Sony ICDP620 Digital Voice Recorder PC Compatible via USB

I started liking this item from the day I purchased it. It is very light and small and makes it handy to carry anywhere around. The recording sound quality is very good and comes with an USB connection.

I bought this recording device strictly because I could upload the files to a PC after I am done recording, and possibly burn CDs of those files. When I went to install the software on my PC, I received an error stating that the operating system was incompatible with the software, and I was not able to install the software for the recorder. I have Windows XP. How could this be?? This is retarded!! I am currently making arrangements to return this. I've never had problems installing other software in the past. I read other reviews of this product concerning the same problem that others were having installing the sofware, but I seriously did not think it would apply to me since I have XP, yet I was struck down also. If Sony is making it this hard to install their product, go somewhere else and buy a recorder from a different manufacturer. Dont buy this product, or buy at your own risk. It is not worth the aggrivation. One last note. Looking at the recorder itself, I'm not completely satisfied with the ease of its use. It comes with a 54 page manual. And there is no "off" switch. It stays on all the time, and I get the impression that it is easy to record over previous messages, if you are not careful.

I bought the ICDP620 so I could use my daily commute to work to record thoughts and reminder notes as I am driving along. I use it with a microphone and the voice activation function.

I am pleased with the sound, it's clear and doesn't capture too much background noise (windscreen wipers etc.). The Sony software is basic, simple of use and fast. It is compatible with Dragon Speak which I have also bought and the two work together rather well.

The ICDP620 is a rugged unit, small enough to carry everywhere.

The recorder does not allow reviewing and rewriting over what has just been said. The speaker is of poor quality but sufficient for the intended purpose; the recorded sound is of much better quality so it isn't much of an issue.

The screen isn't lit but in the dark you can see if the unit is recording or on standby and you can easily operate the record and stop buttons by feeling their contours.

All in all, a surprisingly good unit for the price.

OK, this think works. You hit record, and the microphone records a (monaural) audio file. You can play it back, and there *is* a USB cable jack.

But that is where the good stuff ends. You see, this device does not conform to USB mass storage standards. In other words, the files on the device can not be mounted on your computer's filesystem without running Sony's proprietary "Digital Voice Editor" program. The files created are natively saved in a proprietary compressed audio format, called DVF. Did I mention that their "Digital Voice Editor" program only works in Windows?

OK, I was able to get this device to work on a Mac and a Linux box using Parallels and Wine. And the software does give you an option to save the file in a *.wav or *.mp3 format. However, why go through the difficulty? Unfortunately, Olympus' products are just as backwards.

So, it works. You can save lectures, interviews, whatever. You then have to untie a gordian knot to get an audio file that lets you do your work. Ick.

This recorder is a great buy. The microphone is highly sensitive and can pick up conversations from across the room.The USB cable and software is nice because you can set it up to automatically sync with your computer, and you can modify the audio. The only strange thing about this recorder is that is doesn't have a on/off switch instead it has a "hold" switch like on an iPod that keeps it off when its in your bag. Overall this is a great buy, whether for average use or something else, this is the right gadget for you!