Editorial Review:Item Description:Radio YourWay is the first portable, solid-state AM/FM radio recorder! Imagine being able to record any radio broadcast like news, sports, or music and then be able to play those recordings back at a more convenient time.Recoding is as simple as pressing a button and you can program Radio YourWay to record a particular broadcast totally unattended. You can even set it up to record daily or weekly programs.Radio YourWay has a high quality speaker so you can listen to live or recorded broadcasts. It also comes with a pair of earbud headphones for private listening. Additional features include a built in microphone for dictating voice messages.Using the provided USB cable, you can transfer files between Radio YourWay and your computer. Now you can store voice recordings or radio broadcasts on your computer's hard drive and send those recordings by email to friends. You can even download MP3 files to Radio YourWay and enjoy near-CD quality music. And because Radio YourWay is solid-state, it's 100% skip free, which makes it the ideal partner for taking along on your jog, bike ride, exercise or sports activities.With Radio YourWay you will never miss another radio program again! In addition, you can keep yourself organized with the handy voice-recording feature and listen to skip free MP3 music. And because of its pocket size, you can take it with you anywhere too.
Amazon.com Item Description:Early Adopters Pick: June 2003. This is the first ever portable digital AM/FM radio recorder.
Addicted to radio but feeling left out of the MP3 revolution? Love MP3 but wish you could listen to the radio, too? Tune in to what PoGo! Products is up to and enjoy Radio YourWay. This device not only stores and plays MP3 and WMA (Windows Media audio) files and provides FM/AM radio reception, but also
records any radio broadcast--news, sports, or music--so you can play it back at a more convenient time or transfer it to a PC.
Ten memory presets help you find favorite stations quickly and easily, and timer recording lets you set the Radio YourWay to record shows you'll be unable to listen to live. Recording is as simple as pressing a button, and you can even set it up to record daily or weekly programs. On playback, it's easy to fast-forward through commercials or unwanted material and rewind as often as needed.
The unit offers a built-in microphone, letting you record voice (microphone frequency response extends up to 3 kHz, fine for voice recording) or create MP3 files from analog sources like cassette or CD-player outputs using the Radio YourWay's analog line-level input. Its native recording time is about 4.5 hours with the built-in 32 MB memory, but you can use an optional SD or MMC storage card to increase the recording time to nearly 40 hours (up to 288 MB between the card and the internal memory). When connected through the USB port, recorded radio or voice recordings can be transferred and stored on a computer hard drive. MP3 and WMA files from a computer can also be transferred to the Radio YourWay for playback.
A special monitor function makes it possible to listen in the supplied earphones to what's being recorded, and an HD mode lets you use your 32 MB internal storage as hard-drive storage for whatever file types you need to store. The unit runs on two AAA batteries (supplied), and a DC-input jack accommodates an external power source (AC Adapter not included). Non-volatile memory maintains your time and other settings during battery changes.
What's in the Box Radio YourWay device, earbud headphones, direct record (analog line-in) cable, USB cable, external FM antenna, two AAA batteries, neck strap, CD software, user's manual, warranty information.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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* Great Product! ...
Researching this product I have read everything from I have waited 3 months for a resolution with no luck to bad software blah blah blah.
All those bad reviews I am reading do not make sence.
1.Email PoGo! and always get a responce right away especially on technical issues.
2.The product does exactly what it says it does in great quality even the mono music recordings sound great(music records mono which is ok for me because I do not plan on bootlegging those radio recordings)
3.The software works fine (YES I HAVE XP PRO)
All in all I get what I want from the product.
The batteries will last 8-10 hours if you
USE THE BATTERIES AT A NORMAL (MID) LEVEL
If you must have it turned all the way up, they will last 5-6 hours which again is ok by me. (Use rechargeable or buy the AC adapter)
The unit records your shows like a VCR and takes up to a 256MB SD card. Is it TIVO? NO but it does not have to be.
I can convert those recordings to WAV and share with my friends or even burn that WAV to a CD
There have been Pro reviews of the Product as well (PC world) and they gave the product high marks too.
I would not doubt if the authors of most of the bad reviews work for a competitor and are trying to bash the product (or a chip on their shoulder like the $10.00 firmware guy Bob Stout)
I am gald I ignored the reviews on this site and got the product.(AND IT CAME WITH THE LATEST FIRMWARE INSTALLED.)
IT IS THAT GOOD!
Rating: 
-
* A very poorly designed product ...
I really wanted this to be great, I really did. I don't like listening to music or audio books or whatever while working out -- I like listening to talk radio (okay, okay, I know, big loser). Problem is that the shows I want to listen to are on while I work, and by the time I work out there's nothing good on.
So I loved the idea of a "tivo-like" recording device for radio,... Had to get it.
What a disappointment!!! For those of you who are thinking of getting it, be advised of the following limitations:
1. Its recording capabilities are like a VCR circa 1985: recording is cumbersome, complicated, prone to error. To record something, you have to be in the right "mode," then click Timer, then enter a time on a 24 hour clock, then hit Timer again, then enter a time again. Throughout this time, you're using the "play" and "forward" buttons to work the clock, and there's no indication on the screen as to what you're recording.
2. The recording is unreliable. It stops recording apparently without any reason, I think because of battery problems. But I'll set it to record for two hours, and get a fifteen minute segment.
