Android App Review: Dictamus Continuing forward with the dictation software theme, today I’d like to introduce you to Dictamus ($9.99). I learned about this app from LegalTypist, since it’s their choice in dictation software. At $10, Dictamus certainly costs much more than Dictadroid, or even Recordense voice recorder. That’s obviously one of Dictamus’s biggest drawbacks. The second drawback is there’s limited usability on some devices: The Samsung Galaxy S4 device family, including variants (“Mini”, “Active”, etc.), is currently not supported. This device family appears to have a problem with a specific file access method when used on SD cards. Dictamus needs that method for high-performance file operations. Dictations recorded on that device family may end up entirely or partially blank (empty). We’re currently trying to find a workaround. I experienced problems with my Moto X — some users note the Galaxy Note 3 has problems, too — but don’t have any issue with the Nexus 5, Nexus 7, or Samsung Galaxy S3. General observations I wouldn’t expect too many people to have difficulty setting up Dictamus for recording. Aesthetically, the app could use some work, but it’s functional, rarely crashes (that’s a good thing given that it looks like an iOS port), and records a quality dictation. You’ll get started by pressing the New Dictation button on the bottom of the home screen. Simply press the Record button to start and stop your recording. Dictamus features fast-forward and rewind, much like any handheld recorder. Dictamus is missing the “insert here” function in Dictadroid, which is pretty handy if you missed a comment somewhere. Setup is tricky Dictamus has a different way of sharing files, meaning that it uses its own protocols to handle shares. For instance, if you want to share a dictation with Legaltypist, you’d set up a LegalTypist sharing protocol using your unique LegalTypist identification. You can access the different sharing destinations using Settings > Sharing > Add Sharing Destination. There are a number of different destinations, including some special destinations in the USA, UK, Australia, and Ireland. LegalTypist’s destination, for instance, goes through an encrypted tunnel (don’t ask me about the encryption) to an SSL protected FTP server. Another destination, such as email, might not use any encryption. I set up sharing profiles for LegalTypist and native app share. Unfortunately, app sharing is rather limited, but does include the major cloud storage providers (that’s usually limited to the specific apps, not necessarily the original app). Superb sound quality Dictamus has an impressive sound quality, which isn’t too surprising given that the app allows you to select one of a number of different sample rated. The result is that Disctamus produces a great recording. ift.tt/1hKd31C I will note that Dictamus doesn’t change the file name, so I ended up with a name that looked like this: Mar_4__2014_1_44_02_PM___Dictation_Mar_4__2014_1_44_02_PM Not too easy to use or remember if you had a number of different recordings. I should also mention that Dictamus saves in three separate file formats: MP4, WAV, or IMA4. The final decision Overall, Dictamus is a decent dictation app. Dictamus lacks some of the finer features of apps like Dictadroid, but I like the idea of secured transmissions. I also like that I can easily adjust the sample rate, and share with a number of different destinations. Unfortunately, I’m also disappointed by the cost. At $10, Dictamus doesn’t deliver the same benefits of Dictadroid. Dictamus gets 3.5 of 5 stars. from The Droid Lawyer™ ift.tt/1hKd3in via IFTTT The post Android App Review: Dictamus appeared first on IT Services for Business in Johannesburg. ift.tt/1f6uYdV March 05, 2014 at 02:09PM
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 12:29:38 +0000