pocketrak

Portable audio recorders are useful tools for capturing live music or lectures, and creating podcasts. Unfortunately, the best-sounding recorders tend to be bulky, and they can get pretty complicated.

The Yamaha Pocketrak CX ($299) is a powerful handheld audio recorder that keeps things simple. The little recorder fits in your shirt pocket, runs off a single AA battery, and keeps confusing buttons and settings to a minimum.

Of course, simplicity doesn't come without sacrifice. If you're the type who wants to record bird calls with a phantom-powered boom mic and sophisticated onboard compression, this isn't the right … Read more

Jasmine's back and Donald wrangles her away from vacation reflection and back into a digital music frame of mind. Discussion topics include a new Philips GoGear review, why you should never trust a headphone review, and what would happen if Apple stopped supporting FairPlay. Listen now: Download today's podcast

Philips GoGear SA5245 review

Yamaha Pocketrak 2G Voice Recorder

Never trust a headphone review

What if Apple stopped issuing DRM keys?

Band-themed MP3 players: Yay or Nay?

http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/07/finally-a-journ.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9922729-1.html

We've seen a fair share of high-end portable audio recorders pass through our door, but the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G is far and away the smallest we've ever seen.

Unfortunately, the Pocketrak 2G's shrunken size is reflected in its modest list of features and limited recording capacity. Still, this tiny thing is a dream come true for concert bootleggers and undercover agents.

Curious? Check out our full review of the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G along with our Crave photo gallery.