My Lecture Companion

I purchased the Olympus WS-100 Digital Voice recorder to record my lectures and it has been an invaluable tool.

Connectivity
I originally purchased this voice recorder, not because of the recording quality nor the recording features, but because of the connectivity. This recorder separates from the battery pack to become a USB flash drive. No cables are needed. You just pull it apart and plug it into the computer. With Windows XP, I didn't even need any software. It was quick and easy to connect. This came in handy when I needed to plug it into a computer at school or into the several different computers I use for my school work. It also allowed it to easily double as a flash drive for storing documents and pictures on the go.

Capacity
This recorder doesn't use removable media since it records everything directly to its own memory. It has 64 megabytes of storage space which can hold up to 27 hours of recording depending on the recording mode.

Recording Features
This recorder stores audio in Windows Media Audio (WMA) format. Audio can be recorded in three different quality modes: high quality (HQ) and the lower quality setting, LP and SP, for extended recording time. This recorder includes voice activated recording which starts recording as soon as sound is picked up by the built-in microphone. The sensitivity of the microphone is adjustable to help aid in accurate recording of only what you want recorded.

Audio files can be stored in five different folders (labeled A through E and easily switched with the push of one button) to help you organize your files. I found this especially helpful when I didn't have time to dump my lectures on to a computer for a few days. I would separate each day of recording into different folders so I knew which lecture was from which day. The maximum number of individual recordings in each folder was 199 (which I never actually reach) and you can erase an individual recording or an entire folder.

Playback
The recorder also has a built-in speaker and an earphone jack for mobile playback. Playback can occur at two speeds: fast-play mode which is 50% faster than real time and slow-play which is the original speed.

Controls and Setup
The controls are simple and easy to learn. The buttons are kept to a minimum and are well labeled. There is an LCD display that gives you information on how long you've been recording, what folder you are recording in, and when your battery is low. The recorder is very small and light, weighing only 1.9 ounces.

Battery Life
The recorder takes 1 AAA battery which is said to record up to 13 hours of audio. I didn't record for this long continuously and my recording was usually interrupted by playback. I did find that using lithium AAA batteries was much more efficient and I kept extra batteries with me. Usually one battery would last a little over two weeks of lecture.

Included
The recorder comes with 1 AAA Alkaline battery, a neck strap, and a USB extension cable.

Quality and Overall Impression
The quality of the audio was good for a digital recorder. I mostly kept the microphone on the most sensitive setting in order to pick up lectures in large halls where I may have been seated in the back. An average amount of background noise was picked up when it was on this setting but it picked up my lectures pretty clearly. I found the LCD display to be helpful because if I couldn't hear something or it was unclear, I could look at this display and write down the time stamp in my notes so I could go back later to listen to it again. I do wish it took two AAA batteries to give it a longer battery life. It was a plus that it doubles as a flash drive not only for convenience but also because it didn't require use of the battery to transfer and back up the audio. I feel this was a valuable tool in lecture and think anyone with similar needs would find it to be as well.