Hi Lenny, Dan misspoke when he cited the new Olympus recorders as being the DM-4 and the DM-5, the recorders are actually called the DM-2 and the DM-4, for the 4 gig and 8 gig models respectively.
This particular recorder has several advantages from it's predecessors, namely the DS line of recorders and the DM-420 and 520. Dan mentioned a couple of them, those being the Text to speech capabilities and the DAISY capabilities, but some other great things about the new DM-2 and 4 are as follows: Media card slot for Micro-SD cards, up to 16 gigabytes, Recorders in PCM, also know as Wave format, MP3 format, and WMA format, as opposed to the 420, which only does MP3 and WMA recording, and the DS line of recorders which only record in WMA format. Over 20 hours of battery usage with the lithium ion battery, as opposed to it's predecessors, which used on Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. There is also the recorder's ability to edit files right on the recorder, *Wave format only*, and a file move option to allow you to manage the files within the folder structure of the recorder, up to 200 folders for each of the pre-loaded folders, A through E. Of course, there are other features that the new DM-4 and DM-2 have, some useful to the average blind person, and some not so useful, although the large display and large screen fonts allow for medium to high partials to use the recorder without the voice guidance/text to speech. Having said that, and, in case you are wondering, yes, I do sell them. The anticipated retail price for the DM4 is between 315 and 350 dollars, Canadian, dealers may sell for less, and between 250 and 295 for the DM-2 Canadian, again, dealers may sell for less. The anticipated release of the recorders is in June, although I am hoping to get an advanced demo for the CNIB Technology Conference this year, to demonstrate, which I'm hoping to record and post to everyone. In any case, I've placed some links to the DM-4 and DM--2 below, so have a look at the features and specifications, and decide for yourself. I should also note that the DM-520 and DM-420 are not as capable as the new 4 and 2, however, they are, in their own ways, very exceptional recorders, as I own each of the models, from the DS 61 to the DM-520, and now the DM4. It's just that if you're looking for accessibility, more than the previous recorders have offered, than the wait is well worth it, and the price is the same, possibly a few dollars less if you decide to go with the 520 and 420 models, but again, you're trading off the accessibility you would get with the DM4 and 2. So, you can read more at the below links: Olympus DM-4 Model Page: http://www.olympuscanada.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1508 Olympus DM-2 Model Page: http://www.olympuscanada.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1507 Hope this helps, and if you have any further questions, feel free to contact me on or off-list at: [email protected] Take care. Victor ------------------------------------ Send any questions regarding list management to: [email protected] To listen to the show archives go to link http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 Or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following address: http://www.jaws-users.com/JAWS/handyman/ Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ If you would like to join the JAWS Users List, then visit the following address for more information: http://www.jaws-users.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [email protected]! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
