Symbian Review

There are situations when the caller informs you about something important for you, but you don’t have any possibility to note it. In this case the call recorder software is really of use to help you.
The applications of call recorder kind suggest various possibilities to record incoming and outgoing calls and to adjust the software to the users’ needs.
We recommend you to read our investigation on the call recorder application to know their possibilities to help you in everyday life.

The following applications were analyzed:

App name	Vendor	Price	Size, Kb
Total Recall Call Recorder	Killer Mobile Software	Buy $12.95	294
CallRecorder Pro	Rock Your Mobile!	Buy $11.95	273
Best CallRecorder	Smartphoneware	Buy $11.95	299
Psiloc Extended Recorder	Psiloc	Buy $17.95	253

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When analyzing, we compared different aspects and application details, giving them the corresponding scores from 10 (the best) to 1 (the poorest). We analyzed:
•Installation
•Trial period
•Interface
•Settings
•Help and Support
•Application in action
•Beep during Recording
•Special features

•Testing results
•Conclusion

More about our scoring procedure you can read here

Installation

All applications from the list above are perfectly installed, and as a result receive the highest score 10 points.

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Trial period

Total Recall Call Recorder – the application is a shareware; it has the trial version, but the period of the trial is not indicated while installing the application, which is not comfortable for those who want to know for how long they can test the software.

Score given: 5

CallRecorder Pro – this application has a 15-day trial version.

Score given: 8

Best CallRecorder – 15 days trial version.

Score given: 8

Psiloc Extended Recorder – you have 10 days to try the application.

Score given: 6

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Interface

Total Recall Call Recorder – the main screen shows the following list of buttons:
• Log (shows the list of all recorded conversations)
• Settings (displays the programs settings dialog)
• Help (about the program dialog)

Left soft key Options of this screen contains the following buttons:
• Tell a friend (allows to introduce TotalRecall to anyone user knows)
• Exit (exits the application)

Score given: 6

CallRecorder Pro – the main screen of this application shows the –no messages- text. Only after clicking the left soft key Options of this screen user can perform the needed actions.

Left soft Options of the main screen contains the following buttons:
• Rules (to set the rules for the call recording)
• Settings
• Misc
• Exit

Score given: 7

Best CallRecorder – this application has a theme aware interface; at the beginning the main screen of this application shows the –no records- text:

Left soft key Options of this screen contains the following buttons:
• Play – plays the current record
• Call – you can dial the contact or a phone number even without exiting Best CallRecorder
• Operations – actions for operating the records
• Rules – for setting rules
• Settings
• Mark/Unmark
• About
• Exit

Score given: 8

Psiloc Extended Recorder – when opening the application for the first time you will see the –List is empty- text, which will change after you receive and record a phone call:

Left soft key Options of this screen contains the following list of buttons:
• New recording – to record a new sound clip
• Settings – to configure the app’s settings
• Help – to navigate in the application
• Switch to background
• License
• About
• Exit

Score given: 7

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Settings

Total Recall Call Recorder – in this application user can configure the following settings:

• Ask before save – you can choose to record all calls automatically or the application will ask you whether to record the current call or not
• Display rec. time – to show the record time or not
• Default storage – you can choose whether to save records on Phone memory or Memory card

• Security – allows to set a password for entering the application
• Password – to enter the password
• Display end of call summary – to show the summary of the call or not

Score given: 8

CallRecorder Pro– this application allows to configure the following settings:

• Activate – to turn on or off the application
• Record format – to choose the format in which the call will be recorded (.amr or .wav)
• Max record time – you can choose the max record time as Unlimited or set the Custom time
• Play volume – the play volume of the call records can be chosen as Loud or Quiet

Score given: 6

Best CallRecorder – this application allows to modify the following settings:

• Activate (allows the user to activate/deactivate Best CallRecorder)
• Record format (allows the user to choose the format of the call recording)
• Records memory (you can choose whether to save records on Phone memory or Memory card)

• Max record time (you can choose the max record time as Unlimited or set the Custom time)
• Name format (there is a possibility to choose name format: last-first name or first-last name)

Score given: 7

Psiloc Extended Recorder – this application allows to modify the following settings:

