Archos 5 Sleek Premium Weather Proof Grey Neoprene Carrying Case - For ORIGINAL and ANDROID 32 / 60

If you're looking for a case to protect your Archos when it gets thrown in a bag or a coat pocket then this case is for you. The zipper is much better than the velcro used in a bunch of other cases (velcro wears out faster and has that loud, annoying sound). This case is very well constructed.

The Archos 5 is simply not a player that you just walk around with in your pants pocket. It's a bit too big for that. Mine either sits on my desk at work, in the car mount, or on the mini-dock at home. This case works great for transporting it between those locations because I don't have to worry about dropping it or having anything penetrate the neoprene. It's pretty thick neoprene and provides a bit of cushion.

I would give 5 stars, but the case is a little bit larger than I expected. I thought the Archos was going to fit snugly inside, instead there's a lot of room for it to move around. This may be a good thing for people that want to put their ear buds in the case with the player.

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Creative Zen V Plus 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black/Blue)

• Product Type - MP3 Player
• Memory - 4GB
• Battery - Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• Storage Capacity: 4GB (2,000 songs)

In summary why I picked Zen V Plus:

-Good price/performance

-FM radio and voice recorder

-Small, scratch resistant and cool design

-Drag and drop capability

-Compability with different music stores

-Very easy and quick navigation

-Previous positive experience

If you want a more detailed comparison to IPOD-Nano and Sandisk Sansa C200 series, continue reading and scroll down, if not stop here and get back to what you were doing, or want to do or whatever... :-)

First off, this is my second Creative product in less than a year. No, no the old one is still good (ZEN Nano Plus) indeed the best one I've ever had, but I decided to go with something with color and a more navigation-friendly menu. I am not new to digital music.I've had a pleuthora of MP3 players within the last 5 years. Starting with a 32MB RCA (terrible), a 128MB Samsung (Good), a HD based Dell DJ(died on me,) two 6GB Apple Minis (one's Hard drive died, the other's click-wheel gave up), a Zen Nano Plus (excellent) and now this cool 4 GB Zen V-Plus. Before deciding on my new ZEN, I had two other serious considerations :

1) IPOD NANO 4GB or 6GB :

Although I really loved the look and the price (not much above its competition)of the new IPOD NANO, I could not go with it because of previous (baaaad) experience and the required slavery to it's ITUNES software. It just is a pain in the neck when using my own MP3s (non i-tunes songs) and other music stores' products. Plus it did not have FM and voice recording, which are, I admit, pretty cool features.

2)Sandisk Sansa E250 (4GB) or E270 (6GB):

This was my clear favourite before actually going into a store and physically feeling it. Sandisk is the lead flash card memory manufacturer and its memories are really hi-Q.That and its clearly lowest price among peers made me consider this one more seriously. It had the voice recording and FM radio options and did not have the dreaded mandatory music software. Had even a bigger screen (1.8 inches) than Zen V Plus (1.5 inches). So why did Sandisk got eliminated? Easy:

i)Extremely hard to use click-wheel, even if one has small hands (I don't,I am 6'2" and 200lbs, so in my case a total "forget it"). The wheel is elevated from the surface very little, you accidentally hit other buttons while trying to operate.

ii)Overall size and design. Sandisk looks like a fatter and less slick IPOD Nano. It does not have the different (shorter,squarer, more compact) feel of the Zen V Plus.Bottom line it is bigger and bulkier than both.

iii)Icon based menu.That is a total no go for a small screen gadget. Just stick to line-based menu like all the previous and current IPods if your screen is less than 3 inches accross.

So, cheaper, equipped with features like the Zen V Plus, with a bigger screen and comparable battery life, The Sandisk Sansa still got eliminated.

After a month, what do I think about my Zen V Plus (4GB)?

PROS:

-Great size, look and feel.

-Great, optional very easy to use Creative software.

-100% Drag and drop compatible.

-Vibrant colors.

-Easy to navigate menu.

-Easy to use joystick and buttons (except one, see below in CONS)

-Decent battery life.

-Great FM receiver.

-Price

CONS

-Hard to see the screen (OLED's curse) under direct sunlight.

-Charging through USB (the only supplied cable) takes forever.

-The placement of the "back" button. It should be on the left of the "play/pause" button not below. When the unit is in your palm unless you have a hyperextending thumb, it is hard to press this button though possible.

-Screen is not big enough for video viewing. Although video playback is seamless and vibrant, the size is just too small.Don't let the video capability be a deciding factor if you are inclined.

Buy Creative Zen V Plus 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black/Blue) Now

I purchased the 8GB Creative Zen V Plus player during the first week in February. I am returning it and this is why:

The package arrived from Amazon. I loaded up the software on my computer, then hooked up the player through the usb cord. I let it charge for 6 hours like the instructions state. Then I proceeded to load some of my music onto the player. So after the music was loaded, I disconnected the player from the usb cable and started to listen to the music. The sound quality was good, the player is easy to navigate in the menus, etc... The problem was about half the music I uploaded was not on the player. I could see the folder and menu option for the artist or genre but the actual file was not there. So I plugged the player back into the usb cord, and pulled up the file location on the player through the computer. The file was there and I could play it just fine through Windows Media Player. I tried to access it again through the player and it was not there. Then I accessed through the computer just fine.

All my songs, all 4,500 of them, are in MP3 format from 56kps for my audio books to 192kps for the songs I ripped from cd's. The player just wouldn't read about half my songs. There was really no rhyme or reason on whish songs it would recognize. I would load an entire album of 15 songs and I could only play 6 or 7 tracks. This happened with my entire music collection.

So I thought maybe the firmware was out of date so I uploaded all the updates from creative which did include a firmware update. It did not solve the problem. I then uploaded some of the same songs that would not play on the Zen V Plus onto my 3 year old Rio and original Ipod Shuffle and they played just fine. I was frustrated at this point so I called the Creative Customer Service. It is strange because they do not post the number for there company anywhere on there website and now I understand why. They have the worst customer service/tech department of any computer/electronic company I have ever spoke with. After three calls, never speaking to someone who I could fully understand as English was definitely not a first language, more like a 3rd or 4th language, I arrived nowhere. They kept telling me they were emailing document to me on how to resolve the problem. No email ever came, checked the junk folder and every other possible place. So I tried a fourth call. This guy basically called me stupid from what I could understand, saying "I can't believe you Americans" and then mumbled something in another language. I asked for a supervisor. He told me that he would escalate my call and someone would call me in 2-3 days. Then he hung up.

I was really amazed that a company would treat its customers in this nature. They really have to respect for there customers and do not want to help them in any way. So I am returning the Creative Zen V Plus player and I also don't plan on buying anything from Creative again.

By the way, after all this, the problem never was fixed.

Also, when doing research on this product, I came across a couple articles and reviews that stated this player would play DIVX files. This is not true. This player will not play any files without being converted first. I took an AVI video that was 100MB and it converted it into a 1.2GB file. The format they use is absolutely a waste of space. If you want to upload an entire movie on MPEG or AVI format, it will end up taking the entire 8GB of space if not more. I converted the movie Cars for my son on a short road trip thinking I could have my music plus his movie. I was wrong, the movie took up 7.1GB after being converted.

I would not recommend this product to anyone. As much as I don't like the IPod, I would recommend it over the Zen V Plus because: 1. It plays all my music 2. They have a customer service/tech support that helps you and cares about its customers.

I hope this helps anyone looking at this player.

Jeff

Read Best Reviews of Creative Zen V Plus 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black/Blue) Here

The Zen V Plus is a nifty little device that accomplishes a lot of audio tasks. It is an audio player and recording, and also displays JPEG pictures and small video files.

I found the usability of the Zen to be very good for it's size. You have to hold the "On" button for least one second to activate the player and this prevents it accidentally turning on by mistake in your pocket. The battery management is also well designed: the display dims a few seconds after you press any of the buttons. If the Zen isn't playing, it automatically turns itself after a few minutes. By virtue of these features, I found that I get hours of play before the unit needs recharging which is done by hooking up to a USB port on your computer.

Sound quality is very good: I was surprised given the Zen's small size and very light weight. In fact, the unit is so small and light, you'll want to attach the strap to prevent yourself losing it. The display is bright and readable. One thing I especially like is that Zen only plays one folder of music at a time and then stops: it doesn't keeping playing one folder after another endlessly like other players do. It's like playing only one CD or record at a time. There also is a "set bookmark" function for going back to an exact spot in a recording.

The included software works well for transferring and managing files on the Zen. While the unit is not straight Windows drag and drop, the Creative Media Explorer accomplishes the same thing. This software also rips music from CDs and is supposed to convert video files to play on the Zen but I couldn't get the latter function to work for my video clips.

The buttons on the Zen are a little on the cheap side but work well enough. There is a "lock" button that is integrated with the "On" switch: this keeps you from accidentally pushing any buttons during recordig or playback. The Zen also acts as a line-in recorder at 128 or 160 kbps recording rate, and has a built-in microphone also. Sound quality is good with line-in and decent on the microphone. I think these features alone are worth the purchase price. The Zen plays FM radio, but you can't record from it with this unit.

You can also display your favorite photos one at a time or in slide show format. The Zen also acts as a portable flash drive. To use this function you need to select from an internal menu to decide how much space to give the new data partition.

As far as "freezing-up" is concerned, my unit froze once when I first used it, possibly due to an incompatible music file that I transferred, and I was a bit miffed. This is simple enough to correct but you need a very small pin to insert in the side of the unit. This causes it to rebuild the file list which takes a few minutes. After doing this once, my unit has worked fine ever since.

The paper manual is a bit skimpy, as others have noted, but the online manual is sufficient. Holding down the "Back" button, the one with the little left-facing arrow, on the Zen shows you additional options for each function. One slightly amusing feature is that the Zen shows you messages like "shutting down" or "processing" in a separate DOS-like window superimposed on top of the main window. It's reminds you that the Zen is, in fact, a small computer. The Zen also contains a calendar and a nice-looking clock with alarm that, while not sounding a beep or buzz, turns on the audio player to a random track or the FM radio. It can do this from a completely shut-down state but you need to keep the headphones attached if you aren't looking at the display.

Overall, I like the Zen V Plus and found that it has become a constant companion for air travel and around the house for a variety of line or microphone recording uses.

(Simeon Hein is the author of the OPENING MINDS softcover and audio books, and PLANETARY INTELLIGENCE: 101 Easy Steps to Energy, Well-Being, and Natural Insight.)

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Update:

The player freezes with no sound and with the screen on (displaying album artwork), at random times and for no apparent reason. One of my two units had to be reset so many times that it can no longer be reset: it feels like that internal pad you press on with a sharp pin has now disappeared (it must have broken off). Our only recourse now is to wait 3 days for the battery to run dead, and hope that it will be reset simply by recharging it from scratch. We've only had this unit since August (it's now December), so I no longer feel the reliability level of this product is sufficient to justify its purchase. Buy something else that doesn't have to be reset all the time!

