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Sony ICD-UX200

Sony ICD-UX200 digital voice recorder

The Sony ICD-UX200 is billed as a 3 in 1 device - acting as a recorder, mp3 player and USB storage device - and Sony have put a lot of thought into making it work well in all three areas.

You can carry it anywhere (It's smaller and lighter than any mobile phone we've seen) - although still large enough to ensure the operation of the buttons isn't fiddly.

And the built-in USB connector means you can transfer files when and where you want without having to carry extra cables around.

The recording quality for interviews, meetings and voice notes is high. It's 2GB memory means you can store loads of recordings , files and MP3's and the MP3 plackback quality is ipod standard.

3-in-1 voice recorder, music player and USB storage

Sony ICD-UX200 at a glance...

Features

  slide out integral USB     2GB internal memory
         
  MP3 player     rechageable battery
         
  Small and light     File storage
         
  Voice activated     14.5 hours recording
         
  long battery life     Easy to read display
         

Specs

Display:   21mm (H) x 25.3mm (W) backlit LCD
Memory:   2 GB internal memory
Input:   Mic mini-jack 3.5mm
Output:   Headphones mini-jack 3.5mm, USB
Power:   One rechargeable AAA battery - recharges from computer
Battery Life:   up to 14.5 hours recording, 53.5h hours headphone playback, 21h speaker playback
Dimensions:  

36.6(W)x14.6(D)x98.5(H)mm

Weight:   58g with batteries
Recording format:   MP3
File system:   10 storage folders, unlimited files per folder
Tools:   Noise Cut technology and low cut filter
Speaker:   Built-in speaker 90 mW
Mic:   built in stereo mics

Images

Click on the images below for a larger version:







Audio

Listen to these 'road test' recordings of the Olympus DM550 using the player or click on the link to download the file for further testing.

Music

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Download Music clip
It's a very rough guide but we played a CD on a fairly good stereo and recorded the music using the Sony ICD-UX200 recording through it's onboard mics to give you an idea of the music recording quality. We plan to record the same clip using as many different types of recorder as we can get our hands on - so you can compare them all.

The track is Midnight Shaker by the Bobby Blackston Band - you can find out more about them and/or buy their music here



Speaking voice

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Download Speaking voice
Reading the poem 'Jenny Kissed Me' by Leigh Hunt using the recorder at its highest stereo recording level.

Review

PROS:
Light and compact
Slide out USB
MP3 player

CONS:
No external memory
Speaker/playback could be louder

STYLE:
The Sony ICD-UX200 is a great looking recorder with trendy styling and available in black, pink, red and silver.Smaller and lighter than the smallest mobile phone, it is designed to slip into any pocket and go anywhere as an MP3 player on the move, a recorder in meetings and interviews and as a plug-in file storage system.

POWER:
The voice recorder comes with one rechargeable battery which is charged by pluggling the integral USB into a computer. It takes three and a half hours to charge from completely empty and that give around 14 and a half hours of recording time. It automatically charges every time you plug in to a coputer to download/upload files.

OPERATION:
The UX200 is extremely easy to operate with most functions controlled by the usual wheel controls familiar to anyone who has a TV remote control. A slider on the side of the recorder powers it on and off. You can then either press the red record button to record straight way or press the fil e button to choose a folder for your next recording to go into before starting to record. The folders also hold the MP3's you've uploaded to the recorder, so you just navigate to the one you want to hear and press the central 'ent' button.

RECORDING:
The Sony UX200 captures very clear voice recordings and Sony's own "Noise Cut" technology and the recorder's low cut filter enhances speech recordings for a much clearer audible range and reduced background noise.

PLAYBACK:
The onboard 90mW speaker output is fine for playing back voice notes and interviews etc but it seems a bit quiet for playing back MP3's. Listening through the provided earphones is much better though. One of the nattiest features of the Sony ICD-UX200 is that you can set it to play back a message and sound an alarm at a certain time you set. This can be a voice message, as in: "Remember the dentist at 3pm" or an MP3 to wake up to.

STORAGE/CONNECTIVITY:
There is 2GB of internal memory but no facility to add an external memory card. The slide out USB is a really good feature, meaning you don't have to carry a USB cable around with you. There's no complicated software to install on a computer before this device will work. Just slide out the USB, plug it into your computer and drag and drop files. Very simple.

VOICE ACTIVATED:
The Sony ICD-UX200 has an easy to operate voice activated feature. Its simple to set up and a red light flashes on the recorder to let you know it is in voice activation mode. The flashing light turns to solid red when it is recording. It is activated by normal talking voices in a room and they are clearly audible on playback if there isn't overwhelming background noice (music etc).

SPECIAL FEATURES:
The compact, light design and the slide-out USB is what makes this digital voice recorder stand out. It means it is no trouble to carry around and you can plug it in to any computer to drag and drop files when you need to. The Mp3 player feature is an added bonus.

INCLUDED EXTRAS:
The ICD-UX200 comes with earphones, a soft carry case and a short USB cable in case you can't directly plug it into a USB port using the slide-out USB.

DOWNLOAD THE MANUAL
The full pdf manual for the ICD-UX200 can be downloaded by clicking here

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