with its drawbacks, than any of the other small personal recorders I've looked at over the years by other manufacturers.

Specifications:

Recording Format: WMA

Input level: -70dBv

Maximum working output: 60mW (8 ohm speaker)

NAND FLASH memory 2GB - this unit works excellently as a flash drive with VISTA 64 or 32.

MIC Jack: 3.5mm mini-jack; impedance 2k ohms

EAR jack: 3.5mm mini-jack; impedance 8 ohms or more

RECORDING TIMES:

STXQ mode 34 h 30 min.

STHQ mode 69 h 40 min.

STSP mode 139 h 25 min.

HQ mode 139 h 25 min.

SP mode 247 h 10 min.

LP mode 544 h. 55 min.

Review by David J. Morrison:

As a musician, singer/songwriter, I started to find a need to record my music ideas. My phone has of late been recording a lot of small samples, but I wanted something with better quality. After asking around, Olympus seemed to be the best option. I first came to Amazon and felt confused by the different options. When I went to Olympus's website regarding their Digital recorders, it was a big help. They have charts which compare their models and it was easy to discern what models contained what features. I wanted a model that could plug into the computer and had two mics for a speaker effect and that's what I got for a good price.

So regarding the actual recorder, like I said the 2 mics are nice for recording guitar, voice, piano... etc. Not the best for drums, but you could have figured that out. It's not flimsy, it fits into my pocket and it takes 1 AAA battery that can recharge (provided). It's a pretty straight forward piece of hardware and the only thing I ever needed to use the directions for was how to charge it (hold the stop button as you plug it into the computer, otherwise it just opens files and doesn't charge). I like that it can just plug into the computer with the switch on the side but they also give you a cable incase you're using a desktop (sometimes USB's aren't in the best places).

Anyway, the only thing I would mention to someone buying this is that the speaker doesn't represent the quality of the recording. I mean look at it. It's about 1.5 inches in diameter... if even. Plug it into your computer/headphones/or speakers and you can tell the difference immediately. I like that I could rename files on my computer and then it stayed like that on the device because it records things as numbers with dates and times. Oh, and I really haven't used it for this, but there is a way to use the device for playing MP3's which is pretty nifty. Not really necessary if you have an iPod and it isn't going to replace your iPod anytime soon, but cool nonetheless.

Hope that helps!

Review by Michael R. Groh:

I'm amending my initial review -- I decided to keep the DM-520 after all because of its outstanding features when used as Olympus intends it to be used. (I've been using the DM-520 for about a month.)

Initially I'd planned to use this recorder for dictation -- but, that's not it's intended market. It really is meant to be a recorder for music (live performance, vocals, instrument practice, etc.). I've been using it to record guitar lessons with my instructor, and I love it for that purpose. In this context, I set up the recorder at the beginning of the lesson and stop recording at the end of the hour lesson. Playback is phenomenal -- I'm using WMA "SP" mode and the sound is great. The 8 gig Micro-SDHC card I put in has almost 1,000 hours of storage using the WMA SP format (less capacity, of course, when recording in stereo and "high quality" modes).

I would not,however, use this recorder for dictation, which was my original intent. I'm very impressed with the ergonomics and options, but disappointed in the absence of a couple of features that are critical to dictation.

I've owned several Olympus recorders, and except for the lowest priced models, they have all featured the ability to "punch in" new material in the middle of an existing recording. This feature is very important to my work as a writer. I use a recorder to take notes, and, while reviewing the notes at a later time, I need to be able to expand on the original thoughts and observations by inserting into an existing recording. I also need to be able to append to the end of an existing recording so that an entire article or chapter is one continuous file. The DM-520 can't do any of this!

My Olympus DS-2400 does this perfectly -- you just press the F1 key during playback and the recorder stops playback and lets you press the Record button to insert a new segment. Also, you can choose to playback up to a point midway in a recording, and record over the remainder of the recording, or, you can just add to the end of a recording.

I've come to accept these features as a requirement of any dictation recorder. I don't use my inexpensive recorders (like my WS-200S) for "work" because they all start a new recording as soon as the Record button is pressed. You can't add to an existing recording, insert into an existing recording, or overwrite an existing recording. So, you end up with a bunch of chopped-up, disconnected recordings that you have to sort out later on.

After a few weeks using this recorder, I can recommend it for the purposes for which it was designed: "field" recording, music playback, and other purposes where dictation features are not important.

Review by Albert A. Azose:

At the outset, let me say that I am not the typical user for whom the DM-520 was designed. For example, I don't categorize my music into playlists, albums and artists. I simply have a bunch of diverse audio files, including music, that I've successfully transferred to the device for my listening enjoyment, and the device plays it all beautifully. Because of my prior successful experience with Olympus DVR's, I was impressed when I read about the improvements included on the DM-520, specifically:

(1) The increased memory to 4GB, plus the additional SD memory card feature.

