Sony ICDP620 Digital Voice Recorder PC Compatible via USB

Voice recorders are an interesting thing -you may have noticed that even Sony has difficulty distinguishing between the higher end ($300+) and the lower end models. (One of the extra features, incidentally, was "An On/Off Switch"). Usually the higher end models have better sound, supposedly, but we all know how insignificant that is in the scheme of things, unless we are idiots (i.e. "audiophiles"). Memory is not an issue -I still have 50+ hours left on mine. Sometimes, the more expensive ones come with a metal housing, which I suppose is nice.

I use this for recording notes, and it does a superb job. I wish it had a backlight, but it has a small light to tell you whether its paused (blinking) or recording(red) or playing(green) and so it works well in the dark.

I thought I needed a rewind and overwrite and append function (which this recorder has -but there is a trick to using the overwrite quickly -you have to make sure its not the very last "track", so you can start rewinding from the start of the next track) but I end up using it very little. It has a pause function, which lets you pace yourself as you think.

The main thing that makes this better than the Olympus recorders is the overwrite/append function (but no insertion), but I really don't use it that much, I could probably live without. But, other than that, it seems as if digital voice recorders have reached a plateau, so that even these cheaper units are extremely useful, almost indistinguishable from the more expensive ones.

So, from the standpoint of someone who wanted to get away from the journal or the computer, and go for walks while thinking, this is great, and I can honestly say it has changed my life.

I decided to purchase this Sony instead of the Olympus VN-4100PC Digital Voice Recorder (for lectures, conversations) and I am so glad I did! In less than 45 minutes, I had recorded a 5 minute test msg, installed the software, copied the test msg from the recorder to my pc, converted the test file to mp3, and burned it to a cd. The msg played in full and as clear as the original when I tested it in my cd player. The sound quality is great too. I hightly recommend this product.

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I have had this unit for about 10 months and use it to record committee type meetings plus some phone calls. The microphone pick up and quality is superb. It has a low and high sensitivity settings that are suitable for telephone uses (low) and small conference group sessions (high).

It is quite easy to alter programming, control buttons for record or playback. The software program is well thought out, simple to use, flexible, and downloads recordings effortlessly. The only thing it will not do for me is edit out recorded dead time, but I have other programs that can do that if really needed. The software will also cut a CD or convert to MP3. Just be sure you get this model with the USB connector on the side of the unit. Sony has several look alike models without the computer interface that can not download the recordings.

All in all a very nice package. If only they could make it less expensive...

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Sony has made a good product, but it does not support MAC. This means that even though you can plug the recorder into your Mac with the included USB cable, it will not show up as an external drive. There is no way to access the files on the recorder, and therefore no way save your files other than what's available on the 512MB internal memory.

I had to borrow a friend's PC to install the included software, transfer the files, burn a CD, and uninstall the software. If you have a newer Intel Mac with Windows installed, you can install the software on the 'other side.'

Also, I lost the manual, and the manual Sony has linked on their website is NOT the correct manal it is for another device. I have spent 20 minutes trying everything I can think of to try to "erase all" of the files (after transferring them), but I can not seem to find a way to make that happen. Maybe an "erase-all" feature doesn't exist, which means you would have to erase them one by one. If this is the case, I would only give this 2 stars. But because I don't have a manual and I don't know this for sure, I can't make a conclusive statement on this.

The pro's Intuitive interface (for the most part) that Sony usually is good at . It will record over 100 hours in high quality, and it responds to the record command very quickly.

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This is the first device of this type I've owned, and I've had it for about a month now. I'm very pleased with it and find it pretty easy to use. The size is perfect and I can easily carry it in my shirt pocket, or toss it in my briefcase. I often think about things while I'm driving, and would often forget them by the time I get to my destination. Using the recorder, I simply dictate reminders or ideas to myself and jot them down later. The sound quality is great, both in "high" and "low" sensitivity mode. And the software allows you to transfer messages to your computer, which then allows you to email them to people. 99 hours of recording time is amazing.