Olympus DS 40 Digital Voice Recorder
November 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Up to 134 hours recording time / 512MB Internal Flash Memory / High-sensitivity Microphone / Voice guidance / DSS Player v7.0 Podcatcher Software This Podcatcher can transfer new content to the recorder simply by connecting it to a computer by registering favorite Podcast programs in DSS Player Stores highly compressed WMA (Windows Media Audio) format voice messages Playback and store WMA and MP3 music files Five voice folders can save up to 200 messages per folder. Music, Podcast, and Audible folder are also available New, brighter high-contrast monochrome LCD panel with backlight Built-in Variable Control Voice Actuator (VCVA) function Timer Recording and Alarm features enable automatic recording and playing at a set time Index mark and temp mark features allow you to quickly find desired locations Noise Cancel Function and Voice Filter Function cut noise and enable clear audio playback Up to 32 hours of continuous operation with two AAA batteries Recording Time - ST XQ mode 8 hours 40 minutes, ST HQ mode 17 hours 20 minutes, HQ mode 34 hours 45 minutes, SP mode 68 hours 30 minutes, LP mode 136 hours 15 minutes Input Level - -70 dBv Practical Maximum Output - 250 mW Microphone Jack - 3.5 mm mini-jack, impedance 680 ohms Earphone Jack - 3.5 mm mini-jack, impedance 8 ohms or more Power Supply Rated Voltage - 3V DC Optional AC Adapter External Power Supply System Requirements - Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, XP Professional, Home Edition, CPU Intel Pentium II class 333 MHz processor or more, RAM 128 MB or more (256MB or more is recommended), Sound Board Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 or 100% compatible sound card, Video Card and Display 800 x 600 pixels or more, 256 colors or more, Removable Drive 2x or faster, One Free USB Port, Audio Output Speaker or earphone output Dimensions - 4.37 x 1.48 x 0.63 inch (111 x 37.5 x 16 mm)
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars good buy
I purchased this to record piano and vocals. It does a wonderful job it’s just not so clear on the playback from the device. Also not being able to change the name of the recorded piece from the device itself is a pain. Still, it’s a wonderful little thing
5 Stars Perfect for students’ needs
I haven’t had a voice recorder since the old days of microcasette, so this is my first digital voice recorder. I read lots of reviews before choosing the Olympus DS-40, and I’m really happy with this little gem. I use it to record lectures at school, and for my purposes, it far exceeds all the expectations that I had.
Some pros: The sound clarity is great, and it even picks up questions from the back of the lecture hall. I like that I can vary the playback speed, but I wish it had more options than slow, regular, and fast. It is super small and lightweight; also looks pretty sleek in all-silver casing (though the entire casing isnt metal).
Some cons: I have to change batteries about every month, even though I only record 4 days a week, which leads me to think that I should’ve bought the a/c adapter for it. I also wish that you could stop and start your recording without it becoming a whole new file. Right now, I have to press the record button to pause the recording, and then press record again to restart the recording, which isn’t quite intuitive for me yet. It would also have been nice to be able to edit the recordings and rename them while they are still on the unit.
Overall, I’m VERY satisfied with the recorder and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a mid-range digital voice recorder. I think you definitely get your money’s worth for this one.
4 Stars Only *ONE* problem.
This recorder is fantastic. Small, easy to use, the USB connection is fantastic for downloading recordings to your computer.
The sensitivity is great (although I use the separate microphone and not the built in one) for meetings and class lectures (which is my primary use).
THERE’S ONLY ONE PROBLEM: this thing sucks battery juice like there is NO tomorrow! Why the manufacturer opted for AAA batteries instead of AA I’ll never know (I would have tolerated a slightly larger unit if it served this purpose).
Be warned: the battery indicator on the device is misleading. It’ll show 2 bars (out of 3) but that basically means you’ve got 1-2hrs left.
I use this thing to record roughly 5 hours of lecture 4 days a week and I replace the batteries every 2 weeks. Basically, you’ll get around 30hrs of recording time before it dies on you.
Not such a big deal you say? Well imagine you finish a 2hr lecture and realize the thing shut off from battery death 2 minutes into it. Yeah… it’ll tick you off.
The device gives no audio warning of any kind that it’s turning off so make sure you carry around extra batteries with you and keep an eye on it.
4 Stars Olympus DS40
Great little recorder. Only drawback is that I cannot create extra folders. Excellent quality and sound. Good buy for the money!
