Review: Soundpix

Read our review of this application that allows you to send photos from your Treo with a voice message.

Review: Soundpix

Ratings:
By: Christopher Meinck

Sharing Photos

Do you remember the first time you used SMS? How about MMS using a picture from your camera phone or Treo? There was a cool factor. A cool factor that quite honestly is part of the lifeblood of most Treo owners. Well, we at Everything Treo were looking forward to the release of Soundpix Mobile. First off, don't be confused by the name. The Soundpix Mobile software is exclusively made for the Treo 600 and as such works seamlessly within the Treo. The Soundpix software is all about expanding your communication. It can also act as a photo album and allows for easy sharing of photos online.

Easy To Use...(and fun)

Launch the Soundpix software and you are taken to a screen that looks like a photo album. Using the 4-way dial, you can scroll up and down through your photos. The interface is simple and uncluttered. Click on the Camera icon and you are in capture mode. Snap your shot and click Record to record a voice message. You can replay your message or press Save to enter it in your album. Click Email and Soundpix will automatically launch you're preferred email client to send your JPEG w/ sound. Soundpix has a default that allows you to include a snippet of text for information on how to listen to the recording.

Voice Message Delivered With Photo

When I tested this, the file size was a very acceptable 133k. It took about 15 seconds using the Cingular network. Recipients can view the picture without any special software. To hear the message along with the picture, they must first download a plug-in. Soundpix supports both Mac and PC. The Mac plug-in was roughly 292k compressed. Installing the plug-in tookd seconds and didn't require a restart. The snippet that directs a user to download the plug-in takes them to the Soundpix homepage. I would have preferred a direct link to the plug-ins page. Clicking on the image within Mail opened up Preview. I simply saved the image and opened it by firing up my browser and selecting Open File > mypicture.jpg. With ease, I was viewing a photo and listening to the voice recording.

Share Photos Online with dotPhoto

An interesting feature of Soundpix is the ability to create a photo album online. They have partnered with dotPhoto.com. I signed up for a free account and actually got a $5 credit for doing so. Sign up took seconds. I used the email that I send photos from my Treo. When using Soundpix, I email my photo to soundpix at dotphoto.com. Whatever I decide to type in the Subject line becomes the title of my album. In minutes, I received an email from dotPhoto confirming my album submission.

Overall

Take a picture, record audio with the Treo 600 microphone and send via your favorite email application, share photos online using dotPhoto and more. Soundpix is the latest in applications that further the "coolfactor" of the Treo 600. An enjoyable product that furthers your communication capabilities.

Soundpix is available as a free trail and retails for $23.95.