I bought the 2 GB model because the 4 GB version wasn't available yet and it had the largest flash memory of any unit that works with my Napster-To-Go subscription, so it can store the largest number of songs and color photographs. The 4 GB version is identical except for the amount of installed flash memory. This is the V Plus version, so it sports an FM tuner and the ability to display videos as a bonus.

Why did I choose a flash memory based MP3 player? Napster-To-Go compatible hard drive models with much larger storage capacity abound, but I figure they'll break prematurely because they use a hard drive that can't withstand much jogging, accidental bumping or dropping.

I bought two of these players plus the separately sold AC wall charger, and attached one of them to the wall charger for 6 hours, while I attached the other one to a USB port on my PC to charge it for 6 hours.

At the end of 6 hours, the unit attached to the PC was fine until I unplugged it, then it went comatose and would not even revive when the reset button was pushed several times. I had to exchange it for a replacement unit just two days after buying it.

The unit attached to the wall charger was fine, and I went on to load it up with music using my Napster-To-Go subscription. That was fine until 2 weeks later, when my wife charged it on a PC using the USB cable. After charging and disconnecting from the PC, it too went comatose.

This time I was able to revive it by pushing the reset button.

Then I took a look at the other unit, which had been charging on the AC wall charger. It had also gone comatose, and I was able to revive it by pushing its reset button.

The reset button is inside a tiny hole on the left edge of this unit. You can find it by following the thin groove that's below the screen all the way to the left edge of the unit, where you'll find it on the side. The picture in the manual does NOT accurately depict its location.

The hole leading to the reset button is very, very small. The instructions say to penetrate that hole with a pin.

I used the sharp end of a safety pin to do this. When the pin is inserted, it's quite easy to miss the reset button unless the pin is inserted at exactly the right angle. You'll know it's not at the right angle if you don't feel that you're pushing on a pad with a spring behind it when you reset the unit. That pad travels a short distance until it's stopped by a control surface inside the unit; that's when you know it has been reset.

The reset system should be redesigned so that it doesn't depend on the angle you insert the pin to work. I suspect that the first unit I returned could have been reset if I had known that you have to insert the pin at just the right angle to do it. Since I didn't know, my several attempts to reset it were not successful.

Resetting the unit is akin to rebooting a PC: it revives it when the internal software (called "firmware") has frozen by restarting the software. It does not erase your songs or photos.

Make no mistake: this MP3 player looks, feels and works beautifully. However, since the firmware is newly designed, it appears to have bugs relating to disconnecting it from USB or charger power that cause it to freeze, and the reset button is a little hard to use if you don't know about the things I described above that could cause you to be unable to reset it. You may just end up with a unit that's frozen and not be able to reset it.

It needs to be a little more user friendly than that. Hopefully a future firmware update will be available that will lower the occurrence of the unit locking up (freezing), especially when disconnecting from a USB port or AC charger after recharging it. As another user noted, the "safe disconnect" icon is often times not even in the system tray.

If you don't subscribe to Napster-To-Go, your options to get content for your MP3 player are to transfer your favorite songs from CDs you own to your hard disk ("ripping the songs"), or purchase songs one track or album at a time, at a price ranging from 88 to 99 cents per song from Napster, Rhapsody or WalMart.

You can also download books you want to listen to (such as best sellers and classics) or "podcasts" (your favorite newspapers read aloud, or your favorite radio programs like NPR) from a plethora of sites (like NetLibrary or Audible) that make these available, onto your computer's hard drive. Now you can listen to your music, audible books and podcasts over your PC loudspeakers while sitting at your PC.

Then you can transfer your songs, audible books and podcasts from the hard drive of your PC to your MP3 player(s). This enables you to take your MP3 player with you to enjoy listening in your car, in your office, while jogging or working out at the gym, while shopping, or at the pool or the beach to hear your music, audible books and podcasts anywhere.

This player really deserves 4 1/2 stars. I bought one of these to replace a Sansa e260 that I had returned because of disappointing sound quality. The Zen V Plus did not disappoint. Sound quality is excellent, with punchy bass, good volume and no noticeable system noise during playback.

The form factor for the Zen V is terrific. The tiny size and curved shape make this comfortable to hold in your hand or slip in your pocket. And despite its all-plastic construction, it seems as if the Zen V can stand up to some abuse. I've found that it also does not scratch as easily as my previous player, the result of a scratch-resistant polymer coating. I plan to take this player running, camping, to the gym, etc., and don't feel like I'll need to "baby" it.

The interface is what you'd expect from Creative: simple, intuitive and powerful. There are many options for customizing, including choosing main menu options to display, setting photos as wallpaper and rotating display orientation -and corresponding controls -in 90-degree increments, so you don't have to strain your neck to read the display when your player is strapped to your arm. I feel like Creative spent some time figuring out what real users would want in a player. Also, despite its small size, the five-position joystick is easy to use and works well in combination with the interface.

Of course, the Zen V Plus also has a boatload of other features that you may or may not care for depending on your needs: FM radio with 32 presets, voice recorder, line-recording and PIM functionality (you can sync your calendar, contacts and tasks with MS Outlook).

I can really only come up with two negatives for the Zen V Plus. One is battery life, which at 15 hours (less if you use a lot of EQ) is on the low end of the scale compared to some of the newer players. If you plan on taking this on long trips, I suggest getting an AC wall charger. (Hint: the bargain-priced charger for the Zen Micro works just fine with this unit.)

The other possible drawback is the OLED screen, which is small, has lower resolution than most LCD screens and is difficult to see in bright sunlight. On the other hand, if you're buying this primarily as a music player and not a multimedia device, the screen is more than adequate. It is quite vibrant (the colors really pop) and does a decent enough job with photos.

Some also might be disappointed that this device is not true UMS (although you can partition the memory for storage). I run Win XP and am the sole user of the device, so having an MTP player is no big deal for me. I have my music organized by folders, which I drag and drop onto the player using Creative's Media Explorer. (Note: like the Sansa and some other players out there, the Zen V uses ID3 tags to categorize music and display file properties, so it pays to make sure your tags are cleaned up and correct.)

The Good:

Excellent sound, with no system noise

Convenient size and form factor

Simple, but powerful interface

The Not So Good

Small, low-resolution screen

Battery life could be better

RCA DRC8052N DVD Recorder

• Record from multiple sources
• HDMI w/HD upconversion
• DV-input
• DivX certified
• Interactive user interface

I wasnt really looking for a DVD Recorder until I saw this product. What I wanted was an upconverting player. After spending $2000+ on a TV, I didnt want to spend another $500+ on an HD DVD player, at least not yet. That is when I saw this on sale at $99. I have never been a fan of RCA, reading different online reviews about different products. I never considered the brand for various MP3 players and other electronics stuff I bought. But seeing this model under $100 with HDMI cable included, I figured I should give it a shot.. After all there arent many upconverting DVD players that sell at that price (add another $20 for HDMI cable at amazon, $60 anywhere else).

It is a week now since I bought the unit. Here is what I found.

The good:

+ It comes with pretty much everything you need(in fact more than what you need) to hook it up to your TV (an HDMI cable, S-video cable and a composite AV cable)

+ Upconversion is good, much better than what I get from my progressive-scan Panasonic DVD Player over Component Video cable. I cant really compare against other upconverting players, because this is the only one I've used.

+ It looks nice, definitely not as cheap as it costs

+ It records quite well in different modes. Similar to good old VCRs it has LP/EP etc that lets you record upto 4 hrs on a DVD. I just tried DVD+R, but I plan to buy a couple of DVD RWs to reuse.

+ It has a AV, s-video and DV port at the front panel (but covered)

The bad:

It takes a while to 'boot'. After you power it on, it takes some 20 seconds before it starts responding to the remote.

The menus take a while to get adjusted to, but they have a lot of features as well.

The unknown:

* I have used it only for a week, so I dont know about the reliability yet

* I havent used the DivX play back yet

Overall I think it is a great bargain (Upconverting players sell $70+, DVD recorders sell at $70+, HDMI cable costs $20+ why not pay $100 for this). The video quality is definitely better(may be not the best) than my Panasonic (480p output). Bonus is you can record DVDs too.

I will post my experience after a few weeks.

***Update

I experimented with the DivX playback as well, from CDs. It plays extremely well, the picture quality is as good as any other DivX player I have seen on display. After using (not abusing) it for about 4 months now, I think the player is quite reliable. I would recommend it, unless you have another couple hundred dollars to spend.

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Bought this in March of '07 and 5 months later it wouldn't even power on. Regardless of what some reviewers might think it was not because of my stupidity but of the poor quality of the product. Customer service is incompetent and hard to understand. The service policy is to ship it back on your own dime and hope they have it in stock to send a replacement a few weeks later. You are rolling the dice if you buy one of these.

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Bought this unit. It will not power up right out of the box. I would not suggest buying this item. I have read several other reviews stating the same thing. It appears this item has serious qaulity issues.

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I had the exact same experience as one of the spotlight reviews: Cable reception is worthless, and so is the customer service.

I couldn't get it to recognize my cable signal any better than black and white and fuzzy. If I switched it to antenna instead of cable it would recognize channels 1-13 clearly, nothing above that. There's something wrong here, because I've never had a problem with any other device.

So I tried calling customer service since there was nothing addressing the problem in the user guide or the help website. After being on hold close to an hour I boxed it up and it's going back.

There are aspects I like about it, but without the basic functionality of cable reception it's useless.

Until now Sony was the only brand I wouldn't buy because of serious quality issues. Now I have to consider adding RCA.

For those of you that like it and it works for you, splendid! For those of us that are disappointed, it's not because we don't know any better, it's because it doesn't work.

Looks like RCA continues to put out junk for honest consumers. This thing died after 3 weeks. I took it back for a refund. Before it died it wouldn't recognize discs anymore. It amazes me the level of poor electronic engineering that goes into these things. The TV tuner has mono low fidelity sound ONLY! So if you expect to hear your favorite TV show with stereo hi-fi sound, you can forget about it. I guess RCA isn't aware that all TV shows are broadcast in stereo now. The picture quality of the tuner is awful. Its so bad that I had to use my old VCR as a tuner. I connected the output jacks of the VCR to the input jacks of recorder. Even the clock is bad, you have to reset it almost everyday because it its off 10 minutes. RCA stopped making their own stuff years ago, some company in China makes all their junk. Save yourself a bunch of headaches and avoid this junk. I give it 0 stars

NowBible, The Word of Promise NKJV Now Bible, Audio Visual, MP3, PDA, Dramatized Electronic Bible

Functionally this is a great product and contains many well thought out features, but it contains many typos and mistakes in the text portion. You cannot rely on the text as correct. IT IS NOT AN ACCURATE TEXT BIBLE. I notified the manufacturer 5 months ago about the errors and they said an update that corrects the many mistakes would be available in May, 2011. It is now July, 2011 and Now Bible Customer Service has stopped responding to my email inquiries. Do not purchase this product if you want an accurate Bible!

