Before I purchase most electronic products, I usually read Amazon and other technical reviews, consult and understand the manufacturer's detailed product specifications, and ensure that the product will satisfy my specific needs. For example, this protocol annihilates any possibility of my purchasing a product that, for whatever reason, I cannot use (e.g., expecting a product to work on every MAC OS; this device IS compatible with MAC OS X, v. 10.28 to v. 10.7). Secondly, my protocol subjugates blanket, unsubstantiated reviews, e.g., "this product is low quality." I suggest that an intelligible review would urge upon the reader specific, comparative specifications on which one based the review; and I expect to read that model A is prettier than model B at Victoria's Secret! Finally, a thorough understanding of the controls eliminates, at least for me, any operating "difficulties." In this age of smart phones and pad computing, this recorder is as basic as a fork and knife. Oh, regarding "half the population uses MAC": MAC enjoys 5.11% of the world's market share; 95% of schools and offices run Windows.
Regarding more specific objections:
Does not have [built-in] rechargeable batteries. No it does not - and that is a good thing. All rechargeable batteries have a limited life and, if built-in, once depleted, the gadget can no longer be used, short of returning it to the manufacturer for a battery upgrade. However, one can purchase eneloop batteries that hold 75% of their charge over a 3-year period and can be recharged 1500 times.
Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 4 Pack AAA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries
"It is not exactly intuitive . . . you have to read the manual." I'm biting my tongue!
"Buttons . . . too complicated for some." Overcome by reading the manual. Nevertheless, there may be some who, for whatever reason, cannot grasp the operation of various pieces of machinery. For those, we lovingly provide assistance when and if desired.
"Small screen . . . looks easily get scratched." Nylons run, shoes scuff, and screens scratch: such is life.
It is not my intent to gratuitously demean or impugn reviewers or their reviews. Rather, I wish to point out, where applicable, the easy with which "objections" may be mollified or, otherwise, discarded because they do not detract from the intended function of the device.
I find the Sony ICD-PX312 Digital Flash Voice Recorder to be well made, having a flat "learning curve," and easy to use. First and foremost, I would note that at a listening distance of two feet, I can clearly and easily hear my recordings. Flip a slide switch to turn it on; press a very large record button to record; press stop button to stop; press a very large play/enter button to play. While stopped or playing, cycle through the recordings with forward/back buttons. To erase while stopped or playing, press the erase button, confirm your selection and enter. Contrary to another's opinion, I found it most helpful to load Sony's software (Sound Organizer) that is installed from the included CD (does not have to be downloaded) for the purpose of manipulating and storing files in a variety of convenient ways. Furthermore, the device runs on existing OS drivers, i.e., Sony DOES NOT install proprietary drivers with this device.
The recorder has an internal 2 GB flash memory but is able to receive M2 Micro memory cards: I added 8 GB
Sandisk 8GB M2 Memory Stick Micro (SDMSM2-008G-K, Bulk Package)
. For stereo recording (live music) I use an optional plugin mike that I used with s Sony professional tape recorder; there are no markings on the mike so I cannot pass along the specific model but it looks a little like this one
Sony ECM-DS30P Electret Condenser Digital Microphone
Finally, the recorder has a host of programmable options that I will not go into here simply because many of them address personal preferences (auto shutoff time, recording quality, folder setup, etc., etc.). If one is interested in this recorder they would be well served to DL the manual from Sony USA and view its operation and all of its options.
In a word, I find this an excellent, easy to use recorder with ample options. The sound quality is excellent but that varies with the quality selected by the user (as with all recorders, the quality drops off as recording capacity is increased). For voice recordings, I found that even at its highest capacity/lowest quality settings, the recordings were readily heard and understood. Given the quality of the recordings and ample options, I think this is an excellent buy at Amazon's price. Are there better recorders? As in the case of any audio/visual product, one must decided for oneself based on one's demands and tastes. Ideally, the most intelligible choice is made by listening to or viewing the product and deciding for oneself. Afterall, one person's food is, indeed, another's poison.
