Features:

• Professional-grade digital voice recorder with high-sensitivity microphone
• Up to 68 hours of recording time; 30-hour battery life
• Connect to PC to transfer files or download podcasts
• Store and listen to favorite music anytime, anywhere
• Timer recording, alarm playback, slow/fast

Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
In addition to capturing stereo sound from meetings, interviews and other critical information expected of digital recorders, you can download and create podcasts with the DS-30. The super-high-quality sound is also great for listening to audio books and music - it's the ideal all-in-one audio device.

Amazon.com Product Description:
In addition to capturing stereo sound from meetings, interviews, and important lectures, the Olympus DS-30 Digital Voice Recorder allows you to download and create Podcasts for later listening. The DS-30 offers users up to 68 hours of recording time with its 256 MB worth of internal flash memory. For easy organization and storing of files, the player allows users to set up five voice folders, and each folder can save up to 200 messages. Internal files can be easily navigated on the player's high-contrast backlit monochrome LCD panel. Other great features include a built-in variable control voice actuator (VCVA) function, and a timed recording and alarm feature so you can set up automatic recording and playing. Running on two AAA batteries, the player offers up to 30 hours of continuous playback in the following modes: ST XQ mode (4 hour 10 minute capture time), ST HQ mode (8 hour 30 minute capture time), HQ mode (17 hour capture time), SP mode (33 hour 30 minute capture time), and LP mode (66 hour 40 minute capture time). For added user convenience, an optional AC adapter can be used with the recorder. Compatible with Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional operating systems and later, the player measures a pocket-friendly 4.37 x 1.48 x 0.63 inches and weighs in at a scant 2.80 ounces.

What's in the Box
DS-30 digital voice recorder, stereo microphone, USB cables, stereo earphones, DSS Player v.7 software, instruction manual, strap, and two AAA batteries.

Rating : - Great recorder, but know about these few things...
I love this recorder. Read the other reviews. They will tell you how great it is. Why, then, only 3 stars?

(I own the DS-30, but these comments would also apply to the DS-40 or DS-50)

First, for Mac users. I found so many problems running the included software from Olympus that I just deleted it after a couple of days. My workaround is to plug in the DS-30 as a usb drive, drag the audio files to my desktop, and rename them there. (Don't delete the files on the recorder directly from the Mac; do it directly on the DS-30.) Since the files are in WMA format, I needed to convert them to a format I could edit, put on my ipod, whatever. I found a shareware program called easywma for [...] that's a peach and works perfectly for me, though there are plenty of other shareware and commercial solutions out there.

The second thing to know is that my DS-30 was a lemon. Yup, it happens. The key, though, is how Olympus service deals with a failed product.

After 3 weeks of working perfectly, my DS-30 just froze up. All I could do was remove the batteries and try again. This happened just as I arrived at an overseas conference where I was making a presentation. Very bad timing. Olympus service was generally great in fixing the problem - they even paid shipping - but it took way too long. I sent the DS30 to them, it came back "repaired" but with the same problem, I sent it to them again, it came back with the same problem, I sent it to them a third time and they finally sent me a new one. The whole elapsed time was about 8 weeks. They were gracious on the phone, I got to speak with humans, they returned my calls, and they met every time commitment they made. (If they said I would get it back in 10 business days, I did.) However, two months was really too long. I should have been able to return it and get a new one.

Skip ahead several months...

Now, I have a working recorder, I have a process to use it on my Mac, and I'm one happy camper.

By the way, I expected to use this as a writing tool and for lectures, notes and conferences. I was very pleasantly surprised by how good the highest quality setting is. I am able to record concerts and shows in stereo, convert the music to mp3 and transfer it to my ipod. And it sounds - surprisingly - really, really good!

I love this machine. I just had to share my tale.

P.S. Get a cover or case. It scratched the second day I had it.