Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I love electronics, and am especially smitten when I encounter well-designed high-tech devices. To tell the truth, I carried this around everywhere I went for the first few days just so I could admire it. I'm sure there are many varied needs for a small recording device like this. My specific need is to capture thoughts that pop into my head at inopportune times before they disappear (as a dream does)... it could be suddenly remembering a name long forgotten, or thinking of the perfect way to convey a feeling, or how to phrase something complicated in a simple way. The problem is that this too often happens when I'm driving, but trying to crank up the voice recorder app on my smartphone is too complicated and dangerous while I'm trying to negotiate traffic. With this device it's just a simple swipe down with my thumb on the power switch (conveniently located on the top right side) — it boots up instantly, then press the big red record button on top (press again to pause). The buttons have tactile indicators so you can learn to find the buttons by feel. I had the Sony ICD-PX470 in my cart, which is similar but a little less expensive. It takes two AAA cells, which I thought I'd actually prefer to a built-in battery, as I usually do. I have a large stock of NiMH low self-discharge AA and AAA rechargeables along with several intelligent chargers (I told you I'm an electronics nut) so I'd have no problem swapping out the batteries. In fact I often prefer replaceable batteries so I'll never be caught waiting for a built-in battery to recharge. Then I read a review which revealed that the PX470's clock had to be reset with each battery change, and I knew that would irritate me so I started looking at this more expensive model more closely and decided it was worth the extra cost — plus, it's even smaller, plus it has a backlight. The built-in lithium polymer battery can power this device for such a long time that I doubt running out of juice will ever be a problem. I haven't been charging mine, except for the time it's connected to my computer (but I connect only when I want to transfer or rename something), and it's only now gone down to 3/4 bars. I think one full charging would keep it going through a full day of maximum use. [Update 6/18: I've been using it on & off for at least a month since last charging it or connecting to a computer and it's still at 3/4 bars. Since i's best not to regularly run lithium-ion batteries all the way down, I connected the USB port to my phone charger and it charged quickly.] The speaker is tiny (see my photo), but the sound is surprisingly good for its size... similar to that of a top-grade smartphone. If you want to hear the full quality of the recordings, use a headphone or transfer to a computer and use any quality of speakers you need. I had expected the software to be a joke, but it most definitely is not! I'm impressed with its features and ease of use. The recorder appears as a USB thumbdrive which makes transferring files and creating and renaming folders as easy as can be (under Windows Explorer). But the software makes it even easier ... plus has transcription capabilities with hot-keys and speed control with DPC (Digital Pitch Control). I've covered only a small fraction of the capabilities of this remarkable device. It has great flexibility in recording options which I'm sure others will test out and report. At the time of my purchase this listing had only two photos which didn't clearly reveal the product, so I have added a few more in case they may help anyone. I'm sure I will eventually find faults to this awesome recorder (nothing's perfect). I'll try to come back and post what I find. UPDATE 5/11/2018: Coming back down to earth, I've found that turning it on and getting it ready to record is proving to be a little less convenient than I had originally thought — you have to pull the power switch on the right side down, which is possible to do with your thumb if you can get a good grip, but it's easiest to use your thumbnail to catch on the raised center dot to pull down. It takes about one second to boot up, then push the red record button and count another second for the recording to start. I still have to look at it to be sure it's recording unless I can hear the faint beep (a setting to control the beep volume would be a helpful improvement). Again, the software is very powerful and is actually a large part of this recorder's value... good enough to consider when evaluating the cost. Although you can treat this as a USB thumb drive to move files around using Windows Explorer, using the software adds significant functionality. UPDATE 6/11/2018: I am continuing to find this device useful for my needs, which include saving miscellaneous thoughts that I want to remember, better ways of saying something I want to say, long forgotten things suddenly remembered, new facts and sources, and anything else I want to remember which can be stated verbally. For me, the competition is writing a note on my Note8 or writing a note on one of my computers. One concern is backing up. Notes on my Note8 are supposedly backed up to Samsung's cloud, otherwise I haven't yet tried to figure out another method. Notes on my computers can be backed up any number of ways or saved in the cloud. The problem is... I'm not always around my computers. I keep my Note8 and this tiny voice recorder in a small pouch that I always keep with me, attached to my belt if I'm out and about so I can pull either out at a moment's notice. I really like jotting notes down on my Note8, but using this recorder has its advantages. Right now I believe using the recorder is more secure because it's easier to backup (so far) and can't be hacked except when connected to a hostile environment as a USB drive.