VoxTrack Personal

Here’s another Essential App Series but this one is focusing on the Symbian s60 platform, namely the 3rd edition since I own a Nokia E71. You can also check out the Essential Apps Series for Palm OS, and the Essential Treo Apps Series as well.

Unfortunately, the program I’m reviewing today, Xelnex Lite has been replaced by a newer version and with a new name, VoxTrack Personal. However, I will still provide a review of both the older version Xelnex Lite program and the newer VoxTrack Personal program and give you an idea of what has changed between the older and newer program.

You may wish to jump to either sections where I discuss Xelnex Lite or to the section where I discuss VoxTrack Personal since they are practically the same program.

Those of us with the Symbian s60 platform smartphones who wish to have a phone call recording application have long complained about the annoying “beep” that comes with most call recording programs. Privacy laws aside, thankfully, Psiloc has provided us with a phone call recording program that will allow us to disable the “beep”. I personally love having a phone call recording program because a lot of times, I won’t need to force myself to either fumble around with the smartphone to jot down notes or anything. This allows me to concentrate on the conversion knowing that it has been recorded and I can easily go back and re-play it for reference later. It’s an important feature and program that I feel every smartphone user should have; the ability to record your phone calls so that you can easily refer back to conversations and details that you may have forgotten. Yes, there are privacy concerns with this obviously, but I feel that as long as I am using it for my own personal reasons and I’m not using it for unethical reason that I don’t consider it a bad thing. Let’s not get into the debate of the legalities of the issues but focus on the program itself.

Xelnex Lite

Xelnex Lite is very easy and straightforward to use and set up. Simply install it and it will automatically activate (if set) when you are receiving or placing a call. You can set the program settings to automatically start recording for a call, set the recording format of the file (WAV, AMR, MP3), set where the recording is saved (Device, Storage card). Also, you can set the program to automatically record upon pressing the * key for quick voice memos. That’s it! Told you it was simple!

If you have selected to save the recording on your memory card, they will be saved under the following location:

E:\Xelnex\Recordings\

Update Error

If you are already a paid subscriber of a license for Xelnex Lite, you can update to the newer version VoxTrack Personal without charge. Whew! However, you may encounter a slight problem when upgrading.

When you try to install the newer version VoxTrack Personal, you may encounter a “Update error” message and the installation doesn’t continue.

As indicated in the support page here, you will need to first remove or uninstall any Psiloc programs you may have on your smartphone. Then, also remove the DRM Common License as well. Read support page and follow the instructions and then you can install the newer version without any problems.

Before you remove the program, make sure you have a back up of all your voice recordings just in case. I initially didn’t do so and was shocked when the newer VoxTrack Personal didn’t load all my previous recordings. Thankfully, they weren’t deleted and I was like “whew”!

The recordings are located at:

E:\Xelnex\Recordings\

So back them up elsewhere on your storage card or on your computer before proceeding with the removal of Xelnex Lite and new install of VoxTrack Personal.

For those who want to skip over all the detailed review and just want a summary, you can jump to the review summary

Here is more information of Xelnex Lite:

Record all your Mobile Phone conversations automatically without the hassles of pressing a button, and no interfering “beep” noise.

Xelnex Lite – Mobile Voice Recording

Xelnex Lite is an application for recording all incoming and outgoing calls on your phone without the hassle of pressing a button. Nokia recording software currently has the limitation of a key that need to be pressed in order to activate the recording of the conversation, and also has a 60 second limitation on the length of the call.

Xelnex Lite allows you to automatically (or manually if you choose) record all your outgoing and incoming calls and store them as either as .AMR (Smallest), .MP3 or .WAV files on your phone for easy retrieval. You also have the option of turning off the recording “beep” sound for recording notification.

Features include:

# Switch between manual and automatic recording.
# An option of enabling a warning beep for callers to hear that the call is recorded. This however can be turned off at any time.
# Choose between .AMR, .MP3 or .WAV files as the recording file format.
# Full details of recordings can be viewed which includes; outgoing/incoming call, time and date stamp, caller/recipient’s phone number and duration of call.
# Switch between phone and memory card for file storage.
# Xelnex Lite allows you to recall discussion on your cell phone with the touch of a button.

