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Lectureworthy: MP3 players with voice recorders

Whether you need to make a quick voice memo or record a two-hour lecture, having a recording feature on your MP3 player can really come in handy. There are plenty of MP3 players available with built-in microphones but few that really take their recording function seriously. To create this list of recordable MP3 players, we considered the quality of the recordings, the simplicity of the recording controls, line-input recording (sometimes you just need to plug in a serious microphone), memory expansion, battery life, and recording time. While the SanDisk Sansa e260 and the Samsung YP-T9 omit line-input recording, they still offer great options for simple voice memos. If you're one of the millions who already own an iPod, consider accessories such as the XtremeMac MicroMemo or the Belkin TuneTalk that can transform your iPod into a voice recorder.

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Product name Creative Zen V (2GB, white)
Creative Zen V (2GB, white)  
Creative Zen Nano Plus (1GB, Dark Blue)
Creative Zen Nano Plus (1GB, Dark Blue)  
Cowon iAudio 7 (8GB, red)
Cowon iAudio 7 (8GB, red)  
TrekStor Vibez (12GB)
TrekStor Vibez (12GB)  
Samsung YP-T9 (4GB, black)
Samsung YP-T9 (4GB, black)  
SanDisk Sansa e260 (4GB)
SanDisk Sansa e260 (4GB)  







Review date June 28, 2006   June 05, 2006   July 19, 2007   January 03, 2007   October 30, 2006   March 10, 2006  







CNET editors' rating 8.0 out of 10 8.0
Excellent
7.3 out of 10 7.3
Very good
8.3 out of 10 8.3
Excellent
7.3 out of 10 7.3
Very good
8.3 out of 10 8.3
Excellent
8.0 out of 10 8.0
Excellent







Users' rating 5.4 out of 10 5.4
Average
7.3 out of 10 7.3
Very good
7.2 out of 10 7.2
Very good
6.8 out of 10 6.8
Good
8.2 out of 10 8.2
Excellent
7.0 out of 10 7.0
Very good







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Review summary The Creative Zen V is a good choice for anyone looking for a compact flash MP3 player with recording features and great sound quality. However, the more feature-filled Zen V Plus is a better value. If you're looking for a feature-packed flash player but you don't want to spend a ton to get one, Creative's Zen Nano Plus is the device for you. 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. Better than the iPod Nano in many respects, the TrekStor Vibez scores with its dazzling looks, excellent interface, and solid performance. Despite a few minor issues, the stylish Samsung YP-T9 is a no-brainer: it's easy to use, packed with features, and sounds fantastic. What more could you ask for? The SanDisk Sansa e200 series offers a boatload of features for a reasonable price, in a package that is much nicer than that of past SanDisk models. For those looking for a high-capacity, compact, skip-free MP3/WMA player, start with the e200 series.







Product series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series







My Products
Basic Specs
PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB Hi-Speed USB Hi-Speed USB Hi-Speed USB Info unavailable Hi-Speed USB







Flash memory installed 2 GB 1 GB 8 GB 12 GB Info unavailable Info unavailable







Flash memory form factor Integrated Integrated Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Digital player signal-to-noise ratio 92 dB 90 dB 95 dB 90 dB Info unavailable Info unavailable







Digital Player total harmonic distortion 0.05 % 0.1 % Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Dimensions (WxDxH) 1.7 in x 0.6 in x 2.7 in 1.3 in x 0.5 in x 2.6 in 1.4 in x 0.7 in x 3 in 4.1 in x 0.7 in x 2 in Info unavailable 1.7 in x 3.5 in x 0.5 in







Weight 1.6 oz Info unavailable 2.1 oz 2.5 oz 1.7 oz 2.6 oz







Resolution 128 x 128 Info unavailable 160 x 128 176 x 132 Info unavailable Info unavailable







Battery technology Lithium ion Alkaline Lithium polymer Lithium ion Lithium polymer Lithium ion







Mfr estimated battery life 15 hour(s) 18 hour(s) 60 hour(s) 20 hour(s) 30 hour(s) 20 hour(s)







Software type Creative MediaSource , Creative Media Explorer , Creative ZENcast Organizer Drivers & Utilities , Creative MediaSource Cowon jetAudio , Cowon jetShell , Drivers & Utilities MAGIX MP3 Maker SE Info unavailable SanDisk Sansa Media Converter







Manufacturer warranty 1 year warranty 1 year warranty Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Product type Digital player Flash player Digital player / radio Hard drive Info unavailable Digital player / radio







Color Green Dark blue Red Black Black Black







Sound output mode Stereo Stereo Stereo Stereo Info unavailable Info unavailable







Width 1.7 in 1.3 in 1.4 in 4.1 in 1.7 in 1.7 in







Depth 0.6 in 0.5 in 0.7 in 0.7 in 0.4 in 3.5 in







Height 2.7 in 2.6 in 3 in 2 in 3.3 in 0.5 in







Equalizer factory presets Pop , Jazz , Rock , Disco , Vocal , NewAge , Classic , Acoustical Info unavailable Pop , Jazz , Rock , Vocal , Normal , Classic Pop , Jazz , Rock , Trance , Classic Info unavailable Info unavailable







Digital player (recorder) MP3 , WAV , WMA , ADPCM , Audible , Protected WMA (DRM 9) MP3 , WMA , Protected WMA (DRM) ASF , MP3 , WAV , WMA , FLAC , Ogg Vorbis , MPEG 1 Audio , MPEG 2 Audio , MPEG 2.5 Audio MP3 , WAV , WMA , FLAC , Ogg Vorbis , Protected WMA (DRM) Info unavailable MP3 , WMA







Sound effects Info unavailable Info unavailable BBE , Mach3Bass , MP Enhance Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Amplifier response bandwidth Info unavailable Info unavailable 20 - 20000 Hz 20 - 20000 Hz Info unavailable Info unavailable







Amplifier total output power Info unavailable Info unavailable 52 mW Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Digital storage media capacity Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable 12 GB Info unavailable Info unavailable







Device type Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Portable media center Info unavailable







Key multimedia features Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Digital audio player , Digital video player , Digital photo viewer , Voice recorder Info unavailable







Display type Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable LCD 1.8 in - Color Info unavailable







Supported still images formats Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable JPEG Info unavailable







Supported audio formats Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable MP3 , WMA Info unavailable







Video playback formats Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable MPEG-4 Info unavailable







Radio Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable FM: 87.5 - 108 MHz Info unavailable







PC interfaces Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Hi-Speed USB Info unavailable







Included accessories Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Earphones , USB cable Info unavailable







Product name Creative Zen V (2GB, white)   Creative Zen Nano Plus (1GB, Dark Blue)   Cowon iAudio 7 (8GB, red)   TrekStor Vibez (12GB)   Samsung YP-T9 (4GB, black)   SanDisk Sansa e260 (4GB)  







Full specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications







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$135
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$110
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$59-130
from 12 stores












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