Ed
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 | Sony Voice Recorder ICD-PX Series with Built-in Mic and USB, microSD Card Slot Up to 32 GB to Expand Memory, Adjustable Microphone Range, Includes A NeeGo Lavalier Lapel Mic | Sony ICD-PX470 Stereo Digital Voice Recorder with Built-in USB Voice Recorder, Black | Sony ICD-PX370 Mono Digital Voice Recorder with Built-In USB Voice Recorder,black | |
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| Customer Rating | (1168) | (967) | (8864) | (8864) |
| Price | $39.96 | $69.99 | $52.96 | $45.46 |
| Shipping | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details |
| Sold By | Magnuson Industries | PHOTOTECH | PlusDigUSA | Amazon.com |
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Records well but a little too large, no pocket clip, and has bad user interface
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2013
On paper the ICD-PX312 has a good feature set, has USB & microSD slot for more storage. But the user interface is not very good compared to older models, particularly the Olympus VN-240.THE GOOD:+ Batteries are included. Also a a mini-USB to USB cable is included for transfer.+ Using the onboard memory (no external microSD) you can record for over 20 hours on SHQ mode.THE BAD:- Just as in previous Sony recorders I find the Recording interface is dumb. There are 2 large buttons: one labelled "PLAY/STOP", the other "REC/PAUSE". To start recording you press "REC/PAUSE" and recording starts. So far so good, right? The problem is stopping recording - if you press the large conveniently labelled "PLAY/STOP" button recording will stop BUT IMMEDIATELY PLAYBACK which is most cases is NOT what you wanted. To stop recording without playing back you have to hit the small unlabelled square icon "stop" button (located in the middle of 3 buttons). For the life of me I don't understand why it doesn't stop recording (without playback) when "PLAY/STOP" is momentarily pressed. If the user wanted to really review the just-completed recording he could just press "PLAY/STOP" one more time to playback. This would be a much better solution, because many people use a recorder for quick "to me" notes or lectures. When you stop recording you don't want to attract unwanted attention (in a lecture) or hear the note you just recorded, both of which will happen if you press the wrong stop button.- After stopping a recording there is a slight delay (about 1-2 seconds) while the recorder processes the recording ("ACCESSING" is displayed during this time). There was no delay with the VN-240.- I wish I could say the bad UI design stopped there but there's more. Like most recorders there is a "HOLD" lock to prevent inadvertent presses from starting recording or playback (i.e. if you put it in a pocket). The problem is when the recorder is locked it only displays "HOLD" on a blank screen for 4 seconds THEN reverts back to the normal display so there is no way to know if it is locked after the 4 seconds pass! Oh sure, you could press a button and see if it displays "HOLD" when pressed (or look at the HOLD switch) but a better way to handle this is what the Olympus VN-240 does in HOLD: it blanks the display completely so it is obvious that the device is locked. One way around this problem is to power off the recorder instead of using HOLD - the display will be blank and of course it will not respond to button presses. The only downside of doing this is that the recorder takes 3-4 seconds to power on (from off).- By default, the recorder will power off in 10 minutes. This means that even if you have the recorder on and 10 minutes elapse after last using it, it will power off and you will have to turn it on before proceeding (after the power-up delay wait). Fortunately this auto-power off time is adjustable to 5/10/30/60/OFF.- The volume control is implemented as two digital buttons (VOL+ and VOL-). I prefer a old-style volume dial because it is faster/easier to adjust volume that way. (The VN-240 had a volume dial)- The device is taller than it feel it should be (it is 1/2" taller than the VN-240). This makes it more noticeable in a shirt pocket. More importantly there is no pocket clip (as on the VN-240) so it will not stay upright in a shirt pocket.STATE OF THE RECORDER INDUSTRY:I find that the older Olympus models (like the VN-240, sadly no longer made) had a optimal interface (not to mention a pocket clip). Somehow manufacturers are making products that are worse than the older ones despite advances in technology! Even newer Olympus models aren't the same. For instance I cannot find any USB recorder with a shirt pocket clip. The ICD-PX312 could have been a 5-star product if these flaws didn't exist.Instead, I would recommend the Olympus VN-702PC as it has the same features but a better user interface (still no shirt pocket clip though).I hope you found this review helpful!
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2013
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