For our inaugural edition of “A few of our favorite things,” we’ll be looking at an essential product for iPhone, iPad and Mac owners alike: headphones. Mostly, we’ll be talking about stereo headsets that also feature mics and remote controls which work with late-model Macs and iOS devices.

Best all-around stereo headset: Bowers & Wilkins C5. These in-ear beauties are great at sound isolation, audio fidelity and comfort, and they look great, too. Durable cord construction will mean you shouldn’t have to worry too much if you get snagged on a fence or other outcropping, and the unique looped excess cable design at the earbuds keeps them firmly in place, unlike a lot of other in-ears we’ve tested. The only real downside is their price: at $179.99, they’re not cheap.

Best stereo headset under $100: Marshall Minor FX Earphones. These are a fraction of the price of the C5 at $64.95, and still manage to exude a lot of style. They sound good, too, but the EarClick tech isn’t quite as good as the C5 in terms of making sure they stay put inside your ear canal. Plus, they’re gold, and frankly, we’re a little more partial to silver.

Best over-ear stereo headset: SteelSeries Siberia Neckband Headset. These are also relatively inexpensive, retailing for $79.99 direct from the SteelSeries website. SteelSeries normally makes headsets for gamers, and these live up to that tradition, providing strong bass response and immersive, rich sound that you may find surprising for the price. That, and the unique design of the Siberia which moves the band to behind your neck instead of on top of your head, preventing bad hair days and working perfectly with winter hats, makes these our favorite this year.

Best gaming headphones: Turtle Beach Ear Force PX5. If you’re gaming on a Mac, you’re probably in a relatively small minority, but the Turtle Beach Ear Force PX 5 is a great pair of headphones for you. They accept optical in (which all Macs have), do true Dolby 7.1 surround sound, and are wireless. All those features will cost you, though, as these ring in at $249.95. Budget gamers should look at the SteelSeries Siberia.

Best stereo headset for workouts: Sennheiser Adidas PMX 680i. Sennheiser actually makes multiple varieties of activewear headsets for the iPhone and iPod touch with integrated remotes, but the PMX 680i ($69.95) is the best in our opinion. They won’t break down no matter how much you sweat, nor will moisture interfere with audio. The neckband keeps them firmly in place without being uncomfortable while jogging or even doing jumping jacks, and the neon yellow accents make them very night-visible.

That’s our list, but feel free to argue our picks or chime in with your own suggestions in the comments.

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Turtle Beach recently introduced a wireless gaming headset called the PX5, which features a mini receiver designed for use with PS3 or Xbox 360 gaming consoles, but it actually supports Macs, too, thanks to the optical audio out I mentioned above. I spent a week testing out the PX5 with my Mac HTPC setup, and here are my thoughts.

Not Cheap — In Both Good and Not So Good Ways

The PX5 system is the mostly costly offering in Turtle Beach’s lineup of gaming headsets, with an MSRP of $249.95. You can get it cheaper if you look around (Amazon has it listed for $212.99 as of this writing), but while it’s still not inexpensive even then, consider that Beats by Dre or Bose headphones will probably cost nearly as much, if not more.

Turtle Beach also packs a lot of value into that $250 price tag. The PX5 is wireless, communicating with the receiver base via 2.4 GHz RF signal. It supports pass-through audio if you want to use it in combination with a full home theater receiver, and it also offers Bluetooth connectivity. Finally, it’s fully programmable; the only problem is its programming software is Windows-only.

Downsides

Windows-only programming is a drag, but the presets Turtle Beach preloads onto the PX5 are probably adequate for most users anyway. Plus, if you have Windows installed on your computer via Boot Camp or virtualization software, you can still take advantage of this feature.

Also, as I mentioned, the PX5 communicates via 2.4 GHz RF. That means if your home wireless network is also on the same frequency, there can be some interference. In my usage with an older 2.4 GHz-only Apple AirPort Extreme router, I could hear audible clicks infrequently when I was very close to the router (within three feet), or when I was transferring large amounts of data over the network. But when I swapped out the router with my newer, dual-band switching 2.4 and 5.0 GHz AirPort Extreme, I heard nary a whimper of static while using the headset.

Note that in all cases, it’s recommended that the PX5 receiver is in the same room where you’re using the headset, and that line-of-sight seems to guarantee an optimal connection. Even with all these caveats, I found the connection was consistently strong, and even the occasional interference I experienced under the worst conditions was more than bearable.

Finally, note that the PX5 natively supports only Dolby Digital 5.1 and 7.1 for true surround sound. If your source uses DTS, the receiver will digitally process it using Dolby Pro Logic II technology, which, while not optimal, in my experience also didn’t detract from the experience enough to make me give it too much thought.

Strong Suits

First, the PX5 is remarkably versatile. It works very well not only with Mac home theatre setups, but also with PCs (so long as they have optical audio output), with the PS3 and the Xbox, and also with Bluetooth devices.

One really cool feature is that you can connect the PX5 to your iPhone as a Bluetooth headset (independent of the RF receiver), while also using it with an optical source through the RF connection. That means you can use it to talk on your Phone while playing games or watching a movie, by muting one and switching to the other on the fly. Or, you can stream stereo music via A2DP from your iPhone or computer to the PX5. In fact, as a stereo Bluetooth headset, I’ve yet to come across another product that matches the PX5 for sound quality. The detachable boom mic it comes with is also more than up to the task of making voice calls. Unfortunately, there aren’t any iPod controls on the headset for use with the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

The PX5 is also great for small spaces and for people who don’t want to clutter up their entertainment space with wires, big stereo system components, and speakers. It has about the same footprint as your average contemporary wireless router, or like a slightly thicker DVD case. The fewer wires I have in my office/gaming space, the better.