2 Stars Warning: Creates DRM-restricted files!
I have been mostly pleased with the DS-40 since I received it. It has a very good auto-record-level system and decent compression, however, there’s one big, major problem. The recorder creates Microsoft-proprietary-format .WMA audio files that have DRM (Digital Rights Management) restrictions on them. Why would a third-party company like Olympus marry themselves to a proprietary audio storage format? This puts restrictions on how you can copy and convert the files. If you are looking to record something in open-standards MP3 or WAV format, you’re out of luck. You may find tools to convert the format into industry-standard open-source formats or not (My copy of Nero refused to convert the WMA files into MP3 format citing they didn’t have authorization from Microsoft! - This is my recording!) I strongly condemn Olympus for choosing to store audio files in Microsoft’s proprietary file format. I urge everyone looking at ANY Olympus audio recording product to check and make sure that device isn’t also using .WMA files — DRM-enabled technology that puts limitations on what you can do with your own recordings!
Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control Black
November 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote puts you in control of your entire audio-video system with just one button. It’s home entertainment the way it should be–simple.
Optimized for complicated HDTV and PVR systems, the Harmony 880 helps you tame tough configurations like switching your television between video aspect ratios depending on the program source. The interactive color display lets you quickly choose a 16:9 ratio for movies and HDTV, or a standard 4:3 ratio for basic television programming.
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Color display
Why settle for another boring remote? The Harmony 880´s color LCD is both functional and stylish, with user-customizable backgrounds, activity selections, button icons and text.
- Ample space for up to eight custom activities or controls
- On-screen battery level indicator shows you charge status
Recharging station
Never replace batteries again. The Harmony 880 includes a sleek docking station that keeps the remote fully charged. Your family will always know where to put the remote—and you´ll always know where to find it!
- Lithium-ion battery provides up to a one-week charge under normal use
- The horizontal docking station allows remote to be used while charging
Award-winning Logitech Industrial Design
High-end systems deserve a high-end remote. Designed with brushed chrome and charcoal accents, a color LCD display and a low-profile recharging station, the Harmony® 880 Remote will match your most advanced audio-video components perfectly.
Logitech has won a total of eight Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) in the past two years, including five of Japan´s prestigious 2004 Good Design Awards. This experience helped us design the Harmony 880. Featuring a comfort grip shape and a centered directional pad, it fits easily in your hand and naturally guides you to the most frequently used controls. Even the buttons are sculpted, to help you locate them by feel not sight.
Patented Smart State Technology®
Smart State Technology allows the Harmony remote to completely control an entertainment system by knowing how to control each separate component while tracking the current state of up to 15 devices simultaneously.
Package Contents
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System Requirements
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User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars A gadget that does what it’s supposed to
Programming it was a snap, comfortable to hold, works with everything we have. The only complaint is that the buttons controlling recordings (fast-forward etc.) are pretty close and big fingers may push more than one. Otherwise very satisfied with appearance and function.
5 Stars does everything but the dishes
This remote works great. It does a ton of stuff and even though other people said the buttons are too close, I like them. The only small problem I have has so far is it seems sometimes you have to press a button harder than other times. The charging station is a great way to keep track of the remotes location.
4 Stars If everything was this easy, President Obama could go on vacation.
This is my second Harmony 880. The first, which lasted five years, worked well until someone dropped it and apparantly broke an internal part. The new one, which has an improved charging system, will work… well, who knows? The big thing about the Harmony is that it is a true universal remote that is incredibly easy to program via the manufacturer’s web site. I use it to control our HDTV, DirecTV DVR, tuner, DVD player, to automatically reset everything properly when I plug my iPod in and to dim the room lights! It emulates the remotes for every component in our system so I can use it turn speakers on in other rooms and in our yard as well, change the aspect ratio on the TV when necessary, etc. without having to think about it for more than a second or two. Best of all, it eliminates all those remotes so my wife, who had literally REFUSED to watch TV in our family room because of the multiple remotes, is happy again. (Though she doesn’t always let me watch the Lakers if something is on she’s more interested in.)
Amazon’s price for this item, incidentally, was better than anywhere else I looked.
The only negative (and the reason why I didn’t give it five stars) is Logitech’s customer support, which is non-existant once the product is out of warranty. An item this expensive ($150+) should at least be supported to the point where they would answer an email from a customer.
5 Stars Couldn’t live without the Harmony 880
I’ve been using the Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control for the past 4 months now, and it has become an indispensable part of our home theater setup.
The Manufacturer’s Suggest Retail Price (MSRP) is ridiculously high. Even at Amazon’s usually-great prices, it’s still a tough purchase to make for a “TV remote.” But it’s like air-conditioning and peanut butter: you don’t know how much you need it until you’ve experienced it for the first time. If mine ever breaks, I will replace it, even at normal prices.
It took me three weeks to set up the remote; I was making it much more complicated than it really is. To simplify the product and understand how it works, you need to know this: The Harmony 880 works around “Activities.” Examples of Activities are “Watch a DVD,” “Play XBox 360,” “Play Zune,” “Watch TV,” or “Watch Netflix.”
