3. Going Upmarket - The Olympus WS-320M

The WS-320M is the one in the middle of this roundup in all ways you can think of - it has more features than the VN-120, but it's not quite the high-end DS-2200 either. Coming with USB connectivity and 1 GB of storage space it is perhaps the ideal middle-of-the-road solution for most. The recorder weighs 1.62 oz. (46 grams) with batteries and measures 3.73" x 1.50" x 0.43" (9.47 cm x 3.81 cm x 1.09 cm).

Its black case, back-lit screen and stylish USB-key style (to get the USB bit you detach the recorder from the battery housing) make it look quite attractive. Upon closer inspection you'll find stereo L/R microphones on the front, as well as the main controls arrayed along the middle-right and side.

The WS-320M also tries to be something of an MP3 player, with a specific switch between voice recording and playing music. Open up the music browser and you can look through folders as with any other MP3 player and plug in headphones for audio fun. I suppose it depends on your circumstances, but I strongly consider using a voice recorder in place of an MP3 player. Saying that, you might want to get yourself a better pair of headphones than the rudimentary ones that come in the box (but that's a pretty standard complaint about any MP3 player.)

You can also connect on an external microphone, though one isn't provided as with the DS-2200, though Olympus has a selection of accessories available.

The voice recording quality can be changed, going from stereo (35 hours 25 minutes recording time), high quality (70 hours 50 minutes), medium (139 hours 30 minutes) and low (277 hours 20 minutes). Obviously that's with the unadulterated 1 GB. The more music you stick in the memory the less recording space you'll have.

To get to the USB you have to detach the battery pack from the recorder, making an L-shaped USB key. There's an extension cable in the box, but you can just plug in the recorder directly like any USB-key which makes it handy as you don't have to worry about carrying around the cable everywhere. It takes a bit of learning to get the whole thing clipped together, but once you figure it out (about five seconds work, after half a minute of swearing at it in my typically efficient problem-solving routine...) it's easy to do.

I can't see the stereo recording coming in too handy as essentially the left and right microphones are on the same face of the recorder, but it's a nice addition to have and you can use the capability further with a larger accessory microphone. In all if you want to do is save your notes and have the extra flexibility afforded by USB then the WS-320m is the option for you.