While the PX5 doesn’t offer the ability to connect more than one headset to the wireless receiver, it does provide a 3.5mm jack that can be used with any stereo headphones at the same time as the wireless headset, complete with virtual surround sound. That means if you have a friend over and want to watch a movie together, you can do it without any particularly complicated additional setup.

One last point that may be contentious as a strength: the PX5 uses regular AA batteries, both alkaline and rechargeable. Some may prefer a built-in rechargeable battery, since this device does tend to use a lot of power, but I’ve managed to get a lot of usage time out of a set of 2 AAs. The alkalines it shipped with lasted pretty near the 15-hour life in the official specs, and even a pair of well-worn rechargeables I’ve been using since have done very well so far. I prefer not having to deal with a proprietary battery when it comes time to seek out a permanent replacement, since the PX5 seems to be a product I could be using for a very long time.

Verdict

If you like watching movies on your Mac, and you’re looking for a surround sound experience that won’t break the bank or draw noise complaints from your neighbors, the Turtle Beach PX5 is a very good option. Consider that you get a high-quality Bluetooth headset in the bargain, as well as probably the best gaming headset on the market, and the value picture gets that much better.

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Holman is currently a film sound professor at the University of Southern California, and he has received an Academy Award for Technical Achievement. He spent 15 years as the corporate technical director for Lucasfilm, and all of the company’s THX patents stem from his work and research. Holman also has experience designing loudspeakers and amplifiers in addition to his work in the film industry. His experience covers all aspects of audio, according to Holman himself in a 1996 interview. He says that his ability to avoid narrow specialization is what got him his earliest jobs.

If Apple has indeed brought Holman on board, it could signify big things in store for Mac, iOS and even iTunes audio. Apple already builds optical audio out into all new Macs, via the headphone port (it works with optical TOSLINK cables using an adapter), which can provide true surround sound from your computer to your home theatre system, but it could stand to improve the quality of its built-in Mac and iOS device speakers and headphones. There have also been rumors that Apple may be looking to improve the sound quality of iTunes audio files, which is definitely something Holman could assist with.

Isn’t it time we got good (not just okay or passable) sound from our computers and iOS devices? Admittedly, we’ve come a long way since the days of the first speakerphone, but considering the advancements in display and video quality (a game Apple’s already winning with its Retina Display), I think it’s about time we saw similar investments made in sound quality, too.

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If you are going to attempt this, you will need a few things, including a turntable that outputs line level output instead of the traditional phono level output. If your turntable does not have this, you can also purchase a phono preamp that will achieve this. You’re also going to need a copy of Audacity which you can download for free.

First thing we have to do is set up our Line Input on our Mac to run at 24bit 96kHz. Launch Audio Midi Setup in the Utilities folder. Select the Built-in Line Input and change the format to 96000.0 Hz and 2ch-24bit.

Now go ahead and launch Audacity and go to the Preferences. I am using Audacity 1.3.12, so if you’re using a different version, your screens may look slightly different. In the first section we need to tell Audacity to record 2-channel stereo.

Now click on Recording in the left menu. I select the Software Playthrough option so I can hear the music through my Mac while I’m recording. This is an optional step, and it won’t harm anything if you don’t enable it.

Click on the Quality option in the left column now. Here we have to set Audacity to sample at 96kHz (or 48kHz if you’re ripping for use on iOS devices).

Now we need to do some actual recording. Get your record ready and make sure it’s very clean. This will help you to avoid additional noise in your recordings. Now we need to do is set our recording level in Audacity. To accomplish this, start playing a loud section on your record, hit Record in Audacity and adjust the Input Level Slider until you’re not clipping the sound. It is better to record a little quiet instead, since clipping will ruin your recording. This first screenshot shows a recording that’s clipping.

This screen shot shows a proper input level and the sound is no longer clipping.

Now that our recording level is set, let’s delete our test track and capture Side A of our LP.

Hit the Record button in Audacity and start playing your album. When the record is done, stop the recording. Select the needle drop at the beginning and the silence at the end of the recording and delete them. Now we need to add some labels which will help Audacity export the songs individually. Click the Skip to Start button and then press ⌘+B to add a label. Here is where you enter the name of the track. Click at the beginning of the next track and create a label there as well. Do this at the beginning of every individual track.

Once you have labeled every song, we have to normalize the track to make sure the volume is at an acceptable level. Hit ⌘+A to select the entire track. Click the Effects menu at the top and select Normalize in the drop-down menu.

Click OK to accept the Normalize effect’s default settings.

After the file has been normalized, we need to export the files. Click on the File menu and select Export Multiple. When the Export window comes up, select Other uncompressed files and then click the Options button.

In the options window we want to select AIFF as the Header and Signed 24 bit PCM as the Encoding. This will create our 24-bit 96kHz AIFF audio files.

After you click OK you will be brought back to the Export window. You can now click the Export button. This will bring up the Edit metadata window where you can see the track name and number has been automatically populated by our track labels. Just click OK since we can set the artist and album data in iTunes later.

Now we wait and when the export is done, we should have our individual tracks ready to be copied to iTunes.

Launch iTunes and go to the Preferences. Click on the Import Settings button.

Select Apple Lossless Encoder from the drop-down.

Open the AIFF files in iTunes. Once they are copied to the library, select them all, right-click and choose Get Info to set the artist and album data, click OK when you’re done.

Now right-click on all the files again except this time choose Create Apple Lossless Version.