Each device has a default state of either on or off. An Activity will turn on any device needed for a particular Activity and assign the controls to the appropriate device, e.g., volume controlled by home theater system and channels controlled by cable box. Switching between activities is easy, and doing that will turn off any device not needed by the new activity unless it’s an always-on device.
There are five things I really like about the Harmony 880. One is the level of customization.
Each Activity can be customized so that the buttons you use the most are displayed on the main screen. You may have to program some sequences, but it’s not difficult. The Activities that are auto-created do a fairly good job, but the power of this remote comes with its ability to customize it to how YOU use it. For example, I have set up a Widescreen button and a Normal button that change the aspect ratio. On the original TV remote, it’s a three-step process that requires me to press FORMAT, 4, and then EXIT, and it takes about 3-5 seconds. On the Harmony 880, it takes less than 1 second and requires only a single button press.
The second thing I really like is that it can learn infrared (IR) codes for any IR device. If the Logitech Harmony database doesn’t know about your device, use the included software to learn the IR codes. Everything I have, though, is able to work with the Harmony just fine, including my RCA Composite switcher, which makes switching between my N64, Xbox, and DVD player, as simple as a button press in the Activities menu.
The third thing I like about the Harmony 880 is the software. The software and firmware are updated fairly regularly to support new features and new devices. In addition, when installing the software for the first time, you will be asked to create an online account at Logitech. Your Harmony 880’s settings will be stored online, so if your computer ever crashes and your data is lost, you do not have to reprogram the remote to make minor changes. Instead, just download the latest version, install it, and you’re ready to customize.
The fourth thing I like is the back-lit keys and display, which make it easy to use in low-light settings.
The fifth thing I like is the charging cradle. This in itself has many benefits. First, it keeps the wife happy because we don’t have a gazillion remotes laying all over the living room. Second, we always know where the remote is. And third, we never have to replace batteries.
I could go on and on about this remote, and I think I already have, but I can’t stress enough how much easier it is to control our electronic equipment. There’s even a Help button that will ask you whether or not certain devices are on to troubleshoot why an Activity may not be working when it worked before.
I don’t recommend it to people who don’t have a good understanding of technical things. If you can’t set the time on a microwave, this is probably not the device for you. But for those of us who do understand, enjoy this remote. I know I do.
1 Star Support was good, now it’s totally unsatisfactory.
I have had this unit for two years. It is well designed and generally works fine although it could be ergonomically better. I have had several service problems, some with known issues such as a charging problem and Harmony has always been easy to reach on the telephone and excellent in replacing defective units. That takes the sting out of the problems that I and many encounter with this remote. Today I tried to reach them on problem with a replacement remote and because of a new policy found out that I can’t speak to anyone on the telephone because sixty days has passed since I set up my account. An email reply to my CS inquiry stated that they were busy and would get back to me within 7-10 business days. That’s absolutely not good enough. I would respectfully suggest to Logitech that if customer service is overloaded and draining profits, it is because there are real problems with the product that need to be addressed and the cure is not to make service unavailable.
Kingston Data Traveler 2 GB USB Drive DTI 2GB
November 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Now you can store, carry and transfer files quickly in an affordable, convenient device. The DataTraveler USB Flash drive from Kingston is ideal for storing, carrying and transferring files in a device no bigger than a pocket knife. Its small size makes it handy to carry around, and it’s simple to use, with USB 2.0 compatibility. As easy as click-and-drag, the DataTraveler can hold just about any file such as reports, pictures, spreadsheets or other important documents. It works with virtually any device with a USB port even cross-platform from Macintosh to PC and vice versa.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars 
It took a little longer than i expected to arrive but when it did it was perfect
5 Stars Nice Product–Nice Price
I have had/used this item for about a month now and my experience with it is nothing but positive. It works like a charm and appears to be well designed and constructed. In terms of gb/$ it compares very well with other products on the market. I am glad I made this purchase.
5 Stars Works great
I have had this item for several months now and it has worked great.
Tony
2 Stars Write protection all of a sudden - no switch!
I purchased this 8GB drive and now a month later am getting a dialog that the disk is write protected when trying to save or delete files. I never turned any write protection on and this model has no write protection switch on it. This is a huge issue with Kingston as you can find posts all over the net by Googling as well as a KB article on their website, KDT-092405-1. No resolution from Kingston, not even software to access the processer on the drive to disable write protection. their only resolution is that the drive is defective, thats it.
5 Stars Kingston Data Traveler
I had previously had a 246 Meg Data Traveler and felt this was the brand I wanted, and I was right. This new one, an 8 Gig Data Traveler, I use it on my work laptop to backup major files I use and it works great.