UPDATE on May 10, 2012: I believe that Leonard Williams, who wrote a review for this product on Feb. 2, 2012, is Vice President of Sales/Marketing at the Danteck Group (mfg for the NowBible,) and is also President and General Manager at The KJV Store. For him to post a review of this product without disclosing this information is misleading. If he is in fact the same person, he will be biased and readers should take his comments with caution. Before you purchase this product do yourself a favor and look at their web site to make sure they have made necessary corrections available. NowBible's home page is While on the home page click on software updates. Leonard states an update would be available on March 1, 2012, which as of this posting is now over two months past.

It is beyond my expectations. I'm just finishing the four gospels and they really come to Life! Terrific theater of the mind! Lou Gossett Jr as John is wonderful. Superb cast! Music isn't overbearing and really adds to the mood. I walk a mile a day, and this is what I listen to. I dropped it once, no problems. Case is slippery. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that when I'm active, it's very easy to hit the cross reference button (which is a great feature.) I learned how to hold it so I don't bump that button anymore. Long battery charge, and replaceable rechargable battery! You can add a micro sd card for 8 more G's.

I've been listening to the NIV dramatized for several years, and this is a refreshing change, even more enjoyable.

I've already recommended it to a friend who wants to use it while she is crafting.

Indoors it's very easy to read the text with the audio. You can change the text size for older eyes, and can even change the red text (Jesus) for normal text color if you have problems seeing it.

This unit is very well thought out and user friendly.

The back of the unit has a not-so-bad speaker! I've used it while sharing the audio with someone.

It also has an FM transmitter, so if you have a new car-not like my old buggy-you can plug it into your radio and listen to it through your car's speakers. It doesn't have an FM reciever, but you can download podcasts to it via a computer. The manual is TINY! There is a PDF version of the manual at their website.

This is one of my favorite purchases!

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This is an absolutely brilliant product with a battery life of 8 to 10 hours approximately. However, I ended up purchasing it at an online auction site with a buy it now option that was twenty bucks less than what this seller is asking.

The dramatization really keeps my attention and draws me into the stories. It's as if you are there watching the events literally unfold before you. The music is spectacular with beautiful orchestration that is tastefully done; it doesn't overpower the voices or distract from the dramatization at all.

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After reading the former review, I was skeptical about this Bible so I wrote directly to the NowBible company. I received a speedy response. The rep was very professional, kind and thorough. He explained the situation which was not as it seemed and certainly miniscual. I purchased The Word of Promise NowBible and have listened to it for a couple hours now. I am thrilled with it! The Word IS life, but this audio Bible brings further lifealmost a 3D effect. One can tell there is true passion and anointing! I was able to search quickly for verses. The entire Bible is contained on this. I could read and listen at the same time. The voices were a joy to listen todefinitely not monotone. The soft music and other effects in the background are perfect and I could almost visualize the words coming to life, as they had long ago. I was an English Major, and I won several spelling bees growing up, so I had to wonder at the poor rating!? This is a tool of excellence! There are several enhancements on this compact audio Bible. It is quite portable and well made. Congratulations to all who labored to present this quality product!

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I am so happy with this!! the sound is awesome! I listen while I am relaxing! its wonderful I would recomend it to everyone!

Archos Vision 24b 4 GB Video MP3 Player with 2.4-Inch Screen and FM Radio (Black)

• 4GB MP3 Player; 2.4" TFT screen, 320 x 240
• Photos; Videos, FM Radio; Audio & Voice Recorder
• 14 Hrs Battery Life; 4 Hrs of Video; Extremely Thin (.35") and Light
• Supports MP3, WAV, APE, FLAC

I've been using this player sporadically for the last few months or so. Set-up was easy, and I had no issues loading music onto it. I've always been careful with it (it's never been dropped or gotten wet, or anything like that), but about a week ago it would just stop in the middle of a song. I'd turn it off and turn it back on and sometimes that would work, sometimes not. More often than not I'd get frustrated with it and leave it. Now it doesn't work at all anymore...fully charged, resetting it...nothing. This is disappointing since it was a pretty decent MP3 player. Unfortunately I cannot recommend a product that dies after light use for only a few months.

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I bought this product for my son. When we received it, it worked fine. He began loading songs on it and using it right away. In less than two weeks, it stopped working and now collects dust on my son's dresser. I'm not sure if it died because of poor quality or rough handling by my son, but it seems like it should have held up better...

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Purchased this with the hopes of being able to use it for some video to show others, but I can't get anything to play on it other than what it came with. Works fine as an .MP3 player and the radio works well if you have it in the right spot. The photo's look great so that's definitely a plus and I've never used the recorder. Other than that, for the price, its a decent player, but nothing to write home about.

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If you are looking for a button-based music player that is larger than most other music players and you are comfortable with having just 4GB of storage without a memory card slot, then keep on reading...

This review is a series of notes I took while using this device over a few weeks.

Unboxing

========

This arrives in shrink-wrap which is irritating. Does nobody at the manufacturing facility realize that people will have to open the package after they buy it? Or is it a "not my problem" mentality? :) This is not just Archos, the Sandisk Clip+ has irritating shrink-wrap as well.

Inside the shrink-wrap, there is the device itself sitting between two layers of the see-through material. Also inside the box is a color Archos-branded cardboard box that contains the headphones, USB cable and instructions. The headphones and the USB cable each come in a resealable bag. The instructions come in four languages (English, Spanish, French, German). Each side of the folded instructions is one language. The box also includes warranty information in English and French, and a promotion for free emusic. I did not use the headphones that came with it.

There is no software included. The instructions recommend using Windows Explorer or Windows Media Player to load music and videos on the device.

It has two slots, one for headphones and one for USB. It does not take memory cards! It does not have built-in speakers. It does not have a touchscreen.

Charging

========

Connecting the device to a computer shows the Archos as a drive in Windows Explorer. Out of the box, it includes a few sample songs, sample pictures and a sample video and a sample text file. It shows 3.38GB free out of 3.57GB.

Windows 7 can't figure out what the battery charge level is. Or at least I can't figure out how to find it :) Also, Windows 7 sees it as "ROCK MP3", not Archos.

The battery life on the device is three bars. Most of the time I had the volume at half or below, and battery life seemed reasonable.

Using It!

==========

It plays mp3, wma (drm-free), wav, ogg, flac. It does not play Apple's .m4a (drm-free) files. I did not try APE files. You can play with lyrics scrolling on the screen as long as you have the lyrics files. A quick tip if you are going to play lyrics: you have to turn off the time-out feature, because the screen blanks out it is rather pointless to show lyrics if you are not going to see them :)

I transferred most of the stuff I put on this with Windows Explorer and Windows Media Player.

It does play WMA protected files from Overdrive, as long as you transfer them using Windows Media Player (it does not work with Windows Explorer). I tried this with four different WMA music files. Please keep in mind that Overdrive albums are delivered as one file, so when you play them on the Archos you don't see individual songs. Just one long file.

I do not have an active music subscription service so I don't know if it can play Rhapsody and such.

Audible not supported, Amazon Unbox video not supported (I tried both and they didn't work)

Music quality was pretty much as expected considering the price-range. But I am not an audiophile so I am not picky.

You can record live FM radio, but there is no timer-recording feature, so you have to manually start recording when your program starts. I do not listen to FM radio, so I can't help much there.

I did not find an online user manual. the included starter guide is available online at the Archos website as a PDF, but it is not a complete/detailed user guide. Having said that, if you are used to devices with buttons, this is fairly easy to figure it out.

When researching around on the internets, be sure to check the exact model number, this is the 24b, there is a 24c as well.

If you are into podcasts and audiobooks, bad news, there is no bookmarking. However there is a workaround if you turn the device off while listening to the podcast, and then when you restart it you press resume, it remembers the position. If you play any other track in-between, it will forget its position! If you are a serial and disciplined podcast/audiobook listener this could work out.

The menu and user interface is fairly straight-forward once you get the hang of it. Not perfect, but definitely serviceable if you are used to button-based gadgets.

The key button is the "m" menu button. It is context-sensitive, so it performs different functions depending on where you are in the menus.

To turn it on or off, you have to press and hold the middle button. Compared to the other devices I am using, the Archos needs about 1-2 seconds of longer press-and-hold. This may be good in preventing accidental turn on/off.

When looking at the list of songs/artists/albums, press and hold the left or right arrow to scroll faster than click-by-click.

One of my pet peeves is for rolling menus and the menu rolls to the top when you reach the bottom and vice versa. This is a plus when navigating. It does not have a letter-by-letter or letter grouping navigation.

You can multi-task while playing music; eg look at pictures, check the calendar, browse files, adjust settings. However, when you adjust settings, pressing the + and buttons increases/decreases the volume as well.

I did not use the video feature as the small screen and low resolution is not really suited for video watching. But that's just me, some people may be fine with 320x240 videos.

Size-wise this is about 1-inch shorter and 1/2-inch less wide than the 4th generation iPod Touch. The Archos is about 1-inch taller than the Sandisk Fuze (with the click-wheel) and about the same width. However the Fuze is decidedly heavier.

Comparing to other mp3 players

==============================

Of the mp3 players I have used, the Sandisk Clip+ and Fuze (click wheel) are currently the better value for money. Compared to them, the main strengths of this Archos are its bigger physical size, bigger usable screen space, and its bigger buttons.

Music lover that I am, I'm the last of my tribe to get an MP3 device. I was (am) almost entirely ignorant of such devices, and had a few frustrating attempts to copy music into the Archos that made me want to pitch it out the nearest window. After finally figuring out how to prevent the device from automatically downloading all of my music files and put in only the ones I desired, I must admit to being rather blown away by the handy-dandiness the Archos provides and, as several others have mentioned, the versatility this lightweight little machine offers. I have not yet used the video features other than to download photographs which come out looking great far better looking than on my phone. I'm looking forward to getting to know this much better!

Polaroid PRDVDPR100S DVD+R 4.7GB 120-Minute 16x Recordable DVD Disc, 100-Pack Spindle

Excellent Product and Very Fast Shipping, Only problem with it is that the plastic packaging was torn up, and the dvd's were not all together.. About 1/4 of the dvd's were in the box.. I'd still purchase them anyway... No big deal, just a warning

I've had some problems with about 5 of these discs already and I've tried them on two separate burners. The product arrived on time and was secure and I can't detect any scratches on them but on the 5 discs that I'm referring to the video plays back in a chugging fashion and there is nothing wrong with the source files. I tried a different brand on two of those same files burned on the Polaroid brand and there were no problems. Sorry , but this is my first and last batch of Polaroid DVD's.

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Have used Polaroid in the past. Good product just be careful removing from box.