When iTunes is done, you can right-click and get the info of a track to verify that you now have a 24bit 96kHz (or 48kHz depending on your choice) Apple Lossless file.

You can now delete the original AIFF versions out of iTunes. As I mentioned, 96kHz Apple Lossless files will not play on any iOS devices so if you desire, you can go back into iTunes preferences and set the import settings to be AAC and iTunes Plus. You can then right-click on your lossless files and create an AAC file that will play on your iOS devices.

Like I said in the beginning, this is one of a million ways to rip your vinyl collection. Is creating a 24bit 96kHz lossless file overkill? For some it may be, but for vinyl collectors and audiophiles it’s worth the effort.

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Audio Podcasts for iPhone/iPod Touch

TWiT TV’s The Tech Guy. (iTunes Link) Leo Laporte is the Chuck Norris of all tech-based talk shows on any format. Leo may be trying to record every moment of his life, given the number of shows he’s involved with. With audio and video podcasts, and traditional over-the-air shows, it’s amazing he finds the time to tweet. While Leo tends to be more Mac-focused than PC, the tech discussions can go either way.

The Mac Observer’s Mac Geek Gab. (iTunes Link) Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun have been with The Mac Observer for a long time, and have been producing a quality podcast for almost as long. Their enthusiasm never seems to die out. The depth of knowledge they have regarding Mac-related technologies is proven over and over. There’s also an enhanced iTunes version with premium content, but you can only grab it through iTunes.

The MacCast. (iTunes Link) For Mac geeks by Mac geeks. With five years of history behind him, Adam Christianson is another veteran of all things Mac. The variety that each show has to offer is refreshing. Adam is very articulate, and you can easily visualize the detailed step-by-step walk-througsh typically included in each show.

Mac OS Ken. (iTunes Link) A quick podcast bringing you the latest Mac news — all of the latest Mac news. Ken Ray has a familiar format that’s often imitated. At times, you expect a full-on rant to ensue, but Ken manages to pull back and keep to the facts with just enough commentary to keep things interesting. This podcast even has its own iOS app.

For Mac Eyes Only. (iTunes Link) Beyond the quick tips, the weekly program is a collection of how-tos mixed in with news and rumors being discussed online.

Listening to Podcasts

Lately, I’ve been trying to steer clear of having to sync daily. I use MobileMe to keep my bookmarks, contacts, calendar and notes in sync when on the go. I have my favorite albums on hand and utilize services like Pandora to fulfill my other music needs. Podcasts, on the other hand, are very time-based, and it wasn’t until I found Podcaster for $1.99 in the App Store (iTunes link) that I was able to wean my iPhone completely off of its dependence on iTunes. Without having to search all over again for my favorite podcasts, I was able to export the OPML file from iTunes, upload and share the file from my MobileMe iDisk, and import the URL into Podcaster. That way, my iPhone will always grab the most current content automatically.

Think we’re missing any truly great audio podcasts? Please share in the comments.

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Embedded below is a 17 minute screencast on recording a podcast with GarageBand. We’ll walk you through what equipment you need and how to record and export your podcast with GarageBand.

If you enjoy this screencast, please check out all the other great screencasts at TechUniversity!

Topics covered include:
• Adding Tracks
• Recording Tips
• Cycle Mode
• Punching In

If you haven’t already, we suggest you watch our Logic Pro 101 video before this one.

Below is a sample of the video. The full screencast clocks in at just over 20 minutes.

In Logic Pro 101 we cover all the major bits and pieces of the interface as well as sharing the content you’ve created.

In Final Cut Pro 101 we walk you through everything you need to know to edit a video including: the interface, working with audio/video clips, rendering, keyframes, speed, titles, transitions and exporting.

Below are samples from each. Check out the new Pro Apps category on TechUniversity for more details and to subscribe!

Screencast Samples

For the purposes of this article, I’m assuming you are using a Macbook or Macbook Pro, but the process works with desktop Macs, too, just make sure you know what kind of port your computer has. Your goal is to get both the audio and video from your computer into your TV. Unfortunately, Macs don’t have HDMI (audio and video combined) yet so we have to use two cables. Your new TV definitely has HDMI so we’ll use an adapter to make the connection.

Hardware

HDMI cables are very affordable on Monoprice: High Speed HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Certified Cable 28AWG – 6ft w/Ferrite Cores. You definitely need one of these.

First you must figure out if you have Mini DVI or Mini DisplayPort. If you have a unibody Macbook or Macbook Pro then you have Mini DisplaypPrt. If you have an aluminum Macbook or Macbook Pro then you have Mini DVI. If you’re not sure then take a look at these pictures.

Mini DisplayPort:

The adapter you need for is available here: Mini DisplayPort to HDMI. Connect the adapter to your computer and the HDMI cable, then connect the HDMI cable to an available input on your TV.

Mini DVI:

The adapter you need for Mini DVI is available here: Mini DVI to HDMI.

As for audio, you can use a basic stereo audio cable: 3.5mm Stereo Plug/Plug M/M Cable – 6ft. Connect it to your computer’s headphone port and your TV’s audio input. If your TV has an optical audio input then you can use this cable: Toslink to Mini M/M OD:5.0mm, Molded Type – 3ft. Your Macbook or Macbook Pro has a very unique audio output that offers both stereo and optical connections. Optical audio is not necessary, but if you can go digital then you should. (I was surprised to see my new TV only offers optical output and not input.)

One thing to note is on many TVs the one audio input is next to its corresponding video input.

As you can see, I purchased my HDMI cables from Amazon Basics.

Also, you are not required to use HDMI for video. You can also use DVI if your TV supports it. In that case you would need a DVI cable, and either a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter or Mini DVI to DVI adapter.

