@Fantomas1010: The iPod Touch and iPhone use a different kind of memory storage routine, so external devices can not access it. I think it has to do more with enforcing DRM for music and applications bought through the devices.

DeadWriter

This is real cool. I was trying the Sony one... Nice work Belkin!

altus

Will this work with my old outdated iPhone?

Fantomas1010

For $120, I could see this as a useful audio symbiant for an iPod. Considering that audio nerds pay several hundred dollars on up for handheld flash recorders, the ability to record into an iPod with flexibility beyond a basic consumer input jack could be useful for sound chasers.

As an audio nerd myself, it's not the 16 bit ceiling that would necessarily turn me off, but the overall quality of its components... a/d conversion, jacks (it's hard to see what's really on it), and all those "knobs and stuff." This appears to be targeted to podcasters and interviewers rather than music recordists... It's hard to imagine that it can compete in sound quality with the likes of a Sony PCM D50 for $500 or PCM D1 for $2,000, which are similar in function, but have wonderful-sounding mics, pres, and converters. I wonder how it compares with something like the Zoom H2 for $200?

The description on Belkin's site is also a little ambiguous, which doesn't instill confidence. That and the fact that it looks like a prop from a low budget sci-fi flick from the 60s.

frigg

@ps61318: Perhaps subconsciously they are going back to the early 80's where musicians instruments never had cables in videos and everybody wore leather jackets with elastic banding.

DeadWriter

It's Nobby! It's Blinky! What's not to like?

The poster layout is... well, it makes my brain stumble. I know there is a rational explanation for the microphone cable-to-nowhere, but the mic, the recorder, the cable... it snatched at the corners of my eye and bothered me.

ps61318

it's a maaaaan baby...

tehdahl

Umm. Poster is fail. This is actually pretty cool, a decent price all kinds of line level ins, volume leds. Where the hell else are you going to get DUAL XLR ins on an iPod ?

matty323

That's horrible.

My Samsung MP3 has pretty good built in recording...so I can actually get it into concerts undetected.

And the Cowon X5 has amazing recording quality...also built in.

Why spend $120 when you can get it for free?

bobx3

A link to the product would be nice.

I am happy they brought this to market. I have a stand alone 24bit DAR (digital audio recorder), but I could see how 3 to 5 years ago that this would have been one sexy machine.

It's not bad for lectures and notes. It also looks to have a good old-fashioned interface with dials, knobs and switches. With a little makeup this could be the next tricorder for some sci-fi movie.

DeadWriter

@DeadWriter: It's not the iPhone's "memory routine" that's the problem. This device is NOT a digital recorder, it's just a portable preamp.

I have a Belkin mixer with an iPod port on it. The mixer doesn't directly access the hard drive - it's a lot simpler than that. The iPod (and iPhone) has an audio input on the dock connector, and all this deviice does is feed that wire. Recording is actually done by the iPod's own software. (This is the same technique used by the voice recorder and FM radio devices that plug in to the iPod.)

So, in other words, if the iPhone had a recording app (which it doesn't yet), then you could theoretically use it, too.

TomXP411

Please, lighten up on the criticism. I know that the Gawker style is to be a bit sarcastic, but this is a tad over the top - even for a company whos corporate motto is "be an ass whenever possible."

Considering the fact that the actual recording is actually being done by the iPod, and the iPod doesn't have a 24/96 option, you're unfairly criticizing Belkin's product.

Seriously: I've been looking for a field recorder for podcasting work and recording rehersals. That kind of recording needs better audio quality than your typical Wal-mart digital recorder, but it's not like I need a 24/96 codec. Think of all the places where a $150 field recorder would be useful, and this thing seems to fit the bill.

TomXP411

I'd rather spend more and get a Zoom H4, with 24-bit/96kHz recording to SD cards. And real X/Y pattern stereo condenser mics.

I guess if you already had an iPod and just wanted an XLR interface for recording, this Belkin thing would do... but if you're serious about recording, skip the toys.

MichaelScrip

Oh, and here's a link to the press release.

HFC

Why only iPods? If you're going to make a product so people can, for some reason, record high(?) quality audio to their media player, why not make it compatible with all media players? Just because Apple doesn't care about it's customers enough to add basic things like a built-in recorder or an FM tuner, doesn't mean that the rest of us don't need/want a quality boost in our recordings.

That said, I'd much rather carry a portable Marantz recorder to record those important clips.

HFC

heh... Now I look like a jerk. ;) Adam's post was a lot more cynical 10 minutes ago. :)

TomXP411

@MichaelScrip: No you wouldn't. That Zoom sucks ass. See later statement : @HFC: "That said, I'd much rather carry a portable Marantz recorder to record those important clips."

A3rd.Zero

How come it has been rewritten (well, just one more sentence at the end, but it's enough to change the overall tone) turning it in far less ironic post?

zifc

Awesome, now I can play my eerie ghost talking right along side songs from Elvis.

LoganSix

Get a real recorder - an Edirol R-09

# 24-bit/48kHz (or 44.1kHz) linear PCM recording
# Ultra portable, half the size of the R-1
# Up to 320 kbps MP3 recording
# Records to SD/SDHC card
# Isolated Adaptive Recording Circuit (I.A.R.C.)
# High-grade stereo condenser microphone built in
# Mic and Line audio inputs
# bla bla bla....

[www.edirol.net]

Windhawk

@A3rd.Zero:

> "That Zoom sucks ass."

Does the Zoom suck as much as this Belkin?

And duh, Marantz is better than both, and the cheapest Marantz with XLR inputs is $500.

Marantz > Zoom > Belkin/iPod thing

Right?

MichaelScrip

@Windhawk: Yeah, but the Edirol is $350, this is $130, provided you have an iPod laying around (and really, who doesn't?)

Not everyone NEEDS a pro-level portable recorder at a pro-level price, this fills the bill for those types.

slackinfux

Wow, sometimes the gadget/brand loyalty of some you guys reminds me of kids arguing who the coolest superhero is (or which the best PC platform is). I have an H4 and I love it. If it sucks ass, so be it, it sure does everything I need it to.

As far as this Belkin product, I feel like I was waiting for a similar product for almost 10 years... Was some kind of rocket science involved to make this happen?

liquidsoapdispenser

This is awesome! XLR connectors for iPod!

Only tards use unbalanced RCA connectors for audio.

navstar

@navstar: as opposed to balanced RCA connectors?

@slackinfux: My thing is this: I have an iPod Classic and an iPhone. Since the iPod doesn't get much use any more, I'd rather attach it to a device like this for $120 than either EBay it or let it sit unused in a desk drawer.

A friend and I were working on a project that involved live interviews, and this would have fit the bill perfectly at the time. Either way, why spend $300 or more for a dedicated field recorder when this will do voice recording just fine? :) I don't really care for the looks, but I've seen worse looking pro gear, too.

TomXP411