Olympus DS-4000 Review

Ideal Use

Olympus DS-4000 Digital Voice Recorder is slide switch operated digital voice recorder primarily designed for the "Professional Dictation Market".  The device is geared towards power users that require file editing, fast access to portions of a file, and single hand operation. The Olympus DS-4000 is geared for dictation and transcription,  the DS-4000 digital voice recorder is designed to work with the AS-4000 PC Transcription Kit.  The system is PC and Mac compatible. 

Specialties

DS-4000 Digital Voice Recorder is the perfect device for Physicians, Attorneys, insurance adjustors, and/or other busy professionals that dictate a great deal. 

1. Healthcare
2. Legal Industry
3. Professionals
4. Anyone that dictates a great deal will benefit from using the DS-4000. 

Key Features

1. Slide Switch Operated allows you to Play, Record, Fast Forward, & Rewind with thumb slide
2. Excellent file editing capabilities allows you to insert, overwrite, append, and even partially erase a file.
3. The DS-4000 is definitely designed with power users in mind, the unit has several advanced features for file management.
4. Rechargeable battery charges with docking station.
5. Large, backlit LCD screen displays file information and recording time.

Pros

• Single hand operation. Slide Switch control allows for easy slide operation for record, stop, play and review functions.  
• Excellent Overall Design. Easy thumb control,  large viewing screen, and fits comfortably in hand.
• Advanced file editing capabilities.  Features ability to insert, overwrite, append, and even partial erase of file. 
• Reduces Record Clipping . The Response time is phenomenal we didn\'t encounter the annoying record clip problems (cutting of a portion of audio) found with other units tested in the past.
• Uses Removable Media
• Rechargeable battery charges with docking station.

Cons

• For use with Dragon NaturallySpeaking we suggest adding the Olympus ME12NC stub noise canceling microphone to achieve excellent results. 
• The DS-4000 is packaged with a 64MB xD Picture Card, for the price they should include a 256MB card or higher.  

Overall Conclusions

The DS-4000 is a "Best Buy" with its full-metal body, ergonomic form and slide-switch control. The digital voice recorder offers a lot of flexibility for professional users with its advanced file editing functions, removable storage media, and workflow management tools.

Rating