Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

$99, 16-meg ProRecord Digital Voice Recorder module

Yikes! Where the heck was this 16-meg ProRecord Digital Voice Recorder module when I asked for the lousy Targus 4-meg Total Recall module for Xmas?

http://www.palmgear.com/hs/products...amp;prodcatID=5

I had stumbled onto it at the Handspring page on it:
http://www.handspring.com/products/...prorecord.jhtml

In case links don't work, details include:

With the ProRecord Digital Voice Recorder you�ll get:

8.5 hours of continuous recording for notes, memos and meetings
Up to 1024 messages of digital recording and playback
Directly link recorded messages with PIMs applications
Built-in Speaker/Microphone and earphone
Pro desktop application lets you upload voice files to PC
Speed Record & Play with HotKey button
24 level volume controls
Low power consumption
Perfect for Doctors, Lawyers, and the Business Professional

The module seems to fit relatively flush into the module slot, and it has 16-megs Flash built in. If you could use some of it for storage it would be about perfect.

I haven't noticed this on any module lists, I musta been asleep at the switch. Has anyone reviewed it? Is there something wrong with it?

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

Admobis page about module

Here's Admobis' official page about the ProRecord module

http://www.admobis.com/products.html

According to their page, the module seems to have 2-megs flash that can be used for any sort of data file storage.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: 'braska
Posts: 211

That explains it...

quote:

---

All for a suggested retail price of $99

---

__________________
www.jphillips66.org

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: LA
Posts: 34

Bought one

I bought one yesterday, should have it by Monday. I will give some feedback as soon as I play with it.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

Glad to hear. Well I shoulda waited for your feedback - I already placed an order with Palmgear.

This module just seemed to really slip under my radar screen, I never saw a mention of it at any Palm news site but maybe I just missed it. I just stumbled onto it while reading Handspring's module pages - I guess I should check those more often, but I asumed not many new modules would be coming out.

If it DOES prove to be disappointing I apologize to anyone who joined me in being a lab test rat for it.

The Targus is already under my mom's Xmas tree, so I'm debating whether to tactfully tell her to return it -- but I guess I should wait and see whether there's something wrong with the ProRecord. Maybe the sound's awful or you can't adjust the recording quality or it's too hard to use. But, it sounds terrific on paper and I just hope it lives up to that.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

Springboard Module Dead eh?

And some such as..ok wont call any name (hint name starts with Foo and one has Lucas in name) are sayign that the Springboard module is dead. This is what springboards shoyuld have been to start with..affordable and under $100 with nice feature sets.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

Yeah I think if more modules (and under $100 good ones) had been available at launch, they would've taken off better.

But I haven't given up on them -- if anything I'm trying to glutton up on them while prices are low. Maybe they'll stay low, but one never knows.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 1

New Voice Module

This new ProRecord module has 8.5 hrs of recording
time saved onto 16megs of memory, and an additional 2 megs available for data files.
While I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth; I would prefer to have more ram for data files and less for recording. 10megs Voice and 8megs data would be ideal.
I think this module will do very well, and I am 99% likely to purchase it.
But.... one can dream of the multifunctional module.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Houston
Posts: 34

I have a brand new ProRecord Digital recorder, which works great. however I don't think I will be using it much - doesn't fit my work-style. I am willing to sell it for $80, including the UPS ground shipping. Obviously the CDROM software and heasphone is included.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

quote:

---

Originally posted by melpich
I have a brand new ProRecord Digital recorder, which works great. however I don't think I will be using it much - doesn't fit my work-style. I am willing to sell it for $80, including the UPS ground shipping. Obviously the CDROM software and heasphone is included.

---

Melpich, good to hear. I should receive mine next week.

Can you give us a quickie Reader's-Digest condensed review? My questions would be:

* Does the speaker need to be 5 inches from the module to get a clear recording, or would it catch someone a few feet away (as in a meeting)?
* What are the buttons on the top of the module? I assumed they were play and record buttons.
* Can you adjust the recording quality? (The Targus, which I'm still receiving as a gift it looks like, has low/medium/high quality recording settings)
* If yes, does the "8.5" hour recording time refer to a particular sound quality setting? A lot of digital recorders brag about recording time, but it ends up being at "low" recording quality settings.
* Does it have a built-in file mover program so you can use the 2-megs of data storage?
* Is the 2 megs of data storage in addition to the 16-megs, or is it within that 16-megs?
* I'll be quiet now. I work for a newspaper and am used to babbling a lot of questions to people.

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

I can answer a couple of those questions....

It has 2 mb extra flash memory, and yes file mover is provided.

ok that's all I know

__________________
-miradu

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Houston
Posts: 34

In answer to your questions:
The built-in microphone picks up sound from several feet away.

