05-07-2007, 05:00 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Why Can't Windows Mobile Phones Record Phone Calls?
"I've long been looking for a solution to record my phone calls (for archiving for my electronic diary database - it's just fun to listen to, say, calls you've made twenty years ago. Yeah, I've archived my calls back even then - then, onto audio tapes, with my self-built automatic call recorder circuitry and automatic tape recorder controller). As you may already know, except for some (in Europe / the States, rare, Asia-only Gigabyte models) NONE of the current Windows Mobile Pocket PC's (and only some MS Smartphone models) support this. It's just not possible to record the other party, let alone directly saving the GSM-based encoded stream to greatly preserve sound quality while keeping the same low speed (without recompressing it), just like how the vast majority of non-Windows Mobile-based call recorders do on both Symbian and in many "dumb" phones like the Sony-Ericsson t68i and the t610.
Werner Ruotsalainen, better known in the Windows Mobile world as "Menneisyys", has posted an article talking asking the question why Windows Mobile is the only phone OS that doesn't allow for easy phone conversation recording. I've heard the issue raised at MVP Summit meetings and Mobius events, and the answer is always the same: legal reasons. Since recording a phone conversation isn't something I've needed to do every often, I honestly never gave it much thought.
Ruotsalainen's article has made me re-think this stance: if Symbian phones can do this task, and they're being sold in great numbers in the USA, then how much of a legal issue can this really be? And if 38 states allow it without consent, and only 12 do not, clearly the majority of the country supports this scenario. Windows Mobile phones are sold all over the world of course, so even if the issue is United States law, why wouldn't Microsoft include basic support that the USA carriers would just exclude? On-device voice mail is also a feature I've seen on other device that Windows Mobile lacks - and it never occurred to me until now that the reason we don't have it is because of this call recording issue.
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05-07-2007, 05:20 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 14
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Recording used to work
The original Ipaq Phone didn't have this limitation. I used it all the time while I was in the car to record someone giving me a phone number. I still do the same thing now, but now I have to repeat their number back to them as it only records my half of the conversation.
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05-07-2007, 05:51 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 3
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i record my voicemail by simply opening a new note then activating the record feature in notes. The note is automatically dated and subject line is filled in. This is a handy way to save voicemail to the ppc then take my time writing down #'s and names from the call. It would obviously work for two way convo as well.
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05-07-2007, 06:20 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by chscof
It would obviously work for two way convo as well.
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Unfortunately, it won't really work because it's the hardware / the API that makes this impossible on all (except the Gigabyte) current Pocket PC and most Smartphone phones.
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05-07-2007, 06:24 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
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BTW, don't forget a very important thing before voting: the lack of the access to the incoming sound stream makes it (also) impossible to implement a local (non-operator-side) answering machine software.
The latter is also very common (and works just great) on Symbian machines.
Think of it: you have all your incoming calls' automatic recordings on your phone and you don't need to waste time / money on dialing in to your operator-side voicemail mailboxes to listen to them. A LOT easier / cleaner / faster / cheaper this way.
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05-07-2007, 07:05 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2
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maybe i don't understand the true goal of what you are discussing here, but this works just fine on my sprint ppc6700 if i just hit the "record note" button during the call. I had to use it to get a segment of a conference call emailed to my boss, and can confirm it is two-way, because it also picked up every little sound i heard in my office while listening to the conference call. i had to hide in a broom closet to avoid the background noise. It created an audio file that was pulled into outlook notes during my next active sync, and I emailed it from there.
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05-07-2007, 07:09 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 784
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Anyone know where the record button is on my Dash? :? :lol:
__________________
T-Mobile Dash | HP iPAQ 4100 | HP iPAQ 2210 | HP iPAQ 1910 | Intermec 6651 | Toshiba E570 | Compaq iPAQ 3600 | Casio Pocket Viewer
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05-07-2007, 07:31 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 351
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woohoo! finally a reason not to converg. to ppcpe...i have a t610 and a ppc, although i have never used the record feature, atleast i can tell people thats why i am not converging. lol
dam, u people must be either getting sued or sueing a lot of people, i would not wanna talk to u. lol
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05-07-2007, 07:33 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by T-Will
Anyone know where the record button is on my Dash? :? :lol:
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Use PMRecorder or Resco Audio Recorder 4, they automatically record your calls (if you configure them to do so).
If you don't want / need automatic recording, use an audio recorder that supports button-based recording. For this task, I also recommend Resco Audio Recorder 4 - its one-button recording is clearly the best now - and starts up much faste rthan any of the comparable alternatives (no as fast as ythe built-in Notes though).
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05-07-2007, 07:36 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by isajoo
dam, u people must be either getting sued or sueing a lot of people, i would not wanna talk to u. lol
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I do think archiving your calls with your beloved / relatives / children is REALLY nice. I try to do it in a daily basis (with they knowing this, of course - otherwise, I wouldn't publicly admit this in an article). It's REALLY fun listen to these recordings (much) later, particularly together with them.
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