Four audio recording apps? Sure, why not? Voice note apps make a lot of sense if you are the type of on-the-go person fond of talking to yourself. Luckily there are plenty of choices, and I'll break down the functionality of four that I've been monkeying around with. Each app records from the iPhone mic (and I'm sure they record on the new iPod touches, but I don't have one for testing), each app allows some method to send the resulting audio files to your desktop machine, and each app offers some method for managing the recordings. As you'll see, none are perfect, but each may be suited to a particular type of user. To record the samples I used the same text, read into the built-in iPhone (1st gen) microphone. The apps above, from left to right: VoiceNotes, iDicto, Recorder and Record.

Recorder
Cost: $.99

Recording:
This was one of the first apps I purchased, and it was an early entry on the store. When you start Recorder you'll see a large red rectangle that allows you to quickly start recording. The large button is easy to hit with one hand, and on-screen meters give you a sense of how strong your recording is. Each recording is automatically named with "Memo" plus a number, similar to how screenshots work on your Mac.

Playback:
Recordings aren't great quality, but they are on par with every other app I tested: you won't be bootlegging concerts, but you can clearly hear yourself, even on the iPhone's speakers. A simple playback bar appears when you start playing the audio (just above the Record button), making it easy to move around in the audio sample.

Sync:
WiFi sync uses a browser upload model, similar to iDicto. A nice, big screen appears with a URL you type into your browser. Once you type that in you get a simple interface to download each recording. Those recordings go wherever you've got downloads set to go. You may also email recordings, but as all these apps point out, that's tricky. Apple doesn't really allow attachments, and file size limits would bog this down. I show how it works in the gallery: you are sent a URL in email where the file really lives. Files are saved as AIFF, which is a plus.

Bottom line:
Out of all the apps I tested so far, I think Recorder provides the best value overall. Super simple interface, best sync method, and the quality of recordings was on par with the rest. At $.99 it is priced to move, and should suit most needs.

That said, each of the other apps may have something you're looking for, so read on...



The gallery walks you through almost every screen in every app plus the desktop sync side.

It's is the one accessory I've been waiting for: A voice recorder for the fifth generation iPod. iLounge was lucky enough to get some exclusive details and photos of the iTalkPro, the upcoming iPod audio recorder from Griffin Technology. It sounds terrific.

According to iLounge, the iTalkPro can manage three and a half hours of CD-quality, stereo recording on a fully charged 60GB 5G iPod. An on-screen gain control will let you do a little fine-tuning via the iPod itself.

No pricing or shipping information has been announced, but I want one already. Check out the full article here.

Thanks, Mark!

Photo via iLounge.

So, you're sick of waiting for the shows you're interested in to make their way to the iTunes Music Store? Or maybe you're just sick of paying $0.99 per episode. Then check out the MPEG4 Recorder 2 by Neuros. It's a nifty little dohickey that connects to your TV and records programming in (you guessed it) MPEG 4 format onto compact flash or secure digital memory cards. Once you've grabbed your show, you pop the card into a card reader, drag the file into iTunes, sync up your iPod and you're all set. For a complete step-by-step guide for using the Neuros recorder with an iPod, look here.

We haven't tried this, but it certainly looks interesting. You can pick one up for $149.99US.