The 2 buttons on top are for volume control (+ and -); and there is also a very neat little jog-dial which you press in to start recording, press again to stop recording, and jog sideways to choose which app to save the recording in (Datebook, Address, ToDo, or Memo.)

I don't think you can change the recording quality. And I have not tried the full 8 hours they claim, but the sound play-back is perfectly adequate, even without using the headphones.
The FileMover is on the module, and the 2 megs of Flash Memory appears to be in addition to the space reserved for the recordings.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

Thanks a bunch for the info, guys, much appreciated. This is by far the most helpful Visor-related forums I've found on the Web.

I guess I was trying to figure out if I'd have any reason to hang onto the Total Recall module. About the only perks it has are being able to use it stand-alone (outside of the Visor) though only in the memory-hogging high quality mode (I think), and the three recording quality modes.

I do recall reading about a guy who was using his Eyemodule 2 module to make little movies and would tape the Targus module (in its stand-alone shuttle) to it so he could record sound. Then he'd use Quicktime Pro to synch the sound/movie together. I can't see myself doing that though.

Oh well I'm giving my brother my old Visor Platinum as an Xmas gift. Maybe he gets my Total Recall module for his birthday later.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

Oops, forgot one question: what can you do with the ProRecord's desktop software (beyond converting to .wav)?

Not that I have any burning need to, but the Total Recall software lets you do some sound editing and I wasn't sure if the ProRecord does. Just curious, though hopefully I'll learn firsthand soon enough.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

My ProRecord arrived yesterday but.... alas I wasn't here and have to shuffle with the UPS guy this evening.

I did receive the Targus Total Recall for Xmas, so I guess I can do my own little head to head with the two modules.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

First Impressions

Georogue's rushed first impressions:

Sound Quality

It's okay, maybe comparable to the Total Recall module's medium quality mode. I'm not sure you'd want to record a meeting or interview with it though, hopefully I can try sometime.

The microphone seems to be located in the back of the module toward the top.

Integration

Although PIM integration is ProRecord's selling point there are some caveats, especially if you like using add-on type programs like ActionNames or the Eyemodule2's Eyecontact software.

The module takes over the four hardware buttons so that they take you to slightly modified versions of the programs called ProDatebook, ProAddressbook, ProTodo and ProMemo.

For the most part, if you tap on the details button for an item, you'll see an extra button labeled PR that has a speaker icon. Tap on it and you'll start recording. Then the item will have a speaker icon next to it that you can tap to hear the message.

Although this is good (kinda neat to be able to record the voices of people in your address book for example), there is a really annoying Please Wait, Loading and sometimes Please Wait, Resetting message whenever you hit a hardware button to go to ProMemo, ProDatebook, etc. That alone might be enough to keep me from recommending it.

Also, since the ProDatebook can't work in concert with ActionNames (or whatever other modified address book program you use), that's a bummer if you rely on that type of program. I have ActionNames assigned to my hardware address book button so that's another minus.

On the other hand, if you're happy with the built-in programs and can deal with all the Please Wait, Loading screens, then it's pretty nifty to be able to add quick voice memos to everything. I think it could be esp. useful for driving directions, cooking recipes, and complicated instructions you may not feel comfortable jotting down.

The Jog Dial as mentioned elsewhere here works pretty nicely and you can record and play memos with one hand (though you need to tap at some point to select an item).

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 11

melpich, is the module still for sale?

email me at [email protected] tod iscuss

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Houston
Posts: 34

The module has been sold now

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: LA
Posts: 34

Got mine

I received mine last week and am very disapointed! This thing has the playback quality as a cheap voice recorder. To me it is useless, I thought I could use it to record some of my classes but the playback sucks so - as melpich did - mine is up for sale!

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 22

I agree -- the Targus Total Recall has better sound quality and would probably be better for interviews or recording class lectures. Unfortunately, the 90-minutes in medium quality mode doesn't really give you much room to work with.

ProRecord's okay for what it's really intended for (recording person notes and reminders) but it's a shame they don't let you adjust the sound quality.

I guess what I want is something with the ProRecord's amount of memory and the Total Recall's sound quality and sound quality setting choices. Can't I somehow melt the two modules together, like Reese's Peanut Butter cups?

If you really need long recording time for classes, I've seen some Olympus and Sony digital recorders with extra memory (Olympus has one with desktop software similar to these two Visor modules') - but I don't want to get off topic.

Apologies too if I got anyone else's hopes up too high about Total Recall. I should've looked before I leaped. Have to see if Palmgear takes returns.