TileRec, a voice recorder, is a Kickstarter project that I supported a while ago. It arrives in April but unfortunately, I could not retrieve it until recently as it was not delivered to my home, and I am stuck at home due to Circuit Breaker, all thanks to COVID-19.
I think the name of this product comes from the fact it is a square or tile shape and rec is the short-form for record or recorder.
Just how small is this voice recorder? It is 40mm x 40mm x 5mm and weigh just 15 grams.
Check out my video review.
The TileRec has 8 GB of storage and it can record up to 145 hours of recording (according to the specs). The battery (3.7v 240mAh) can last up to 24 hours. And you need 1.5 hours (using 5v 500mAh voltage input) to fully charge it. BTW, you can charge and use it at the same time.
Basically, the main purpose of it is to record voice or sound. It has a 360 degrees recording in a 15 feet range. I tried it in a pretty quiet environment. The recording is not bad. I believe this device will be great for meetings, lectures, or discussions. The sounds are recorded in 128 Kbps in MP3 format.
Usage-wise, it is super simple to use. There is just one slider switch to turn on the device and it will start recording. Turn it off and recording stops.
It can be charged via the Micro-USB cable provided.
Don’t think that this device is fragile due to its size. The casing is made using 100% recycled aluminum. If I don’t mention to you, you might not know that this is a recording device.
Using It
The usage is very straight forward. However, you need to set it up correctly when using it for the first time. It is a very manual process. First, you will need to connect the device to the computer. It is recognized as a USB drive.
In the drive, there are many folders. You will need to access the folder “RECORD” which you will see a Set.txt file. This is an important file as you will need it to set the date and time and some parameters like the LED lighting sequences using this text file. In the text file, there are 3 lines: –
- Line 1: Date and Time
- Line 2: Voice Activation on or off
- Line 3: LED lighting condition
They are described in the manual provided. Some thing to note. In the manual, it is stated that we need to set up a text file called “time.txt”. However, in my device, a file called “Set.txt” already exists and if I create a “time.txt” file, the date/time does not change accordingly when I make a recording.
After some troubleshooting, I realized that I just need to use that “Set.txt” file. Once done, you are set to record anything you like.
I am not sure where is the microphone. As the device is very small, any rubbing on it would cause it to record down. So, if you are holding it with your fingers, do make sure that they are not creating unnecessary sound.
Summary
Overall, I love the size, the battery life, the ease of usage of the TileRec. However, I think they could change the connection to USB-C instead. At USD40, it is affordable for a decent recording device.
The sound quality is not bad (check out the YouTube video for a comparison) but do not expect super high fidelity sound. The microphone is able to pick up surrounding sounds which can be good or bad. Any slight sound will be recorded.
Hopefully, people will not make use of this device to spy on others which I think there is a possibility.
I am happy with the product as the device is doing what it is supposed to do. If you want to get it now, it is now on Indiegogo.
PS: I have put in some effort to improve on TechieLobang YouTube channel. Do subscribe to it to get more videos on gadgets and such.