Review of Voice Recorder Applications
We took into account numerous requests of the visitors of Symbian Review and call your attention the review about voice recorder applications.
The applications of such kind are very popular because they allow recording voice notes, lectures, interviews, negotiations and much more. The main aim of our test is to check the quality of voice recorder applications to record on short and long distances, in quiet and noisy environment.
Here is brief information about the applications to be analyzed:
| App name | Vendor | Price | Size, Kb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Voice Recorder | Ultimate Portable Ltd. | Buy $14.95 | 244 |
| VITO AudioNotes | VITO Technology | Buy $19.95 | 731 |
| Best Dictaphone | Smartphoneware | Buy $6.95 | 159 |
| Smart Recorder | Aims Migital Technovations | Buy $20.00 | 231 |
We analyzed the following list of aspects and application details:
• Installation
• Trial period
• Interface
• Application in action: recording quality
• Settings
• Help and Support
• Special features
• Formats supported
• Summary of the test results
• Conclusion
The trial versions of the tested applications were easily installed. That is why we give them the highest score.
| App name | Score |
|---|---|
| Ultimate VR | 10 |
| VITO AudioNotes | 10 |
| Best Dictaphone | 10 |
| Smart Recorder | 10 |
AudioNotes offers just 20 seconds to record, which is not very comfortable as for me.
Ultimate VR – you are allowed to install the trial about 3 times, and each installation lasts at most a week.
Best Dictaphone and Smart Recorder offer you the 15-day trial versions.
| App name | Score |
|---|---|
| Ultimate VR | 8 |
| VITO AudioNotes | 6 |
| Best Dictaphone | 8 |
| Smart Recorder | 8 |
The interfaces of the reviewed applications are different in look, much much the same in the features. Both interfaces are clear and simple.
Ultimate VR interface is theme aware, it contains no data except for the “No recorded clips yet” text on the first application start and the list of records when the records already have been made:
To start using the application you have to click left soft key Options of the main screen:
• Record new clip
• Settings
• Register
• Help
• About
• Exit
VITO AudioNotes has a theme-unaware interface, also free of any records by the first view and a list of records when the record has been made:
Clicking right soft key Menu you can perform the following actions:
• Refresh
• Recording
• Language
• About
• Exit
Opening the Best Dictaphone app you will see the main screen:
Left soft key Options shows the following list of buttons:
• Select
• Records
• Hotkeys
• Settings
• About
• Help
• Exit
The main screen of the Smart Recorder application has the following view:
It shows the list of main buttons:
• Deactivated/Activated – to turn the application on/off
• Records – to record conversations or phone calls and to view the list of records
• Settings – contains the list of settings available to modify
| App name | Score |
|---|---|
| Ultimate VR | 5 |
| VITO AudioNotes | 5 |
| Best Dictaphone | 7 |
| Smart Recorder | 8 |
Application in action: quality of the recording
The quality of the recorded clips in the voice recorder applications may vary, making the voice recording application better or worse. That is why we tested each of them in various conditions.
To record a new clip in VITO AudioNotes you have to click left soft key Record. Having recorded at least one clip the main screen will have the following view:
Right soft key Menu suggests the following list of buttons:
• Action
o Play – to play the current record
o Append – to continue recording to the current voice note
o Rename – to change name of the current record
o Properties – to look through the properties of the current record
o Location – to choose location for the recorded clips
o Delete – to remove the current record
• Refresh
• Recording
o Calls autorecord – to record all phone conversations automatically
o Format – to change recording format
o Record to – to move note from main memory to storage card or vice versa
• Language
• About
• Exit
To start recording in Ultimate VR you have to click left soft key Options → Record new clip. After recording at least one clip the screen will have the following view:
In this case left soft key Options has the following list of buttons:
• Open – to open the current record
• Record new clip
• Search – to search by caller id/name/label
• Send – to send the current record via MMS, Bluetooth or infrared
• Mark/Unmark
• Rename – to change name of the current record
• Delete – to remove the current record
• Delete all – to remove all records
• Settings
• Hide recordings
• Register
• Help
• About
• Exit
The main screen of the Best Dictaphone application shows the list of buttons:
• Activate – to turn on/off the application
• Records – to proceed to the Records screen
• Hotkeys – to set the hotkey combinations for the new record/pause/stop action
• Settings
To start using Best Dictaphone it is necessary to activate it.
Having set the hotkey combinations you will see the following screen:
These hotkeys you can use from any application to record/pause/stop any conversation you want.
