Surf*Mind*Musings

Following up on my first generation video on how to podcast with the iPhone, here’s a look at the 2.0 appstore options for recording, with an eye to podcasts.

The iPhone SDK doesn’t apparently make it easy to record and transfer audio files, so to make a long story short, jailbreaking and then SSH’ing to pull your podcasts is still the only way you’ll get full fluency with big files.

Transfer limited recorders

A bunch of apps haven’t figured out how to get their files off the iphone:

• VoiceNotes (free)
• Recordifier $4.99
• Quickvoice Recorder $1.99 given a favorable review by lifehacker.
• YouNote (free): email is coming soon, but this is picture, text, and audio note taker & manager. It’s likely too clunky for on the go recording, requiring immediate naming of audio recordings. Nifty free app nontheless with note geotagging.
• SpeakEasy Video Recorder: audio levels, playback scrubber, unique features include resumption after a call. Attach a pic. Organize in categories.

Of course, the no-transfer restriction is likely easily solved by Jailbreaking and accessing the iPhone filesystem directly.

Recorders with Email Transfer

Some contenders that do have the ability to transfer files include:

• Note 2 Self $4.99: interesting customization and unique controls (trigger recording by moving phone to ear). Email compressed or uncompressed.
• Recorder $.99: Email. Rename.
• Audio Recorder $2.99: Add to a recording, rename, email to self or contact, audio levels, playback scrubber. One of the slicker looking apps in the category. CAF core audio format, making email to contact somewhat wacky.

Hybrid web/iphone/operation system applications

• Evernote: Evernote gives 40mb of space per month free, with a subscription yielding 500mb at $5/mon. Audio files are auto-synched to the server in .wav format. While there’s no download button, the file is easy to find and there’s an easy greasemonkey fix. Note, no longer windows only! There’s a Leopard client now but audio files are stored in a fairly obfuscated library folder in a sequence of .reco files.
• Reqall: An integrated note consolidation web app like Evernote with the unique feature of transcribing audio.

So for short clips, typically under 10mb, you can get away with one of the contenders and email. With most email servers blocking attachments over 10mb, for serious interviews at a conference or routine meeting recordings, this solution is inadequate. Alternatively, an Evernote subscription might work for moderate monthly volume.

The right way to do this is synch recordings with iTunes in a special category.Given privacy concerns & legal restrictions, it makes sense to try and prevent the surreptious recording of audio calls, but hiding the music library from 3rd party apps is a user experience crippling profit inspired outcome.

I haven’t pwn’ed my freshly replaced iPhone 2.0 yet (old one had a broken screen), but is sure is tempting.