Olympus DS-3500

The Olympus DS-3500 ($499 list) is a compact digital voice recorder with a number of high-end features and handy enterprise tools, and it excels at its first job of accurately recording voices. Its biggest strength is built-in security through on-the-fly encryption, and if your business deals with a lot of sensitive information, the DS-3500 makes a compelling choice for capturing important meetings and conversations. It does take some time to learn how to use, and it would be nice to see automatic transcription at this high price.

Design and Features
At 4.5 by 2 by 0.7 inches (HWD) and 3.7 ounces, the DS-3500 looks much like your typical digital voice recorder. It's wrapped in a nice metal housing that feels solid and comfortable in your hand. There's a microphone jutting out from the top right corner, with New, Record, Stop, Play, and Rewind buttons along the right edge. Below the 2-inch color LCD are the three Function keys, Fast Forward, Rewind, Volume Up, Volume Down, Menu, and Erase buttons. To the left are 3.5mm inputs for headphones and an external microphone, in case you need to capture voices from a longer range than the included microphone provides.

On top is a single SD card slot which accepts cards up to 32GB. The DS-3500 comes with a 2GB microSD card pre-installed, but it is very difficult to remove and replace that card since the slot is deeply recessed. The mini USB port and proprietary dock connector port are lined up on the bottom panel. Around back, there's a covered compartment that houses the rechargeable battery and microSD card slot. The DS-3500 is nearly identical to the more expensive DS-7000, though the latter uses a slider along the right side for recording and playback controls instead of dedicated buttons.

There are a couple of useful features, including voice-activated recording and robust playback options. The voice-activated feature, called VCVA, only records when people are speaking, and stops the recording when things go silent. It not only saves recording space, but it also helps streamline the playback and transcription process?you won't have to fast forward through breaks. For playback, you can choose between slow, normal, or fast modes, without changing the pitch and tone of voices.

You can set up to 32 index points throughout each recording, which make it easier to navigate during playback. You can also record voice memos during recordings, but I found this feature to be redundant, since you can simply set an index point and speak normally to record a memo.

The 710mAh battery is rated for up to 26 hours of recording time. I couldn't put that claim fully to the test, but after two days of intermittent recording and playback the battery indicator remained full, so I don't doubt the DS-3500 will last more than a full day.

Performance, Security, and Software
The DS-3500 can record in DSS/DSS Pro, WAV, and MP3 formats; recording in DSS on the included 2GB microSD card will net you more than 150 hours of recording time, while you'll get about 34 hours with MP3, and 3 hours for WAV.

In my tests, I found the DSS format to be adequate for voice capture. Speech sounded a bit fuzzy, but gain was solid, and I was easily able to make out words. You'll get better quality with MP3 or WAV, but for pure dictation purposes, DSS should be just fine for most.

Navigating the menus and enabling features can be a bit cumbersome though, as it often takes some digging through multiple levels of menus to find what you're looking for. Otherwise, it's very easy to trigger recording and control playback, and I never experienced any delays or lack of responsiveness.?

Aimed at professionals that deal with sensitive information on a regular basis, the device itself can be password protected, and the recordings can also be encrypted in real-time. The DS-3500 supports either 128- or 256-bit file encryption.?To enable encryption you'll have to use the included Olympus Dictation Management System, and you can also encrypt individual files after recording. The encryption password protects each file or folder, so they will be inaccessible to anyone without the passkey.

The included Olympus Dictation Management System software for PCs and Macs (pictured here) looks a bit dated, with a no-nonsense business approach, but a poor use of space. You get file trees along the left side for managing files, with playback controls along the top. It's a simple setup, but not all of the buttons and options are clearly labeled; it took me a while to get the hang of the system. You can set the software to download dictations automatically when the recorder is connected with the included USB cable. During playback, you can see visual cues for the index marks, and easily cycle through a recording. But there's not much in the way of transcription features. If you record in DSS, the files are compatible with Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking software (not included), but it doesn't natively integrate, making for a bit of a cumbersome process if you want automated transcription. You'll have to open each file in the Nuance program separately for transcription.

Conclusions
At $500, the DS-3500 is strictly aimed at the corporate crowd who value security and flexible management above all. It's the entry-level model in Olympus's security focused recording device line, so you won't be able to get the same level of encryption for less money from Olympus. It also offers a near-identical experience found in the $600 DS-7000. The biggest difference between the two is the recording and playback controls, where the DS-7000 uses a slider as opposed to buttons, but I actually preferred the button setup. The DS-7000 is also able to toggle between standard and high-quality recording modes. If you're considering the two, save your $100 and go with the DS-3500.

Outside of the built-in security features, these enterprise-focused recorders don't do that much more than your typical digital voice recorder, which can be had for as little as $50. Still, audio quality is very good, and if you work with a lot of sensitive information, the type that could cost your company if it got into the wrong hands, the DS-3500 has you covered.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/RLGnBs9LMI8/0,2817,2412847,00.asp

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