Olympus VN4100 Digital Voice Recorder

I have two girls, one just turned seven, and the other is eight. When one has a birthday,Both get a good gift. This time it was a digital recorder. Wow. What a hit! This particular product is very easy to use, and they play with them All the time. I just showed my 8 year old how to tell stories with sound effects; receding voice, tapping shoes on the floor for walking, her sisters birth was a popping toaster, etc. They really enjoy creating anything out of their voices, musing with their creative flow on their own, at their own level. What a really great free-flowing self-creating stimulus to their budding lives. All self exploratory and self learning; on their very own. I purchased the unit that cannot download and save, for fear of getting sucked into being a Librarian for them. They are still on the origional batteries; note reviews that state you Must put unit on Hold setting before changing batteries, or you fry the unit.

Purchase the the VN-5000 if you're considering the VN-4100; it's the 2008 replacement. The VN-5000 is sleeker, has larger memory capacity, and is selling for cheaper than the VN-4100. Recording and playback quality are exceptionally clear. The unit weighs about as much as a Snickers bar. Both models share similar features with the only major differences being the appearance and memory capacity.

This is a great product for my requirements. It is small, easy to use and has great playback clarity, especially when you record on the highest fidelity setting. The hold feature is a great battery saver.

This recorder works great... I use it on the fly in the car or wherever I am when an idea comes to mind (I am a professional musician) and then I use it at work to record meetings lasting hours. Allows me to easily transcribe word for word what was said in the important info sharing forums. Being able to play back in 1/2 speed is a great feature - all in all - a great, reliable product.

I used it for my kids in memorizing paragraphs, it works perfectly.

Pro: inexpensive, enough function for my purpose.
Cons: cannot link to PC directly, the voice becomes a little bit higher pitched.