Having pressed the record you will see a small window with time counter:
The pause button stops recording:
Having recorded at least one conversation, the Records screen will have the following view:
You can select any of the records, play, delete or send it:
The main screen of the Smart Recorder application has the following view:
It shows the list of main buttons:
• Deactivated/Activated – to turn the application on/off
• Records – to record conversations or phone calls and to view the list of records
• Settings – contains the list of settings available to modify
To start using Smart Recorder you have to activate it clicking the Deactivated button on the main screen:
Selecting the Records button opens the following screen:
If there are no records available, both Normal Recording and Call Recording folders are empty. To start recording you have to click left soft key Options.
Normal Recording folder contains recorded conversations, lectures etc.:
Left soft key Options allows to:
• Play – play the current record
• Record – create new record
• Details – contains the detailed information about the record
• Delete – to remove the current record
• Delete all – to remove all records
• Help
Call Recording folder shows the list of all your recorded phone calls:
Left soft key Options allows to:
• Play – play the current record
• Details – contains the detailed information about the record
• Delete – to remove the current record
• Delete all – to remove all records
• Help
In the whole Smart Recorder is very easy to use. And it is very convenient that you can use it not only as a Dictaphone, but also as a phone call recorder.
While testing voice recorder applications in various conditions, that is on short and long distances, in quiet and noisy environment, I noticed that the quality of recording varies. In both applications the quality of recording on short distance and in quiet environment was much better than on long distance and in noisy environment.
Quality of records
| Application name | 30cm | 1 meter | 3 meters | 10 meters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate VR | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| VITO AudioNotes | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Best Dictaphone | 9 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Smart Recorder | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
And that can be easy understood as the existing voice recorders don’t obtain the needed possibilities to record in such conditions. Developers should take this into consideration and improve their voice recorders to users’ needs.
| App name | Score |
|---|---|
| Ultimate VR | 5 |
| VITO AudioNotes | 4 |
| Best Dictaphone | 7 |
| Smart Recorder | 8 |
Settings options is an essential application part. Modifying settings to ones own wishes user enjoys the application with more eagerness.
Ultimate VR offers the following list of settings:
• Storage option – the location to store recorded clips
• Format – specifies what format to use for recording clips
• Recording limit – the maximum recording length of each clip
• Automatic mode – starts recording automatically when a call is connected, and stops recording when the call is terminated
• Warning beep – a beep tone will be heard during recording a conversation
• Record code – the key sequence to start/resume recording at anytime
• Playback code – the key sequence to play back the last recorded clip
• Stop code – the key sequence to stop recording/playback
• Pause code – the key sequence to pause recording/playback
• Use hotkeys – specifies whether the record, playback, stop and pause codes should be enabled
• Auto delete – specifies whether to have a recorded clip deleted automatically after it ha been reviewed or transferred to other devices via Bluetooth, IrDA, MMS or email and when it should be deleted
• Default email – specifies the default email address to use when you want to send a clip by email
• Default MMS – specifies the default MMS number to use when you want to send a clip by MMS
• Auto send – specifies whether to automatically forward recorded clips to default email/MMS
• Hidden mode – no tape icon will appear on the phone screen
• Interrupted recording – specifies how to proceed if a recording is interrupted
• Auto start – the application will start automatically upon phone power-up and be ready to accept hotkeys
• Ask before saving – the application will ask you whether to save a recorded clip or not after the recording is finished
• Gallery password – the application will ask for password each time when you try to open the application screen after it goes background
• Prompt for billable events – the application will ask for your permission each time you want to send recorded clips via email and MMS
The VITO AudioNotes application contains no settings, which seems rather not good for such application.
Best Dictaphone software suggests the following settings to modify:
General:
• Autostart – to start the application on mobile power on
• Beep on start – to customize the sound beep before recording
• Beep on stop – to customize the sound beep after recording
File:
• Default file name – to enter the default record file name
• Call record file name – to enter the default call record file name
• Record format – to select the record file format
• Sound file folder – to define the folder for storing the recorded sound files
The Settings button of the Smart Recorder application contains the following items:
• Auto Start – to start Smart Recorder automatically whenever phone is switched on
• Auto Hide – to hide the Smart Recorder icon from task bar
• Recorder Key – to define the key for recording
• Memory in use – to define the location (Phone memory/Memory card) of your recorded files
| App name | Score |
|---|---|
| Ultimate VR | 9 |
| VITO AudioNotes | 2 |
| Best Dictaphone | 8 |
| Smart Recorder | 7 |
Ultimate VR contains comprehensible and detailed Help; the e-mail to contact a developer is support@ultimateportable.com The email with the answer from the support department has been delivered in the course of 2 business days.
