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Belkin's TuneTalk, a snap-on microphone for recording voice and sound onto the 5G "video" iPod, now works with the "remastered" iPod Nano – a combination that would be perfect for recording podcasts on the go. The TuneTalk records uncompressed WAV sound from two mics that are tilted slightly away from each other to create stereo separation (you can double your record time by switching to mono). The TuneTalk stores these files in a dedicated directory on the 5G iPod, the 5.5G iPod, or the latest iPod Nano.
The $69 TuneTalk's sound quality isn't quite up to the task of live music recording, but it works fine for capturing voice on the go, making for one tiny podcasting studio (although you still have to do the editing at home, of course).
Before this latest round of iPod releases, you had to have a 5G iPod to use the TuneTalk, because only that video-capable player had the processing power capable of recording to a stereo WAV file. Compatibility with the new Nano indicates that it features a faster processor than the old Nano – an observation borne out by reports of faster photo and playlist loading.
For recording solo podcasts at home, I know I was all about using an inexpensive PlayStation 2 microphone, but that was before I started using a cellphone Bluetooth headset. I paired the headset with my iBook (w/ Bluetooth), fired up Audacity, selected the headset as an input, and I was recording. The entire set-up time took about two minutes. And since the headsets are designed for speech, you don't need to use a screen between you and the mic to prevent your P's and B's from popping, or worry about holding the mic at a consistent distance.