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I've never had worse. About a third of these are defective. I thought it might be my PC so I tried the ones that didn't work with my PC on 4 other PCs and they failed on all. I've used many different brands and these are by far the worst. Save your money and go with a different brand.

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It has been noted many times before and I will reiterate it again. The packaging is horrible and amateurish. I ordered a DVD with this product and it arrived with no bubble wrap and in the same huge box (2x bigger than the product). It is a miracle that the DVD was not smashed by the product. The shrink wrapping of the product was unraveling as I removed it from the box. I took pics of it but there is no way (that I see) to include them in this review (Hint for Amazon). To be clear though,. the actual blanks discs have not yet failed in defiance of the crude packing (another miracle).

The packaging is the only reason I did not give this product a 5 and the Product is the only reason I gave it a 4.

I will not buy any more blank discs from Amazon due strictly to the way they are packaged. I was lucky this time.

Honeywell NSEKI Nstar Intl Expansion Kit W/o Re - Free Ground!!

The hardware is well made but getting the software set up and running is a nightmare. Tech support is only available to licensed dealers. A software key is necessary to be able to fully access the software and it too is only available through a licensed dealer. The software is only compatible with certain PC operating systems. The older software versions only work well with either Windows 2000 or XP. I got it running under 32 bit Vista, but it stopped working after about a year when one of the Windows updates was loaded. Honeywell claims to have upgraded the software to run under some versions of Vista and Windows 7, but I have no experience with it. Ultimately I revived an old Windows 98 computer and upgraded it to Windows 2000 and use it as a dedicated PC for access control.

Each panel will operate two doors. Panels can be daisy-chained together to add more doors.

Once the software is running it is easy to use. The PC does not need to be running for the system to work for up to about 900 cards. The PC is only needed to add or deactivate cards or to monitor use activity. If you need more than 900 cards the PC must be left running so the control panel can query the database when it can't find a card in it's memory.

Time limits can be placed on each users card so it will stop working on a certain date. Time zones can be set up so a users card will only operate on specific days or times. This would be useful if you only wanted employees cards to operate during the day and be restricted at night or weekends. Time zones can also be set up to unlock a door during business hours and lock it at night.

This is a great entry-level access control system once you get through the headache of setting it up.

HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition Laptop, 2nd Gen Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cac

HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition Laptop, 2nd Gen Intel(R) Quad Core(TM) i7-2630QM (2.0 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)

I purchased this Laptop (HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition Laptop) on 8/31/2011, This Laptop was not in original packaging box [should be packed in manufacture ( HP) box], so there is no manufacture information on the box about the Laptop.

Once the any item out of Manufacturer packaging and put into another box, that item should not be treated as new item and it should come under used item category.

I try to return this product and I am getting these time wasting emails from seller (L J Distributor) and no help at all from Amazon.com.

I purchase lots of product from Amozon.com for home and at my work place. I am really annoyed because Amazon .com does not want to take any responsibly here, I have decided not to purchase any item from Amozon.com because of this dodgy deal.

This is an excellent product. It is very stable. I have used many laptops over last several years, including toshiba, Acer, Asus. This computer is not only stable, but also fast, and without many junks built in like Toshiba. I bought a Toshiba Satellite, also with i7 process 11 months ago, it is extremely unstable and full of junk built in from Toshiba.

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Magnavox ZV427MG9 DVD Recorder/VCR Combo, HDMI 1080p Up-Conversion, No Tuner

I just got this refurb model a few days ago and could not be happier. First, I like refurb units because it means someone had a problem with the unit when new, that now has been resolved. The one I got looks like a factory new model. The one touch dubbing is exactly what I was looking for. I have a lot of old home movies, TV shows, etc... on VHS. I pop in the tape, pop in the DVD ( I use DVD RW but this unit does R+ and Ras well)hit the dubbing button and come back in a few hours. The DVD copy actually looks cleaner than the VHS original. The DVD RW plays in every DVD player I've tried. I think the compatability problems others have talked about is because they didn't finalize the disc. With the DVD RW you don't have to finalize, with other formats you do. I got this unit for under $70 including shipping. The exact unit at a nearby store sells for $149. This is a solid machine that performs just as stated. I think you'll be happy with it.

I, like most people, have always been skeptical of "remanufactured" products. However, this one is definitely worth the price (and then some).

I was in need of another combo unit when the one I had died and I hadn't transferred all tapes to DVD. I didn't really want to spend that much for a unit, but the "remanufactured" option was within the budget.

I have to say that this was money well spent. Not only to do you get a quality 4-head VHS player/recorder, but you also get a stunningly-versatile DVD player/burner. With 6 months of life left in my old combo unit, the VHS tapes played back with lines through the screen; hardly a quality you want when transferring tapes to DVD. Some of the tapes weren't even played that much, and sure "tape" over time will continue to degrade, but you should still get a decent picture from a tape in good condition. The 4-head VHS player brought the quality of the tape back to life.

Perhaps the best feature I'm crazed about is the DVD chapter editing feature. Of course when you record a program, chapters will automatically be added per your selected setting options (every 5...10...15min) from the menu; however, prior to finalizing your disc, you can review the chapter markers and edit them as you choose (add, move to new location or remove completely); something my old unit didn't do.

Finally, when I purchased this item, shipping was slated for at least 5-7 business days since it was coming from a third-party distributor. I ordered it on 1/25, it was shipped on 1/26 and I received it on 1/27 -SWEET!! The shipping time enabled me to receive the unit, set it up, review the features and had me recording and dubbing by the weekend.

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UPDATE: SINCE I WROTE THIS REVIEW THE ITEM DESCRIPTION INCLUDING THE MANUFACTURER HAS CHANGED AND THE refurbished MODEL ATTACHED TO THIS REVIEW DOES NOT HAVE A TUNER ON IT. A refurbished VCR DVDr combo with a tuner that appears to be the newer version of my model (which is still working great a year later) can be found here : Magnavox ZV457MG9 Dual Deck DVD/VCR Recorder

I bought this after returning a similarly-priced tunerless player-only combo product made by Samsung. That one would only output VHS over the composite line. No component. No HDMI. Apparently some upscaling or signal processing is involved in making the VHS play over those outputs, but the Magnavox outputs VHS over all three types of cables. I don't need to use two inputs on my tv, and I don't need to find my tv remote to switch inputs if I want to watch a tape.

Picture quality is excellent for dvd, VHS, and the cable-box signal I'm running through the player. The VHS picture is not as good as dvd, but I didn't expect it to be. It's still a high quality four head VCR/VHS player that looks tons better than my now dead one from 2001.

I tested the recording functions, which I don't generally use, and they work great, even with cheap dvds. Set-up was easy, and I didn't have any trouble figuring out the remote.

The long and short of it is that I was able to replace my dead vcr at a reasonable price with something that suits my current needs and home entertainment configuration.

Please note that I ordered this model refurbished. The manual that came with it indicates that it is a class A. I recommend that you contact the seller to make sure that you're going to get the A model.

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If you want to copy your tape to DVD and to use this DVD in other units, I sincerely suggest you not to buy this product. I have 3 DVD players at home: Panasonic, Element Electronics and Curtis, I cannot play any DVD I copied from this machine in these 3 units.

I followed the instruction P.27 using Sony and TDK DVD+R, P41-42 dubbing Process and P.44-45 Finalizing a Disc, but it did not work. After 6 times try and error, called customer service 3 times, they finally told me "We cannot guarantee the disk you copied can be used in other units."

I would definitely not recommend this product.

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Superb unit. Works as advertised. I have found everything... via the manual. How to "finalize" DVD's (as someone else complained about)... and just yesterday, how to change the format of the outgoing picture (4:3 vs 16:9).

As my wife says, it helps to have an engineering degree... but really, one only needs to read the manual (RTFM). It's all there.

I am VERY HAPPY w/ this purchase. One of the best values for us in the last several years. Love the HDMI output to our newer Digital TV.

PS Very Quick Shipment by the vendor, too!

Pure Digital PSV-351 30 Minute Point-and-Shoot Camcorder

Any less-than-5-star reviews of this camcorder that were written during Summer 2006 simply miss the point of the device. The Pure Digital Point and Shoot camcorder is one of the most easy-to-use electronic devices I have ever used. With only 6 buttons (on/off, play, delete, zoom in/out, backward/forward, and stop/pause) one is able to digitally record and save events with the greatest of ease. Very little instructional material is packaged with this device because it is simply not needed. Coming complete with batteries, I was able to start recording immediately out-of-the-box. For the price and convenience currently only $130 and virtually no setup time for recording spontaneous events the Point and Shoot camcorder simply cannot be beat. There are two drawbacks to this device: memory and image quality. With only 512MB of unexpandable memory, the device only stores 30 minutes of footage. However, downloading footage to your PC or laptop is incredibly easy as the device has a built-in USB port that connects directly with no additional cabling needed. After downloading footage to computer, the memory can be cleared from the device and recording can resume. Image quality is decent but not great. If capturing life events on a budget is all that is needed, you will not regret purchasing this camcorder. Please be aware that according to a recent Wall Street Journal review, Pure Digital has licensed its technology to other firms, which are expected to release similar products with greater quality and features in the future in my opinion it is probable that such products might be introduced to the marketplace as soon as Christmas 2006. If you cannot wait, however, $130 is a small price to pay to be an early adopter of such technology.

This is a nifty little unit that functions exactly as billed. It might be considered a "fast food" version of a camcorder. The video quality is acceptable -MPEG4 resolution which is roughly equivalent to VHS. But where it shines is the simple user interface. If you want to capture a moment quickly, you can be shooting within 20 seconds. And you can email a brief 20 second clip in 90 seconds after shooting it (assuming your computer is in the same room!). The controls are simple, with nothing to set, and it's much simpler than trying to shoot video with your digital still camera. You can use Nero 6.6 or 7 to burn your videos to a DVD or a VCD. The zoom lens is digital, not optical, so there is a noticeable decrease in quality when you use it. And the little built in microphone doesn't have much range. But given the price, this gizmo can't be beat. I loved mine so much, I bought 2 more as birthday gifts for friends.

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If you need something simple to record life's daily events, this is what you have been looking for. Very easy to use, bright colors, outstanding audio. You can take the camera into an "authorized reseller" and have your full memory transferred to a DVD (for a price, of course) or you can save your videos directly to your computer. There is 512 megabytes of built in memory, so you can do the math as to how many 30 minute videos you can save. Of course, you can also burn your own DVD's then remove the saved videos from your computer.

I had some big problems trying to dump the video off the camera onto my HP laptop. The built in software created error messages, and couldn't load onto the computer. The camera would turn off in the middle of transferring the video (after I FINALLY got the software loaded). I never did get the laptop to accept the camera. I emailed the company and, as of this writing four days later, never got a response. I solved my own problem by trying the camera with my desktop PC and everything went perfectly.

The software is very easy to use and transfers are quick. When you finish, you can easily delete the video(s) off the camera.

