Donald Bell,
Senior Editor
December 2, 2008
Unlike the iPod, many MP3 players include dynamite voice recorders right out of the box--no accessories required. For this list of recordable MP3 players, we considered the quality of the recordings, the simplicity of the recording controls, line-input recording options (there comes a time when you just need to use a serious microphone), memory expansion, battery life, and recording time.
With these considerations in mind, the Cowon iAudio 7 is the total package, offering tons of recording options and long-lasting battery life. The iAudio 7 records from an internal mic, stereo line input, or FM radio, with an adjustable quality setting that tops out at a WMA-formatted 128Kbps.
Not everyone will like the iAudio 7's cramped interface and relatively high price, however. Thankfully, manufacturers such as SanDisk and Creative seem to enjoy slapping a voice recorder into most of their budget-friendly MP3 players. For less than $50, the Creative Zen Stone Plus makes a handy voice memo recorder to keep in the car.
Also note that if you own one of the current generations of iPods, you can outfit any iPod Nano (4G), iPod Classic (2G), or iPod Touch (2G) with a pretty decent voice recorder for the cost of a $30 pair of headphones. In fact, the number of voice recording applications available for the second-generation iPod Touch number in the dozens. Owners of older iPods should consider accessories such as the XtremeMac MicroMemo, Belkin TuneTalk, or Belkin GoStudio.
| Product name | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $105.99 to $109.95 | $56.32 to $69.99 | $65.99 to $87.95 | $129.95 to $240.00 | $179.95 to $226.99 | $42.96 to $56.98 |
| CNET editors' rating |
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| Average user rating | ||||||
| Review date | July 19, 2007 | August 06, 2008 | March 12, 2008 | November 07, 2007 | August 08, 2008 | July 26, 2007 |
| The Bottom Line | The Cowon iAudio 7 beats the industry heavyweight iPod Nano in price, features, battery life, and sound quality. The user interface could use some refinement, but all-in-all this is a very impressive MP3 player. | The Creative Zen Mozaic offers great bang for your buck as far as MP3 players go: get super sound quality, a boatload of features, and a cool interface--all wrapped in a funky design at an ultralow price. | The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is a great value--a slim design, simple interface, plentiful features, memory expansion capability, and solid sound quality all come with an easy-to-swallow price tag. | The Samsung YP-P2 is an excellent-sounding MP3 player that will appeal to those looking for a cool touch-screen interface and stereo Bluetooth capability. | The Creative Zen X-Fi's plastic design leaves a little to be desired, but that doesn't detract from the fact that the player is an incredible value overall: for an extremely competitive price you get a boatload of features and great sound quality. | For those who want a supersmall and cute MP3 player that offers more than just simple music playback, the Creative Zen Stone Plus fits the bill nicely. |
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| Features | ||||||
| Battery technology |
Lithium polymer |
Lithium ion |
Info unavailable |
Lithium polymer |
Lithium ion |
Lithium polymer |
| Digital player (recorder) |
WMA FLAC ASF WAV Ogg Vorbis MPEG 1 Audio MPEG 2.5 Audio MPEG 2 Audio MP3 |
WMA WAV Protected WMA (DRM 10) ADPCM Protected WMA (DRM 9) Audible MP3 |
WMA FLAC WAV Ogg Vorbis Audible MP3 |
WMA MP3 |
WMA WAV ADPCM Audible MP3 AAC |
WMA WAV ADPCM Protected WMA (DRM 9) Audible MP3 |
| Digital Player total harmonic distortion | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
0.1 % |
| Software type |
Cowon jetShell Cowon jetAudio Drivers & Utilities |
Creative ZEN Media Explorer Drivers & Utilities Creative MediaSource |
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 Drivers & Utilities Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 |
Drivers & Utilities Samsung Media Studio |
Drivers & Utilities Creative Centrale |
Drivers & Utilities |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) |
1.4 in x 0.7 in x 3 in |
1.6 in x 0.5 in x 3.1 in |
1.9 in x 0.3 in x 3.1 in |
3.9 in x 0.4 in x 2 in |
3.3 in x 0.5 in x 2.2 in |
2.2 in x 0.5 in x 1.4 in |
| Color |
Red |
Pink |
Black |
Black |
Info unavailable | |
