Part of the reason the iPod has been so successful is that compatible content is so simple to acquire--and there's plenty of it. Now, the iRecord Pro, a simple one-touch personal media recorder, makes content even easier to get. And the beauty of it is that it's not only for the iPod, you can also record directly to the Sony Walkman, the Sony PSP, and other devices. Unfortunately, the iRecord Pro is way overpriced at $259, and while it will save you money on content in the long run, the fact that it's crippled by its lack of a scheduling feature--and that it offers only real-time recording--makes the price tag exceedingly hard to swallow.
The black, plastic iRecord Pro box offers a noticeable improvement over the sterile design of its predecessor, the iRecord. It offers some rounded edges and some muted silver piping that accents it nicely. At 5.5 inches by 3.6 inches by 1 inch, it's noticeably larger than the iPod but smaller than any other part of a home theater system. Only two buttons grace the top of the device: power and record. The back houses the necessary inputs--RCA AV, S-Video, and power--while the left edge contains the standard USB port for connecting portable players and the right incorporates a mini USB for attaching computers.
The iRecord Pro's final physical characteristics of note are the various LED indicators on the front of the unit. The one stamped "Streaming Networks" glows blue when the unit is powered on, and a simple rectangle record indicator glows or flashes different status colors. Steady green means it's ready for recording, and flashing shows it's detecting the USB device; orange blinks for busy and glows for audio-only recording; and red turns on for a firmware upgrade and flashes during video recording. The unit also features LEDs stamped with 30, 60, 120, and 180, which glow to show which recording time has been set. Timers are set by pressing the record button a certain number of times in succession, and instructions are laid out clearly in the manual. Streaming Networks also includes a remote that has a dedicated timer button, keys for recording video or audio only, and buttons for stopping and pausing the recording.