(2) The convenience of using two AAA rechargeable batteries.

(3) The improved stereo microphone.

The opening screen on the DM-520 indicates the three major sections for holding recorded data:

(1) Recording

(2) Music

(3) Podcast

Like some of their other models, the Recording section has 5 folders available for making recordings. The folders are labeled A through E, with each folder being able to hold a whopping 999 files. A special word of gratitude for the built-in stereo microphone which is absolutely amazing, with incredible sound quality.

The Music Section actually has two sections, both of which can hold audio content. There is the Music Section itself, and a sub-folder labeled "Audible", set up to accept commercial audiobook files. As mentioned, the Audible folder can hold any audio content, not just audio books.

The Podcast Section was set up to accept Internet podcasts, but fortunately, it has the flexibilty to hold any audio content.

According to the User Manual, there are three methods for transferring content to the DM-520:

(1) Sonority software program

(2) Windows Media Player

(3) iTunes

None of those three methods work for me. Fortunately, when the device is plugged into the PC using the supplied USB cable, it is treated as a separate drive, and files can thus be transferred each way using the file transfer features of Windows Explore. This allows me to bypass the above 3 User Manual methods of transferring files, and instead use the tried and true Windows Explore method. In my opinion, this was the unit's main redeeming feature, and it wasn't even mentioned in the Manual.

I had to call the Olympus Support line a couple times because some of the unit's features were a little mysterious at first. But Support was very helpful, and the DM-520 is working like a charm.

Bottom Line: This is a great high-quality DVR and well worth the price. The Sonority software and the User Manual could have been explained and written better, but what else is new? Overall, it is a sweet, versatile and powerful device.

Review by Matthew W. Alvey:

I use my DVR for almost everything; journal, shopping lists, work to-do lists, and personal to-do lists. I decided that I wanted to also have something that I could playback some audio files for customers and potential customers, so I looked into a DVR that could also play MP3 files. I first got the Olympus DS-40 and I was very happy with that one. It had great playback sound, great for dictation, robust, and very easy to use buttons. But as I decided to load some music on it, I found that the memory was way too limited for me (512MB). So, I looked into the same capabilities but with more memory. I swapped it for this one and I have been very happy. The pro's:

Massive memory

Can swap between voice and music; making it truly like 2 devices in one

Lightweight

Embedded USB port

Lighted screen

Noise cancelling for playback (have to use: see con's)

Did I say massive memory?

There is a rechargeable battery, but I can't say if that works as well.

Con's:

Buttons are so small that you can mispress easily

VCGA doesn't work very well and end up cutting off bits of your recording

PLAYBACK- the speaker for the playback must've been where they cut the costs. Its soft and not crisp at all. However, don't let that fool you into thinking that its not recording good. When you play it back with the WOW, it sounds like you're right there in the room-crystal clear even in HQ mode.

Doesn't have a hard switch to go between dictation, conference, and lecture microphone sensitivities on the fly like the DS-40 does (GREAT feature)

All around, this is a great recorder and will do awesome serving multiple functions for you. With its memory size and embedded USB you can use it effectively as your memory stick, too. I'm very happy with this purchase and would definitely trade off the lousy speaker for the memory...

Review by R.A.:

I own another Olympus recorder which I bought years ago and I paid a ton of money for it. It was money well spent. I was intimidated by the "digital" part of it for a long, long time, but once you get the hang of it, these are so fabulous.

There's a button on the front that lets you move between folders A-E. That letter will appear on the screen and you can work on 5 different projects easily---just press the little button and it will take you to the folder you want where you can store all your notes for that project.

Within each folder are 199 files---I know this sounds confusing if you are new to the digital world, but the recorder does it all for you. You just go to the folder (tap the far right top button several times and it will go from A to E on the screen. You stop at the letter you want). Then press record and Talk! Easy!

When you are done, you'll see on the screeen 1/1---which means two things: you have just created a file and there are a total of 1 files in your folder, 1/1. The next time you record, it will say 2/2---which means you are in the second file and there are 2 files in your folder and on and on it goes until you get 199 files.

Now let's say you want to go back and listen to file 1 of your 199 files. You click back through them manually with the (

Review by Look no further:

Get this for yourself or college student.

I went back to school after twenty years and bought this recorder incase i missed something during the lectures-boy am I glad I did! I have listened to the lecture recordings and noticed that I missed alot,even though I felt like I was paying attention.

works absolutly great! long record time availability-1 gig- long battery life and no problems picking up the teachers voice from anywhere in the room.