Battery life seems to be okay. I haven't used up the orginal set, but I haven't shot that much video yet (although I spent a LOT of time trying to get the camera to play nice with my laptop).

Bottom line: if you buy the camera you will like it; if you have troubles, don't expect any help from PureDigital!

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I always felt that Pure Digital would make a permanent camcorder like the single-use camcorder that they supply to CVS and Rite-Aid, selling for $29.95. So don't buy the single-use camcorder version because you won't get the camcorder back. The single-use one has only 20 minutes recording time. Buy this camcorder for $98.00 and it will pay for itself. Considering the low price, this little camcorder is an excellent buy!

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The Pure Digital Point and Shoot digital camcorder is the easiest camera I've used since the old days of Kodak box cameras. Results are excellent and the camera is virtually foolproof. Even my wife, who is technologically challenged, has made excellent vidoes with this compact jewel. We are looking forward to using it on an Alaska cruise in September. The only drawback, so far, is the warning not to use rechargeable batteries. It seems the same AA batteries I use in my digital still camera should function just as well in this camcorder. I would also like to be able to insert a larger capacity chip for more than 30 minutes recording time.

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CIB CUC8795 600TVL Outdoor CCD Bullet Infrared Day Night Security Camera w/ S...

The product description states that this camera has a 6 mm lens. In fact, it is 3.6 mm, i.e., a much wider angle. This is a problem in that you have to mount the camera much closer to the subject to see adequate detail, as for facial recognition, which may not always be possible. For longer range view, look for at least a 6 mm lens or get one with a zoom.

very satisfied with the performance of this camera as I have searched many times to find out which one is good quality with good price , after I received this camera , I dont believe how they are clearer than my others camera that I bought double the price , day time object look excellence , night time real good enough to see object with in 20ft , I would recommend this item to anyone who is in search of quality with fair priceUSA Security Store -CCTV High Resolution CCD 600TVL High Resolution Indoor/Outdoor Vandal Bullet Color Security Camera Infrared Day Night Vision with Sony Super HAD CCD Image Sensor

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Easy to install, the view is very good. Wide angle viewing. My other cameras only show small areas low quality. This one shows a larger area and much clearer.

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this camera is a great camera it show a great picture from about a good 60 to 70 feet away it very easy to install .

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I don't like it because is not night vision capable. You can not see anything on the dark with this even with you back up lights on. Picture quality is terrible -very blurry/fuzzy. I won't buy USA Security Store products again.

Hitachi DZ-GX3100A 1.3MP DVD Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom

I've had this camera for a while now. I am very pleased with the dvd's. I have recorded in 'fine' and the dvd's are nice and clear. I recorded Christmas in 'standard' and it gave me twice the time. Looks good on the monitor, but haven't finalized it yet and viewed it on the tv. Looking forward to that. I haven't used the still photography and probably won't. We have a still digital that takes great pictures (Canon). I am very pleased with this camera. There were no reviews when I ordered and was weary about it. Happy now though. Great price on Amazon too.

VideoSecu Home Video Surveillance 700TVL CCTV Body Box Security Camera Built-in 1/3" Sony Effio CCD

This camera was inexpensive. The quality of the image that it produces is not great. I guess that you get what you pay for. Color is "off" and I get color "blooms" at the edges of objects. Marginally acceptable for what I needed so I did not return it. If I needed two, I would not buy another one of these.

This is a great camera for the money. It has a good picture and I was astonished at it's low light capability. The only complaint I have after about 1 month's use is that the information and directions included with the camera are VERY lacking. The only thing included tells how to adjust the varifocal lense and even then it is a poor desription and apparently poorly translated from another language (grammar). Even though there are 6 switches & 1 rotating level adjustment on the back of the camera there are no directions for any of that whatsoever. Perhaps they think a pro installer don't need them but for a camera of this price there would probably be many amateur installers buying them. There is also a tiny allen wrench included with the camera and I found "a place" on the camera to use it but I have no idea what it does! Lack of information is why I only gave this camera 4 stars instead of 5 but otherwise I highly recommend.

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This camera is a very good deal for the price. Before you can use it, you have to focus the lens. The picture image is as good as you focus it. The night vision capacity of this camera is good, you can see clearly with street lights present. The mounts are very stable and strong being made out of steel. I can't really find anything bad about this product.

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I had reciveed half year ago.I want to recommand it.I used it out door security .In night under street light ,it still clear view.I'm happy with this deal .I came back shop for another camera.

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Toshiba SD-P1800 Portable 8 Inch DVD Player

I have the newer SD-P1850 model which is very similar if not identical to this one. I can recommend this DVD player after doing a lot of research and also trying out a few others. My opinion is that the 3 best brands of portable DVD players are Toshiba, Phillips and Sony.

But I eliminated Sony because Sony is more expensive and does not include a fast forward button built in. In order to fast forward on the Sony models, you have to use the remote control which is sort of a dumb design.

While Phillips brand has better LCD video quality than Toshiba, and seems better built, the Toshiba has much more functionality. I chose Toshiba because:

-it has AV in (as well as out) so you can plug in a digital camera to display your photos or a video game system to play games. Phillips does not.

-the battery connects to the back and still allows you to set the player down flat on a table. The Phillips, oddly, makes the player rest at an angle when you attach the battery.

-Battery life. Toshiba is rated 4 hours, Phillips is rated 2.5 hours.

-Resume function: if you stop a movie, you can resume where you left off. The Phillips lacks this basic and useful function.

The Toshiba seems solidly designed and came very well packaged. It can read homemade DVD-Rs too, which not all players can do (Phillips can). For the 8" size of the screen, it seems nice and compact unlike the equivalent Phillips, which seems a lot bulkier.

I would recommend this player, it seems to have all the features I want, yet is compact and seems sturdy.

I purchased this player as an upgrade to a 6.5" generic Shinsonic player that had faithfully served me for 2 years. Upon receipt of the player, I discovered that the two players were extremely similar, from button placement, hardware design, built-in firmware, and even on-screen display logos.

The player works well. Its disc load times seem to be on average with other players. The player is a bit noisy upon loading, but seems to calm down a bit once the movie gets started, which seems to be an issue that plagues most players. The sound quality of the player is good, and the presence of dual headphone jacks make it ideal for young siblings who like to watch simultaneously. Video quality is sharp, but Caucasian skin tones are far too pink. There are times when the strange skin hues aren't very noticeable; other times, it is downright annoying.

The hardware works well under movement. Movie playback in a car or on the go is very stable. I did have one instance where several discs consecutively failed to load. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the laser mechanism had somehow become jammed into the housing. A careful tug loosened the mechanism and the player has worked fine ever since.

Overall, the player is of good quality build and performs its task well. My only mark against it is the strange hue of Caucasian flesh tones.

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We just returned from Disney, having flown 2.5 hours each way with a 3 yr old and a 6 yr old. The portable DVD was a life-saver, particularly for my little one. Not only is the picture incredible, the battery held its charge for at least 4 hours! Our Panasonic doesn't come close to the quality of this unit! A must have easy to use as well.

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It's excellent quality portable DVD player on top of others in the market. It give you bright and beautiful color at great size of screen. You will attract a lot of people's eyss while you're playing.

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I've used this DVD player about 4 times and I'm already having problems. The DVDs just stop for no reason. Also, I wish I knew the battery pack stuck out the back of the player opposed to fitting directly underneath. Also, if you purchase any DVD player for travel I highly recommend a carrying case! The players are very fragile.

Olympus VN-702PC Voice Recorder

I have purchased over 20 of these for field recordings. All 20 have worked right out of the packaging with no problems.

I love that these will record directly to MP3 so they are Mac friendly.

Battery life (AAA) on these is quite good.

Recording quality is great for what it is designed for. If you are looking for awesome quality use the Olympus LS-7 Linear PCM Voice Recorder (142670) but for everyday recording use, this is a great option.

What is it designed for? Classroom use, office use, dictation, and portability usage.

What is it not designed for? Professional recording.

***** UPDATE SEPTEMBER 3, 2012 *****

I have now purchased over 45 of these units. I have not had any failures in any of the units. We have used them with people of all levels of technological abilities and all have picked up quickly. Great little recorder for voice recording.

I have used this recorder a few times, outside and in. Several research partners have used it as well. Regardless of the setting or voice tone, the recorder works remarkably well. Whether in labs or outside near heavily used doors, the quality of the recording is great. Better than I ever could have expected. Set-up and of the manner features is a breeze.

Buy Olympus VN-702PC Voice Recorder Now

(If you think this review is too long, you can stop reading at any time. Thank you.)

Update 111212: I originally wrote that this was a 5 star product but I gave it 4 because I was being an Ergonomic Purist. However, after living with the unit for a while now, I'm going to say this is only a 4 star product. I'm just not comfortable trusting this unit. (See next update, below.) If you need absolute reliability, look elsewhere. If you don't need 100% reliability, this unit is fine. Based on my experience with my old Sony recorders, I believe the Sony Digital Flash Voice Recorder (ICD-PX312) is the safer choice. IIRC, it was an Amazon top choice for a while. (And the price reflects that.)

Update 111212: Since Capt'n Dave (is that the Capt'n Dave from Arizona FlyWays? Miss your articles) was so kind to leave a nice comment, I felt I'd better update with this: Had a strange aberration a week ago. I was listening to a recording I had made and for a few seconds into the playback the sound slowed down as if real tape had stretched across the playback head! Really weird.

Also, another time, the battery indicator was showing two bars, but the unit beeped "Low Battery" on me and shut off. That could be a manifestation of using NiMH batteries. (The unit's battery indicator is calibrated for alkaline batteries.) So if you use NiMH batteries, learn to swap out batteries at two bars.

And the internal clock is slow. Or at least I think it is. Whenever I change the batteries, I always have to bring the time up a few hours. Whereas I don't have to do that with the Sony ICD-PX720 Digital Voice Recorder with PC Link. (Even my old Palm Pilot doesn't need to be reset when I change batteries.) A bad time stamp could ruin a case for you if you were in Law Enforcement or similar.

Update 081312: The only potential major flaw is this: It's been reported by YupYup007 with a similar Olympus product, the Olympus 142665 DM-620 SLV Voice Recorder that, if the batteries quit while you're recording, you lose that entire recording. (The DM-620 is a so-called "linear" recorder which can record in PCM format.) That happened to me once with this recorder too. I lost a one hour phone call when the unit started beeping at me while recording and the batteries quit quickly after that. But, after more testing, I haven't been able to duplicate that failure. (I have a hypothesis about that, below.)

Another reviewer found a FAQ on Olympus' website that says you should only lose the last 5 minutes max of any recording when the batteries quit while recording. (I'd supply a link, but Amazon doesn't seem to like that. So drill your way on olympusamerica to Home > Support > VN-702PC > Frequently Asked Questions.)

The FAQ says:

"Q: The batteries ran out while I was recording and now I can't find or play the file. Why?

