Technology Review
I’m taking a break from writing about the CLIQ as I’m very happy with it and I’d like to reserve my next review for a few months down the line. For now, just know the CLIQ has me as excited as the first Blackberry I ever owned, and I can’t say enough good things about it.
This week I’m writing about a slightly older technology: the voice recorder. No! I’m not referring to your father’s or uncle’s reel-to-reel voice recorder, but an electronic one that you can carry in your pocket.
I carry an Olympus model VN900 circa 2003. I bought it for my then fiancé and now wife for her school lecture recordings. Since she finished school three years ago and has no more use for it, I carry it when I’m away from the office, whether that’s at a client site, in my car, or just walking along.
Many people advocate using notepads for jotting those spur of the moment thoughts. I carry a small notepad, but it’s not enough pages to write all my thoughts. What’s more, when I’m driving and I get an idea, I can’t just start writing. Also, taking out a pen and paper takes away from the whole thought spontaneity process. I’ve tried the notepad and I loose many thoughts by the time I finish the first sentence.
The voice recorder comes in real handy for just those times when a thought races across your stream of consciousness while you’re doing other things. I can jot my thoughts or ideas whenever they strike me. What’s great about carrying a recorder is the one hand operation of the device. This is especially helpful when I’m driving and thinking about ideas for this blog, my daily tasks, business endeavors or how to celebrate my wedding anniversary. Best of all, I don’t have to take my eyes off of the road to jot down a note. I’ve used it enough times to know where all the buttons are and how to work them.
I’ve tried a number of alternates to this on my PDAs of the past and phones, even on the CLIQ. I’ve yet to find the right tool in these media. None are as easy to use as any Olympus-brand voice recorder with a handful of (no pun intended) ergonomically-placed tactile keys.
I highly recommend carrying any one of these devices to help you with your note taking or reminder setting, spur-of-the-moment thoughts. Given how well my Olympus VN-900 (pictured here) has held up, I highly recommend you consider one of their products.
As a note, I have no affiliation with Olympus and they’ve not requested me to endorse any of their products.
What Do You Think?
Feel free to share below your tools of choice for voice recording or jotting down notes.