Earlier this week, I wrote a blog post on ProgrammableWeb.com about the Y2K-bug-like "Twitpocalypse." This programming issue basically concerns the maximum amount of numbers the default MySQL integer field type can hold. This limit is 2,147,483,648 - and the idea is, if the maximum amount of tweets in the Twitter system exceeds this value, Twitter chaos would ensue. Well, honestly, I thought that the Twitpocalypse was all hype, because I couldn't believe that many programmers would make the mistake of using the default integer type to store tweet id values. Well guess what? The iPhone twitter client I use, Twitterific, has been bombing all weekend. Why? It has succumbed to the Twitpocalypse!

In gearing up to start producing e.nTangled.net Podcasts, I have been in the market for a Zoom H4. They are available at some local music stores, as well as Best Buy, but the best prices are online, and if I wait for delivery, I might not have the gizmo in time for some upcoming interview opportunities.

With the current recording equipment I own, I have two options - either lug my desktop Behringer USB mixing board, laptop and external mic around, or use my aging Olympus digital audio recorder (which records clips in some strange, non-standard audio format). Then it dawned on me - I already have a portable device that can record audio - my iPhone.

I want a recorder app that can record to a decent file quality for voice, and that is stable enough to not crash during an extended interview. Sounds simple, right? Like all iPhone utility apps, there are many many choices in the App store, and it is not immediately obvious which one suits my needs. One of the biggest problems for the consumer is that, on the mobile app store, iPhone apps are not well organized. A user who queries for "recorder" is rewarded with an unsortable parade of candidate apps - differentiated by nothing other than price, and the number of reviews.

There are many sites that specialize in reviewing iPhone apps. I compared apps on available features and price. I settled on - guess what? "Recorder," the audio capture app which appears to have the most reviews. It wins on price as well, only $0.99. I'll post a few audio clips created by this device soon!