Olympus WS-510M 4GB Digital Voice Recorder and WMA/MP3 Music Player

Comment: This is the second one of this type I have owned. I gave the first one to a friend in ministry and bought myself a second one to replace it. I tried the a Sony but it was worthless. Stay with the Olympus and you won't be disappointed.

Comment: I have owned 5 Olympus digital recorders - 3 DS-330's, an Olympus WS-320M, and a WS-331M. The 331M has twice the memory of the 320M, and the buttons are easier to use.
I was hoping for improvements in the WS-510M, in addition to another doubling of memory from 2 GB to 4 GB, but I was utterly shocked to find that they had changed the buttons on this new model. The very handy record/pause button on the side of the 331M, which fit perfectly under my thumb and could be used flawlessly without looking at the recorder, had DISAPPEARED! The new record button was right in the middle of the front panel, closely surrounded by buttons for other functions. Ease of operation had taken a terrific nosedive which I could not accept.
I find it hard to believe that Olympus would make this egregiously counterproductive change. Some people just can't leave well-enough alone.
Be forewarned. The WS-331 is the best yet, hands-down.

Comment: I bought my recorder for my college lectures. I'm a nursing student and I was told that recording the lectures would be helpful. It is great! I'm soooo pleased with my purchase. Whenever I might've missed any of the notes, I have a digital recording of everything that was said! I plug it right into my usb on my computer to charge it (and yes, you have to hold the STOP button down as you insert it in order for it to charge, but that's no biggie). It is Mac compatible!!!!! I have a Macbook Pro and there are no compatibility issues there. I don't charge it up but every 2-3 days. Easy to use, just read the manual. As for portability, it's super small, so make sure you don't lose it! I always triple check to make sure I have packed it away. The sound quality is wonderful. When you play it back live it sounds only ok. When I put it on my computer and listen back, I hear everything so clearly! Yes, I sit at the front of the class in order to get good audio, but when the professor walks around the classroom to the middle and back, it still picks it up well. So, I'm thrilled with my purchase and would highly recommend it to you!

Comment: You can read my previous posts on this product line (WS-331M) - this model is another great evolution to the Olympus line of Digital Voice Recorders. Olympus has the BEST sound recording quality of these devices - I have used others mfg. tools and was not impressed. This model represents my 5th generation since 2000. These recorders are fantastic tools for students and professionals. I record meetings, calls, training materials and listen to all my podcasts. Having 4G is a tremendous improvement.

Real Positives...
1. Mic pickup & recording quality is just as good as previous models.
2. Storing 1,000 hours in the Long Play mode - which is easily a usable quality
3. the WMV encoding is very efficient - creating incredibly small files

The menus have changed a bit from the WS-331M with 2G - all the control buttons have been moved to the front of the device and the push-out USB port with in-unit recharging is a nice addition. Battery life seems to be a little better than the 331. USB interface is 2.0, fast and convenient - no cables. Listening to recordings and podcasts without earbuds using the built-in speaker, try that with an iPod. They have even added a lanyard connection point - a suggestion I made in a previous review. There is a dual-sided record LED (that can be turned off from a menu option). I am so glad the unit still uses AAA batteries - it's nice to recharge and go, but sometimes you are traveling and can not recharge - so a few spare AAAs give you unlimited recording time.

Negatives:
1. Earbuds that ship with the device leave much to be improved - plan on purchasing or using your own favorites ear buds or headphones
2. New user manual is brief and compact with tiny fonts - could be a little more user friendly / easier to read - but, you can download the manual in PDF form and the online version is more complete.

Comment: This a great miniature digital recorder. Small, light and reliable. Great recrding quality and long AAA battery life. Actually it is the third one we have purchased. Olympus makes great products!