Hi,

I would like to find convenient hardware to record dictations and be
able to send them off to my secretary via email or upload to my ftp
site as I travel a lot and need to assume these generated files can be
uploaded or sent via electronic form over the Internet to where they
would be typed.

I would like to know what's out there with accessories such as Mic's,
small Mic's and attachments if there are any to connect to a phone for
example?

-Mao

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 23 Jul 2005 17:44 PDT

Hi Mao...

The most common solution would be software you can run on
a laptop, using a microphone plugged into the laptop. You
can buy a mic separately which is suitable for recording 
from a phone. Dictation software is available which has
the ability to convert the output to mp3 format.

Do you have a laptop available, or would you prefer some
other form of hardware? You'll need to move the file to
a computer anyway, in order to upload it to FTP. While
it may be possible to find some kind of hardware which
is dedicated to recording dictation, it's less likely 
that this kind of hardware would have the capacity to
upload the file to FTP.

Short of a laptop, it might be possible to find a PDA
which can both utilize a software solution as well as
connect to the internet to upload the files, though I
think it will be harder to find the software for a PDA
than for a laptop.

Let me know...

sublime1-ga

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Clarification of Question by 6ra3-ga on 24 Jul 2005 01:41 PDT

Hello Sublime1,

The convenience of having a small hardware unit go around with you and
record as you go along is important.  Also, I wouldn't expect the
hardware to be able to FTP, merely connect to the computer and allow
the moving of the data in MP3 to a directory.. I have an FTP
application which can check and when it finds a file it'll
automatically upload it to the right ftp server.

What I seek is also a goof mic, either on the unit or an add on..
small is better.. I would also like to have a phone attachment where
it would be possible to record conversations and discussions if need
be.

The unit price is not important, reliability is and reviews and
customer feedback would give a good indication of it proving itself.
:-)

-Mao

---

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 24 Jul 2005 04:21 PDT

Hi again, Mao...

From the research I've done, I think you may be limiting your
choices unnecessarily by focusing on a hardware device which
will record in mp3 format. There are numerous devices which
come under the heading of Digital Recorder or Digital Voice
Recorder, but the number of file formats in which the audio
is initially recorded seems to be almost as plentiful. 

A common format for digital voice recordings is .dss format,
but there are many others, including .VOX, .WMA, .WAV, .SRI,
.CDA and more. Finding one which provides the original file
format as .mp3 has proven rather difficult. The one unit
which seems to clearly state this capability seems to be
available only in the UK. It's called the Sonken U80 WMA,
and is discussed here:
http://www.allcam.biz/products/mp3.html


But, realistically, the mp3 format is not the smallest or
most efficient in terms of size to quantity of content, 
so many other recorders use a more efficient format.
What matters then, is that your secretary has transcription
software which is capable of utilizing whatever format of
file you might upload. Such a versatile software is that
available from StartStop.com:
http://www.startstop.com/home.asp


Given the ability of this software to utilize almost any
format considerably widens the selection of hardware you
can use. An excellent smorgasbord of possibilities is 
offered on this page from OfficeDirectInc.com:
http://www.officedirectinc.com/ViaVoice/dig.htm

Some of the Sony units are even compatible With Dragon 
Naturally Speaking Preferred Voice To Print Software,
which might make your secretary's job a lot easier,
and the Sony units seem to get good reviews, from 
what I've seen:
http://www.officedirectinc.com/Digital/Sony/index.htm

Numerous accessories are also offered, including a number
of microphones, however you may need to order from a 
specialty store in order to find a microphone which is
designed for recording phone conversations. This does
not seem to be standard equipment.

Let me know where this leads you, and what more you 
might need.

sublime1-ga

---

Clarification of Question by 6ra3-ga on 24 Jul 2005 06:02 PDT

Hello sublime1,

I agree with your argument to widen the hardware scope by not being to
tied in with the file format.. Lets go ahead with that.

Than lets find a reasonable hardware unit that's realiable, small, and
connectable to the PC via a USB or bluetooth.

I want something that would travel well, not a desk unit.

Also, if you can recommend a list of good microphones as well as phone
microphones as I do a lot of conference calls for business.

-Mao

Mao...

I was hoping you'd narrow the field a little by having a look
at the listings on the link I gave you at OfficeDirectInc.com
http://www.officedirectinc.com/ViaVoice/dig.htm

Short of that, I did a search on Epinions.com which is a good
source of detailed user reviews, and scoured through the 
results:

"digital recorder" OR "digital voice recorder" USB OR bluetooth
site:www.epinions.com
://www.google.com/search?q=%22digital+recorder%22+OR+%22digital+voice+recorder%22+USB+OR+bluetooth+site%3Awww.epinions.com

I also found Epinions page for the top 10 digital recorders,
at least in terms of sales:
http://www.epinions.com/Voice_Recorders_and_Transcribers/show_~top_sellers


The following units came up as promising:


Olympus

Olympus DS-2 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder ~$100
#1 best seller at Epinions
Excellent sound quality
64MB memory
Noise Cancel Function
10+ hours at Standard Play
1 detailed Review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_179922308740
Details, at Epinions:
http://www.epinions.com/Olympus_DS_2_Voice_Recorder/display_~full_specs

Olympus VN-480 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder - ~$100
#2 best seller at Epinions
267 minutes at Standard Play
Good battery life
Saves what's been recorded if battery dies
64MB memory
Review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_166482251396
Details of similar, later model (DM-10) at OfficeDirect,
with transcription kits, mics, and other accessories:
http://www.officedirectinc.com/Digital/Olympus/DM10.htm

Olympus DM-20 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder - ~$200
#3 best seller at Epinions
128MB memory -
Much longer recording at higher quality is possible
Metal case
Reviews:
http://www.epinions.com/pr-Olympus_DM-20_Voice_Recorder/display_~reviews
Details, transcription kits and mics at OfficeDirectInc:
http://www.officedirectinc.com/Digital/Olympus/DM20.htm

Other Olympus models and accessories at OfficeDirectInc:
http://www.officedirectinc.com/Digital/Olympus/index.htm

One of the transcription kits by Olympus:
http://www.officedirectinc.com/Digital/Olympus/AS2000.htm


Sony

Sony ICD-ST25 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder - ~$150
#9 best seller at Epinions
260 minutes at Standard Play
32MB memory
Reviews:
http://www.epinions.com/pr-Sony_ICD-ST25_Voice_Recorder/linkin_id_~3035301/display_~reviews
Details, transcription kits and mics at OfficeDirect:
http://www.officedirectinc.com/Digital/Sony/ST25.htm

Sony ICD-P28 Handheld Digital Voice Recorder - ~$100
32MB memory
1 Review:
http://www.epinions.com/pr-Sony_ICD-P28_Voice_Recorder/display_~reviews
Details at Epinions:
http://www.epinions.com/pr-Sony_ICD-P28_Voice_Recorder/display_~full_specs

Other Sony models and accessories at OfficeDirectInc:
http://www.officedirectinc.com/Digital/Sony/index.htm

Here's the transcription kit from Sony:
http://www.officedirectinc.com/Digital/Sony/FS85USB.htm


Sanyo, Lanier, Dictaphone and Philips have no reviews
at Epinions - perhaps an indication or their lack of
popularity.

Given the metal casing, the extra memory and the two
5-star reviews, I'd tend to recommend the Olympus DM20,
however the excellent sound quality of the Olympus DS-2,
along with its lower price and 64MB memory make this a
top runner, as well.


Here's a 90 hour digital recorder with USB that's 
specially designed to record from normal or cell
phones, from BrickhouseSecurity:
http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/dr-90.html

Otherwise, you could use this line-splitter with an
audio cord which would plug into the microphone input
of any other digital recorder you decide to purchase:
http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/ctrd.html

Here's another phone recording option from the same company:
http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/trx-20.html

Here's a page with other digital recorders from Brickhouse.
These don't have the benefit of being reviewed on Epinions:
http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/digital-voice-recorders.html


I hope that adequately narrows your choices. As always, if
anything is unclear, just ask.

Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that  
the answer cannot be improved upon by way of a dialog  
established through the "Request for Clarification" process. 
 
sublime1-ga


Additional information may be found from an exploration of
the links resulting from the Google searches outlined below.

Searches done, via Google:

"digital recorder" OR "digital voice recorder" USB OR bluetooth
://www.google.com/search?q=%22digital+recorder%22+OR+%22digital+voice+recorder%22+USB+OR+bluetooth

Sony "digital recorder" OR "digital voice recorder"
 USB OR bluetooth site:www.epinions.com
://www.google.com/search?q=Sony+%22digital+recorder%22+OR+%22digital+voice+recorder%22+USB+OR+bluetooth+site%3Awww.epinions.com

Sanyo "digital recorder" OR "digital voice recorder"
 USB OR bluetooth site:www.epinions.com
://www.google.com/search?q=Sanyo+%22digital+recorder%22+OR+%22digital+voice+recorder%22+USB+OR+bluetooth+site%3Awww.epinions.com

Philips "digital recorder" OR "digital voice recorder"
 USB OR bluetooth site:www.epinions.com
://www.google.com/search?q=Philips+%22digital+recorder%22+OR+%22digital+voice+recorder%22+USB+OR+bluetooth+site%3Awww.epinions.com

Lanier "digital recorder" OR "digital voice recorder"
 USB OR bluetooth site:www.epinions.com
://www.google.com/search?q=Lanier+%22digital+recorder%22+OR+%22digital+voice+recorder%22+USB+OR+bluetooth+site%3Awww.epinions.com

Brickhouse "digital recorder" OR "digital voice recorder"
 USB OR bluetooth site:www.epinions.com
://www.google.com/search?q=Brickhouse+%22digital+recorder%22+OR+%22digital+voice+recorder%22+USB+OR+bluetooth+site%3Awww.epinions.com