5 stars!

Review by R. Wandera:

I was looking for a voice recorder to capture my lectures but also be able to transfer them onto my computer for back up. The recording is very good quality but it's frustrating that I am unable to transfer my recording. So, if you are looking for a "record and erase" voice recorder, this is the right one.

Review by J. Dougherty:

My colleague and I compared notes on the Olympus WS-400 versus the Sony ICD-UX71 digital voice recorders for use by our undergraduate social science students, and here's a copy of what we agreed on:

Both the Sony and the Olympus have nearly identical features:

- 1GB storage

- stereo microphones

- USB direct connect

- 1 AAA battery

- about 2 seconds to start up

The Sony creates MP3 files, and the Olympus creates WMA files, but this is not a big problem for Mac users, since many of us have the free Flip4Mac download that automatically converts WMA files for Apple Quicktime player.

I think that the Olympus WS-400 is a better product for student interviewing, for the following reasons:

1) the Olympus has fewer buttons, and better placement of them

2) when you record on the Olympus, you can see the input sound levels on little bar charts, which confirms it's actually working

3) the Sony has a plastic cap that covers up the USB direct connect, which comes off and can easily be misplaced. But the Olympus uses a simple slider button to move the USB connector outside of the case, where you can use it. No parts to lose!

4) when I connected both units to PC and Mac computers, both units appeared on the screen within seconds, but the Olympus had a simpler file structure (only one level) to locate the recorded files.

5) Based on my simultaneous recording test, the sound quality was very similar on the PC, but better for the Olympus on the Mac (not sure why). For file size, the Olympus is about 2/3 the size of the Sony files (I think, because the default sound quality level on Sony is 192k, while the Olympus is 128k)

6) The Olympus is a better price.

If you buy the Olympus, one very simple but important setup instruction: the AAA battery has a thin transparent plastic covering that must be removed before inserting it into the unit

Review by Wesley Everett:

I've owned this recorder for about four months, using it mostly for interviews (I'm a journalist). It's far and away the best DVR I've ever owned. Very simple to use, decent battery life (love that it can recharge through USB port while plugged in), good mic pickup, super-easy file transfer with built-in USB dongle. It's even better when used with the small Olympus noise-cancelling mic.

As previous reviewers have noted, this recorder has some clear advantages over the Sony UX71. It's much more intuitive to operate, and better built. But the main advantage is battery life: The UX71, which I unfortunately bought, routinely kills a battery in one day, even when set to "hold." It's worthless, and Sony hasn't been too anxious to do a thing about it, beyond offering exchange for a refurb (I suspect its endemic with the model, and haven't bothered.) I was a Sony user for a long time, but no more.

The sole advantage to the Sony, in my mind, was the fact that it records in MP3 format, which is handy for web posting, etc. But that's not an advantage anymore. Olympus has posted a firmware update for this recorder on its web site that gives you the option of recording in .wma or mp3. So there you go. A much-appreciated update. Download it.

Review by Dr. Philip J. Kinsler:

I bought this to record forensic examinations I do. So people may be speaking quietly, whispering, crying etc. The initial couple of times I tried it, I could not get enough volume out of the internal mikes. I tried the different scene settings and still the sound wasn't there. It wasn't until I fought through the manual and found out how to use the monoraul zoom microphone setting that I was able to get acceptable sound from two people speaking in a modest size room. Which brings me to the manual. Of course, it's only on disk, so you either have to read it on screen or print it out. And it's written in Japanese English... "the functioning of the Euphony will be the sound enhanced." Thereby, making it next to useless when trying to drill down through the various menu settings to try to make adjustments. Olympus is a huge company--you think they could afford an English speaking technical writer.

The software that comes with it seems to be first-rate, enabling all kinds of conversions, joins of separate files, volume-matching etc. It is very helpful in making adjustments for what is recorded.

One other point--I know websites are supposed to sell things, but I went to the Olympus site multiple times to see which of their digital recorders would do the job I needed done. The site is so loaded with praise for every product that it's very hard to make a reasonable decision about which of their devices to buy. Is the 0 professional dictating one really the one I should have gotten? Why did this one win Hammacher-Schlemmer's 'best' rating as opposed to the others? Would the one have been as good?

I now own it and still have no idea if I got the right one.

Review by Katie:

The directions are a bit confusing but once they are worked out...tech support was a great help it works find. Have used it with external mike to record meetings, in my pocket to record small groups, in all situations it picks up fine and data is easily transfered to my computer. The small size is a bonus. Careful about ambient noise...it will hide speech but if you keep it motionless it works fine. I recommend it.