If you want to get fancy and combine both audio and video into one simple solution then you should get this: Mini DisplayPort Male and USB Male Audio to HDMI Female Converting Adapter. It uses USB audio instead of the audio port. It’s more expensive but it’s definitely cleaner since you only need one cable going into your TV.

Software

Netflix instant streaming requires a subscription. If you have one, you can use your web browser to start streaming a movie, click Full Screen, and you’re done.

Hulu Desktop is a free application you can use to access Hulu content. It’s designed to be controlled by the 6 button Apple remote which may take some time to figure out.

I recommend turning on Mirroring in Display’s System Preferences. Then you can dim the Macbook/Macbook Pro’s screen and focus on the TV.

There’s an amazing app for the iPhone (one that requires an entire review on this site) called TouchPad ($3.99, iTunes link). It replaces the need for a separate wireless keyboard and mouse. The app controls your computer over WiFi. Setup instructions are quick and are available inside the app itself, so you don’t have to go looking through an online support page.

I hope these products and services help you get the most of your Mac and your new TV. I know they’ve completely changed the way I consume media in my own home.

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For many of us, the iPhone has become a staple item in our daily assortment of tech gear. Like any product that gets heavy use on a daily basis, sometimes it can fail. For the iPhone, that means a trip to the often-crowded Genius Bar for help. Now, as more consumers are adopting the digital device, Apple is facing an increasing number of iPhones in need of repair. The good news for consumers is, the majority of those repairs can now be done by your local Genius.

When the iPhone first launched, Apple offered a “loaner” program (with a fee) for consumers who had iPhones that needed to be repaired. This program, which received little attention in the press, finally disappeared from Apple as it began offering instant iPhone swaps, instead of asking a consumer to wait a few days for an offsite repair. (Come to find out, the “waiting” technique may work well for iPods, but doesn’t fly for iPhones). In an even more efficient move, Apple now offers a new service allowing Geniuses to perform actual repairs of the screen assembly to your iPhone at the store.

What? No more free swaps?

For the business-minded, the talk of your Genius Bar appointment being even longer while a Genius dissects and operates on your iPhone may make you scream, “No fair! Usually you just give me a new one and I’m on my way.” We all knew, though, that it would not be cost-effective for Apple to simply swap out an iPhone on a whim when things went bad. With the ability to perform certain repairs in-house, this means you keep your original iPhone and won’t need take the time to sync up a replacement iPhone before you are back in the game.

Cracked screen? No worry!

The biggest component likely to either fail or be damaged is the screen. Similar in construction to the screen on the iMac (minus the touch-sensitive components and newer oleophobic coating on the iPhone 3GS), the screen can be removed from your iPhone via a large suction cup. (Though I’m sure Apple has a very “specialized” device that does this — much like the infamous unbent paper clip that doubles as the SIM card ejection tool). Geniuses can now replace a defective screen for free if your iPhone is under warranty or, if not warranty-related, for a nice hefty $199. (Standard disclaimer: Defective doesn’t mean cracked beyond belief because your estranged ex drove over it in her Hummer. That does void your warranty, as does liquid damage and jailbroken phones.)

Before Apple began offering this service, consumers faced choices like iFixIt or iResQ, which offer similar repair services (or just components) at rates cheaper than Apple. However, such solutions do void your Apple warranty. These solutions also require you (in repair instances) to send off your iPhone, so you will be without it for a few days. Going the Apple route, provided you can actually find a Genius Bar appointment at your local Apple Store, they should be capable of (provided the parts are in stock) replacing your screen assembly within five to 10 minutes. When a Genius graces your iPhone, your warranty remains intact.

Apple’s talented Genius team can also perform other repairs to the iPhone, as the screen assembly contains other parts that can fail, including the receiver or touch sensors. In order to continue to reduce costs and provide quicker turnaround to consumers, Apple will likely follow its trend of performing more repairs in store. As crowded as the Genius Bars usually are, Apple will have to keep repair times under consideration. Most stores allocate 10 minutes per iPhone or iPod appointment. When times are busy and the Geniuses get behind, taking the time to swap the screen may only extend wait times for others. At the time of this writing, the Apple Store is unable to do screen replacements on the iPod touch or the classic iPhone due to slight construction differences. (Hint: These models do not feature the same two screws found on the bottom of the 3G and 3GS.)

Most importantly, please remember to back up your iPhone before going to the Genius Bar. You never know when your iPhone may need more than just a simple screen replacement.

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After the honeymoon was over, and I started using the iPhone 3G S in earnest, I began to hear a high-pitched noise on my iPhone-recorded videos. At first I thought it was the environment, background noise, or just plain interference. However, once aware of the noise, I noticed it anytime the phone was recording audio, such as with voice memos. The whine is actually emitted by the speaker, and then becomes part of the recording. You will usually only hear it in quiet recordings.

Fortunately I know one of the best AV guys in the industry, Matt Kappenman, who analyzed and isolated the sound for me. He told me that, “It’s right around 4400-4500 Hertz, which is a C# for those musically inclined.” I’m not so musically inclined.

Here is a sample video file we recorded in a quiet room (actually put it inside a safe):

And here we take a short video of Tova, our dog:

And here is the file for which Matt was so kind to isolate the noise: MP3 (128KB)

How to Reproduce the Problem

1. Ensure that you are in an otherwise silent environment
2. Launch Camera.app
3. Switch to video recording mode
4. Insure that the speaker volume is turned up to maximum
5. Record a short movie
6. Stop the movie recording
7. Play the movie recording back

Note the high-pitched whine that is clearly audible during the course of the movie (you may have to turn your volume up a little). You can hear this while recording if you stick your ear by the speaker at the bottom of the iPhone. The volume of the whine is directly correlated to the volume of the iPhone 3G S speakers during the movie recording — higher volume results in louder whine.

