Recommend (cheap) device with long-term VOX?

[JohnGypsy]

There must be some cheaper devices out there that can do Voice-activated recording that don't time out, right? I really like the small-and-cheap Sansa units (such as the Sansa Clip or e260) -- they record very well and have VOX modes -- but the problem is that they "time out" if they don't record anything for a while. So, you can't just let it sit for a few hours in VOX mode -- as it will just auto-shut-off.

Anyone have any recommendations for a cheaper device like this that has a VOX mode that won't auto-stop even if nothing is recorded for hours at a time?

I know there are things like the Edic Tiny mentioned in another thread -- but that seems so expensive because it is so small and can go for weeks. I really don't need anything of that caliber. I don't even need it to be small. I just want something cheap with a VOX mode that will not care if it means NOT recording for hours at a time.

Any suggestions?

I'm temped to try to hack the firmware for the Sansa to just remove the auto-shutoff stuff. Sansa Clips record well, have long battery life, and can be had for like $20! If it just didn't auto-stop in VOX mode, they'd be perfect.

[yeppie]

How long should battery life be?

[JohnGypsy]

If it could last a week, that'd be great. If only 48 hours, then so be it. I really just want something that I could leave somewhere for a day and have it record whatever happened in that room -- even if it was only every few hours or so.

I could see this for office use and things well outside of SSL stuff, of course. Just seems like it shouldn't be that odd of a request -- I'm really surprised that the cheap Sansa stuff doesn't already have this option.

[yeppie]

I can recommend the Trekstor i.beat organix 2.0. I bought the 8gb version for 59€, prices seem to be slightly higher now. Battery is said to last up to 55 hours, my longest (test) recording is 48 hours. Recording and mic quality is rather good. The only problem is that these devices were hard to get during the last months.

[Summer256]

In my experience Voice Activated recording is terrible and gives the worst possible results - just as you are about to hear something interesting - it cuts off. The best thing is to just get a long recorder and trim the recorder later. A mid-range solution is the SONY ICD-PX820. With good batteries you can get about 2and half to three days of good recording out of it. Even longer if you're not worried about quality.