My old NEX II MP3 player just recently died on me. I started taking it apart, and it looks like I might be able to do some soldering to possibly get it working, but chances are slim (approximately corresponding to my soldering skills). It looks like the new NEX ia is coming out though, with voice/FM recording, better firmware, and possible Ogg Vorbis support, among other things. I sent an email to see what the recording quality is (hopefully with line-in capabilities), and to see if some slightly annoying NEX II bugs have been fixed.
From correspondence w/ Frontier Labs:
- improvements: multiple folder support, alphabetical song listing, more buffering, improved shuffle (but no m3u support, so you’ll want to keep your CopyNex handy – see also: FATSort, PlaylistExpander)
- Ogg Vorbis is actually being worked on, for the NEX II’s as well as the NEX ia and will be released as a firmware upgrade
- 64Kbps recording (can record at higher bitrates, but no selection mechanism in the firmware right now)
- No (recording) level-meter
- No line-in, the only external input is the built-in voice recording microphone
- Can play back MP3 files at the same time as recording
Perception Digital has a PD-095-01 Portable MP3 player which has a can record from an internal mic, FM, or a line-in at 13Kbps voice or 48-320kbps MP3 (!). That’s pretty frickin’ awesome. It’s a little bit on the chunkier side, and only accepts SmartMedia, no Compact Flash though. Still, tempting, if I could find some uesr reviews…
The e.Digital Odyssey 300 (SmartMedia) looks interesting, although it also looks like it’s no longer available. [the Mpio DMB+ looks like the same thing]
Also, PoGo! Products has their RipFlash line of Recordable Digital Audio Players (the TRIO is one w/ mic and line in, but is not memory expandable). Uses SD/MMC… (CNet RipFlash DX review)
See Also: minidisc.org’s Portable Recorders with Uploading Facilities list.
Places to buy: e.Digital Odyseey 300, PoGo! RipFlash Trio, Perception Digital Hercules (PD-095-01), NEX + accessories