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At this expense I would expect 4-6 years of life not 1 or so. and also to suddenly start sucking batteries dry in under an 1/2- 1 hour's usage (having always given me amazing battery life before). I'm having trouble finding a different (and more durable) one that lives up to it's high standards and will work with Vista (this is fine with Vista, I guess, since it's simple; ironically, a lot of newer ones are not). This is a phenomenal speech and song (for rough sketches) recorder w/o all the ambient and hand-movement noise problems, etc. However, it did not take all that long to start going on the fritz (I think I came close to losing 3 full folders of sketches). Most of the good ones seem to be geared toward usage with a tripod which defeats my peripatetic purposes.You won't be able to cut in halfway through a track for editing or any of that fancy stuff.My other beef is that it should have more storage space. that so many have. I had hoped to keep a couple of MP3 albums on it too, but I need all the space for recording.
From this point on the product no longer works (ever). The manual says that this error message indicates that the unit needs to be returned to OLYMPUS as it is an internal memory error.It is very light and compact, but the battery disconnects from the main unit when you use the USB port meaning that you may need to reset the date and time.Maybe you can return it when it malfunctions, but you know what a hassle it is to deal with returning anything purchased on the internet.This product is not worth the hassle. Before considering to purchase this recorder, please do a search for the model number on google: OLYMPUS WS-300M. Mine worked for abou 20 minutes and never again. I spent USD80 and it was money out the window. You will find that many many people have "memory error" malfunctions the moment they change the battery for the first time. I am sure Panasonic or Sony make less nice looking but more reliable products.Good Luck.
It was easy to put recordings on my computer, and it was Mac compatible. But every time I've used it in the last two months, it's shut off a few minutes into an interview. I bought one of these last year and loved it for the first several months. I've replaced the battery, cleared the contents, everything. But the problem keeps happening, so I'll have to replace it with another model. The sound quality was great. As a journalist, I can't afford for my digital recorder to be this finicky
If I would list one complaint it would be that it doesn't let you know when your folder IS full, and I have all ready lost entries. I liked that the file format is WMA as I have trouble converting my files and never could find an answer as to how to do it. I use it as an audio diary, so I am always alone and in a quiet place while recording. Also, because of its small size, the screen is very hard for me to see, but I do have eye problems, so that may not hold true for everyone else. When your folder is full just plug it into your computer and burn a cd.
Couldn't be easier. For how I use it, it is great. I love this little dvr. I tried the music feature also with no problems. All in all I love this little dvr and I'm very happy I bought it.
I don't know how it would be for use in a classroom or meeting, don't know the strength it has to pick up a speaker from afar. (Got it at Radio Shack, cheaper than on Amazon, which is unusual)
I hope that helps and you don't have to stare at reviews for hours at a time thinking, "Oh my God, I'm getting closer to death every hour I sit here."Caboose. PC only. I plugged it directly into my Mac and my friend with a PC strolls on over to download it to hers really fast before our next class. For Mac people, we just don't have very many options. they may be non-existent or possibly alien).
Beware of second hand deals.Having gone through all of that, I think I'm just going to get a iPod with a microphone. I think it has better sound than the WS-300M and it's not as light.Oh - this is not made out of material like an iPod nano or something - it's a light plastic. Easy.Dictation is awful. Dictation is not an option on this item.
Oops. I seriously can't listen to it because of the warped sound. If you want dictation, I also bought an Olympus DS-330, (darn forgotten Ebay bid), and that's a-whole-lot more professional. There's plenty of memory and I don't have to worry about it not hooking up to my computer.
As such, you can really hear the pushing of buttons and shuffling around regardless of careful handling.So, this recorder was stolen, the first one was for PC and the third one I got off of eBay where they failed to mention that there was no software so I can't get lectures onto my computer unless I pirate something or wander around campus searching for someone with the disk because Olympus does not have very friendly customer service, (i.e. That was the first one I bought. Plus, if it ends up sub-par I at least have an iPod.
I've had better sound out of other recorders, BUT I was searching for anything Mac compatible. It has 71 hours of pure lecture joy recording capacity. Actually quite challenging.This is easy to use and I like that I don't have to install software with every computer I use.
I may use it for dictation, but the lecture recording is not as good as the Olympus WS-300M.If you don't have to mess around with the market's incompetent attempt to accommodate a Mac, I would recommend the Olympus VN-3100PC. I read some reviews on this sight and the guy who used it to speak into on that setting was entirely correct. It sounds like The Matrix is about to take over.
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