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Record video in an instant with Capture app

Best...app...ever! No more endless waits for the Camera app to load up. Just tap the Capture icon and presto, video recording starts immediately.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
The first time you run Capture, you see this message. After that, it's one-tap video recording all the way.
The first time you run Capture, you see this message. After that, it's one-tap video recording all the way. Sky Balloon

Ever notice how the iPhone's Camera app can take forever to load? And if you switch to movie mode, that can tack on several more seconds--not ideal when you're trying to capture a moment.

Just yesterday, for example, my son broke into a crazy and hilarious dance in front of the TV. I wanted to grab some video, but by the time my iPhone was ready to record, the dance was over. And it wasn't like I could ask him to do it again, because it was one of those totally spontaneous things--now lost forever.

That's why Sky Balloon's 99-cent Capture app has earned a permanent home on my Home screen. One tap and it starts recording video almost instantly.

When you're done, you press the Home button to end the recording (and exit the app, natch). It's that simple. Recorded videos land in your Camera Roll, just like with the Camera app.

Also like that app, Capture lets you tap the screen to focus on a particular area, and there's a toggle button for the rear LED. Other than that, Capture has no interface to speak of.

In fact, the only settings--orientation lock and record-on-launch enable/disable--must be accessed through the iOS Settings app. That's a minor inconvenience, but necessary given the nature of the program.

Capture is downright ingenious, and absolutely essential for anyone who's bemoaned the loss of a special moment because the Camera app took too long to load. Never again.

While we're on the subject, be sure to check out CollabraCam for iPhone and QuickShot with Dropbox, two other great camera-related apps.