By Lisa Bernier

Originally released in November of 2010 by creator Srini Kumar, TinyVox took voice memos to a whole new level. Instead of long texts, or a call that goes to voicemail, (because really, who picks up their phone anymore?), TinyVox allows users to record a voice memo, and then send it to a friend. The app allows you to send messages via email, Facebook and also Twitter, as well as record memos as mp3s to use for yourself.

The newest version of the app (updated at the end of November), features a brand new, easier interface for the iPhone 5. Upon launching, it is immediately apparent that this is a voice-recording app: the interface is literally a tape recorder. You have the option to type text that will record into a voice message, or record a file yourself (using the buttons at the bottom). The home screen also gives you the option to send it various ways: email, Twitter, chat, Facebook, and YouTube.

Once you record the sound and are ready to send it, the screen gets much busier.  Looking a little bit like a ‘90s Internet pop-up, the app allows you to send the sound as a link, or as a YouTube “talking picture.”

The “talking picture” is basically the choice to send a photo with the audio file via YouTube. You can either take a picture of yourself, or use photos from the Library.

Although this feature is cute, it doesn’t seem particularly useful. More useful is the transcription use of the app, which allows you to take (or type) a standard voice memo and play it back—and then, if needed, share it with friends, colleagues, or classmates. The integration of social media certainly gives this app a boost up over other standard video recording apps.

What is also useful is the ability to title files. Instead of audio 1, 2, or 3, you can label exactly what the memo is about. Then, you can also share directly via social media: most usefully, you can tweet an audio link to a person by typing in their Twitter handle.

The biggest update to the app was actually the version before this one, in which Facebook was fully integrated. It allowed you to directly post or chat an audio link/file to someone’s profile. It also adjusted the toggle buttons and improved the quality of the audio sharing, as well as the audio file itself.

This latest update seems more aesthetic than anything else. Of course, there is no doubt that a cleaner, easier interface makes a better app. The simpler anything is to use, the better and more effective it works. The UX quality has also been improved, and continual improvements to the quality of the social media tools within the app certainly give it an edge over the competition. Since it is more than just a voice memo tool, having a way to share memos with others beyond just putting it on a physical drive is clever. Therefore, this particular update where the Facebook and Twitter were made more readily available and faster was definitely an improvement overall.

While the concept of TinyVox is exciting, the execution can be a little confusing. However, if the maker continues to improve the social media integration, and cleans up the screen even more, it will definitely become a useful tool for not just sharing funny jokes with your friends, but for studying (as it suggests), work, and even day-to-day activities. Although the app still has room for improvement, the continual updates show promise.

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