Review on Sony ICDUX560BLK Digital Voice Recorder by Christopher Isaac

I love electronics and am particularly amazed when I come across well-designed high-tech gadgets. In truth, for the first few days, I carried it everywhere with me just to admire it. I'm sure there are many different needs for a small recording device like this. My special need is to catch thoughts that come to my mind at the wrong time before they disappear (like they do in a dream). it could be the sudden memory of a long-forgotten name, or the thought of the perfect way to convey a feeling, or how to express something complex in simple language. The problem is that this happens all too often when I'm driving, but trying to run the voice recorder app on my smartphone is too complicated and dangerous while trying to navigate traffic. With this device, just swipe your thumb over the power button (conveniently top right) and 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 touch. I had a Sony ICD-PX470 in my basket, similar but a bit cheaper. It requires two AAA batteries, which I'd rather have with a built-in battery like I usually do. I have a large supply of low self-discharge NiMH AA and AAA batteries and a couple of smart chargers (I told you I'm an electronics geek) so I won't have any trouble changing batteries. In fact, I prefer frequently swappable batteries so I'm never caught waiting to charge the built-in battery. Then I read a review that said the PX470 watch needed to be reset every time you changed the battery and I knew that would annoy me so I started looking into this more expensive model and decided it was worth the extra cost was worth – plus, it's even smaller, plus it's backlit. The built in lithium polymer battery can power this device for so long that I doubt draining will ever be an issue. I didn't charge mine except when it was plugged into my computer (but I only plug it in when I want to transfer or rename something) and it's now only gone down to 3/4 bar. I think a full charge will last you a full day of maximum usage. [Update 18 6 : I've been using it for at least a month since the last charge or connected to a computer and it's still 3/4 bar. Preferring not to run out of Li-Ion batteries, I plugged the USB into my phone charger and it charged quickly.] The speaker is tiny (see my photo), but the sound is surprisingly good for its size. . like a top smartphone. If you want to hear the recordings in full quality, use headphones or transfer them to your computer and use speakers of any quality. I expected the software to be a joke, but it definitely isn't! I'm impressed with the features and ease of use. The recorder looks like a USB stick and makes file transfers and creating and renaming folders as easy as possible (in Windows Explorer). But the software makes it even easier. plus features transcription via hotkeys and speed control via DPC (Digital Pitch Control). I considered only a small part of the possibilities of this wonderful device. It has a lot of flexibility in recording options that others are sure to test and report back. At the time of my purchase there were only two photos in this listing which didn't clearly show the product so I've added a few more in case anyone can help. I am sure that over time I will find faults in this wonderful recorder (nothing is perfect). I'll try to come back and post what I found. UPDATE 5/11/2018: Back on the ground, I found that turning it on and setting it up for recording was a little less comfortable than I was. Originally thought - you'll need to pull down the power button on the right side, which can be done with your thumb if you have a good grip, but it's easiest to use your thumbnail to use the raised midpoint to pull down. Loading takes about a second. Then press the red record button and count down another second before recording begins. I've yet to watch it to make sure it's recording, unless I hear a soft beep (a setting to control the volume of the beep would be a welcome improvement). Again, the software is very powerful and makes up the majority of the cost of this recorder. good enough to be considered when estimating costs. While you can treat it like a USB flash drive to move files using Windows Explorer, using the software adds a ton of functionality. I want to remember how best to say what I want to say, things long forgotten that suddenly come to mind, new facts and sources, and anything I want to remember that can be said orally. For me, the competition is writing a note on my Note8 or writing a note on one of my computers. One concern is backup. The notes on my Note8 are supposed to be stored in the Samsung cloud, other than that I haven't tried to find another way. The notes on my computers can be backed up in any way or stored in the cloud. The problem is inside. I'm not always near my computers. I keep my Note8 and this tiny voice recorder in a small pouch that I always carry with me when I'm out, clipped to my belt so I can pull both out at any time. I really enjoy taking notes on my Note8, but using this voice recorder has its perks. For now I think using a recorder is safer because it's easier to backup (so far) and can't be hacked unless it's plugged into a hostile environment as a USB drive.