"A: When a recording session begins, a file is created to contain the incoming audio content. This file remains open throughout the session until the recording is manually stopped. If the recorder lasts longer than five minutes, the recorder will save the audio content at five-minute intervals.

"If the batteries run out during a recording session, only the portion of the recording that has been saved will be available for retrieval. For example, if a recording session is interrupted by power loss at the 37th minute, the audio file of the recording will contain only the first 35 minutes worth of content. The remaining two minutes worth of content is not available because it was never saved to the file. In the case of recordings that are shorter than five minutes, the entire recording will be lost because the file is not able to close due to the lack of power.

"It is crucial to change the battery once the battery indicator shows only one hash mark of power remaining. Removing the batteries while the recorder is in use may also corrupt a file."

Curiously, this important fact is not mentioned anywhere in the manual!

I let the batteries run down a second time while recording, this time on purpose and didn't lose my recording. When I lost my first recording, I was recording in WMA high quality format. Whereas, the second time the batteries quit, I was recording in MP3 at the lowest bit rate. (MP3 files can be split by this recorder. WMA cannot. As you'll read below, the difference between MP3 and WMA might have something to do with lost recordings.) The FAQ doesn't distinguish between losing a recording in WMA or MP3 format, and again, the manual is silent about it.

When the batteries quit, you get one series of 3 quick beeps, and the display says "Low Battery." The unit stops recording when you get that warning. When I did this recording in MP3, 48Kbps, all 16 hours of that instant recording in MP3 were preserved.

Strangely, when I let the batteries recover a bit and recorded some more, the recorder ran for 3 minutes before quitting. But the 3 minute recording, which was less than the 5 minutes stated in the FAQ, was saved, intact. So I'm wondering if the low bit rate makes a difference in what is lost and what is not?

If there is a flaw with losing recordings, it could be very serious. To put this in perspective, you could lose an entire day of recording if, like me, you start your unit in the morning to record whatever might come you way that day. My experience with SONY recorders (below) is they don't lose entire recordings when the batteries quit. (Hey, Olympus. If you know the batteries are going to quit and you know you can't record the last five minutes, how about a firmware update that causes the recorder to gracefully stop recording and save ten minutes before battery failure?)

Ignoring all the above, I'd give this unit 5 stars. The only reason I give the 702PC four stars is because I'm being a super-fussy ergonomically oriented engineer who, through this very long review, hopes to encourage Olympus to make a five star product. But this unit gives the biggest bang for the buck. And, at less that $50, the bucks are right too. [Update 8/16/12 Now down to $35! Update 7/25/12 the price has gone down ever since I bought this. (Of course!) Currently at $44 with free shipping, an even better deal!]

As background, I've been using a SONY ICD-P520 for years, now onto a Sony ICD-PX720 Digital Voice Recorder with PC Link. (Wow. I didn't pay $160 for the PX720. That's ridiculous. If you want a SONY, buy the Sony Digital Flash Voice Recorder (ICD-PX312) instead for $50. It has 2GB internal compared to the 1GB of the PX720.) And I tried an RCA VR5320R 1GB Digital Voice Recorder. Which failed. See my 2-star review there, dated July 7, 2012.

I'm going to start by comparing this new Olympus to the SONY PX720. Which is not the best comparison, since other customers buy the newer SONY PX312 after seeing this item.

Both units are about the same size and weight, with the Olympus just a little wider than the SONY. The display on the Olympus is wider too, mostly because their bezel is slimmer than the SONY, giving the screen more real estate.

As far as purely mechanical performance goes, the microphone and the speaker on the SONY are better. In a sample test of one (admittedly not definitive), the mic on the SONY is slightly more sensitive, but you won't notice. Frankly, they probably all use the same electret mic. Could just be Noise Figure variance between devices.

Both have only one mic. One interesting feature of the RCA unit was two mics (not stereo) that could be set phased so they made a strong directional mic. [Update: Since writing this review, Amazon has updated the page to show a chart of other Olympus recorders. The WS-801 and up offer two (phased?) microphones.]

But the speaker output on the SONY is much better. Louder and less distortion at full volume. More bass too. The speaker in the SONY is physically bigger than in the Olympus, which probably makes the difference. [Update: Look at the really tiny speakers on the WS-801 and up. And those units only use one AAA battery, which means less voltage (power) for the speaker. You'll see people complain about the weak audio output in reviews of those units.]

I like the "transport" buttons (Record, Play, etc.) on the newer SONY better than on the Olympus. That's not to say the menus are better on the SONY. They aren't. But as far as hitting "Rec," "Play," and FF and REW, which are the buttons you'll be pressing most on a recorder, the SONY wins.

There's one more thing I really like about the SONY's that Olympus doesn't have. (I read in a review that it used to.) And that's the ability to "preview" audio while you're fast forwarding or rewinding. It's hard to describe what this feature is like maybe it's like "scrubbing" with audio editing programs. But SONY figured out a way to give you a usable sample of audio while your Fast Forwarding where you can actually tell what's going on. It's like flipping through TV channels at the speed of light with the remote (a guy thing) but still being able to tell what's on TV.

So, with the SONY, if you're having a conversation with someone, and they start shouting, and you want to get to that particular point in a day of recording, say to play for the cops, you can FF until you hear shouting. (FF is adaptive in both the SONY and Olympus, in that it starts out slow and then speeds up as it Forwards. The RCA didn't do that.) Whereas, with the Olympus, you have to know about how long it was into your conversation when the shouting started. (Unless you were smart enough to index the recording when the shouting started. Which, if you're recording clandestinely (check your state's law), you're not going to do.) I will really miss this ability on the Olympus. The Olympus makes up a little for it in that you can increase the speed of playback up to 2x on the fly and set how much the FF button "skips" forward.

Neither the SONY or the Olympus give you a real time display of the real time of a recording. That is, they both know the date and time internally, and they both display the date and time you started a recording, but neither display the "real time" as you play back your recording. So, for example, if you start recording at 8 am, and, at the end of the day, you want to review something from noon, you have to know to FF to 4 hours into your recording to get to noon instead of watching a display that counts to 12 noon. Silly engineers are thinking like computer geeks (showing file time stamps), not users. (It's easy to give the time stamp from a file. A little harder to make a dynamic display.)

Now, focusing on the Olympus, I'll interweave good and bad as I go along.

First, the manual. It comes with a "Basic Manual," which is enough to get you started. If you read the first sentence in the Introduction, they tell you there's an "On-line" manual in the recorder.(It's in one of the folders when you plug the recorder into your computer's USB port.) But who reads the manual?

Well, I do. But I skipped over that sentence because it was in the usual legalese disclaimers in the Introduction. I skipped to "Operation." Then it occurred to me I hadn't seen anything about "scene" or "calendar" (one of the micro-buttons). And that got me thinking there must be an advanced manual somewhere and that's how I finally found it.

You can also find the full manual on the web, although Olympus doesn't tell you where. [Another reviewer said the manual in the recorder wasn't the latest as the online. But I just checked both are stamped APR1112 on their last page for my unit.]

Also, surprisingly for Olympus, the manual isn't quite fluent English. For example, "The resume function remembers the stop position before the power is turned off." I'm not sure if they mean that the recorder gracefully goes into the Stop mode if you turned the power off while recording. Which you might do. By accident. (Which I'll get to later.) Or maybe they're trying to say you can be playing a two hour recording, power the unit off, and it will remember where you stopped listening when you power back up. Which it does. But I've not been able to find anything called a "resume function" in a menu. (UPDATE: I've found other unclear sentences since then too.)

But this brings up a gripe an Amazonian had with the RCA recorder. What's this thing about powering a voice recorder on and off? Don't you want it "on" all the time, ready to go? It's like trying to remember to slide the safety on a gun. You'll never remember to do that when you're in a rush. (The old SONY is always on. Admittedly, the batteries may not last as long as they could. But we're taking 30 days in standby on the SONY. [Update: The newer SONY PX312 also has a power off switch!) I don't know how long the batteries last with the Olympus just sitting around in standby.

The manual says it's okay to eject the SD card as long as the unit is Stopped. (As opposed to "Off.") So I don't understand the need for "Off." If you're not going to use the unit for a long time, best to take the batteries out so they don't leak anyway. (BTW, on the newer SONY's, if you swap out batteries within a minute or so, you don't have to reset the internal clock. But with the Olympus, you have to mildly update the time.)

The Olympus goes through a very brief boot, like a digital camera. So I guess it really goes on and off. And that brings up my first ergonomic problem.

The power switch is part of the Hold switch.

Now, when you're recording all day, you don't want to bump a switch and have the recorder stop on you. So you slide the Hold switch up. The problem is, the Hold switch is also the On/Off switch. Middle position is on, and spring loaded down is off. But it's very easy to break out from the Hold detent and bounce down to the "Off" position. You have to hold the switch there for a half second to turn the unit off. Which is just long enough to accidentally turn the unit off when coming out of "Hold." It would be a lot better if you had to hold the switch for two or three seconds instead to turn it off. Maybe they can change this with a firmware update. (My unit is FW 1.00.)

If you leave the unit on and don't do anything with it for a while, it puts itself to sleep. That's not the same as "Off." I'll see if it turns itself off at the end of this too-long review.

The unit accepts a micro-SD card. For me, this is a big selling point. It turns out that flash memory wears out after time.

I know a brother who wore out his SONY's, using them to record his full days every day for a couple years. Even if it didn't wear out, the internal flash might fail in some funky mode. The nice thing about an SD card is that you can replace it if it starts to go bad (whereas you can't replace the internal memory on the Olympus) and you can use a data recovery program on an SD card if you need to, whereas you may not be able to recover internal memory.

When I bought this unit, Amazon did an Impulse Marketing thing and offered me a Transcend 8 GB microSDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS8GUSDHC6E card for $7. How can you go wrong?

[The Transcend has "wear leveling" built in and with 8GB over which to distribute bits, this should last a long time. A bonus of a high capacity SD card and wear leveling: I just realized today (Saturday) that I wanted to review something from Wednesday that I had already deleted. Worse, I had already made a couple day's worth of recordings since then. Nevertheless, I was able to undelete Wednesday's MP3 intact by putting the SD card in my computer and using an undelete program on it, because the SD card's wear leveling controller was writing new bits to an unused part of the card.]

So I run the Olympus using only the external memory. (FWIW, there doesn't seem to be much cache memory in the recorder. I wouldn't expect there to be much, if any, cache memory. So, if, like dummy me, you tried converting an audio file on the SD card in your recorder using the USB link, and saved the converted file back on the SD card while you're reading the SD card, you get too many collisions and the converted file won't save. Save to a folder on your computer instead. Or, pull the SD card out of the recorder and put it in a card reader for your computer instead.)

