iPhone users: can I use it for professional voice recording...?

[VulpusinaWilfsuit]

I don't mean as in radio quality. But I do mean as in for podcasts, for (human) transcription (ie research interviews, which do have to be verbatim) and for using my own recordings in Dragon NS voice recognition software?

So. It would need to have the right app (Griffin's iTalk? in-built voice memo app?) and the right microphone (advice on this please? quality will need to be as good as it can be) and the right file format perhaps?

Any advice and particularly your own experiences of using this way if possible... Before I make a VERY expensive mistake

There is no-one in the world who does this, is there?

I'll get my coat...

I just had a play with the iPhone & recorded myself speaking - it records as an m4a file.
I can email it to you if you want to hear the quality (you can email voice memos direct from the iPhone.) I do sound awful on recordings though & it has a football match in the background, but if you think it's worth pursuing I can do another under better conditions. I don't know about a microphone though, I've never heard of one for the iPhone, other than its inbuilt one

Personally I wouldn't have thought the quality was good enough to justify buying an iPhone if this is the only reason you need it.
(Of course, my reasons for 'needing' an iPhone weren't that convincing either, but I still got it

Off to bed now, but if you want to hear it, email me (rustybear42 at hotmail dot co dot uk)

Rusty! Thank you. Thought I was a lone voice in the wilderness. Might well email you (same footie match on here )

I think Griffin and Belkin sell various mic adapters...

And god no, not the ONLY reason I need one . I must, obv, have a spirit level, compass and pendulum app to use daily...

But I do really want only one gadget: phone, diary, camera, music (and hopefully voice recording) so the iphone is looking like the best solution...