The whine seems to only come from the built-in iPhone speakers (located on the bottom of the phone). If you plug in ordinary stereo headphones to the iPhone, the whine is not audible in the headphones during recording, even with volume turned to maximum.

So far we’ve been able to reproduce the problem 100 percent of the time, with all known iPhone 3G S phones we can get our hands on. However, due to hearing ranges, some people simply can’t hear the noise while others in the room can.

Incidentally, others are reporting this same high-pitched noise when SMS messages come in or when the phone locks. While those problems are annoying, the video recording whine actually interferes with the quality of the video.

The Cause and Solution

The exact cause is unclear. It could be software or it could be hardware. The problem does not appear to occur on the iPhone 3G during Voice Memos, so it appears isolated to the iPhone 3G S. We also verified that it occurs in Airplane Mode, thus ruling out network-related problems. Even if it is hardware, Apple may try to patch the problem in the audio recording routines.

The short-term workaround is easy enough; people might just learn to live with it. Either use headphones while recording or manually place the iPhone into “silent” mode prior to starting the video recording, by moving the ring selector to vibrate.

Here is Tova without the whine using the solution:

Matt tells me that with Audacity, or another audio program, you should be able to isolate and remove the sound if it’s present in your recordings.

Is it just some 3G S iPhones or all of them? Try to reproduce the problem and let us know your experience in the comments.

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By converting your voice messages into text e-mails, Quick Voice Pro could be a time-saving boon for busy iPhone owners.

Empowered by our emails, tweets, IM conversations, and blogs, we’ve become modern-day information conduits. We collect knowledge, then discharge it into the ether, spurting out a constant fountain of fact, fiction and entertainment.

Quick Voice Pro is a new tool that could make sharing your thoughts even easier. The app converts audio recordings into text-based e-mails, using an online voice-recognition system.

Learning To Talk

If there’s a thought on the tip of your tongue, Quick Voice Pro immediately accommodates: The app loads up in a snap and is ready to record from the off. You’re able to open the software, blurt out whatever is on your mind, and get it converted, all in a short amount of time.

The layout of the app is incredibly simple, too, meaning there’s no possibility of friction with the interface. All the different functions are presented on one page; plus, there’s no settings screen and absolutely no configuration needed for first-time users.

While the tech-savvy may be impressed with the app’s advanced voice-recognition capabilities, Quick Voice Pro really seems to have been designed with novice users in mind, offering a big red record button and a large play button. And it doesn’t feel patronizing, either. The app simply incorporates well-considered, functional design.

It’s not all perfect, though. Recordings are all named MyRecording by default, which will make sifting through them a real chore for regular users. There is a button for renaming recordings, but it just doesn’t feel as intuitive as it could in comparison to the rest of the app.

Speaking of Email

Tapping the record button initiates record mode. Although you can’t go back and edit a recording once you’ve saved it, there is a pause button, letting pensive people stop for a moment and gather their thoughts before continuing.

Once recorded and saved, the app can auto-generate an e-mail for you, leaving you to enter the from and to address. The body copy of the email will be your recorded message. The actual voice-to-text conversion doesn’t happen on the iPhone; it’s all handled server-side. There was a major issue that stood out with the emailing process: The subject line always reads, “You Have QuickVoice Mail!” There’s no way to change it, and so effectively, you’re sending your contacts a message headed with an advertisement for the app.

Speaking Aloud

UK-based startup Spinvox provides the voice-to-text recognition and conversion. It’s incredibly accurate, which was surprising, and of note was that it’s comfortable with long words and both American and English accents.

To test the app, I made up a nonsensical sentence with a few long, potentially clumsy-sounding words thrown in:

“Rebellious, insidious individuals, find it highly probably that they will be libelous for their erroneous actions.”

This was then converted to the following:

“Rebelious(?) insidious individuals, find it highly probable that they will be libelous for the erroneous actions.”

Voice to text email brought to you by QuickVoice.

Note the question marks on words the software is unsure of. It’s a nice touch, clarifying that it has taken a chance and may be incorrect.

Summing Up

During testing, I found that messages take around 10 minutes to convert and arrive in the recipient’s mail box. Considering the impressive degree of accuracy, this is an acceptable amount of time.

On the flip side, there’s a 30-second limit to all recordings — this can wind up being a drag if you’ve got a lot to say, however, it’s understandable. SpinVox probably doesn’t want people clogging up its server, trying to convert entire hour-long presentations.

The only substantial problem is that, since this isn’t a free app, it doesn’t seem fair that paying users are responsible for spreading advertising it via email subject lines. And, just in case your contacts didn’t notice the branded subject, the message text always ends with, “Voice to text email brought to you by QuickVoice.”

The voice-to-text conversion works, however, I would hesitate to send any emails that contain such clear advertising for a product that, while effective, sees its users as billboards rather than valued customers.

This could have been a Silver TheAppleBlog Award, but, due to its uncalled-for product placement, Quick Voice Pro earns a Bronze.

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Do you tweet? Then maybe you should Boo! It’s like a multimedia Twitter, designed especially for iPhone users.

Over in the UK back in 2008, Channel 4 (Britain’s edgy TV channel) launched a unique funding program entitled 4IP. Cut to 2009 and, having just announced a dedicated iPhone 3.0 fund, the suits over at 4IP seem particularly keen on Apple’s device as a platform for pushing interactive wares. In fact, 4IP has announced a fund for developers, with almost $150,000 up for grabs at a maximum of approximately $40,000 per app.