Which brings up another point. The little plastic door on the Olympus that covers the micro-SD card slot looks like it might have about 10 cycles before it fails. So I don't plan to be swapping SD cards in and out. But another advantage of having your recordings on SD is that you could pull it from the recorder and put it in your computer, if, say, you were on a trip and forgot the cute little USB converter cable that comes with the Olympus. (Assumes you have a micro-SD adapter or a micro-SD reader. This one VIVITAR 50-In-1 Card Reader VIV-RW-50has been fantastic.)

A reviewer here complains of the too short USB cable. Yes, it is very short. Frankly, I like it for traveling. For home base, I've already got a long USB cable for my desktop computer continuously plugged in, so plugging in this adapter cable is not a problem for me.

Almost done.

As far as ergonomics go, the display, when in Large font mode, is fairly understandable. Whereas the SONY is a goof. (Still, I'd like to try my hand at designing the perfect ergonomic display. I haven't seen one yet.) I just tried the small font mode the other day. It's somewhat overwhelming, redundant, uses some cryptic icons, but has one interesting feature: a VU meter. So you can get an idea of levels as you're recording. [UPDATE: Since trying small fonts, I've stayed with that display. I like it because you can tell at a glance if you're recording via the VU meter bouncing around. I have my recorder set so the RECORD LED does NOT light during record, so I need some kind of visual indicator that does not draw attention in a shirt pocket.]

There's an interesting "calendar" feature, where you can easily find voice files by day. ("Let's see... I talked to Joe last Wednesday.") Easier than trying to find it by file name, especially since Olympus' file naming scheme is simply the prefix "702" followed by a sequential number. (But if you import a file with a long file name, the Olympus displays that long name in a horizontal crawl, like many small mp3 players do.)

You'll want to put a screen protector on the LCD for scratch protection. (Transparent cellophane tape (i.e. "Scotch tape") works okay in a pinch.)

The unit records in both MP3 and WMA, which is a real plus. No proprietary software needed to connect to your PC. When you plug it in to your computer, you see the usual removable hard drives pop up with MP3 or WMA files and you can drag and drop these files as usual. Contrast to the SONY, which, even tho you can record in MP3, you have to use SONY's software to get to the voice files. (A reviewer says the PX312 doesn't need proprietary software. Just plug and play, same as the Olympus.) And again, with this Olympus, in a pinch, you can pull the SD card out, plug it into a computer, and get to your voice files that way. I presume the same is true of the PX312 when you use an SD card too.

There are a lot of subtleties choosing between MP3 and WMA. You can't divide files recorded in WMA. But WMA will let you record more on the unit. (800 hours vs. 90 at the lowest quality settings on 2 GB.) [UPDATE: There seems to be an inconsistency in the manual. Even tho you can record more in WMA at the lowest audio setting, the manual says you can record more in MP3 in a 4GB file (which is a FAT file limit.) Something doesn't make sense there.] Battery life can be longer running WMA vs. MP3 too. (72 hrs. v. 53.) I prefer MP3 for dividing. With an 8GB card, it really doesn't matter that you can record a maximum of 3268 hours of WMA (136+ days) since you can record 356 hours of MP3. (Lowest quality settings.)

Oh that "scene" stuff. As best I can tell, these are presets, as seen on some digital cameras. In this case, for example, setting the "scene" for Dragon Naturally Speaking sets the recorder up for the absolute best quality recording. I don't use the scene presets.

The unit also offers some filters to cut out low frequency mechanical noise and a filter to tailor the playback for voice. They work very well. The playback filter is internal to playback on the unit itself. That is, it does not modify the actual file you play back on your computer, which is probably how it should be.

I don't use the Variable Control Voice Actuator (VCVA) but you can set the threshold where it trips. Which is a nice feature.

My hands aren't that big, but the buttons are a bit small and this could be a problem for "fat fingers." Small digital cameras have this same problem. It takes a little dexterity to get to that all important center button in the four way menu in the middle. I think they should have raised the middle button even more than they did.

The Erase button should be on the side, away from your fingers, like it is on the SONY so you can't accidentally hit it. But even if you do, Olympus has two confirmation menus to jump through before the deed is done.

And the Index button on the bottom right shouldn't be raised at all. It's too easy to hit "Index" when all you meant to do was Fast Forward. Were I designing, I would make it so you have to double click the Index button. (Again, maybe something they can change with a firmware update.)

Indexing doesn't carry over to the hard files on your computer. So, if you want to divide a day's worth of audio, you have to do it on the recorder. I don't expect Olympus to do this, but a nice ergonomic feature would be for the unit to put a one second beep surrounded by a half second of silence on each side of an index mark in the audio so you could easily trim using a waveform editor on your computer.

My unit came with a nice sock-like carry pouch, which isn't mentioned in the description. (I'll tell Amazon about it.) But the pouch doesn't come with a neck lanyard or belt clip. I improvised. But it's kind of useless otherwise. It also came with AAA alkalines. But I'm using AAA Rechargeable Batteries 820MAH GP Pre-Charged (8-pk.)SALE !! instead.

Here we are at the end of this review, and the unit still hasn't powered itself off. If I recall, I haven't turned it off since I got and when I wake up in the morning, it's still in standby. (Confirmed. It never turns itself off unless you turn it off or take the batteries out.)

I wonder if the Olympus engineers shouldn't have a setting for Alkaline vs. NiMH batteries? The discharge rates are different, and maybe they should give the Low Battery Warning sooner with the NiMH batteries in case this is the problem with lost recordings?

Read Best Reviews of Olympus VN-702PC Voice Recorder Here

UPDATE 3/22/13: I've used this recorder now to make hundreds of audio recordings. Its batteries have gone out many times, due to so much use. Only once did I lose some of the recording, and that only a tiny part at the end. The sound clarity is good, even on the smallest file settings (like 48kbps). Am really surprised. Initial review, follows below the line.

---------------------------

UPSHOT: right now as I type, this is the lowest-priced and best Olympus recorder in Amazon if you buy it from Amazon. There are other sellers of this unit advertising via Amazon who sell the 702PC for up to twice what I just paid for it (I paid less than $50). So compare prices, here in Amazon. I would have been willing to pay up to $80-90, but why do it if you don't have to?

I fear even the Amazon-sold 702PC won't remain cheap for long; but I feel duty-bound to say all this, after seeing how my older models are selling for 3x more than I paid for them, today here onsite. I made reviews on my other recorders, the WS-110, 960PC, and 1800, here in Amazon, so you can compare. All four models are sitting on my table as I type. 'Mike' did a review after mine here. You might want to read his review, before reading mine. He brings up certain points which aren't wholly relevant to my usage, but might be important for yours. So what he says, I don't cover in this review.

MY USAGE, so you can decide whether to keep reading: I intend to use this unit primarily as a portable storage device, plus to record lectures, make memos; and especially, to do voiceovers for my 'brainouty' Youtube videos.

So: I Just got this 702PC from Amazon. It is my fourth Olympus recorder; I've been using them for years, and all of them still work -well, on 7/17/2012 the 1800 died because I left the batteries in it for too long. With these recorders, you should remove batteries if you'll not use the unit for awhile. Else the batteries can corrode the contact wires, or the long storage makes the software go crazy. You don't lose your recording if you remove the batteries, for it's all stored on a chip. You only lose the date and time, and maybe some of the other settings for the recorder. But you can't lose, the recordings.

This 702PC has special features the others -even later models -don't have.

================= PHYSICALITIES ======================

This unit feels more substantial, comfortable in the hand, versus the other models I have. It is about the thickness, width and heft of three AAA batteries (it holds 2 which ship with the unit), about the height of a CD jewel case. Big, convenient buttons. Optionally big letters on the LCD screen. Too much glare from the face plate. Contrast levels also don't seem to make any difference. Try to pick the lowest size of letters and the lowest contrast to conserve power, especially if you'll record a long lecture.

POWER ON and OFF is a slider toggle on the left side of the machine. Slide it down to turn on, and again to turn it off. Or, slide it up to HOLD and make it go into sleep mode. The screen stays on, when in sleep mode. You bring it out of sleep mode by moving the slider to the middle position. If you do nothing, it shuts down after five minutes, to conserve power.

================ COMPARISON and SALIENT FEATURES ================

This recorder differs from, say, the 710 and 700 models in a few key respects, and that's why I bought this one, rather than those:

1. This recorder has PLASTIC buttons. I got sick of the slick metal buttons on my otherwise-beloved WS-110, with which I've made hundreds of voiceovers for videos.

2. This VN 702PC recorder has a STAND. Yes, you can pop open the stand at the back of the recorder, so you don't have to hold it. So the recorder sits on the table at an angle while you talk. Hands-free. Don't bump the table. :)

3. This recorder has two EXTRA BUTTONS, one for MENU and another for SCENE/CALENDAR. Handy features! MENU makes it easier to handle the recorder options (which are arcanely named), enabling you to scroll (by + and buttons, with >> side of the wheel, as entry INTO a menu).

4. When you connect the recorder to your computer and rename the files you made, the recorder stores those files AS the date made, still; but the new name given, is retained. You can actually READ THE FILE NAMES in the recorder's calendar, now. So you're no longer stuck with folders and message numbers. Just scroll through the calendar. Also, after you've renamed files, when you scroll through your folders, each renamed FILE is at the very top of the screen! That's a big improvement. Or of course, plug the thing into your computer to see file names, just as you can do on prior USB (usually named 'PC') models, going all the way back to WS-110.

5. This recorder allows a 32GB microSD card, per the manual. The recorder's rubber SD cover is a royal pain; the attachment strap won't move out of the way. So you hold the recorder in one hand, and must use some of the fingers of your other hand to push the rubber cover out of the way, and hope that your remaining fingers can actually insert the card. So for me, that was my pinky pushing the cover away, then with the other fingers, inserting the chip.

But oh, my 16GB micro SD was a joy to insert. Trick is to insert it with the gold contacts FACING you, and INTO the slot (so you're inserting it upside down, relative to the recorder face). Happily, it only will go in that way, and it EASILY goes in that way. So if you're struggling to insert it, and it looks crooked, you've inserted it wrongly. Flip it over so you can see the gold contacts going in FIRST.

Next, and for a few seconds, the screen flashes 'please wait'; then it asks if you want to SWITCH to using the card for memory rather than the interna memory. And of course you DO, so you can just take the card out and put either the recorder's USB cable into your computer; or the card, into your SD reader (I bought the Manhattan reader, see my review here at Amazon).

And here's a bonus: the recording comes out better, and the volume is better, when you record to the SD. I was so shocked and happy. So clearly the sound quality and recording quality are affected by having that SD card. Since SD cards are so cheap (16 GB for three bucks, before shipping, $7 with shipping) -it's easy and smart to have the card in there all the time. You aren't likely to record 100,000 messages on the recorder in your lifetime; that's the card's supposed duty cycle (lifetime limit before it's likely to go bad). And fast? Even the 'class 4' I purchased was almost instantaneous, versus the typical external hard drive. Awesome stuff.

