POGO PRODUCTS RipFlash PLUS 256MB MP3 - WMA Player and MP3 Recorder PRF400M6

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding product and unsophisticated interface
Review: Functioning as it was intended, as a recorder and player, this product is OUTSTANDING. When recording, one has to remember that the sound level that one is putting in is the one that one gets out: so when using a microphone in the "line-in" -- one has to make certain that one is using a mic (which PoGo sells -- an excellent one at that) which has an adjustable sound sensitivity function. I used RipFlash Plus, with the mic, to record speeches and the sound quality and clarity is really astounding.

Where this product loses a star is in its user-friendliness: it is not a product which shines as something which is either elegant or intuitive (much like a Mercedes motor in a Model T Ford). And with a little bit of patience and ingenuity (such as renaming files using Windows, outside of the software interface), it is definitely a product which one can work with. I highly recommend it for someone who wants to do what it really shines at: recording into Mp3.

There was one reviewer (on the 128MB version) who spoke about converting the Mp3 files to WMA files for saving space -- but at equal bit rates, the WMA were actually LARGER -- besides which, most techies will tell you that when converting from one compressed format to another, one is going to lose quality

BTW, have a look at PoGo's site and you will be surprised at the pricing advantage there

Rating:
Summary: Good product
Review: I've been using the 128MB version (with an additional 128MB add-on card) for nearly two years.

Strengths: excellent voice recording functions and quality for any type of meeting or lecture; great playback quality for voice and music; built-in speaker; AAA batteries are easy to replace and recharge

Weaknesses: arm-band is poor quality, so I use a pocket unless I am running with it; it requires Pogo software, rather than showing up as a mass storage device in Windows