by Allison Blood
iTalk lite is a pretty interesting application for easy audio note taking. I downloaded and tried the lite version, because from what I read here on the Apple site, it doesn’t seem to give a lot more for paying for it. The utility of audio note taking is really a personal preference, but apps like this one have the capabilities to sort, search and synch files to a PC that increase its effectiveness for reporters.
It’s easy enough to use, after downloading, a Quick Record Mode notification pops up and says users can start by just hitting the record button and set up tag, sort or synch preferences later. To turn off Quick Record Mode, just go into the iPhone settings and turn it off. After that, users can name the audio file, choose “good” “better” or “best” quality. From what I’ve tried, “Best” would be good enough for a podcast or radio story. A big red button in the center makes it impossible to miss the record button.
As users record, there is a timer on the middle button and there is an audio level bar which gives a pretty accurate read on how loud the sounds are that it’s picking up. A useful feature is that it has a counter for how big the file is getting as it records. A caution, only a minute of recorded sound takes up 5 MB, so it has the potential to eat up memory very quickly. After users are finished recording, there is an option to name the recording,and then after it’s saved, it is stacked in a playlist-like interface. From there users can select and view the specs of each recording, Date, length, quality, format (saves in AIFF, with no option to change as far as I have found) and file size. There’s also a “Notes” forum.
The only export option (if the user hasn’t synched it with a computer) is to export using email. This is a bit limited. Also, to synch and transfer larger files, users are required to upgrade to a premium account. I have read reviews of several users who claimed they had problems getting the app to synch properly. Overall, it seems to be fine for daily note taking use, but seems to fall short of a go-to app for those who value good quality audio for journalistic endeavors.
Cost: Free
Size: 3.6 MB
Geo-tagging: N
Export: Email
Website Synch: No
Platform supported iOs
Recommended: No
Manufacturer: Griffin Technology
Where to buy: App Store
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