Easi Speak USB Recorder
© 2011 Learning Resources
Good for capturing and playing back audio in the classroom or on a field trip, the Easi Speak USB Recorder ($70, Educational Resources) plugs into the USB port of your computer for both charging and file transfer. It can also be charged using most USB phone or iPad chargers. About the size of a small ice cream cone, the 5 inch long device can store up to four hours of audio, in WAV or MP3 formats. The hassle free internal lithium ion battery charges in about 4 hours, lasts for 3 hours and can't be replaced. Multiple recordings can be stored on 128 MB of internal memory. They can be played back instantly using forward/rewind/play buttons, or copied to a PC or Mac. To do this, you unsnap the plastic cap to find the USB plug. The audio files can be played back using any software that can read MP3 or WAV files -- these are very common, helping to make this digital recorder a teacher's best friend. The kit includes a lanyard and a USB extension cable, which is handy because the fat base won't easily fit into the USB ports on most thin laptops. Audacity music editing software (free) is recommended for editing and storing files. Strengths: durable, fairly easy to figure out, and the quality is good. We like how it is an all-in-one unit, making it a nice "grab and go" device for any teacher. The integrated speaker lets you hear what you just recorded, or you can listen using your own headphones. Weaknesses: the user interface is cryptic and could be improved. For example, there are eight different LED codes to signal such things as when the microphone is charging or recording; or when the battery is low. These are hard to understand.
$70, Windows, Mac OSX
Teaches: microphone, sounds, speech, audio recording, record keeping, portfolios
CTR Rating: 84%