SONY MZ-B10 MiniDisc Voice Recorder

Rating:
Summary: Good performance, Poor layout
Review: I have been using this Minidisc recorder for about 6 months and overall it's not a bad little recorder. The battery life is excellent and it can record upto 320 minutes of audio. It has a reasonable speaker for its size. The few hiccups I have are;

Built-in MONO microphone (Sony calls it a flat mic.), no back light for the display, slow rewind/review response, Track mark button should have been placed closer to the Record button, the open catch could have been recessed - More than once I have picked the unit up while it was playing and the case opened and the MD fell out! Hmm... frustrating. This unit does NOT allow you to label tracks. Useless carry pouch - what ever happened to those great custom fit leather cases Sony used to produce with their portable electronics? I miss those! I suggest anyone contemplating purchasing this unit to look at the B100 model. Or even hold off for a while until the new Hi-MD format reaches the notetakers. It could save alot of heartache.

Rating:
Summary: Unique item. Worth the investment
Review: Looking at all record formats including solid-state recorders I settled on Sony's MZ-B line of recorders. Since the MZ-B100 I wanted something that could provide me with a cheap removable media solution as well as the flexibility of a digital unit.
This recorder uses proven minidisc technology and creates a recorder that is truly unlike no other except its bigger cousin the MZ-b100.
It has a built in pitch control (-50% slow and 100% fast) and twin speaker playback, a stereo mic and headphone jack, and a professional quality flat mic. It's great for musicians and with 5 1/2 hour (320min) LP 4 mode great for executives, students, doctors...etc. The sound quality is exceptional even in LP 4 mode. I have a Net md recorder and it plays my prerecorded discs as well. There are few minor negatives I have to bring up. The record mode button on the side can be pressed inadvertently. The pop up record button may lock into record mode one or two seconds into your recording. Otherwise, you can be assured that this unit is top-notch Sony product. If you've never been fortunate enough to own a minidisc device get a net md first (used) and then get one of the MZ-B's I recommend this unit as a voice recorder only since It cannot download music.