Capture Tool for Android Users

J

johnaohman

Registered
Came across a pretty nice voice-to-text capture tool for Android users. Called VocaNote. Essentially it's a phone based voice recorder that uses the Google/Android voice-to-text engine to translate your voice note into an email or SMS message. The paid version (~$2.00) allows for up to 7 different destinations - which are chosen via a first spoken word command that you set up.

So, I use "task" to send my email to my Toodledo account. I use "note" to send the email to my Evernote account.

You can choose to send just the recongized text and/or the attached audio file (choice of file formats).

I have no connection to this company - just found it, bought it, and am a happy user. (Actually, I first found - and purchased - a similar product called netMemo before VocaNote, but it didn't use voice-to-text, just sent the audio file).

The best thing about VocaNote (for me at least) is that it can be set up to be truly a one-button press process. You use setup options to automatically start recording when you open the app, set delay times for both recording end and text confirmation, and end the app after the email/SMS is sent.

The app presents you with its text translation of your recording for confirmation - but doing nothing can be set up to confirm as well. You can also turn on or off an audio control that has the app "speak" to you with the text it translated.

I know that there are other options in this realm, but I haven't found one as quick, easy, and straight forward as this.

Evernote: Voice notes require many button pushes on the phone and there isn't any voice-to-text.
Online services like Jott or Dial2Do require you to make a phone call to record and have on-going subscriptions.

Just thought I'd make others aware of this app.
 
J

johnaohman

Registered
Email to Toodledo

fassold;91225 said:
John, great app. Thanks! But how do I get it to send to ToodleDo?

jim
Click to expand...

Jim - When you set up your Toodledo account you were given a "secret" email address to which you could send email messages that would appear as tasks. The format is yourname.123456@toodledo.com To find that email address, in ToodleDo select Tools>More>Email Import/Export.

In VocaNote free version you would have to make this email address the default destination since the free version only permits one destination.

However, in VocaNote Plus (paid version), you get up to 7 destinations. I use my Toodledo email address as one of those.
 
C

cevamal

Registered
Great app, thanks!

Is there a way to send symbols? I want use the hot list extensively and need to be able to assign a due date. I tried "test pound tomorrow" but it came through as exactly that, not the pound sign.
 
F

fassold

Registered
No Idea.

cevamal;92410 said:
Great app, thanks!

Is there a way to send symbols? I want use the hot list extensively and need to be able to assign a due date. I tried "test pound tomorrow" but it came through as exactly that, not the pound sign.
Click to expand...

Cevamal, you're ahead of me. I don't use hot lists. Maybe someone else can weigh in?

Jim
 
J

johnaohman

Registered
VocaNote Symbols and ToodleDo

fassold;92411 said:
Cevamal, you're ahead of me. I don't use hot lists. Maybe someone else can weigh in?

Jim
Click to expand...

Cevamal - I don't think there is a way to "speak symbols", but you can send a voice note to the developer from within the program. My only experience doing that showed me that he was responsive - so you could ask him.

Jim - What Cevamal is talking about is a "hot list" within ToodleDo. It's configurable by setting limits on a number of task parameters including when it's due, what priority it is, etc. The email importing function of ToodleDo allows you to automatically set some of these parameters by using certain symbols as hash-tags in the email subject line to identify the parameter content for the task. For example including "#11/11/11" in the subject line of the email to ToodleDo will result in a task that has a due date of November 11, 2011.

For me personally the use of those hash-tag symbols is too burdensome - I would rather just get the tasks into the ToodleDo inbox for processing on-line later. But each to his own .. ... ....
 
C

cevamal

Registered
I've emailed the developer and he's looking into it.

I'm just getting back on the GTD wagon and am trying to get my ducks in a row. I'm concerned that if I add stuff and it doesn't hit my hotlist I'll miss it.
 
Oogiem

Oogiem

Registered
Victor Borge Spoke Punctuation

johnaohman;92413 said:
Cevamal - I don't think there is a way to "speak symbols",
Click to expand...

I know this is late but having just watched a bit about Victor Borge recently there is in fact a way to speak symbols. :wink: His punctuation system might actually be adapted by a clever developer....

http://kor.dk/borge/puncsyst.ram
 
J

johnaohman

Registered
Update on this app - and new one from the same developer

I started this thread because I really liked the VocaNote app as a capture tool for Android Users.

Recently I became aware of a newer app when I contacted the developer (who is amazingly responsive BTW) about a potential bug in his VocaNote application. Apparently taking direction from a number of users of the VocaNote app led the developer to branch off with another similar app called One-touch Voice Note (OTVN) that takes a slightly different direction.

I now own the paid versions of both and find this newer one even better. As before, I have no relationship with the product or developer other than a satisfied, enthusiastic user.

The major difference in OTVN (One-touch Voice Note) compared to VN (VocaNote) is the method by which you choose the target recipient of your voice-to-text note. With VN you did this with a set of customizable first words spoken which VN recognized and sent to the appropriate recipient. While it worked most of the time, when the app didn't recognize the introductory word(s), it became pretty frustrating as you needed multiple attempts to accomplish the capture. I personally minimized this by trying to find specific words that were recognized most reliably. For example in send voice-to-text notes to ToodleDo, I found the first word "task" would sometimes be unrecognized (which results in the note going to the default email location instead of the intended recipient), whereas the first word "Action" was much more reliable.

User feedback apparently led the developer to branch off VN to OTVN which now uses 8 very large buttons on the home screen from which the user can select the recipient. Although this theoretically adds a step to the complete process, I think it's worth it for the added reliability.

In summary, this is a great app that can really enhance your productivity from a truly responsive developer!
 
F

fassold

Registered
Another Nifty Evernote App

I've moved from VocaNote to Evernote's new voice recognition app. Hit the widget, start speaking, and it's transcribed as you speak into Evernote. Saves the voice recording, too. I don't use Evernote for my list manager, but this makes capture quick and painless.

Oogie, thanks for a fond memory. That Borge routine absolutely slayed me as a kid, and it's till funny. I also liked his numbers riff, in which he increased by one any time a number appeared in his story. "Darling, you look twoderful threenight."
Jim
 
B

batwater

Registered
ToodleTask -> Inbox capture for ToodleDo

I have found that ToodleTask (free in the android market) to be the simplest way to capture tasks into my ToodleDo inbox (for later processing.) I can either type (Swype) or speak my task into the input box, select work or personal inbox (a context, same inbox), boom, done. It just doesn't get any easier...

-Ben
 
F

Feroz

Registered
Capture Tool for Android Users

It will be helpful for the new users who don't know how to use android,please also gives some good name to it.
 
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