Can You Recommend a Voice Recorder?

[GanChan]

I will be going on a long boring car trip, and I'd like to be able to jot down writing ideas while I drive. Ideally it would be a digitial recording device that could be connected to my iBook later for file transfers. So, something like an mp3 recorder I guess.

Anyone have any special recommendations? Cheaper is better, but my connectivity requirement will probably rule that out, since I probably need a USB 2.0 port....

 

[DStaal]

Olympus seems to be the leader in the market. I've liked mine, which appears to be no longer avalible. Here's their website: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_vr_digitalrecorders.asp

Note that the recorders save to a semi-private file format instead of MP3. It produces a smaller file for the same quality on speaking voices. (But isn't as good for music/singing.) Their software can convert to MP3 though.

 

[dylan]

There are a few recorders that plug into an ipod. I have use the Griffin iTalk and it worked fine.

 

[powerboy]

Here is a mp3 player with voice recording that I saw on slickdeals.net (look under sunday, Nov. 19th). It is a Philips 1 GB at Office Depot and you can get it for $20 after coupon and rebate.

http://www.slickdeals.net/
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=886835&cartEntryId=0
Rebate Link - http://forms.young-america.com/56690_OD6402082%20v2-11152006.pdf
$10 coupon code - 62637215 (I haven't tried it, but it should work)

 

[HugMnster]

Olympus seems to be the leader in the market. I've liked mine, which appears to be no longer avalible. Here's their website: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_vr_digitalrecorders.asp

I second Olympus. I forget the model I have for work here for shared uses but it was not over $80 an it saves the content as a wav file an just hooks into usb port to copy the file off like a flash/thumb drive.

jack

 

[mooncaine]

Cheap, reliable, small? I love my i-bead for all these reasons

A few years ago, I bought myself an i-bead 200. It records voice [has a few settings for different bit rates and mic gain] direct to MP3. It's an MP3 player, FM Radio [records that, too], has a built-in USB plug [so, no cables], doesn't require any software, and works just like a USB thumb drive on my Macs and PCs. If it died today, I'd buy another immediately. It's hard to overrate the convenience of having a device that needs no cables or adapters, needs no software, records voice, and also is a music player and radio.

The company has offered the occasional firmware upgrade, but I never bothered because mine works great; why mess with it when it works so well already?

Here's the company's site:
http://www.ibead.co.kr/coding/eng/

Whether you get this one or not, consider the convenience of a no-cables, no-software recorder that makes a file you can instantly use on your computer or other players.