Made possible by 4IP and developed by BestBefore, AudioBoo is among the first of Channel 4′s original iPhone commissions to hit the App Store. As developers ready their funding proposals, AudioBoo is set to be a showcase of the kind of app 4IP will be looking for — making use of various media formats, community-focused, and integrating with the most popular social platforms.

Designed to work alongside Twitter and iTunes, AudioBoo is an audio blogging platform created especially for iPhone.

Anatomy of a Boo

On paper, AudioBoo’s feature set reads excellently — it’s a tour de force of current buzzwords and trends. Using the iPhone you can record an audio message, the message pops up on your Twitter stream and there’s even an automatic, iTunes-compatible RSS feed for your followers to subscribe to.

The sign-up process is simple, taking place either on the iPhone (via a Safari link within the app) or on the desktop version of the web site. Plus, once signed in, it only takes a couple of clicks to link your Twitter account and activate Facebook Connect. The site even grabs your Gravatar, saving the hassle of uploading a profile picture.

It’s worth noting, however, that there’s not much to do on the desktop version of the site. AudioBoo really has been designed for iPhone; the app is where are all the key features are and, as such, there’s no way to record a Boo via the site.

Making the Perfect Boo

Once logged in on the iPhone, the app displays the main Boo stream, similar to Twitter’s public stream. Unlike Twitter, though, there’s no way of following other users; this seemed somewhat odd to me initially, until I realized that — with Twitter and Facebook Connect integration — it’s not needed: AudioBoo pushes messages to the big social platforms where all the action happens.

The focus throughout the app is on simplicity and ease of use. This is reflected in the audio-recording interface — there’s no friction with the technology and so creating a Boo is so quick it retains a real sense of fun throughout.

Although the App Store page states that recordings can be up to three minutes long, there’s actually a maximum length of five minutes. It’s the perfect amount of time to do a blog-style update, sing a little tune or make an impassioned rant.

EmbeddaBoo

Each Boo can be posted alongside a photo, either from your photo album or taken with the iPhoto camera. You can also add tags and, if you’re not the secretive type, even include GPS data. After that it takes a few seconds to publish a Boo — even over slower Edge connections — resulting in a page like this.

If you clicked the link to my test Boo, you’ll have heard that the audio quality from the iPhone mic itself is surprisingly good. And, because I’m a Twitter user, I’ve linked up AudioBoo to auto-tweet for me too. The site even generates code so that you can embed specific Boos on your blog or web page of choice.

There’s one feature, though, that seems to be a real stroke of genius on the part of BestBefore: Alongside an RSS feed, your Boo page also has an iTunes button — clicking this button automagically subscribes users to a podcast feed within iTunes of your Boo updates.

Summing Up

Despite having launched in the App Store, AudioBoo is still clearly in its infancy. The site design is incredibly dull, profile pages lack any sort of personalization options and the iPhone app can be a little crash-happy, too.

While there’s still a long way to go with the main site, the core technology works and, after configuring your account, you’ll find yourself primarily using the iPhone app and never having to visit the main AudioBoo site again — everything is automated for you.

The technology, and all the other added extras, more than make up for any complaints. It’s genuinely exciting to be armed with this fun little tool that enables you to record an audio message (with accompanying photo) and instantly publish to Twitter, Facebook and iTunes.

Simply put, AudioBoo is great fun and totally free. For Twitter users, Facebook members, potential podcasters, and regular folk who have something they’ve just got to voice, it’s well worth a download.

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Welcome one and all to the weekend, a time for rest, relaxation and fresh pickings from the App Store.

Before checking out this week’s apps, we’ve got seven days worth of Apple happenings to run through.

First up, the week kicked off with a scathing review of the Daniel X graphic novel — an utterly dull comic-book barely improved by its leap to iPhone. Later in the week though, I took a look at Tumblr’s official iPhone app, turns out that it’s a brilliant tool for capturing moments while on the go.

On Tuesday, there was a curious new addition to UK retailer Play.com’s store: the 16GB iPhone 3G. Apparently taking advantage of EU regulations — ensuring the availability of SIM-free mobile phones — the device’s are retailing at a hefty $900.

Midweek, Apple introduced cross-border shopping for twenty different countries via their online store. Unfortunately, our own Darrel Etherington was less than pleased to discover that Canada has been left out of the International shipping fun. Plus, owners of the unibody 17″ Macbook Pro were also treated to a firmware update fixing graphics issues with the system.

Bringing an end to the week’s Apple happenings, over at GigaOm.com, Om Malik received a tip-off concerning a new app for iPhone: Skype. That’s right, there’s rumored to be an official Skype iPhone app, due for release very soon. Unfortunately, for me, it may be too little too late: I doubt that it’ll be feature-packed enough for me to swap over from Nimbuzz.

Moving on the apps, this week I’ve been looking at Bowman, Gengo Lite, AudioBoo and Elemental Monster TD.

Bowman (99 cents)
The original version of Bowman is an excellent little physics-based Flash game, controlling an archer, you simply drag back on the arrows to launch them at your target. Back in February, I mentioned an unofficial 99 cent Bowman game that hit the App Store, for iPhone and touch. Now it seems that the official Bowman game has been released, alongside updated graphics, it packs three different modes: Single player, Multiplayer and Bird Hunt. Try the Flash game first and then, if it hits your target, grab the iPhone version.

