
If we missed your favorite, let us know in the comments. One thing to note: For any apps that also handle transcription, there are privacy concerns-so proceed with caution when recording anything that you want to remain confidential. Many of the apps are free, and the rest are relatively low-cost compared with purchasing a digital recorder. These apps range from basic, easy-to-operate choices to ones with a full range of features, including AI-based transcription, that pros will appreciate. I put in my own recommendations, talked to my colleagues at PCMag about what they use, and researched what else is out there. When you search "voice recorders" in an app store, it can be hard to sort through all of the choices to find one that has exactly the features you need. I usually have two or three, since I rely on them for interviews and transcription. Even if you're not on this list, having one on your home screen can come in handy. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security SoftwareĪ good voice-recorder app is essential for students, journalists, podcasters, private investigators, list makers, and sometimes even the just plain paranoid.Check out that entire part of the conversation in the image, below. In case you were wondering, I didn't write those sentences down they come directly from Otter which was recording our conversation in the chaos of a hallway of Fira Gran Via, the Barcelona venue where Mobile World Congress is held.


(They) give us a lot of feedback, give us a lot of good training data so that we can improve our product and the end user experience," Simon Lau, head of product at AI Sense, told me. We want to get a lot of users (.) We want to grow a healthy user base. The app is free, but a paid version is currently not a priority and is expected in the second half of this year. In other words: Do not expect wonders in a noisy environment. This is unsurprising: With dozens of people talking around you and a voice coming out of the speakerphone drowning out your conversation, I don't think any transcription engine would do a very job. In the extremely busy environment of Mobile World Congress, however, Otter's transcript was nowhere near the quality level that would make it usable - especially when recording my voice (it did better with the voices it was trained for).

And it actually does its job quite well in a reasonably quiet room - errors are there, obviously, but having an automated transcript right after you're done with an interview is very useful for journalists (you also get the audio recording of the conversation, don't worry). Whatever you do on one device is reflected everywhere. Otter uses AI smarts for automatic speech recognition, speaker separation and identification as well as deep content search - features not commonly seen on similar software solutions. With the Otter mobile app, you can record conversations, receive notifications on all your devices, and stay in sync when you’re on the move. The best tech of Mobile World Congress 2018
