I4U News

Voisec Gadgets are a product of Swedish Libego AB. Contact information and distributor contacts are available on the Voisec site. Voisec's sell for about $40 in Sweden.
 

Overview
Welcome to the electronic (and replacement for) Post-It note of the 21^st Century! You like to talk; I like to have something to say as well.  Yet, often times, no one is listening or has time to do so.  Imagine that.  In addition, we love to write things down, leave short scribbles on paper (if you or anyone else can read it), “slap” post-it notes all over our office and homes along with a gooey mess as a result.  Clutter ensues, papers become a menagerie resembling a disheveled heap and, soon, we can’t remember or locate things we thought of or wrote down only minutes ago.  What to do, what to do?

Well, you could make notes on your computer except you wouldn’t be able to access it if it “crashes” or is slow in booting up.  Aha (no not the old European pop singing group), use that trusty little voice recorder you bought several years ago with seven to eight hours record time.  Did you write a note, though, to bring it with you or is it lost among the other gadgets you have in your “tech bag”? Well, then, certainly your cell phone has voice recording features aboard, but what if the note you created is needed to be shared with others for that all important business meeting or to remind your kids to bring their lunch? I don’t think you will be passing your precious cell phone around for that purpose will you? Oh, remember, we can always paste a post-it note on the door, refrigerator or other areas only to have it fall off because the adhesive used is not strong enough.  Goodbye information! And, of course, it is at this point your boss calls you about that all-important piece of the project you were responsible for and, voila! You lost the note to remind you, didn’t remember your voice recorder, were going to put it on your cell phone, but didn’t want to spend five minutes searching through of all the menu buttons to do so.  What do you do? I do have a solution for you and what a wonderful, simple, inexpensive, fast, fun, practical idea it is.  And, guess what? It’s also, somewhat, eco-friendly, since it reduces the paper we consume to write those “old” notes. 

Say hello to the Voisec Talking Notes.  This little device will change the way you communicate with everyone around you.  As you can see by the picture (the model actually loves it too), it is small; to be precise, 42mm (1.65”) in diameter and only 18mm (.07”) in height.  Now for the details of this communication wonder:

• Maximum of 70 seconds of digital speech (reproduces sounds crystal clear)

• Over 800 one minute recordings operating on two 1.5volt SR44 lithium batteries

• Solid design and recyclable plastic

• Delivered with one attachment tray (housing for Talking Note device), included batteries, five small double-sided adhesive “dot” patches (for easy placement on any surface) and one large adhesive magnet (for attachment on metallic objects)

• Many accessories you can order including Velcro patches, neck loop with silicon holder, Velcro wrist band, adhesive backed pin badge and additional batteries

 The included directions are clear and in English (thank you Voisec) with illustrations.  Now, I tried to think of and test all of the various environments it could be utilized in and there are many.  Let’s list some of them:

• Visually impaired assistance by providing voice guidance

• Language barriers

• Dementia, aphasia, early signs of Alzheimer’s (reminders and vocal cues)

• Clearly identifying medical information and prescription information to difficult to read or comprehend

• Emotive or soothing comfort for children, relatives, friends to hear calming, familiar voices while in the hospital

• Conversational “key points” or important meeting notes

• Acts as a “sign” for visually impaired or language barriers (simply press the button

• No writing required for those with arthritic conditions, carpal tunnel syndrome or inability to write

• Family usage for important reminders (use one for each member to allow cross-communicative sharing)

• Use them at the office to post on co-worker’s doors as reminders, provide short instructions or introduce them for their families and friends

• Kids love them at school (instead of passing notes in class, they can just pass these)

• Send them as gifts to others with personalized messages included

• Lastly, use them for entertainment and fun for the whole family, and let your imagination (legally, of course) run wild with endless uses for this innovative communication device.  You can always practice listening to yourself to improve your linguistic capabilities and vocabulary too (ok, so that may be pushing it!)

There are basically two steps to use this product.  Push the device (button) itself to hear the recording.  Second, to record, remove the Talking Note “tray”, flip it over to expose the barely visible microphone and push front and back of device together.  You’ll hear two “beeps” signaling you to begin recording.  When completed, you will hear the digital recording playback in a very clear and loud manner.  Place the device back into its “tray” and it is ready for anyone to play it back at any time or begin a new recording.

This inexpensive, unique recording/playback device, as you can see above, has so many positive, truly useful benefits.  However, as with any technology or product, improvements and additions can be made.  Here are some of my recommendations:

• Increase length of recording time or allow for multiple “splitting” of recordings on one Talking Notes “pod” (gee, I wonder, can we use the word “pod” any longer without infringement issues?)

• Provide variety of colors, designs or “skins” to allow people to enjoy their individual tastes in products

• Oscillating or “rocker” switch to allow for simpler recording and playback.  This would eliminate removing the “tray” to record

Conclusion
That’s it! This is an outstanding yet simple invention (much like Post-it notes) to be used by everyone and anywhere.  Congratulations, Voisec, on becoming the 21^st century digital note replacement to Post-it.  For all of you prospective inventors, use this as inspiration!

 
How to Buy
Voisec Gadgets are a product of Swedish Libego AB. Contact information and distributor contacts are available on the Voisec site.
Voisec's sell for about $40 in Sweden.

Specification of Voisec
Diameter: 42 mm or 1.65 inches.
Height when mounted in the holder: 18 mm or .71 inches
70 second recording with very good sound quality.
Speech-level sound at an arm’s length.
Typically 400 play-outs of a 30 second message per set of batteries (volume dependant).
Powered by two 1.5V replaceable button cell batteries.