E-Media Tidbits

Last week I presented a bag of gadgets to a group of public radio people who were interested in new technologies for recording audio. They had an unusual request: no devices that record to a compressed format. I found a wealth of resources for "hi-res" audio recording with PocketPC devices on this page. For the average journalist, though, I don't think the PocketPC format has the ROI that my other two favorite picks have:
1. Tablet PC with Microsoft One Note
The Tablet PC is a great tool for journalists because it's a form factor that they already are familiar with: pen and "paper." With One Note, you can record your interview and start taking pages of handwritten notes. The benefit comes when you get back to the office because as you listen to the recording it jumps to where you were at the time in your note taking. It's a great way to sync up what you wrote with what you heard. You also can search through your handwritten notes for keywords as the operating system transcribes it in the background in real time. Or you could just convert your handwriting to text. It works better than you would expect and doesn't need any handwriting training at all. But don't take my word for it, watch the video.
2. Archos 380
This is one of my favorite gadgets. The Archos 380 is an iPod-type device that can play and record video as well as audio. It has a 4-inch screen and can record from a built-in microphone, an external analog mic, or an external digital mic. The device can record audio at 160 kbps and hold 4,000 hours of sound on its huge 80-gig hard drive.

The Tablet PC/One Note system is expensive, but affordable if it is your main computer. The Archos also is expensive, but cheaper 20- and 40-gig drives are available.