By VANESSA LANGDON
Staff Writer
With one particular new mobile app the possibility for technology to be beneficial to students is now taking on a new meaning. With the Outlines Outloud app students can get their notes onto mobile devices and listen to the information to study. This essentially allows the student to jam out to history notes the same way they would “Wrecking Ball” and “What Does the Fox Say” (minus the spontaneous 5 second dance parties).
The app, while seemingly helpful and a wonderful idea, is harder to set up than would be appreciated. The app works in outline format as the name implies, however the need for the .OPML format creates a bit of a hassle. In order to use the app first a standard outline program needs to be downloaded.The parent company of Outlines Outloud does make the search for a program easier by providing the option of free software downloads for both Mac’s and PC’s. This first step of creating the outlines is generally the hardest, mainly because the program they provide isn’t very user friendly. Once the controls are mastered it will not seem as complicated, but it will take about an hour before your outline will resemble an outline in the most general sense.
The download process isn’t over yet; there are still a few more steps before you can finally listen to the notes for upcoming midterms. After downloading the outline software the next step is to find a service that will allow the desired files to be transferred to an iPod touch or iPhone, and this leads to Dropbox.
Ironically Dropbox is a free service that almost seems more useful than the app itself! Dropbox allows for the transfer and upload of files via the internet to a personal account. Once uploaded, those files are accessible from any computer with your accounts login information. The free account can hold up to 2 GB allowing it to act as an intangible flash drive and alleviating the constant inbox clutter of files sent to your own account. Dropbox is also extremely user friendly- it becomes a folder on your computer like any other to which files can be dragged or saved.
The process of getting the outlines themselves onto the phone is easy enough, you simply save them to Dropbox and the app will instruct you on how to connect the two. From there with just two clicks you have all the files ready to use on the app. The company claims that they have created the best text to audio program available, and that it generates a flowing speech that seems life-like. The reality however is that the speech is closer to a robot, more specifically a British robot.
The app is a nice back-up weapon to keep in mind, but it’s not free unfortunately (and the price tag is pretty hefty). Purchasing Outlines Outloud will cost you a whopping $4.99 but the price is worth it if you’re an exclusively auditory learner. Or better yet if you’re avid runner you could perhaps benefit from being able to review work while running the streets of Albany. If the idea is intriguing but the price is too steep, (or if the robotic voice might throw you off) the voice memos app is a free alternative. Voice memo comes standard with both the iPhone and iPod touch, and allows the recording of short audio files for playback. Simply create a basic outline, handwritten or typed, and read it off while recording. No robot voice, just your regular speaking voice (although keep in mind some people tend not to like the sound of their own voice). Considering Voice memo is free and offers most of the functionality of Outlines Outloud they could even be considered a rival.
The long and short of it is that the app fills a real need for college students. We tend to be inherently busy, but studying is and will always be a must. Studying via audio could be a great tool considering song lyrics stick so easily. Maybe this could make the basics of the Silurian age or all those biology facts stick in your head just the same! Good luck with impending midterms, and maybe by this time next year Outlines Outloud will be the flashcards of the digital age; synonymous with studying.