3. Playback is a big pain. When you have in fact managed to set up a set of recordings, it's impossible to identify them. You can't label them -- they're identified only by the length of time of the recording. You don't know the station, the date of recording, anything. Even worse, when you're playing it back, the fast forward and rewind are verrrry slow, not helpful in skipping commercials. Even WORSE, when you play it back, if you stop to skip to, say, listen to live radio for a moment and come back to the recording, you'll start at the beginning. So if you recorded a three hour show and listen to an hour before stopping, you'll have to 'slow forward' through that hour (which will take about 7-8 minutes) to get to the stuff you haven't heard.
4. Battery power stinks. If you record on the battery, be prepared for cut-off recordings and the need for a new battery.
My advice? Figure out how to attach an AM tuner to your PC (if such a thing is possible), record directly to the PC as MP3 files (if such a thing is possible), and then buy an IPOD.
The real insult of the device is that it really is NOT designed as an AM/FM recorder. It's designed as a voice recorder, onto which they jerry-rigged an AM/FM radio and decided to refocus the marketing. For example, the "modes" for the player are: AM, FM, MP3, and VOICE. It's the "VOICE" mode that holds the AM recordings. Clearly, Pogo came up with a digital voice recorder right around the time that phone companies started giving them away, and had to do a quick turnaround on the product. They should toss this design and come up with a fully-integrated AM/FM digital recorder from scratch.
Rating: 
-
* To put it simply - Not for audiophiles!!! ...
IT is easy to review Radio Your Way, because it does EXACTLY what the description says. You set it to record shows by DAY and Time and it does that fine.
But be warned, it does not allow you to adjust the Bit rate of the recording. All recordings are recorded in a compressed .RYV format that, for people who understand MP3 sample compression, I would say couldn't be higher then like 20KHZ, The worst thing is that if you have an iPod like me, you then have to convert .RYV -> .Wav -> .Mp3. This sucks, the recorder should just record strait to Mp3 format.
Yes...the recording quality is horrible. DO NOT CONSIDER THIS if you plan to record music radio. I personally bought it to record Howard Stern, as I am a huge fan. Unfortunatly, the RYW audio quality is so low, it is almost too annoying to listen to the recording. If there is any reason not to get RYW it is the awfull recording quality.
Everything else, controls, etc, are adequate. By adequate I mean HORRIBLE...but dueable. The MP3 player does not display ID3 tags. The controls are completely illogical. And OS is jerky at best. But who cares about those things right? As long as I can get my Stern fix everyday? Wrong...because the audio quality is the dagger in the heart.
Simply put: This product is bad. I gave it two stars because it does everything it says it does without deception. But the audio quality is so low, you might not be able to sit through one of your recordings. Wait for something better to come out because this is simply a gimmick.
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I recently read a review that states "all people who think that this is a bad product must work for a competitor." This is rediculous. I can assure you that as a student, I work for nobody! Simply put, this is one of the crappiest products on the market today. I returned mine. The quality is so awful.
Rating: -
* Radio Listener ...
I purchased two of these and neither works satisfactorily. I have been trying to get resolution of the problems for three months with no luck.
1. Neither unit is capable of recording correctly on the SD disk. The internal memeory is ok, simply too small for more than one program, but one unit jumbles up the files on the SD disk and the other freezes up about every third recording when accessing the disk which prevents any further recording until the power supply is disconnected and the unit re-programmed. I have tried several disks of different brands and sizes and none works correctly.
2. The software locks up when trying to use some features.
This is a great concept, I just wish it worked.
Rating: -
* I love this product, but it is not for everybody ...
The main reason I bought this product is that it is the ONLY MP3 player on the market with an AM radio tuner. Who told the digital music industry MP3 listeners don't like to listen to the ballgame now and then?
As a bonus, this player is like a Tivo for radio. If you don't like talk radio, don't bother with this product. I think it is great. I have it programmed to pick up BBC News, an NPR show I like, my favorite sports program, and my favorite comedy show. I haven't tried to record a music show yet, but I will try it out. Supposedly it doesn't work very well.
In order to get this radio recording feature to work for you, you have to do a few things. I built a small holder for it on my windowsill where the radio gets good reception. Obviously, good reception is key for a good recording. You have to find a good spot for it. I also have the AC adapter set up so it can reach the device when it is in this holder. It will burn your batteries recording the shows. I also have the antenna it came with taped to the window so I get better reception and thus better recordings from this spot.
The recording fuction is great. It can be programmed for 7 days a week, 5 days, or any one day at whatever time slot you want. I can now listen to my favorite radio shows whenever I want, and in locations where I would never be able to get reception... such as in the gym. It is a nice change to be able to mix up the music with some talk radio.
My Radio Your Way came with 128 MB of memory. I don't know if Amazon is selling these yet. I quickly discoverd that if you fill the memory with MP3's, there is no room left for the radio recordings. So I bought a card to expand the memory by 256 MB. I fit about 70 songs on the card, and I am going to put some more on the internal memory as well since 128 MB translates to about 18 hours of radio recordings, and I don't need that much space for them.
I haven't had any problems with the software it came with. Everything has worked great. I love this product to death, but if you don't like talk radio, or aren't willing to deal with the setup for radio recordings (including buying the AC adapter and possibly extra memory if you want a lot of MP3's on it as well), or aren't interested in that function in the first place, or you don't care about having an AM radio tuner on your MP3 player... then this isn't the product for you.
My only suggestions for this product would be a shuffle function for the stored MP3's, and an armband for the gym.
I can't wait until baseball season and I can record all of the Giants games.