VITO AudioNotes doesn’t contain Help; the e-mail to contact a developer – support@vitotechnology.com I liked the speed of the support department work; the answer has been received in course of one hour.
Best Dictaphone contains Help, which is available when clicking the Help button; the e-mail to contact a developer - support@smartphoneware.com The support department works efficiently sending the e-mail in the course of 1 business day.
Smart Recorder Help file contains comprehensible information to navigate in the application; for additional questions or suggestions turn to cpsupport@migital.com to receive any help from the support department. I received the e-mail from the support department in the course of 1 business day.
| App name | Score |
|---|---|
| Ultimate VR | 10 |
| VITO AudioNotes | 7 |
| Best Dictaphone | 10 |
| Smart Recorder | 10 |
If application offers at least one special feature which noticeably differs it from the other applications of the same kind, this is a great advantage.
Ultimate VR has a good list of special features to attract users:
• Automatic mode – starts recording automatically when a call is connected, and stops recording when the call is terminated
• Warning beep – a beep tone will be heard during recording a conversation
• Record code – the key sequence to start/resume recording at anytime
• Playback code – the key sequence to play back the last recorded clip
• Stop code – the key sequence to stop recording/playback
• Pause code – the key sequence to pause recording/playback
• Use hotkeys – specifies whether the record, playback, stop and pause codes should be enabled
• Auto delete – specifies whether to have a recorded clip deleted automatically after it ha been reviewed or transferred to other devices via Bluetooth, IrDA, MMS or email and when it should be deleted
• Default email – specifies the default email address to use when you want to send a clip by email
• Default MMS – specifies the default MMS number to use when you want to send a clip by MMS
• Auto send – specifies whether to automatically forward recorded clips to default email/MMS
• Hidden mode – no tape icon will appear on the phone screen
• Interrupted recording – specifies how to proceed if a recording is interrupted
VITO AudioNotes offers one special feature:
• Language – to change interface language
Best Dictaphone can attract users offering:
• Beep on start – to customize the sound beep before recording
• Beep on stop – to customize the sound beep after recording
The main advantage of Smart Recorder is that you can use it not only as a Dictaphone, but also as a phone call recorder.
| App name | Score |
|---|---|
| Ultimate VR | 10 |
| VITO AudioNotes | 3 |
| Best Dictaphone | 4 |
| Smart Recorder | 4 |
The more formats the voice recorder supports the more possibilities user has to record clips. That is why we separated this aspect in our review:
| App name | Formats | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate VR | .amr/.wav | 7 |
| VITO AudioNotes | .mp3/.wav | 7 |
| Best Dictaphone | .amr/.wav | 7 |
| Smart Recorder | .wav | 4 |
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 2
• Trial period: IF 3
• Interface: IF 4
• Application in action: IF 10
• Settings: IF 7
• Help and Support: IF 5
• Special features: IF 6
• Formats supported: IF 6
The total possible score for an application would be 430 points.
Multiplying the score by Importance factors we have got the following table:
| Ultimate VR | Best Dictaphone | Smart Recorder | VITO AudioNotes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Trial period | 24 | 24 | 24 | 18 |
| Interface | 20 | 28 | 32 | 20 |
| Application in action | 50 | 70 | 80 | 40 |
| Settings | 63 | 56 | 49 | 14 |
| Help/Support | 50 | 50 | 50 | 35 |
| Special features | 60 | 24 | 24 | 18 |
| Formats supported | 42 | 42 | 24 | 42 |
| Total | 329 | 314 | 303 | 207 |
Test winner according to the overall application test is Ultimate Voice Recorder by Ultimate Portable Ltd.
Many people use the voice recording software nowadays. However this software is more useful for making personal voice notes rather then for recording voice on distance.
Even after updating the review with the Smart Recorder application Ultimate VR remains a winner for having more advantages, such as more user friendly interface, many different settings, variety of special features. It lets you record a voice memo or phone call anytime by simply pressing hotkeys of your choice. This is a big advantage for convenient application usage.
Best Dictaphone attracts with pleasant interface, convenient for modifying settings options. The application is very easy in using. But still the quality of the recorded sound needs to be improved.
I expected more from Smart Recorder application, that is more interesting features and options. This software has much in common with Best Dictaphone from Smartphoneware. But still it is very easy in use, you have just to click the Recorder Key and the process of recording will start. Maybe some new features will attract more users to download it.
VITO AudioNotes application is not so bright, but the concept is nice. It lacks Settings options, which is an important part of any application. But still it fulfills its duty as a voice recorder.
We hope that we will find also the voice recorder which will introduce nice quality of long distance audio. But it is to presume, that there are also some hardware restrictions that do not allow nice records quality.