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Recently, I
challenged Olympus, to provide me with a suitable Digital Voice Recorder for my
job as a journalist. Olympus supplied me with the
Olympus DM-10 to test.
As a
reporter, I need a reliable recorder that is easy to use when conducting
interviews, dictating copy and for a spot of easy listening on the move.
The DM-10
promises high quality recording, with its 64 MB of built-in flash memory to
enable the user to record up to 22 hours of interviews. I tried out the Olympus
DM-10 when interviewing for a continental based news magazine, the controversial
Danish writer Bjorn Lomborg, about why climate change is the not the priority
for the world that Al Gore claims it to be. The recording's sound quality, I
found was a distinct improvement on my old analogue Sony tape recorder. It was
unnecessary to try out the noise cancelling features that come with its DSS
Player software.
At a recent
lunchtime press conference I found the noise cancelling software especially
useful in erasing the extraneous noise of scraping chairs
and my fellow journalists, gossiping in the background and eating their
sandwiches.
Dictating Copy
As a
Dictaphone, the plug in stereo microphone with its easy to handle recording
controls on the microphone meant one did not have to fumble for the controls. I
also appreciated being easily index specific sections of the interview for ease
of access later.
What many
journalists will appreciate is the ease with which one can transfer recordings
to the computer for archiving for future reference, editing or emailing the
sound file for transcribing by a professional audio typist service that has
Olympus DSS transcription technology, who will convert the file into a word file
for return by email.
For those long
boring trips between jobs, the other feature I appreciated was its MP3 player
function. As an MP3 player it is good for storing a full hour of near-CD-quality
music or audio book in either MP3 or WMA formats, certainly enough for the
average commuter.
As you would
expect, the Olympus is designed to fit neatly in the pocket. Olympus provides
the user, with a nifty pocket sized carry case to store the DM-10 itself, its
remote microphone, earphones and USB connecting cable.
Getting Started
Loading the
software from the CD provided, I found no problem, but it would have helped if
Olympus had provided a simple 10 point ‘Getting Started' leaflet, giving us
users some basic instructions on installing software and use of equipment. Then
if the user needs further information, he/she can always consult the easy to
understand and extensive 101 page PDF manual downloaded with the software from
the CD provided.
The recorder
itself has control buttons that are easy to use, but I found the labels slightly
difficult to read. It would have aided things immensely if the typescript was
replaced by indented Braille symbols. A tip for users, in case you are looking
for the on/off switch, it is the ‘hold’ button. Having an off switch also helps
save on battery power.
On the
recorder itself, there is a relatively large screen. If you can't read the
display, switching off and then on the hold button, turns on the background
screen light for use in poor light conditions.
As for future
improvements that Olympus should consider:
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To improve
ease of use and handling the gadget and buttons should actually be made
larger.
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It should
have a built in USB for plugging directly into your computer for file
transfer and recharging the device.
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The flash
memory capacity needs to be improved to be at least 1GB.
Overall, I
found the Olympus a very handy and useful device, which unlike many of its
rivals in the market proved to be a very useful aid for my work as a journalist.
Score 8/10.
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