Recording phone calls on your iPhone isn’t as easy as it should be. While there a few app-based options, many of them require extra awkward steps or force you to pay a by-the-minute rate for the privilege. The “Just in Case,” a hybrid iPhone case and audio recorder that’s currently raising money on Indiegogo, claims to eliminate both of the obstacles and give users a one-button solution for recording phone calls.
“With app or conference call solutions, users have to connect to an external server prior to recording,” Just in Case CEO Oshri Farhat said in a prepared statement. “In fact, most times you want to record, you don’t realize this in advance. With Just in Case, users can instantly record 100’s of hours of conversations whenever they want.”
Compatible with iPhone 5 or later, the Just in Case looks like your standard bulky smartphone case, except for two extra buttons: one to start and end recordings and a second to play them back. Rather than relying on an app that cuts into the call, the case opts for a comparatively low-tech solution: a small microphone placed in just the right spot to record both your voice and the sound coming out of the receiver. The microphone can also be used as a stand-alone audio recorder for in-person conversations.
If it looks a bit bulky, it’s because the recorder is powered by a self-contained battery and supports MicroSD card storage. The recorder’s battery can record for up to eight hours, and lasts for as long as a year in low-power mode. The device will come with a 2GB MicroSD card, which can be swapped out. Unfortunately, since these features are meant to minimize the recorder’s strain on the phone, they cannot be used to enhance the phone’s battery and storage.
The Indiegogo campaign is seeking to raise $30,000. Early bird customers can currently pre-order the recorder-case for $30. The case will retail for $60 at launch. Just in Case expects to ship the device to backers in May, 2016, though the timeline may change if the campaign does not reach its funding goal. If you’re interested, you can grab one of the cases here.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.