The Sony PCM D50 is one of the best-sounding portable recorders under $1000 you can get, but at $500 it's still a little out of reach for most hobbyists. This price-point gap has left the field wide open for brands like Zoom, Edirol, M-Audio to dominate with their takes on "budget" field recorders. Not anymore. The new Sony PCM M10 is priced to reclaim some consumer market territory.

The PCM M10 is not only the lowest-priced of the series at $399, but it's also the most compact. The built-in electret microphones are now even more built-in, snuggled in the corners of the chassis of the M10 (not sure if they're adjustable between 90° and 120°, but it looks like a possibility).

Even with it's reduced size and price point, the PCM M10 still retains many of the features that made us huge fans of the PCM D50, including:

• Big, physical input gain control
• 4 GB of flash memory built-in
• Large, clear, backlit display
• linear PCM wave recording (also MP3 recording, not available on other PCM recorders from Sony)
• Five-second pre-record buffer
• up to 24-bit, 96kHz recording resolution

In fact, it's not immediately apparent what the M10 sacrifices. . . downgraded mic elements? Fewer single-task dedicated external buttons? It's a handsome, professional looking unit that's certainly one to watch for in the coming months. Availability is expected for October.