• Default name – enter the default name of the recordings
• Save recordings on – you can choose whether to save your recordings on Phone memory or Card memory
• Save as – you can choose to save as .amr to be able to record more recordings but in slightly worse quality, or save as .wav to achieve best quality and bigger recordings’ sizes

• Shortcut (while in Background) – you can choose the shortcut from the list of available to enable the application while it is in background
• Record phone calls – to enable phone calls recording

Score given: 6

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Help and Support

Total Recall Call Recorder – I can’t call the Help option in this application as a really help file in general meaning, it just contains brief information about the application (in one sentence and the developer’s site); that is really uncomfortable; it has an e-mail (info@killermobile.com) to contact a developer in case of any questions or suggestions.

We are glad that in spite of such poor help the support department of this application works efficiently. The answer to the question asked was comprehensible and quick in the course of one hour.

Score given: 7

CallRecorder Pro – the application is simple, but still the fact is that it has no Help file; it has an e-mail (support@rock-your-mobile.com) for customers’ support.

But it is not to the good of the support department that they ignore answering to the users’ questions. This is the second time that we don’t receive any help from the support of Rock Your Mobile!

Score given: 2

Best CallRecorder – the application has no Help file; e-mail for customers’ support – support@smartphoneware.com.

If you have some question about this application, you won’t have to wait long time for the answer. Smartphoneware Support works quickly and gives detailed answer in the course of not just one business day.

Score given: 6

Psiloc Extended Recorder – the application contains the Help file, but it is not thorough (it seems that only part of the application is explained); e-mail for customers’ support – support@psiloc.com.

Unfortunately we were not lucky to receive help from the Psiloc support department.

Score given: 5

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Application in action

Total Recall Call Recorder – this is the only application from the list of analyzed which must not be turned on extra. It is always active.

One more difference is that you are asked to save the phone call record or not only after the call is finished.

When you receive the phone call and answer it the screen will have the following view:

This means that the call is being recorded and the rec. timer is displayed (in case you selected Yes in the Display rec. timer option when adjusting settings).

After the phone call is finished (depending on your choice in Ask before save option) you are asked the following question:

All your phone calls recordings and voice clips are displayed on the Log screen:

Choosing the left soft key Options of this screen you will be able to perform the following actions:

• Play – play the current record or voice clip
• Record – create the new voice clip
• Delete – delete the current record or voice clip
• Mark/Unmark – tick or take the tick off the current or all records
• Copy to Gallery – copy the current record or voice clip to the phone’s gallery
• Details – see the details of the current record or voice clip

• Rename – change name of the current record or voice clip
• Edit note
• Send – you can send the current record or voice clip via Bluetooth, IR or MMS
• Exit

Score given: 9

CallRecorder Pro – when you start using this application you can set rules regarding contacts in your phone book. The Rules option already contains predefined actions for Default and Unknown phone calls.

Clicking left soft key Options of this screen you will see the following buttons:

• Set action – to set actions for the current rule

o Ask before record – before answering or making the phone call, you are asked whether to record it or not
o Record incoming – to record the incoming calls
o Record outgoing – to record the outgoing call
• Add contact – to add contact from the phone’s database
• Add group – to add group from the phone’s database
• Add phone – to manually enter the phone number

When receiving the phone call you will see the following screen:

After recording at least one phone call the main screen with the list of records will have look as follows:

Clicking left soft key Options of this screen will show you such list of buttons:

• Play – play the current record
• Call – call the phone number not exiting the application
• Operations – actions to operate the record
o Send via
- Infrared
-Bluetooth
-E-mail
-MMS
o View contact – view the contact details
o Properties – view the properties of the current record
o Delete – remove the current record
o Delete all – remove all records
o Pack
o Refresh
• Rules – for setting rules
• Settings
• Misc – shows the About and Register information
• Exit

Score given: 8

Best CallRecorder – the concept of this app’s functioning is similar to the previous one. So when you start using this application you can set rules regarding contacts in your phone book.

Like in the CallRecorder Pro application the Rules option already contains predefined actions for Default and Unknown phone calls.