Disable option Call Recording Beeps is not allowed on N78, N79, N96, 6210 Navigator.

Slideshow of Xelnex Lite

Video Review

XelnexLite video review at YouTube

VoxTrack Personal

Similarly, VoxTrack Personal, which is essentially the same program as Xelnex Lite, except it is newer is just as simple to set up and use. Install and run it and that’s it. The program will then start to automatically record all calls so you won’t need to manually start it each time. Quick voice memo recordings can also be done with the pressing of the * key. There are a few extra options now available on the VoxTrack Personal program. You can now set the program to delete files after a certain period of time to help clean up and restore storage space on your device or storage card. Also, you can send individual recordings via email, bluetooth, etc which really makes it much more versatile. But, the program now no longer has the “pause” option during recording. But aside from those and a few cosmetic changes to the program, there is not much difference between the two programs.

Here are some details of the new VoxTrack Personal:

Record all your Mobile Phone conversations automatically without the interfering “beep” noise.

FORMERLY XELNEX LITE

VoxTrack Personal – Mobile Voice Recording

VoxTrack Personal is an application for recording all incoming and outgoing calls on your phone without the hassle of pressing a button. Nokia recording software currently has the limitation of a key that need to be pressed in order to activate the recording of the conversation, and also has a 60 second limitation on the length of the call.

VoxTrack Personal allows you to automatically (or manually if you choose) record all your outgoing and incoming calls and store them as either as .AMR (Smallest), .MP3 or .WAV files on your phone for easy retrieval. You also have the option of turning off the recording “beep” sound for recording notification.

Features include:

* Switch between manual and automatic recording.
* An option of enabling a warning beep for callers to hear that the call is recorded. This however can be turned off at any time.
* Choose between .AMR, .MP3 or .WAV files as the recording file format.
* Full details of recordings can be viewed which includes; outgoing/incoming call, time and date stamp, caller/recipient’s phone number and duration of call.
* Switch between phone and memory card for file storage.

VoxTrack Personal allows you to recall discussion on your cell phone with the touch of a button.

Customers currently using Xelnex Lite may update their application to VoxTrack.

Disable option Call Recording Beeps is not allowed on N78, N79, N96, 6210 Navigator.

Similarly, the recordings made with VoxTrack Personal if stored on the memory card will be saved at this location:

E:\VoxTrack\Recordings\

Slideshow of VoxTrack Personal

Video Review

VoxTrack Personal video review at YouTube

Here are my observations:

Since VoxTrack Personal is essentially the newer version of XelnexLite, the likes and dislikes will be very similar. To distinguish between the likes of the newer VoxTrack Personal, I have indicated so below.

I Like

Straightforward, easy to use

The program is very easy to use. Simply install and it will work. You don’t even need to run it for it to work! I love it!

Automatically record calls (if set)

Similar to the previous mention, the program automatically records calls without any need to run it. Unlike some other programs which require it to be launched, Xelnex Lite doesn’t need to.

Voice memo recording available

Similar to other phone call recording programs, Xelnex Lite can also make recordings for voice memos or quick reminders. There is also the option to set the file as a ringtone.

Quick button voice recording possible

Xelnex can be launched by a simple press of the * button. You may need to hold down the Option and Shift button plus the * for a second or two before it works. This makes for easy and quick voice memos.

Choice of saving files on memory card or device

It’s always nice to be able to set the voice recordings to be saved on a memory card and free up RAM.

amr, mp3 and wav file supported

Depending on your preferences and need for storage space, you can choice from the three different audio formats available: amr, mp3 and wav. I tend to prefer mp3 for its decent audio quality without taking up too much storage space.

option available to disable beeps

One of the main reasons why anyone would choose Xelnex Lite or VoxTrack Personal is the option of disabling the annoying beep.

VoxTrack Personal: red REC button instead of XelnexLite symbol/icon makes for easier notice

With VoxTrack Personal, it is much easier to “notice” the red REC button instead of the previous gold Xelnex Lite symbol at the bottom of the screen when it’s recording. This ensures you are aware that a recording is in progress.

VoxTrack Personal: Can now send individual files via email, bluetooth, etc

I really like the addition of this feature. This really allows me to be able to send a specific recording via email, web, bluetooth, etc. Previously, I have to locate the file and manually copy and send it myself. Now, it’s much easier.