Gengo Lite: Finnish (free)
Last Sunday I made the epic move of packing up shop and moving from my apartment in central London to Finland. As I don’t speak the language here, I decided to hit the App Store in a bid to find out if my iPhone can help me learn the local lingo. The Gengo Flashcards apps are particularly special — featuring both a plain old flashcard mode and a more exciting game mode. Plus, there’s a wide range of languages on offer: alongside Finnish, there’s Spanish, French, Italian and even Hindi, Farsi and Turkish among others.

AudioBoo (free)
Occasionally an app comes along that has the potential to change the way we use our iPhones on a daily basis. Both Tweetie and Evernote fall in to that category, the former giving me beautifully stream-lined access to Twitter and the latter enabling me to take notes and stay organized wherever I may be. AudioBoo is another one of these potential game-changers. It’s an app that plugs straight in to Facebook and Twitter allowing you to record tweet-style audio messages. Quick to set-up, easy to use and certainly very good fun, this is definitely one to check out. Stay tuned as I’ll be posting a full review to TheAppleBlog next week.

Elemental Monster TD (99 cents)
Over the past few weeks, I’ve become somewhat obsessed with Tower Defense (TD) games. If you’re not familiar with the genre, it’s essentially a type of strategy game where you build offensive towers on a map to attack waves of enemies. It’s over-simplified real time strategy gaming: more immediate than Command & Conquer and easier to learn (with much less depth) than Warcraft 3. Elemental Monster TD moves the genre forwards: introducing trading card collection alongside action-packed tower defense. What results is a game with stunning graphics, ultra-strategic gameplay and a few added twists to the tower defense genre. Normally $3.99, the app is on offer at 99 cents until March 30.

And that’s your lot for the week, I’ll be back next Saturday with more picks from the App Store. Plus, drop by TheAppleBlog during the week for the latest app reviews too.

In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?

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Developed by Mobelux, and formerly known as Tumblrette, the official Tumblr iPhone app has now arrived.

Tumblr is essentially the short ‘n sweet side of blogging: Posts are ultra-snappy, comprised of mixed-media uploads such as images, quotes, audio and video. The service is free, via Tumblr.com, and, since the site is so intuitively designed, it’s incredibly easy for new users to dive straight in.

The result of this platform, paired with such a simple and effective interface, is the ultra-diverse Tumblr community. Browsing through various tumblelogs is like sifting through the Lost and Found Department of the entire Internet. It’s a beautiful mess of everything and anything, from the shocking to the spectacular.

Over on the iPhone, the official Tumblr app integrates all the features of the main site, plus a couple of unexpected welcome additions.

Get Ready to Tumble

The app is split in to three panels. First-time users are initially presented with the Tumblr Settings panel (accessible only via the app itself as opposed to the iPhone’s Settings app). From here you’re able to sign in to your Tumblr Dashboard, register a new account and configure Dashboard settings.

Although there’s a Sign up for a Tumblr Account button, the registration process doesn’t occur in-app. This means that tapping the button drops out of the app and moves in to Safari; it works, but it’s certainly not an elegant way of handling new registrations.

Furthermore, the Settings panel displays the name of your primary tumblelog but doesn’t display the name, or otherwise even mention the existence of, any other tumblelogs you may own or contribute to. For prolific users, this could be quite a drawback.

Dashboard Confessional

Once registered and set up, you can configure the Settings panel to always display an iPhone formatted version of the Tumblr Dashboard every time the app is loaded. The Sites panel displays your Tumblr Dashboard — an overview of new content posted to tumblelogs that you’re following.

Clicking on a post in the Dashboard allows you to view it in full, plus there are two buttons: Like and Reblog. Clicking the Reblog button allows you to post content from other tumblelogs straight to yours, automatically crediting the source too.

Rather unexpectedly, and again quite inelegantly, clicking Reblog actually loads the standard web-based Reblog page embedded within the app. It feels clunky to have the standard web-interface within the app and ends up being ineffective for quick-fire tumbling.

Those prolific users that I mentioned earlier may be pleased to note that the Dashboard panel provides quick access to all tumblelogs of which you’re a member. The drawback, though, is that there’s still no configuration options on these pages — it’s simply an embedded page within the app’s browser — so there’s no clear benefit to this feature and as such it feels half-baked.

Mixing Your Media

The Post panel is where the action happens. There are six different post types that can be sent directly to your tumblelog: text, photo, quote, link, chat and audio.

Without copy/paste on the iPhone, the text, quote, link and chat options seem particularly redundant. There is apparently a bookmarklet available, although I couldn’t find it in spite of various Google and Tumblr.com searches.

The other two posting options, photo and audio, are downright brilliant, grin-inducing joys. The former allows you to snap images on the iPhone camera, add text and then upload directly to your tumblelog. The latter is exactly the same, except instead of imagery, it’s all about making sound recordings.

Being able to get away from the computer, snapping and capturing images and sound from the world at large, is exactly what Tumblr is about. It sums up the essence of tumbling while furthering the concept and freeing Tumblr users from their desktop computers.

Summing Up

The inelegant registration process and embedded web page for reblogging only stand out as issues because, the rest of the time, the Tumblr iPhone app is so coherent in its design and ease of use. These niggles will, I hope, get resolved in future updates.

As for the post options for chat, links, quotes and text, these will become incredibly useful once copy/paste is introduced to the iPhone.

The app comes together when you find yourself out on the streets, wanting to capture a moment, an incredible sight, or an odd overheard conversation. The photo and audio features that make this possible are deliciously addictive.

If you’re a regular Tumblr user, or you’ve got an eye (or ear) for interesting happenings when you’re out and about, the Tumblr app will be your ideal companion.

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Wrapping up another seven days and bringing you the freshest picks, it’s time for this week’s App Store Roundup.

