Everyone has a life story to tell—especially aging parents, grandparents or other relatives and friends you're fond of—and a new app lets you capture, preserve and enjoy these tales to ensure they're archived forever.
Simply called Record Their Stories, this $0.99-cent download for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch offers a simple way to record and edit stories or conversations.
This could be especially handy for iPad owners as the tablet doesn't include built-in software to record audio from the microphone.
While recording, you can call up more than 100 suggested questions—ranging from when and where you were born, earliest memory and questions about school to friends, neighbourhoods, first job, dates, marriage and children. Some might not be relevant ("What did you do in the war?), but these are simply recommended questions to start with. You can also write your own questions for future interviews, plus the app also has a Top 10 list of tips to conducting a good interview.
When you're done recording, you can edit the audio (trim, add, delete) and then share it through iTunes when your iPad is connected to your PC or Mac via a USB cable. This app doesn't let you email recorded audio clips. The interview can be as long as you like (providing you have enough capacity left on your device), plus the captured interview can be listened to on most smartphones, tablets, computers or MP3 players.
If you like, you can also upload your interview to be professionally edited and sent back to you; this optional service starts at $160 for two audio CDs (up to 30 minutes in length), labeling and a gift box.
It would be great if Record Their Stories would add a video recording and editing option in a future update—ideal for the iPad 2 and new iPad's front-and rear-facing cameras—but even as it stands now it's a great tool to immortalizing loved ones.
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