I recently bought two gadgets that are awesome and doing two very different things. The Sony PCM-D50 is an amazing little digital audio recorder that I’ve been using for my work as a radio journalist and audio producer. The Asus Eee PC is an amazing little (really little, we’re talking seven inch screen and 2.1 […]
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Transom reviews Marantz PMD620, updates recorder comparison chart
If you ask me, Transom does some of the best digital audio recorder reviews around. You know, not including my own.While Transom doesn’t appear to have gotten their hands on a Sony PCM-D50 yet, they did recently post a review of the much anticipated Marantz PMD620. And while it looks like an excellent recorder in […]
Recent posts from Eee Site
It’s been just over a week since I launched Eee Site, a new page for Eee-related news and tips. Here are just a few of the stories you’ll find there: Playing video games on the Eee PC (under Windows XP) Everex Cloudbook will compete with Eee PC in the $400 tiny laptop marketplace Asus makes […]
On The Media, Comcast, and journalistic transparency
I love me some transparency in journalism. And so I couldn’t stop smiling while I was on the train this afternoon listening to this week’s On The Media podcast. If you’re not familiar with OTM, it’s a weekly public radio show that examines well, the media. That’s a pretty broad topic when you consider that […]
Sony PCM-D50 review
The Sony PCM-D50 digital audio recorder does a great job of bridging the gap between consumer and professional-grade electronics. This $500 recorder sports many of the same features as its sibling, the $1800 Sony PCM-D1 recorder, plus a few new features that its older brother lacks. While Sony is selling the PCM-D50 for less than […]
Unboxing the Sony PCM-D50
A nice FedEx man rang my doorbell today and dropped of my brand new Sony PCM-D50 digital audio recorder. Oh yeah, and I also couldn’t resist giving the recorder a quick sound check. Keep in mind, I haven’t read through the instruction manual yet, and I haven’t tinkered with the settings very much. But my […]
Global Warming Garden
When you think about global warming, you probably think about the big things like melting polar ice caps, hurricanes, and so on. But climate change also has more subtle impacts. Milder winters and warmer summers in the Northeastern US, for example, means that plants that traditionally grow in warmer climates are thriving in New York […]
Announcing Eee Site
I’ve realized that this blog has become a bit of a mish mosh of news about digital audio recorders, podcasting, radio, and the Eee PC. One of these things is not (much) like the others, so I’ve decided to launch a spinoff site: Eee Site. I’m not sure if I have the energy to update […]
Asus launches $499 Asus Eee PC 8G
Just a month after Asus first released the Eee PC 4G in the US, it looks like the company is ready to start pumping out some new variations, including a black model and the higher end 8G. The 8G is pretty much identical to the 4G, except it has 8GB of solid state memory instead […]
Marantz PMD620 review roundup
The Marantz PMD620 has begun shipping, and the reviews are starting to roll in. As more people write up their thoughts, I’ll update this post. Nature Recordists Oryoki at the Yahoo! Nature Recordists group has written up a detailed review of the PMD620. In a nutshell, the recorder is tiny, almost the size of an […]
Sony PCM-D50 and Marantz PMD620 start shipping
Just in time for the holidays, Sony and Marantz have begun shipping their new digital audio recorders. I’m already starting to hear reports that customers who pre-ordered Marantz PMD620 units have begun to receive them. I pre-ordered a Sony PCM-D50 back in October, and after several delays, retailers are starting to get these units in […]
Transom reviews the Zoom H2 digital audio recorder
Looking for a comprehensive review of the ZoomH2 flash audio recorder? While many people look to O’Reilly Media for their definitive reviews, from a public radio reporter’s standpoint nobody does it better than Transom. And today they put out their review of the Zoom H2. Overall, I didn’t learn too much new. It’s a tiny […]
Fun with operating systems
Last weekend I reinstalled Windows Vista on my Toshiba A135-4527 laptop. Or rather, I used the system restore discs that came with the notebook to restore my PC to its factory default settings. But that didn’t solve the glitches I was hearing when playing and recording audio. So today I decided to install Windows XP. […]
Wii shortage on NPR
More than a year after Nintendo launched the Nintendo Wii, it’s still the hottest selling video game console around. And good luck trying to find it. Stores are selling out of Wiis almost as soon as they get them in stock. NPR called me last week and asked if I’d get to the bottom of […]