RCA RP5120I hesitated buying one of these things for a long time. My cellphone allows recording, so I tried that for awhile, I tried Jott.com which you call a number to dictate notes or reminders to yourself. They all kind of worked. Cindy bought this for her Nevada history class when she had to visit some museums around Las Vegas. She gave it to me when she was done with her museum notes.

This little thing is really cool. It does so much, you actually have to read the manual to get all of the features. I use it to record the mileage when I cross a state border (used for fuel taxes), and now I’m using it a lot to remind me of things while I’m driving, things I remember while I’m driving, but will forget when I stop five hours later. Things like what I need the next time I stop for a grocery run, things I would like to post about, websites or subjects I hear on the radio I want to look up later. It’s quick and easy and seems to do well on its AAA batteries. I only short quick notes and haven’t tried it for something long like a class lecture or something where it’s on and recording constantly.

This will also hook up to a computer and allow you to download your notes to your computer and keep or organize them. Theoretically, I could dictate something, download to my laptop, then upload it to Adventures in Trucking and you could listen to what I had to say. Except for the fact I would want to edit out all of the pauses and rearrange everything so it makes sense to everyone else, it could be used for that. Maybe someday.

Here are the features of this little thing:

  • 256MB of built in flash memory, allowing you to use up to 1 hour and 44 minutes of recording.
  • digital display screen that shows the time, low battery indicator and recording countdown.
  • Unit has a USB port allowing for file download to a PC, helping you listen, share, save and organize with ease.
  • Automatic Voice-Activated Record (AVR) mode which will sense sound and start recording automatically once sound begins.
  • Multiple playback speeds so you can listen to your recorded files at your own pace.
  • Date and time a recording was made with the date/time stamp.
  • By using the date/time stamp along with intro scan, which gives you a preview of message content, you can quickly find specific recordings without the hassle of listening to complete recordings.
  • Editing functions to cut and paste recordings, erase partial or complete recordings
  • built-in speaker, built-in microphone,
  • recording quality selector
  • Headphone and Microphone jacks.
  • Selectable folders and bookmarks for easy organization.

RCA RP5120 at Amazon