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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from WI on 9/19/2008
So, fall semester started, and I got an interview to an out-of -state grad school, and was going to miss a few lectures of "can't miss" senior classes. So had to buy a DVR quick. Based on tech reviews [@] decided to give the Olympus WS-210S a try. I couldn't be happier. Easy setup and was testing "dictation" vs. "conference" for mic sensitivity in under 10 minutes to see which would better suit lecture environment. I have settled on "dictation" since "conference" is so uber sensitive, I swear it almost picked up my heartbeat; too much background noise and drowned out the actual subject I was trying to record. I use mine in ~70 seat lecture halls sitting within 50 feet of the un-mic'd lecturer on HQ (~35 hours record time) Range: stereo XQ (8 hours) - LP (138 hours). USB terminal is fantastic; no more losing or monkeying around with cords to connect to pc, and the playback is crystal clear. No pc handy? no prob: comes with set of earphones and jack is next to mic. Records in more compact WMA format: 5 folders provided on device, battery indicator on LCD. I import into iTunes as needed. Can record from external mic/device. Easy to see LCD, easy to use, simple buttons, and many more features I haven't mentioned/played with yet... I couldn't be more pleased. No more worries about not being able to write (type) as fast as the professors talk, just sit back and re-listen as you review your class notes, just make sure you have their permission to record their lectures...
from NC on 8/21/2008
A very Decent recorder (from a very critical person...)
records at a lossy pcm (wav) format at 88kbs for bitrate (I checked ;) ) and requires software (which is included) to be installed for transfer to pc usage and from the other posts I gather that it does not work with vista by defualt and that one must download those drivers from the homepage.
audio is completely mono and sounds decent (meaning its understandable and you can have conversations archived such as lectures and such...) for the price everything is picked up in the room and even has a feature for voice detection (like stop recording when no one is talking and resume when voice is heard)... which I was unaware of at purchase time... also the indexing mode is pretty nice I can store certain audio dumps within different folders (ex. lectures in A, memos in B, todo in C, whatever...)
I personally think this is good for an upcoming college student haven't actually used for a lecture but in other places and sounds decent but I personally would upgrade to the other Olympus that records to wma (with full stereo) should produce better quality) but im at a loss for money at the moment and resulted in this purchase
from Lubbock, TX on 7/14/2008
This product does work with Vista; I didn't have any problems installing it, and you don't need to be particularly savvy to get it to work.
I've used mine to record lectures, cell phone conversations, even personal notes to myself. It's simple to use, and transferring and organizing files couldn't be much easier.
Great for recording lectures, sermons, etc.
Handy and easy to use. Batteries last quite a while. Recordings can be easily transfered to hard drive and cataloged for recall. Useful when talking to Customer Service on loudspeaker and then summarizing who, what, when, etc if needed later. This is the second digital recorder I've owned and it's a great device.
This is a great recorder for PC users. I had used one in the past with a colleague and was impressed by its durability, reliability, and high sound quality. When I purchased one, however, I was disappointed to find out that it does not work with a Macintosh - at all. There are no Mac drivers or converters, nor is there any way around this that I can find. My computer does not even recognize that the device is plugged in. I guess that leaves me with no other alternative than to return this model and find one that will work with my computer. Like I said, this is a great product - if you use Windows.
from Massachusetts on 2/23/2008
Had unit for over 6 months XP version, upgraded to tablet 2core dual 2gig ram , Vista Ultimate version, Went to manufacturer web site and downloaded the updates for Vista. Works Excellent with Vista. I do not work for manufacturer or competitor. Great for my business, I own.
I purchase this voice recorder and could not get it to work on Windows Vista. The tech at Olympus could not tell me what the problem was.
I returned the recorder.
I purchased this recorder and could not install it on my Windows Vista computer even though it is suppose to be Vista compatible. Spent 55 minutes talking with tech support only to be told they did not know what was wrong.
Installed it on my Windows XP computer and and it downloaded part of the recorded lectures. The first 16 minutes were missing. Spent another 40 minutes talking with tech support and once again, no one could fix the problem.
Returned the recorder for a refund.
from Illinois on 1/29/2008
I have had mine for about 6 months now and I am impressed with the quality of the recording and low noise. My only complaint is that, when I use headphones with the recorder the input channel does'nt work properly and I have to have the RCA plug half the way out in order to hear anything.
This is am awsome device. I use it for everything!
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
Excellent product to record lectures, conversations, or take notes/ dictation. In the process of divorce, and was an invaluable tool to combat he/said- she/said. Compact design great for stealth, record quality is excellent, even if hidden and from across large room. Can be set for continuous recording, voice-activated recordings, or record at certain times, such as if you are away. And, with the ability to record for 72 hrs, that could be alot of info. Ease of use is also excellent. USB interface provides easy download to PC, and easily catalog downloads. Also great for record keeping, because software provides time/date stamp of recording, as well as time of download to PC. This little piece of heaven has saved me loads of time, and has proven itself as an invaluable tool for me.
from Blair,Neb on 8/12/2007
This Recorder is an AWESOME tool to have when recording EVP's. I plan on using it for many other things as well. This is a "MUST" have device.