So you can stick any computer files onto it, up to 32GB or the limit of your card, if less. NOTE: I suspect this same capacity will also pertain to the 710 and 700 models, but their instructions only tell you they tested up to micro 16GB, and only from SanDisk and Toshiba. Bet you can do 32GB with them, as this 702PC allows micro 32GB max.

6. This recorder has a nice thick POUCH, too-short USB cable, and a hole at the bottom through which you can thread a WRISTSTRAP; unfortunately, you must buy the wriststrap from Olympus; they made the hook holes so small, you could only thread string through it. Their straps are not as good as one you could make from a keyring. But their strap hole is too narrow and shallow to allow keyring threading. Still, if you have an old, compartmented zipper wallet lying about, you might be able to stick the USB cord, recorder, pouch and even some microSD's into the wallet, make that your carrying case. Or, use an old leather 100s' cigarette case, like I did. Then attach a strap to that via key ring through the leather. Or, thread a key ring through the pouch loop, and attach a wriststrap (preferably the 'jelly' kind) to the keyring -the latter will eventually tear through the loop.

7. Users of the 710 and 700 model report that after a short period of disuse, the recorders won't work. I suspect that is a software problem with respect to those two types, so I opted for this VN 702PC model instead. I'll have to wait a few months to see if it also has the same problem. If you bought a 710 or 700, try removing the batteries from the unit for two weeks or more. Also, see if you can use the unit without batteries but plugged into your computer, or plugged into the adaptor mentioned in #8 below. I suspect the problem is like with Windows; sometimes you have to remove all power and wait. For these recorders, the wait might be 10+ days, for Japanese products typically have a storage backup in case of power outage which keeps operational data that long. You can't lose the recordings, but you will lose settings, if there is no power source in the unit; here, that's EXACTLY what you want to happen, NO power source. So take out the batteries, and either immediately try to use the unit from electrical power only, or don't use it at all for maybe two weeks. Then try to use it via the adaptor or computer, but still no batteries. See what happens.

8. The models in #7 offer AC usage, so you're not stuck with batteries. This is done by purchasing an A-514 AC adaptor here in Amazon, filling the unit with rechargeable AAA batteries (two); then, plug the USB cable into the unit; then plug the other end of the USB into the adaptor. You can record while hooked up to the adaptor or the computer. Not sure why the latter is of value, but you can do it. Olympus also says that the unit's rechargeable batteries will recharge while the unit is plugged into your computer. I'm testing both the adaptor and the charging via computer. Can't yet say the results.

=================== CORD and possible AC PROBLEMS ================

The 702PC's manual doesn't say you can recharge from the adaptor, or even that the A-514 works with the VN 702PC. Instead, I learned all that, from Olympus' website, prior to buying; so I purchased the adaptor here in Amazon. I'm not sure it works on this model. I plugged in the AC Adaptor after shutting the unit off. It recognized the adaptor, but keeps on flashing PLEASE WAIT. This happens whether batteries are in the recorder, or not. So if batteries are in it, do they recharge, but the recorder remains unusable? I left it plugged in overnight with AA rechargeable batteries that needed recharging. It did work the next morning. UPDATE, 8/2/12: After writing the above, I stopped using the unit, and just now turned it back on. It works. So it SEEMS to have fully charged.

I'll have to check back with Olympus to verify this, on the 702PC. They were quick to reply, before. Meanwhile, assume the 702PC, unlike later models, cannot operate solely in AC mode when plugged into the adaptor. It also seemed to recharge when I used the Belkin recharger here at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Outlet-Mount-Protector-Charger/dp/B0016IXEWG ). But it's hard to tell.

The too-short (six inch?) USB is a problem. It does work with my Acer Aspire One AOA150 netbook, but I don't want to overtax the ports when the Acer is operating on batteries. The best way to plug in these recorders, is into a separately-powered USB hub which is an adjunct to one of your external drives or your monitor, since the capacity of the thing is 34GB, with the microSD inserted. It's especially important with a netbook, not to overpower the USB ports with devices that really need their own separate power, like the big external drives now sold.

So if you're hooking up the recorder to a desktop, most desktop USB ports are too high, too low, or otherwise inconvenient; so the recorder's USB must be twisted in order to fit into the port, and/or you must prop the recorder on something, so it will lie flat. However, it will still operate if you use a USB extension cord. Mine came from Amazon; both AmazonBasics meter-long USB extender, and a Belkin six-foot USB extension, worked. Limit is 10 feet total, on passive USB extenders. Else, your transmission will become glitchy, degrade.

RE DISCONNECTION FROM COMPUTER: be sure you first obey the instructions about 'Safe Removal' (a utility on XP systems): you must remove the device first by closing whatever window you used to access it; then click on the Safe Removal utility in your notification area; then (with a great deal of confusion) find what USB port the unit is hooked up to; then select STOP in the computer's dialog box. Be sure the light is off the recorder after you select STOP -only then can you remove the device. Else, you'll maybe fry it. This is a Win98 holdover hardware rule. It might not be a problem on Win7 machines, you'll have to test it. However, I've never followed those instructions with my WS-110, which has a built-in USB dongle (doesn't need a separate USB cord). After closing the window, I just remove the recorder.

======================== RECORDING FEATURES ======================

Basically, this thing records better than it plays from within its own speaker. Clarity when played back from a computer, is sterling. I use these recorders to record lectures, and they can be inside a pocket, sitting in an open briefcase, and still record well. Test the 'scene' settings in the unit. The 'user' setting is one you can create yourself. Basically, the latter is whatever setting you currently use, when 'scene' is off.

Like other Olympus recorders (thank God they don't much change the interface), you have five folders for recording. So just select the folder with the folder/index key (it cycles from A-E, with the last folder accessed, maybe showing first); then, hit Record button. Suggest you don't record too many memos before labelling them on your PC. The renamed files WILL show up on this unit, that's one of its many advantages over older models. Still, unless you watch a movie while doing computer housekeeping, you don't want to have to listen to and rename, 20 files at a time. :) So when you record, get into the habit of FIRST saying the intended title of your recording, even if only a grocery list. That will save you time.

One of the touted features is 'index', the ability to bookmark certain moments in recording, WHILE recording. Then when you replay, you can skip to the index points. I have no use for that feature, as the fast-forward and rewind help just as much; the unit provides real-time, onscreen elapse of playback or recording, anyway. So I won't review the 'index' function.

=============== RECORDING VOICE QUALITY =======================

* On this model, the default recording setting has a lot of hiss; yet it didn't record the sound of the loud ceiling fan over my head. Default is 'rec level high', meaning high RANGE of sound pickup. So LOW means the RANGE of pickup is limited to near your face. If you put the Voice filter and 'Low Cut' filter ON -never mind trying to actually understand what they do, it's all in technical jargon and pictures, drat - those settings reduce hiss, but also reduce sound of your voice. Playback is just fine from the computer, professional quality; but sound is almost inaudible, from the recorder itself.

* Next best setting seems to be DNS. See comment to this review, the commenter says it means Dragon Naturally Speaking; which means, the unit is designed to work with DNS so it will TRANSCRIBE your voice into PRINTED CHARACTERS of your word processor. (WordPerfect version 10 has DNS.) I've not used the feature. But the DNS setting is good quality. (It's the cartoon character speaking to a sheet of paper in the Scene Selection menu; meaning, your recording 'scene' of conference room, meeting, memo, or that sheet of paper.)

* Another good 'scene' selection is MEMO (cartoon character speaking into the recorder). Hiss is removed. The 'User Setting' in 'Scene' just tells you what your settings are. To see them, when you are on 'User Setting', press the >> side of the wheel.

I've not yet tested the other 'scenes' (meeting and conference), but the above two change the TYPE of compression to WMA, rather than whatever setting you chose. I usually prefer MP3 at 192kbps for video voiceovers. This is defeated by the 'scene' selection. File size is smaller, volume is somewhat lower (but fine for PC playback), almost no hiss on the above two DNS and MEMO settings. NOTE: if you're recording for Windows Movie Maker, the wma setting is just fine, that's how WMM will compress the sound. Same is true for many video editors.

In short, the unit's own speaker isn't as good as my earlier models, but it is acceptable. Usually I just plug the unit into my PC, for playback. But if you have powered speakers (ones requiring an electrical outlet, like the Logitech computer speakers here for $10 at Amazon, see my review), you can just plug the stereo jack into the 'ear' of the player, and hear quality sound. Again, it seems the hiss problem is restricted to the speaker in the 702PC itself.

===================== PLAYBACK ============================

There are two ways to change playback speed. One is in your computer, usually a program by Creative (i.e., if you have SoundBlaster). You can set playback speed by reducing or increasing the Hz setting for the recording. Reducing it, slows playback and lowers pitch. Increasing it, increases both. This applies to any recorder, even one without PC connectivity. Simply plug a patch cord into the EAR jack, then into your computer's LINE IN jack, then play. Sound should come out your computer speakers, and you can record it using one of your computer's sound recorder programs (usually you have several within your video or DVD player software, not merely Windows' default Sound Recorder).

The second way to change playback speed, is within the recorder itself: while playing a recording, hit the OK button in the center of the wheel, and then the left > to speed it up. You hear the results right away; speed change is DISPLAYED at point 1 (.1) increments per right or left wheel adjustment. It's a nice improvement over prior models (earlier models just slow down or speed up at fewer set rates). You'll want this feature, especially if you record lectures or record while driving.

VELCRO NOTE: put about .5 inches of soft velcro on the battery door; slide DOWN the door first (it won't detach, which is a mixed blessing). Adding Velcro makes the unit a) easier to hold, less prone to slippage; and b) if you put some harsh velcro on your steering wheel where you want the unit to reside, you can thus attach the unit to the center of your steering wheel, and easily turn it on, record while driving. To do that best, before you start driving: hit the REC button, say a word, then hit REC again to pause recording. That keeps the unit ON; you merely hit the REC button again, to resume recording. Same good manners (and safety) with a cellphone, apply to recording. :)

========================= MANUALS ==========================

Oh my, there are three. The paper manual shipping with the unit covers only some of the features, and is labelled 'Basic'. Stored on the recorder in several languages, is a 'Detailed' manual. It is outdated, but useful, and is in the 'pdf' folder on the unit. Go to Olympus and download the later manual. Search on the model number 702PC to get the download. Frankly, that's the best way to shop for electronic stuff. READ THE MANUAL before you buy. Whatever's wrong will likely become apparent, from reading the manual.

Want Olympus VN-702PC Voice Recorder Discount?

This little guy is fabulous at catching my lectures! The sound is great! I have no problem listening to my recordings right after class through earphones or even through the AUX outlet in my car!

It was very easy to transfer the recording to my computer. The recorder is pretty easy to use. The index function is pretty handy to help mark important parts of your recording.

I've only used it for one day so far, but if I change my feelings about this recorder I will update my review.

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