Clicking left soft key Options of this screen you will see the following list of buttons:
• Set action – to set actions for the current rule
• Add contact – to add contact from the phone’s database
• Add group – to add group from the phone’s database
• Add phone – to manually enter the phone number

When receiving the phone call you will see the following screen:

After recording at least one phone call the main screen with the list of records will have look as follows:

Clicking left soft key Options of this screen will show you such list of buttons:

• Play – play the current record
• Call – call the phone number not exiting the application
• Operations – actions to operate the record
o Properties – view the properties of the current record
o Delete – remove the current record
o Delete all – remove all records
o Pack
o Refresh
• Rules – for setting rules
• Settings
• Mark/Unmark
• About
• Exit

Score given: 7

Psiloc Extended Recorder – first of all, the disadvantage of this application is that to use it as a recorder, you must remember not to close the application completely.

When opening the application for the first time the main screen contains no records. To start using it you can click left soft key Options:

• New recording – to create a new record
• Settings
• Help
• Switch to background
• License
• About
• Exit

When you receive a phone call and answer it, you will see the following screen:

One more inconvenience is that to start the call recording, additionally you have to click left soft key Options of this screen → Continue record:

This application seems to be unfinished regarding the inconvenience in app’s using.

Score given: 6

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Beep during Recording

It seems really annoying if you need to use the call recorder applications and during the conversation you constantly hear the Beep which repeats after definite period of time.
That is why call recorder applications which don’t emit that annoying sound are valued most.
Total Recall Call Recorder is the only application allowing users to record phone calls without hearing the ringing sound.
The conclusion is that developers should elaborate the beep removal, though it is not so easy to make as I have heard. But possible, as makers of Total Recall show us.

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Special features

Total Recall Call Recorder – this application has its specific features, what makes it different from the others, they are:
• Display rec. time – to show the record time or not
• Security – allows to set a password for entering the application
• Password – to enter the password
• Display end of call summary – to show the summary of the call or not
• NO BEEP!!!

Score given: 10

CallRecorder Pro – this application no feature which could differ it from other analyzed apps, just a standard set of settings.

Score given: 2

Best CallRecorder – the same situation as with the CallRecorder Pro application.

Score given: 2

Psiloc Extended Recorder – this application has one special feature:
• Shortcut (while in Background) – you can choose the shortcut from the list of available to enable the application while it is in background

Score given: 5

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Summary of the test results

Having analyzed all components and settings and given them the scores from 1 to 10, we have multiplied the scores by a corresponding importance factor in order to get the total score value of the application.

We have used the following Importance factor (IF) values:
• Installation: IF 1
• Trial period: IF 3
• Interface: IF 4
• Settings: IF 7
• Help and Support: IF 6
• Application in action: IF 10
• Special features: IF 5

The total possible score for an application would be 360 points.

Multiplying the score by Importance factors we have got the following table:

-	Total Recall Call Recorder	Best CallRecorder	Psiloc Extended Recorder	CallRecorder Pro
Installation	10	10	10	10
Trial period	15	24	18	24
Interface	24	32	28	28
Settings	56	49	42	42
Help/Support	42	36	30	12
Application in action	90	70	60	80
Special features	50	10	25	10
Total	287	231	213	206

Test winner according to the overall application test is Total Recall Call Recorder from Killer Mobile Software.

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Conclusion

The software market offers a decent number of call recorder applications. But I can’t say that they are really good in the full sense of the word.

Every application has its advantages and disadvantages.

First of all the main disadvantage of call recorders is the beep sound during the phone call recording.

While comparing applications we found out that only Total Recall Call Recorder software offers the NO BEEP option. For this and also for other interesting features this application became a winner in our review. But still it is not excellent: the content of the Help option does not correspond its title; to choose whether to save the conversation or not is more convenient at the beginning of the phone call – here it is done after the call is finished.

Best CallRecorder and CallRecorder Pro applications are similar, but as we can see from the results the Best CallRecorder application still leaves CallRecorder Pro behind, for being more convenient in use.

Psiloc Extended Recorder is not the best choice of a call recorder, taking into consideration the annoying beep sound and rather unusual performance. But still the application is easy in use and executes its duty.

I hope that having read our comparison you will make a right decision in choosing your call recorder.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 16:59 and is filed under Software Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.