Communications
Mini Phone Recorder
Cheap, dependable phone tap
For the last seven years, I've used the Mini Recorder Control to document every 'phoner' I've done as a freelance writer. Like the Recorder Control from Radio Shack, it acts as the go-between for a land line headset and any recorder with a 1/8" mic jack. However, this one's about about half the price. Since it's light and compact, mine is always with me in a little pouch stuffed with a notebook, pens and a Griffin iTalk Pro that allows me to record direct to my iPod. Over time, I've upgraded from a desktop dictation machine to a handheld mini-cassette recorder to two different versions of the Griffin. The only item in my "bag of tricks" that hasn't become obsolete or pooped out is the Mini Recorder Control. Interestingly, I found many of my colleagues in journalism school had independently discovered this exact gadget.
-- Steven Leckart
Mini Recorder Control
$18
Available from Radio Shack
Previously available from Amazon
[Recently I've been playing around with a web-based service called RecordMyCalls; you call an 800#, enter your account info and the # you wish to dial, and the call will be recorded and accessible online shortly after; it's $5 a month for 500MB of storage (at $0.20/min. for U.S. calls), but you can also download the file and own it forever; the sound quality is reasonable, so if you need to record in a pinch or from a cell phone or remotely where there's no web access or Skype, this seems like a viable option; I haven't used it enough to write a proper recommendation, but it seems promising; if you have used it OR if you have an even better solution, please let us know. --sl]
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Radio Journalism Production Tools
