SANYO ICR-FP700D Digital Stereo MP3 Voice Recorder with Expandable SD Card Memory Slot

Comment: This is a very tiny device which you could take anywhere in your pocket. Apart from its portability, the recording quality is adequate. Haven't tried in a large room, but it appewars to record voices sufficiently in a small room. The voice activation system is a nice feature but the begining of the sentence gets lost due to the latency in voice activation resulting chopped up sounds. The batter meter is not very reliable. Besides of the above negatives, I like this compact device. I bought 4GB SD card as well and loaded some MP3 musics and it's working fine. Compared with my old tape recorder, this is a gem.

Comment: See title, about says it all, device is remarkably small, pretty easy to use, but voice activated recording is not too good and the file handling when moving over to PC is a challenge. Lastly, I don't like paper manuals but damned if I can find one on the vendor's website in PDF format so now I have to keep the hardcopy. Isn't this the twenty-first century when websites are easy to navigate and everything is in PDF format?

Comment: After considerable research I purchased two of these; one to replace a top of the line Sony that was too small to hold and use effectively. The Sanyo Recorder has been everything I had hoped they would be. Easy to use, Highly compatable file format, long recording time, variable speed playback, uses standard AAA battery (One!!!)and produces standard MP3 files. I use my Sanyo to record for Podcasting, and Audio CD production. The Sanyo Gets the Job Done, and the price is good too. Just be sure to properly adjust the mic sensitivity properly to prevent a scratchy destortion in the playback sound. Mine worked so well, I purchased another one for a relative for Christmas, and recommended it to a friend. 25 years ago, I had to spend $25,000 to get a major brand medical transcription system to get the features this Sanyo has for a mere $100.

I am back updating this review. Without a doubt this is one of the finest digital voice recorders ever made! We have used these for several months under all kinds of conditions, and the only thing that I can recommend is the use of a good external electret mic under some circumstances.

Comment: The device works great.
However some feature need to be improved:
1. The timer time is not very flexible (.5, 1hr, 2hr etc.) Would be better to specify start and end time. Also to establish everyday, M-F, Sundays, Saturdays recordings.

2. Navigation is clumsy. It need to organize file system: folder number, file number. User should be able to easy navigate thru all files and folders.

Comment: SANYO ICR-FP700D Digital Stereo MP3 Voice Recorder with Expandable SD Card Memory Slot

For the PRICE it's a good - no GREAT little device! One AAA battery lasts forever, easy to use and versatile. If you need audio from anywhere to mp3, this unit can do the job.

Mic/line-in/phones = 10
Function buttons = 10
Navigation / user interface = 10
Play speed = 10+ (great feature)
Menu read-out = 10
Speaker = 1 (but who needs it)
Sensitivity selection = 10
USB to PC = 10 (seamless)
Storage capacity / folders = 10
Fit & finish = 8 (don't really care about the looks - hardware seems sturdy for its size)

I thought it would be nice for spontaneous recording for my son's guitar play but I use if often (might have to get another one). The plus/minus speed variation is great for him to learn various solos and you would be surprised how different songs sound when the speed is changed and pitch is maintained - makes understanding lyrics a breeze and it would definitely make a wild party - wilder!

It is smaller than you think (real easy to misplace) and in 'big hands' it won't be comfortable. It's not industrial strength so you need to treat it nice. Get a case that has some cushion and size to it and like most electronics, keep it far away from dust, liquids, etc.

The highest quality 192 kbps mp3 and an 8 gig card will give you 90+ hours and if you need more, you can drop the kbps down 2 notches. It's a recorder / music player / data card that will trade stuff with your computer.

I'm super happy with it :D