MOST crucial decision - please please help me...!!!!!!!!!

[sunandoghosh]

MOST crucial decision - please please help me...!!!!!!!!!

WHAT I WANT:

To be able to record lectures delivered by my professor so that I can later on listen it while commuting and also make notes.

WHY I WANT:

Because our professor delivers lecture at a very very rapid pace and although it is great listening him and understanding his concepts...its so so fast that its impossible to write or make note of anything...

This creates problem because although I am able to understand everything while he teaches BUT later on I forget everything as I am unable to make any notes.

The net result is I am where I was when the classes started.

WHAT I AM THINKING:

I gave a thought to my problem very deeply and discussed with some people and the only solution that appears is TO RECORD THE ENTIRE LECTURE DAILY....so that I can make notes from it later on at my ease...

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS:

After doing a very thorough and deep analysis on net and gathering as much information as was possible for me...I concluded that I am having the following options:

A. To record the lectures using Apple iPod along with either griffin italk or belkin voice recorder.

OR

B. To record the lectures using Nokia mobile handset using its inbuilt microphone (or attaching some external microphone)

OR

C. To record the lectures using dedicated digital voice recorders such as Olympus DM-10 and DM-20, or say Panasonic RR-US006.

OR

D. To record the lectures using a laptop which is having inbuilt microphone or attaching the laptop with external microphone.

OR

E. To record the lectures using flash based MP3 player like those of transcend etc.

OR

F. To use dictaphone (I have never before even heard that term)

WHY I AM CONFUSED:

Because

1. I do not own personally any of the devices in all options referred above and therefore unable to make a choice which one suits my needs best

AND

2. Dont know which one would be MOST suitable for purpose of recording class lectures from a reasonable distance (say 5-10 feets away) for 3-4 hours lectures.

AND

3. Dont know which device would be MOST reliable and durable

AND

4. Dont know which one provides Best Value for Money as there are extra benefits associated with each device and extra costs too.

EXAMPLE:

I have heard that

# Griffin italk or Belkin Voice recorder at times may NOT record properly always (I have just heard NOT at all sure)

# Again Apple Ipod which allows extra voice recording functionality is NOT mini or shuffle so Again I dont know whether its better to have Nokia Mobile which has so many extra features as well and would cost less than Apple ipod.

# Again if Nokia Mobile is to be purchased which particular model suits my needs best.

# Or is it that dedicated digital voice recorders are best as they have one single function of digital voice recording.

And so on........................

BOTTOM LINE:

There are so so many variables involved that I am really unable to decide. This is further complicated by the fact that I have never used such gadgets and NOt sure.

PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE..........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE..........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE..........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE..........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My budget is very very flexible (which means that I am ready to spend upto Indian Rs 50000 which is roughly USD $ 1000, if required).

The single most imporatnt reason I am intending to buy such a gadget is to record the class lectures daily which are normally of 3-4 hours duration and the professor and my sitting distance varies from 1 feet to 10 feets.

If i get extra features Its welcome BUT this digital voice recording feature is something which I do NOT want to be compromised.


Please suggest me out of A, B, C, D OR E what should be my ideal choice and what costs i would incur. If possible please specify the exact product number or detail or specification.

I Know I have written a very very long story and it must have tested your patience and consumed a lot of your valuable time. I genuinely and most sincerely appreciate your time and effort with me from the bottom of my heart and trust me I am really in serious trouble or else would NOT have written such a long story.

I am very anxiously awaiting the words of wisdom and valuable advice from more knowledgebale and experienced (and most importantly helpful) members here.

I am sure that someone here will be able to help me out with his advice and suggestions.

Again I express my deepest sincerest appreciation and gratitude for reading this post and possibly replying.

Please reply in detail and advice to your best as your decision may be very very crucial and infact the whole basis on which I am going to make the purchase. So please be concerned and kind.

Thanks and best of regards

Most sincerely

Sunando Ghosh
Kolkata, India

sunandoghosh (at) rediffmail (dot) com

P.s. If u wish to add anything which i might have missed or suggest differently please feel free to do so.

[GSmith]

See a summary of portable recording device types here:
http://feederreader.pocketcasting.com/viewtopic.php?p=670#670

[jhennig]

I say Pocket PC + Memory Cards + PC at home to store files on. With the Pocket PC, you get a ton of extra stuff without the size or price of a laptop.

[kaitanium]

id say yea just get a dedicated voice recorder. and dont get an ipod, thats just ridiculous

[JDTagish]

My best advice (for what it's worth)

Get a dedicated voice recorder...they usually have the easiest options for importing to a PC and to go back and forth the the portion you want. They usually do NOT come with rechargable batteries, so be prepared to stock up on disposable batteries, or purchase rechargable batteries to insert. Since they are dedicated devices you will get the best quality recording rather than a device that was never intended to be used for that purpose, like the iPod.

Then, get a Pocket PC, with a larger memory card, so that you may carry your transcrribed notes with you for study/review purposes. If you gt a digital recording device, you will be able to transfer your recorded lectures in audio format to a PPC as well, if you like to listen to the lectures again, rather than only transcribe and then delete the lecture.

Getting both devices will likely suit your purposes best, and give you a broader range to work with, and still work within your budget.

[Sven Johannsen]

This is MOST crucial? I thought you were going to ask about getting married, or being an organ donor for a relative, or something.

Get a dedicated voice recorder. For everything else, doing voice recording is an Oh-By-The-Way it does this too. Voice Recorders are designed to do the job you are wanting to do. They'll do it well and efficiently.