Sony's ICDUX70 / ICDUX80 voice recorders double as DAPs

Looks like Sony had its thinking cap on with these two -- after all, who wants to lug around a voice recorder these days that, you know, only records voices? Thankfully, the ICDUX70 and ICDUX80 include 1GB / 2GB (respectively) of internal storage space as well as the ability to play back MP3 files and record in MP3 stereo format. According to Sony, you can capture some 290 / 581 hours of audio in LP mode, and rather than supplying a AAA of your own, owners can just plug it in to any spare USB port and let the rechargeable cell within regain its strength. No word on a price at the moment, but you can keep an eye out for the UX70 in black / pink or the UX80 in black / silver to land later this month.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

[Charles @ Jan 27th 2008 5:09PM]

Can you scrub to rewind and fastforward and resume recording. I am looking to use this device for dictation and if you make an error, would like to be able to rewind and resume recording. Most of the voice recorders available do not allow this and as soon as you hit stop, you can only start a new recording and not go back and add or edit to the old one.

[b @ Mar 18th 2008 8:54AM]

so the UX70/80 will take AAA battery, either alkalines or NiMH rechargeable?

[Lars @ Jan 16th 2008 7:15PM]

Nothing new here. They've had PMP/DAP-voice recorders for a long time. I have one that records right to MP3 even instead of WAV.

[Lars @ Jan 16th 2008 7:18PM]

Oh, and mine (which I bought years ago) also has FM and will even record FM to MP3 while you're listening to it.

[tekdroid @ Jan 17th 2008 7:23PM]

i would rather supply a spare AAA of my own than be tied to a USB port, thankuverymuch.

[Sirius @ Jan 18th 2008 12:53AM]

I bought a ICD-UX60 just a week ago in Taiwan.. the UX80 was also in the shop I got it from. Strangely enough the shop owner said it was weird of Sony to go from 512MB (UX60) straight to 2GB (UX80) skipping 1GB... I'm guessing she just never ordered it...

The UX60 records 144 hours in LP mode and I got it (in Taiwan, probably slightly more expensive in US) for NT$4380 (around US$135.60). The UX80 was going for around NT$6800 (US$210.50). (I say around $6800 because, me being a student, I stopped listening after $68xx...)

As for the battery/USB thing, the ICD-UXx0 series will actually recharge your single NiMH (and maybe NiCd, not sure) AAA battery while it's connected to a USB port. Of course it will run off the AAA when not connected to USB (Sony's not that stupid). And of course it's smart enough not to try recharge regular AAAs...

As for the recorded sound quality, it's pretty damn good, compared to brands such as Denpa, probably helped by its stereo mics.

The series also sports 5 folders to group your recordings (you can move recordings between folders afterwards too), and I assume the folders are renamable (haven't tried). For playback it sees up to 99 files per folder, forgot how many folders total, but it will read up to the 4th level directory.

It also has 3.5mm Audio-in, 3.5mm Headphones + built in speaker, 5 recording modes (3 stereo, 2 mono), 2 levels for mic sensitivity (no auto gain though), voice activated recording, digital pitch control (adjust playback speed without adjusting pitch), 5 playback EQs, display backlighting, an alarm, and time stamping of recordings.

I actually searched Engadget for the series' review before I bought it... didn't think it was so new (in the US at least)..

[Sirius @ Jan 18th 2008 1:04AM]

I should add, the UX60 comes in silver only, as far as I can tell.

The recording quality... it sounds less muffled than my camera's video mode (Canon A610 at 640x480x30fps), probably due to it being stereo and the camera mono. I was recording some singing at the back of a rather full hall (30m x 15m x 2floors (estimate)), and I can hear the lyrics quite clearly despite there being some quiet chatter.

[Greg Conquest @ Jan 19th 2008 8:08AM]

I got a UX80 at BIC Camera in Yokohama today. The saleslady reduced the price from 19,800 yen to 16,500 when I showed her a 14,500 yen online price. So, I paid a little less than USD150 for this.

Mine has a Japanese interface, and the interface does NOT have a language selector, though it is not too difficult if you check SONY's website and download the Users Manual and compare with the Japanese User's Manual. Maybe the firmware can be flashed to another language version????

It can record from the built-in stereo mic, or an external mic, or auxiliary (I guess this would be 'line-in').

I got this to record a dream journal. I can wake up, groggily take the UX80 and press one button. It wakes up, the LCD screen lights up, and it begins recording after a second or so. I press the next button down to stop the recording. It shuts off automatically a few minutes later.

The USB port cover is not attached. I don7t think it would be easily lost, but it is a slight concern . . .

It also works with linux fine :-)

[Greg Conquest @ Jan 20th 2008 8:11PM]

A followup for search sake:

I've avoided SONY products because of their extreme copy protection/DRM/crippling... till this device. This is, as far as I can tell, a USB mass storage device, but SONY has chosen to call this "USB Direct". So, even when SONY does the right thing and conforms to standards, they still can't use the same label everyone else uses.

The highest quality recording is ST (stereo). It is 44.1KHz @ 192kbps. You'll get 24 hours and 10 minutes with that on the 2GB UX80. This sounds great.
STSP (stereo Standard Play) is 44.1KHz/128kbps mp3 and 36 hours 20 minutes.
SP is mono Standard Play -- 44.1KHz/32kbps with 145 hours and 20 minutes recording time. This one sounds OK for voice.
There are two other recording modes, but I don't find the quality so useful, especially when the battery life varies between 9 and 13 hours. It will apparently run off of a USB power brick and record perhaps making the 581 hour 20 minute 11.025KHz @ 8kbps mono LP mode of some use.

Greg

[aurea @ Feb 16th 2008 2:56AM]

If it works with Linux, does it mean it'll work with a Mac too?

Thanks :)