Nikon SB 600 Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
November 26, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
When used in combination with Nikon’s latest digital SLRs, the D70 or D2H, the SB-600 supports Advanced Wireless Lighting as a remote Speedlight that can be positioned as one of multiple remote flashes to significantly extend creative possibilities. To assist in such situations, the Speedlight SB-600 also has a readylight located beside the LCD on the rear panel that can be easily seen from a distance. The SB-600 can also emit an audible alert for further assistance. Easy-to-view LCD with 6 simple-to-understand backlit buttons Guide Number of 30/98 [ISO100,m/ft], 42/138 [ISO200,m/ft] (at 35mm zoom) Auto zoom of 24 to 85mm, extendable to 14mm with built-in wide-flash adapter Advanced Wireless Lighting available with D2H or D70 when used as a remote Auto FP High-Speed Sync (with D2H only); use with fast shutter speeds achieves effective blurring of out-of-focus background elements Flash Color Information - optimized white balance makes use of data from the Speedlight FV lock holds flash value, enabling recomposition prior to shooting Design consistent with those of next-generation D-SLRs, with a triangular design element on the top that complements the D-SLR motif Requires 4 AA Batteries (Alkaline or Rechargeable NiCad or NIMH) for use
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great flash.
Works very well. So fast compared to point-and-shoot flash units that amateurs like me are blown away. Makes particularly attractive lighting when you can bounce it off a white, low ceiling.
5 Stars Excellent Flash
The Nikon SB-600 improves your flash pictures in dramatic fashion over the built in flash. Anyone who takes a lot of flash pictures should invest in this flash.
5 Stars Unlimited possibilities, professional lighting.
Owning a flash like this does absolute wonders for your images. With the ability to angle the flash in almost any direction in relation to the camera solves any difficult lighting situation you might have. Get two or three more, and and set them up wirelessly to create your own portable studio. Great product!!
5 Stars I’m very happy with this flash for my Nikon Camera
I found out that to get better pictures in many occasions, it’s necessary to have a flash unit that can be adjusted to give a “bounce” or “fill” type of light. The typical built-in flash of the camera is not adequate for my needs.
I looked a various options but decided on the Nikon SB-600 based of recommendations by various people and reading reviews, etc.
I found a unit at a very good price so the choice became quite easy. The unit is well made, sturdy, fairly light and best of all, it works very well. It is powerful and can illuminate a fairly good distance. The adjustable flash head works just as I had hoped. The unit has a lot of features and “intelligence” that I have not explored yet. I did purchase the optional extension cord so I can hold the flash by hand and illuminate my subject with more flexibility.
I imagine that similar flash units from other manufacturers will do a similarly good job. I don’t know if they are of equivalent quality. OTOH, the prices can be more attractive. All in all I’m happy with my choice and I like the idea that the flash is made specifically to work with my camera by Nikon.
5 Stars Review Nikon SB-600 Speeblight Flash
Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash has make it fun while being experincing it and well and entertaining experiences with it.
Olympus ME 15 Microphone
November 26, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Olympus ME-15 Microphone is a small, lightweight tie-clip microphone that can be conveniently clipped to the tie or collar. The microphone can also be fixed under a jacket or shirt for easy concealment. The ME-15 is an ideal accessory for Olympus digital voice recorders. The mic’s cord is 3.3-feet long and the entire unit weighs only 11 grams. A tie pin-type clip is also included with the microphone. Note: When using the ME-15 with Olympus Pearlcorder microcassette recorders, you will need the Olympus PA-1 plug adapter (sold separately).
What’s in the Box
ME-15 microphone and tiepin-type clip.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Nice Little Microphone
This works great with our new tape recorder. Does exactly what it should do. No complaints. Price seemed about right. Cord is a good length and the clip-on makes it easy to hold if you don’t actually clip it on.
3 Stars Not a stereo microphone
This is an attractive little microphone but the specs do not mention that it is mono, not stereo, and I did not notice the image of the mono jack in the photo. Monaural recordings play back in the left ear but not the right, breaking symmetry.
5 Stars Exactly what I needed
I had a lapel mic that required a battery. I didn’t want to have the chance that the extra battery would go dead at the wrong time (law enforcement). This mic works great and is powered from the digital voice recorder so no extra battery to worry about or deal with. Works with my Sony recorder.
5 Stars Clip on mic
For an entry level price this mic can’t be beat. This is great for someone who is starting a podcast and has a limited budget. Actually that is what I bought it for. The sound is good and the price is great.
4 Stars Pleased with device
I haven’t used it a whole bunch, but with the microphone clipped to my pocket and the recorder inside (and the micropohone is not a chest level) it appears to work quite well!
