Tech Bitch

Sony Europe’s IT Peripherals division recently added two new digital voice recorders to its line-up. Designed for a variety of dictation needs, the ICD-UX70 (£79.95) and ICD-UX80 (£99.95) stand out from the crowd because they offer up to 2GB of internal flash memory, and can record and playback MP3 files. Furthermore, there’s actually a USB 2.0 connection built directly into the devices (complete with protective cover), which enables direct battery charge (through rechargeable batteries) from a laptop or desktop computer.

Available in either a black or silver finish, the ICD-UX80 (34×99x13mm, 48g) is powered by just one AAA alkaline battery, so it’s nice and small. The backlit dot matrix LCD, on-screen menu and joystick-style control aren’t the easiest to use or navigate, but after a few minutes you should get to grips with setting up the device and making your first recording. The built-in stereo microphone offers selectable sensitivity, but due to the quality of the built-in microphone it’s only practical for recording audio sources in close proximity - such as a meeting or interview. Moving the microphone towards the back of a room, for instance, generally fails to produce an acceptable result.

Shipping as standard with a 2GB capacity (ICD-UX70 has 1GB), the ICD-UX80 can record up to an impressive 581 hours in LP (24 hours in best quality), but the single AAA battery is good enough for 34 hours. Gadget buffs will love the way the ICD-UX80 can record and playback stereo MP3 files, allowing you to record and listen to music on the move. Stereo recording is captured via the built-in microphones and as the audio is recorded into MP3 format (no support for MPEG-1/2 encoded audio or broadcast-quality WAV) you can then easily transfer files to your computer, without the need for additional software.

With the capacity for over 500 songs (less on the ICD-UX70 of course), you can even adjust the sound tone to Rock, Pop or Jazz, much like a regular MP3 player. The voice recorder even features direct audio encoding from a CD/MD player. There’s a digital pitch control function that allows playback of recordings to be heard at an increased or slower speed without distortion for transcribing or editing requirements, and Voice Operated Recording (VOR) automatically starts recording when sound is detected. Other features include alarm playback, repeat and search, and mono recording mode.

Let’s not get carried away. The ICD-UX80 is a decent voice recorder, but it is a million miles away from being a proper MP3 player or preamplifier microphone. If you consider price, music playback capability, compact size, MP3 recording functionality and PC connectivity a priority when purchasing a digital dictation device, the ICD-UX80 should be exactly what you’re looking for. If audio quality is the main priority, such as for podcasting or other types of broadcasting, you’d be better off with a proper microphone. But for the latest in personal digital dictation, the ICD-UX80 is not bad at all. We just wish Sony would sort out their unintuitive interfaces and make their products easier to use. [7]

Word has it that we all can’t be bothered to adopt Internet television, despite the apparent popularity of the BBC’s iPlayer download service.Media law firm Wiggin found that only one in five people legally streamed or downloaded TV programmes from broadcasters such as the BBC or Channel 4, or ISPs such as Tiscali or BT’s Vision service.

Virgin Media’s IPTV proved the most popular, with 20% of respondents using the service regularly or occasionally, with Channel 4’s 4oD service coming second with 15% and the BBC iPlayer taking third place with only 13%, despite totting up more than 17 million hits since Christmas.

A paltry 4% used Joost.com despite deals with Sony, CNN, Viacom and Warner Music Group. BT Vision and Tiscali TV also only got 4% each.

It seems we’re all too familiar with the idea of snuggling down in our living room at an appointed time to watch our favourite programme rather than sitting uncomfortably at our sticky computer desks all day and night.

There’s no doubt we will gradually move to the on demand mentality, especially when home entertainment systems improve such that you can connect the PC to the television and have the ‘TV over the Internet’ experience on a big screen, but it seems we’re a long way off.

More than 50 per cent of the respondents said that they would be more inclined to use IPTV services if more content was pooled together, as is being planned by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 for a joint venture known as ‘Project Kangaroo’.

However, users need to be aware that their download limits will be affected by the amount that that stream and download, and many of these programs will continue to run in the background unless fully exited. Make sure you keep track of your downloads to avoid being charged for exceeding your allowance or fair usage policy.

Shoppers voted Pioneer KURO their favourite brand of television in 2007, according to independent review Web site Reevoo, which painstakingly edited analysed over 15,000 customer reviews of televisions bought last year.

In a TV market worth £6bn a year in the UK alone, Pioneer’s products were rated more highly than much larger rivals including Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and LG.

Pioneer said it’s delighted that the KURO has been chosen as the favourite television brand of 2007 by Reevoo users. The company said it makes great efforts to make the best televisions on the market, albeit if they cost the price of a small house.

Pioneer’s popular PDP4270XD has received dozens of positive comments, but the most interesting was a negative on the new 42-incher: “The TV didn’t include the fit bird from the brochure”.

At the other end of the list were budget manufacturers Polaroid, UMC and Swisstec. The 15-inch Swisstec S15 6NG, which retails for around £150, is consistently described as having ‘tinny’ sound and problems with sound and vision not synchronising, although many reviewers are pleased with what it offers for the price.

The top five TV brands for 2007:

1. Pioneer
2. Panasonic
3. Sony
4. Samsung
5. LG

The bottom five TV brands for 2007:

1. Swisstec
2. UMC
3. Polaroid
4. Logik
5. Goodmans