For anyone accustomed to working with an analogue voice recorder, switching to digital has often been difficult. Not anymore. Some 40 years after Olympus brought out the first-ever microcassette in 1969, the voice recorder giant is launching the Olympus DP-20, a digital voice recorder specially designed to be even simpler to use than a tape-based device. Fans of analogue recorders will find the DP-20 has everything they love about their old tape-based voice recorder: a full-sized speaker for clear audio playback, three big buttons for the basic functions, an easy-to-read display and excellent battery life. But it also offers all the advantages of the digital format, including superior sound that doesn’t deteriorate over the years and storage space for countless recordings without the need for cassettes. In fact, the DP-20 is all about convenience. Olympus’ new Calendar Search system, for example, makes finding sound files just as intuitive as with analogue tape. Another important feature for analogue enthusiasts: they can tell at a glance how much capacity and power they have left. The DP-20 is also much smaller and lighter than an analogue voice recorder, so it’s never any trouble to carry and use. From notes-to-self to a child’s recital, this groundbreaking model makes recording and reviewing easier than ever before. The DP-20 retails for € 39,90 and is available from August 2010.