My Favorite iOS Dictation App – Dictate + Connect




I often get asked about what app I use for dictation on my iPhone. There are lots but my favorite is, without question, Dictate+Connect. This app has a great iOS7-y look and feel and has more features than I’ve had in a handheld recorder. I can easily adjust the recording quality, mic sensitivity and playback speed. It also has a voice activation mode that automatically stops the recording when I pause to think, which in my case is often. The app displays a waveform of your dictation while recording. It exports to WAV, AAC, WAV IMA4, and AIFF and there is a native version for both iPhone and iPad.

On the sharing side, Dictate+Connect lets me share my recordings via email, export, or in a separate iOS app. For example, I use the Quickshare feature to send dictations (in WAV) format to the transcription ninja at my office. I also send WAV files to Transporter (or Dropbox) to transcribe with Dragon Dictate on my Mac. I still use a physical pocket recorder but am using Dictate + Connect more and more. Because it is an app, it’s always in my pocket.

Dictate + Connect

Dictate + Connect

The waveform makes me happy.

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Dictate + Connect
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TextExpander Touch 2.5

Yesterday Smile released TextExpander Touch version 2.5 for iOS. This free update includes a new iOS 7-style user interface and several tools to assist snippet management from within iOS. They spent a lot of time working on the little things and it shows. Some of my favorite new features are:

  • Reordering Groups
  • Sharing a completed snippet with the sharing menu
  • The ability to disable specific snippets for iOS

  • Gestures: three finger tap to share and two finger left swipe to copy

  • iOS Keyboard Shortcuts: 

    • ⌘+ and ⌘- increase and decrease the font size of selected text

    • ⌘N creates a new snippet, group, or note

    • ⌘Return functions as Done, or shares snippet or note

    • Escape functions as Cancel

    • ⌘T toggles between Notes and Groups

    • up and down arrows navigate through the list of snippets or notes on iPad

I use TextExpander often on both the Mac and iOS. The new URL callback method for sharing snippet groups to apps has been working fine and I’m happy to see Smile giving TextExpander even more love. Did you know I’ve got a bunch of snippet groups right here for download?

Fantastical 2 for iPad


Today Flexibits Released Fantastical 2 for iPad. Fantastical has taken over as my home screen calendar app on the iPhone so I guess it is only proper for it to do so on the iPad as well. I’ve been playing with it all morning and there are some nice features including half-screen and full-screen week views, that Fantastical intuitive appointment parser, floating time zone support, and TextExpander support.

My favorite feature is the way it displays week view on the top half of the screen, a month view and a list view all at once without looking cluttered. A close second is the way it builds the event while you type in the details. This immediate feedback is so useful. The slash trick from the Mac and iPhone, where you can designate an event to a specified calendar with a / in the description, also works on the iPad version. For instance, putting “/p” at the end of an event description puts the calendar event on your personal calendar. There is even a slash on the included extended keyboard, that also has numbers and symbols appropriate for creating calendar entries while entering new events.

Michael and the gang have done some great work on the iPad. It’s available now on the iTunes App Store.

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The Sweet Setup Reviews Dispatch

Robert McGinley Myers did a proper job of writing up Dispatch. There is so much to like about that app. However, I don’t use it as much as I used to because Sanebox already manages so much email for me. Another up-and-comer in the iOS mail racket is Boxer, that includes a lot of similar gesture based mail management tools (though not as much third-party app support). However, Boxer works on all your folders, not just your inbox.

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Misty Watercolor Memories of Word 5.1

Last week at Macworld, the subject of Word 5.1 kept coming up in multiple conversations with multiple people. This was partly a result of Microsoft releasing Office for the iPad but I have to admit it is strange how much that application is universally loved by old nerds. When was the last time you truly loved a Microsoft app for the Mac? I wonder if it really was that great or if we are all just looking through rose colored glasses. I suspect that even if Microsoft wound back the clock, I’d still be spending the majority of my time in Scrivener, Byword, and Editorial (which is getting much more sticky for me lately).

While I usually make an effort to completely avoid the April Fools posts, I can’t finish this post without making reference to the near-legendary TidBITS April 1, 2011 post about Word 5.1 on the iPad. People wanted to believe that one so badly.

USB to Lightning/Micro USB Combo Cable

One of my favorite finds at Macworld this year was the Skiva combo Lightning/Micro USB Cable. This doesn’t require much explanation. It is a standard USB cable on one end and the other end has a Micro USB plug with an attached adapter that can turn it into a Lightning cable. It provides both power and syncing to my iPhone and a way to sync/charge my Micro USB devices. Where once I carried two cables, now I carry one. I love that. You can find it on Amazon (affiliate link).

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Sponsor: Middle Davids Artisan Candles




This week I’m pleased to introduce a new sponsor, Middle Davids Artisan Candles. Dan and his team at Middle Davids understand the use of rituals to help with productivity. We all like our good coffee (or tea!), our ergonomic chairs, and our clean work surfaces, but what about scent?

I burn candles while I write and I always feel that the ritual of lighting the candle is a way to tell myself “it is on” and get to work. After I’ve worked a few hours, I blow out the candle and take a break. You’ll be surprised how well this works. My favorite is the Northwoods scent, that smells like a fir tree. We don’t have native fir trees in Southern California and I love it.

Dan, the proprietor, is a candle geek and obsesses on candles like I do productivity apps. The candles are 100% botanical soy wax, not paraffin (which is a petrochemical) and the wicks are cotton woven (no metals).

Middle Davids has a subscription plan that gets you two candles a month with 40 hours of burn time. That’s two hours of focus a day. You also get a box of wooden matches, and a sample of the next month’s scent. Give it a try. You’ll surprise yourself. Use the code “MacSparky4” (or “macsparky4”) for 10% off.

Macworld Photo Stream 2

Here are some of my photos from Macworld on March 29, 2014. The show wrapped up today. It was another great Macworld leaving me charged up  and full of ideas.

Goal Zero Solar Charger

Goal Zero Solar Charger

Goal Zero has some impressive solar chargers. These are just toys anymore and are starting to make a lot of sense for emergency/camping bags.

Backblaze B

Backblaze B

Ever thought about assembling a massive letter B from server hardware? Backblaze thought about it, and then made one.

Cloak 2

Cloak 2

Cloak received a Best in Show award and deservedly so. Here is the entire company. I love it will small teams make something awesome.

SmartScore

SmartScore

SmartScore lets you take a picture of sheet music and then plays it. Crazy.

PencilCase

PencilCase

Robots and Pencils is a developing Mac app that lets you create an application with drag and drop and a bit of JavaScript and then deliver that App to your iPad. They are calling it Hypercard reimagined, which has my immediate attention. I’m very curious to see how this turns out. In fact, curious enough to include this blurry photo.

Dave and John

Dave and John

Here are Dave and John from BusyMac enjoying their “Best in Show” award for BusyContacts.

Air Turn

Air Turn

Here is another music pick. It’s a Bluetooth pedal that flips pages on digital sheet music. I very nearly bought one of these.

Photo Accessories

Photo Accessories

I went back to the Square Jellyfish booth and got some more of their tripod related products. This is nice, lightweight surf for the Micro 4/3 crowd.

App Camp For Girls Team

App Camp For Girls Team

The App Camp for Girls event was a big success. Here’s the team. So punk rock.