VoxTrack Personal: “Delete After” option can help auto delete and clean storage space

Another new feature is the option to allow the program to automatically delete files after a certain period of time, so to clean up the device or storage card to free up storage space. By default the program is set to “None” but you can choose from amongst the choices.

I Didn’t Like

No filters to set specific folders for certain calls

Since the program is set up via individual dated month folders, all recordings are sorted and saved in their respective month, by descending chronological order. Although it’s nice and neat, it can be a bit difficult to locate and search for a specific recording if you forget when it was recorded, especially if you have a lot of files and folders.

I would like to request a feature where I can set filters for calls, like filtering out incoming calls in an Incoming folder, and outgoing calls to an Outgoing folder. In addition, it would be great if I can set a filter to put calls from one specific number into a special folder and so on.

Over time, especially if you don’t manually move and archive the files, you may find that it may be somewhat difficult to locate a particular file since they’re all sorted in their monthly folders.

I would suggest there there is the capability to set filters so that I can easily filter certain calls (either by phone number or other criteria) to be in a specific folder for better call management.

No Search option

Similar to what I mentioned previously, I would also like to have a Search option available since it may be quite difficult to find certain files if you can’t remember which month or the date you made a specific recording.

Would like better integration with calendar or reminder app

Since the program offers to assign a specific audio file recording as a ringtone, I would like to enhance this further by allowing it to be set as a specific calendar entry or reminder so that I can have the program automatically play the file at a specific time. I know I can easily do it manually myself, but it would be so much nicer if the program supports such a feature.

No option to set your own file name for recordings

Although the program names the files in an easy to understand format, I’m sure a lot of people would like an option to set it differently, in a way that works better for them. How about setting the file name to include the phone number? This may also aid when searching for files as I’ve mentioned previously.

VoxTrack Personal: Removed “Pause” option during recording which some may not like

The new version has removed the “Pause” option during recording. Although it’s not a big deal for me, I think some people may dislike having this option removed, especially when a call is on hold or other reasons.

VoxTrack Personal: Time and storage left pop up in Recording Format and Recording Storage are VERY ANNOYING

Although I understand that the pop up message indicating time and storage left on the device is meant to indicate the differences between the choice of file formats and storage location, I find them very annoying! Rather than have it pop up (since I normally associate pop ups to indicate error messages or potential problems), perhaps offer an additonal option within the menu to indicate the time and storage left rather than via an annoying pop up message.

Privacy issues and concerns aside, I really like having Xelnex Lite or VoxTrack Personal because it allows me to have a “backup” or sorts that I can refer to regarding specific topics, or other items that was discussed during a phone conversation. Especially when directions, phone numbers, addresses are mentioned during a phone call, I normally hate trying to find a pen and paper to jot it down, only to find that I lost the piece of paper later. At least with it saved on the smartphone I am hopefully less likely to lose it as opposed to a note.

Review Summary

Xelnex Lite or VoxTrack Personal as it’s now called, is a very good phone call recording program for the Symbian S60 platform devices. The main feature of being able to disable the annoying beep at the beginning of the recording is a big deal for me, since many other call recording programs does not offer this feature. The program will automatically record all calls and you can also quickly start a voice recording by pressing the * button (if enabled). In the newer version, VoxTrack Personal, you can easily share a specific recording by email, bluetooth or other methods. However, I think the program can be further improved upon with a filter and search option plus the ability to set the naming convention of the file. Perhaps a later update or version can reflect these features. Regardless, in my opinion, I think it definitely deserves being an Essential Symbian App. Whether you stick with the older version, Xelnex Lite or the newer VoxTrack Personal, I don’t think you can go with either.

You can purchase VoxTrack Personal from Mobile2Day, which is an affiliate of Palm/Pocket/Symbian gear or, you can still purchase a license of the older Xelnex Lite for S60 at PDATopSoft here. The program was previously discounted 30% at PDATopSoft so you may get catch it on sale sometime again in the future.

Enjoyed this review? Check out the many other Palm Discovery software reviews here. Also check out the the Essential Apps Series for Palm OS, and the Essential Treo Apps Series and the Essential Symbian App Series.

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