Tom Reetsman kicked off the week by calling Technologizer’s Ed Oswald out on an article he wrote about MobileMe, the general gist of it being that Oswald canceled MobileMe, only to lament the disappearance of his data.

By Tuesday, Google added Tasks syncing to the already impressive Gmail web app. Wednesday saw a roundup of iPhone time tracking apps, essential tools for freelancers managing multiple projects. As I’ve mentioned before, Harvest — my favorite time tracking service — has a fantastic web app available for iPhone.

Finally, our own Matthew Bookspan pitted two productivity services against each other — DEVONthink Pro Office and Evernote Premium. Contrary to my preference (I’m an avid Evernote iPhone and OS X app user), it seems that DEVONthink’s tool came out on top.

Moving on, let’s talk about apps, this week I’ve been looking at ExZeus, Aggravate Nails on Chalkboard, Audio Memos Free – The Voice Recorder, Epiphany Recorded and Rolando Lite.

ExZeus ($5.99)
Giant robots, laser cannons, alien invasions, explosions — these are inherently exciting things. Distill these things down to videogame form and there’s a good chance you’re on to a winner. ExZeus finds you playing a robot with a laser cannon causing explosions while fighting off an alien invasion: this is hyperbolic space shooter action at its best. The gameplay captures old Sega classics like Space Harrier while the rainbow gun metal 3D graphics bring Transformers instantly to mind (plagiaricious!).

Audio Memos Free – The Voice Recorder (free)
On to serious stuff then, as we take a look at this voice recording tool. There’s a bevy of options available to those looking for a memo recorder for the iPhone. For those still searching for a audio recording tool, this free, ad-supported app is a good starting point. The app can use either the built in iPhone mic, or the headset mic, records in up to 44100 kHz and even has a scrub tool — letting you skip to the essential parts of each recording.

Epiphany Recorder (free)
While Audio Memos Free is a traditional voice recorder app, Epiphany Recorder has a unique angle on the whole memo recording concept. The idea behind the app is that often you’ll hear something worth recording and, before you get the opportunity to capture it, the moment will be gone. To combat missing those all-important moments, Epiphany Recorder captures the previous two minutes of audio from the moment you hit record. Of course, you have to keep the app open, but it’s still a commendable way of solving an issue for students, journalists and seminar attendees everywhere.

Rolando Lite (free)
Released last year, Rolando is a fantastic tilt ‘n’ touch based puzzler for the iPhone and touch. I wrote up a comprehensive and complimentary review for it a couple of months back, stating that Rolando is an essential for iPhone and touch gamers, “… what we have here is the benchmark for what a complete iPhone (or touch) gaming experience could be and, furthermore, should be.” If you don’t have Rolando and you’ve never tried it, you’re now fresh out of excuses as Rolando Lite is a free demo containing the first few levels of the full game. Get it now!

Aggravate Nails on Chalkboard (free)
Wonderful, yet another way to simultaneously alienate your close friends while illustrating the fact that your state-of-the-art iPhone, with GPS, Bluetooth, 3G and all that digital jazz, is nothing more than a shiny digital whoopee cushion. Except this app is actually quite good, for starters, it knows its place in the pricing pantheon (next to worthless) and is free. And therefore worth the 5 minutes of unadulterated joy you’ll derive from watching your friends’ skin crawl as you screech your fingers down the iPhone’s screen.

Just One More Thing

I’ve noticed a fantastic new trend emerging over at the App Store. It all started two months ago when Olivier Bernal, a French iPhone app developer, decided to pinch stock photography from iStock Photo. Then a too-close-to-the-bone clone of Nintendo’s famous zapper game Duck Hunt appeared on the App Store, only to be pulled last week following a complaint from Nintendo.

It seems that app developers are already running out of original ideas and instead running rampant with other people’s copyrights. I picked three copyright infringing apps, released in the last week, that flaunt it like a middle-aged divorcee speeding round town in a second-hand Porsche with a “Single and Lovin’ It” bumper sticker.

First up is The Eggs, described by the developers as, “A simulation of a popular Soviet game ‘Electronica IM-02′ which was a clone of Nintendo’s Game&Watch series game ‘Egg’.” So, effectively, we’re talking about an iPhone simulation of a simulation of a game which, in itself, was an emulation of a classic Nintendo title.

There are several things I’m not sure about here; firstly, I’m not sure whether I correctly used simulation and emulation. Most importantly though, I’m not up on my Soviet copyright law — was the game originally infringing copyright? Or, in Soviet Russia, does copyright infringe you?

Then there’s Flipt – Heroes Edition, a traditional tile matching game that uses images culled from the Heroes TV series and is almost certainly not an official spinoff. The app description is a giveaway, “Find pairs of matching images all themed around the popular sitcom Heroes™.”

Because, of course, Heroes is indeed a sitcom. I’ve always thought that Sylar is the Chandler of the bunch. And, I particularly enjoy that the app description used the ™ symbol while totally infringing the trademark.

And I’ll skip straight to the point with CuBert — it’s a direct rip of classic Q*Bert, heck the character is exactly the same as the original retro hooter-nosed weirdo. To the guys at LagMac, the game’s developer, this may apparently be “… in homage to Q*Bert creators,” but it’s still a massive copyright infringing bag of profit-generating plagiarism.

How can the people behind these apps be smart enough to program a game for the iPhone and then actually get it on the App Store, but either have no concept of copyright or are simply just risking it? How can you be that smart and yet also that dumb?

I’ll leave you to ponder that final question and see you next Saturday for another App Store Roundup. In the meantime, let me know which apps you’ve been downloading in the comments.

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