SwitchEasy ThumbTack iPod Microphone

This cleverly designed (and disguised) mic improves recording quality in a package you can pocket.

As anyone who has ever attempted to record audio on an iPod or iPhone can tell you, the built-in mic won’t exactly produce sound quality to rival your local radio station. In fact, your final recordings will end up sounding a lot closer to something recorded on a Talkboy in 1993 than anything worthy of NPR.

SwitchEasy’s ThumbTacks are designed to solve this problem without the unwieldy bulk and weight of a professional recording setup. The aptly named aftermarket microphones have been designed to look exactly like thumbtacks – right down to scale – with gold-plated stereo plugs instead of sharp pins, and a trio of holes up top to admit sound.

Plug it in, fire up your favorite recording application, and you’re ready to capture hours of sound, minus the phone-like crackle and warped voice of the stock setup. Unlike a professional mic, it’s also small enough to drop in a pocket or backpack and forget about until you need it. (Just don’t plop it in the same desk drawer at your real thumbtacks, that might cause some confusion.) You still may not be capturing NPR-caliber interviews, but at least your spur-of-the-moment audio memos or friends’ impromptu rap performances won’t shatter the eardrums on playback.

You can currently pick up a ThumbTack in red, white or black for $13. More information can be found at SwitchEasy’s site.

SwitchEasy ThumbTack iPod Microphone