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A portable digital voice recorder is a portable device that has all but replaced the microcassette recorder for recording meetings, lectures, telephone conversations, notes, and more. Portable digital voice recorders are handheld and typically smaller than tape-based recorders since they have no moving parts (tape, motor, etc), and their battery consumption is far less. Models are available for as little as $20 that can store and playback 2 minutes of audio notes that are slightly larger than a normal pen. On the high end, a full-featured digital hand held recorder can store over 20 hours of WMA-based audio (Windows Media Audio), transfer it to your PC or Mac, record at preset times, as well as offer advanced playback options. Digital portable recorders are handy items to have in the car or briefcase to record thoughts, notes, meetings, and more. Flexibility. With a tape-based recorder, multiple tapes can be used and changed when needed. With a digital portable voice recorder, since audio is stored on a memory chip, this flexibility goes away, until you reach the mid-range of the available products. Starting at about $60, digital voice recorders add the flexibility of a USB docking station, allowing you to transfer digital audio files to a PC for storage or email transfer. Since handheld digital portable voice recorders are similar in design to the popular MP3 players, high-end models also offer the ability to transfer CD-quality music from your PC for playback on the portable digital recorder. ( Olympus model DS-20, $200) Most portable digital recorders use the now-standard flash memory cards. Some models offer the ability to remove the smart media card and plug it directly into a pc for audio transfer, avoiding the need for a docking cradle or cable connection. Smart media storage cards are available from several manufacturers and are compatible with most digital cameras and flash-based MP3 players, so if you're a digital-gadget person, adding a handheld digital recorder to your arsenal of electronics won't force you to stray away from common storage formats. If you'd prefer a single unit that offers more than just digital audio recording, for about $380, Sony offers the ICD-CX50 that also includes a 1.2 Megapixel CCD camera. Example Models:
Availability. Handheld d igital voice recorders are available from most electronics retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City, Radio Shack, and others. |
Portable Digital Voice Recorder
The Olympus model DS-2 offers a built-in stereo microphone, 64MB of internal memory, 22 hours recording time, voice activated recording, slow/fast/skip/repeat playback, DSS player software for editing, USB docking/transfer, timed recording, WMA (Windows Media Audio) storage format, Mac-compatibility, and a large backlit display. This pocket-sized unit operates on AAA batteries. 
The Sony model ICD-CX50 features a built-in stereo microphone, 256MB of internal memory, 93 hours recording time, 300 folders for organizing voice files, voice activated recording, transcribe/email/voice to print capability, digital camera with 4x digital zoom, 1.2" LCD display, PC/MAC compatibility, and a rechargeable battery pack. 
