Olympus WS-110 WMA Digital Voice Recorder

I purchased this for my wife to use at her nursing school. It worked great for about 1 week and then it stopped working completely. It does not turn on but does transfer data to the computer... there is something wrong with the battery module... i would not recommend this unit.

Very cool. I'm a teacher, and I took it to a class that I was taking, and it helped tremendously. AND the rest of the class was very impressed.

This thing sounds really good and is actually compatible with my Mac (though since the files are in WMA format, you'll need a free app like VLC to play them in OS X). There are a few things listed in the product details that just aren't true, though:

- it says there are eight playback speeds, when there are only three (.5x 1x, and 1.5x speeds). You can set these as permanent playing modes, which I suppose it how they somehow came up with the fictitious number of modes.
- if you record at a decent quality, you only get 17-36 hours of recording. The lower qualities sound ok when they are played back, but if it's a loud room, you'll want to use the higher quality mode to be able to head the specific sound you're recording.


I love that I can plug it straight into my Mac and it appears as a drive. Very easy to interact with, and no need for messy drivers or cables.

I'm considering trading this one up to the Olympus WS-311M Digital Voice Recorder, which is only $20 more and has twice the recording time. But overall, this product seems to be a decent quality.

Records for about 16 hours on a single AAA battery, simple to use, intuitive interface. Works just like a flash drive to transfer files to and from a PC, just plug it into a USB port. Sound quality and sensitivity are very good, but even better (louder and clearer) with the ME-15 microphone. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that the buttons aren't recessed, so it's possible to turn it on or off accidentally.

I just bought the WS-110 yesterday, and I'm happy with what I see so far. The sound is good, and I love how small, thin, and light it is. It's barely there. It's too early to know how the batteries will hold up. It still shows a full charge after an hour of messing with it. While it's not a big deal, I agree with previous comments that it shouldn't require a manual to know how to power it off. Also, I had a hard time getting it apart the first few times. It's easier now, either because it needed a little breaking in, or I'm getting better at it. The fact that it plugs right into the USB without a cable was what really sold me. No software required with Windows XP. Excellent.