Download Squad review: Recording Skype calls with CallBurner

Riding high on the success of Skylook, a Microsoft Outlook extension for Skype, the development team has created Callburner, the newest application for your Skype toolbox. CallBurner makes recording calls an absolute snap and while other apps on the market perform similar functions, this one stands out for its high-quality recording capabilities and intuitive user interface.

We put CallBurner through its paces recently, and then caught up with company CEO Jeremy Hague to see what's on the horizon for this neat Skype tool. Here's what we learned:

UPDATE: Enter the contest for a free CallBurner license, Matey!

CallBurner's system requirements are pretty basic: Skype 1.3 - 3.2 or later and Windows XP, Vista, or 2000. Installation was a breeze and took virtually no time at all, unless you count the number of times we had to choose "cancel or allow" while installing it on Vista (Confidential to Microsoft: haven't you gotten the hint yet?).

Once we fired it up, CallBurner integrated itself with Skype and was ready for use right away. The user interface is very well designed and we were able to figure out how to record our first call in just a couple of minutes. Simply begin your call using the Skype dialpad or contact book, click "record" and you're on your way. You can pause and stop recording during a call and when you're ready to resume, a dialog box will ask if you want to continue recording from where you left off or begin fresh. When the call is over, click "hang up" and you're done.

Calls are automatically saved as MP3s by default and, once you disconnect your Skype call, you have the option to hear a playback of your recording immediately. We were particularly impressed with the way CallBurner handles call logs. It keeps a history of all the calls you've made, including information on length, date and time, duration, and contact number. You can also add notes and a subject tag to each call to make sorting even easier.

CallBurner can be configured to automatically record each Skype call when it begins, or only when you run the app. Since phone recording laws vary from state to state and country to country, users can activate a feature that automatically emits a periodic tone to let the other party know they're being recorded.

The sound quality was really terrific on all of our test calls, particularly on our end or when we called other Skype users. CallBurner tends to pick up ambient background noise when calling a cell phone, which isn't a big deal for casual users. If you really need to filter out background noise, there are tools that can help you do so.

CallBurner is a great tool that has a lot of practical applications from podcasting to recording calls that you may want to reference at a later date. The application is free to download and recording Skype-to-Skype calls is completely free as well. A CallBurner license is available for $49.95 that lets you record all Skype calls, including SkypeIn and SkypeOut.

A few words with Jeremy Hague

It would be easy to overlook CallBurner in favor of similar services but this application is so feature rich that it's definitely worth a look. Hague notes there are several things that set it apart from its completely free counterparts, including: direct-to-MP3 recording with no additional software installation, option to record to .wav, anti-drift technology to keep both sides of the call in sync, and an option to record each side of the call into separate files.

Since CallBurner is still relatively new, it isn't Sykpe certified yet but Hague expects to receive the company's blessing soon. "We are in the process of getting CallBurner Skype Certified at present," he says. "We think Skype Certification is a good thing and our other product for Skype, Skylook is [already] Skype Certified."

Hague says that future plans for CallBurner include adding additional language support and continuing to fine-tune the quality of recorded calls. What about support for other operating systems? "At this stage, we don't have any plans to support Mac & Linux. This could change in the future depending on demand."