talkingDigital

Online journalism is less about getting the complete story and more about getting the developing story quickly and efficiently. Accurate facts matter as much as ever and there is no better way to document the facts accurately than reporting in real time.

Here’s a list of great gadgets that can take field reporting to the next level. With these tools, anyone can be an on-the-scene reporter.

SMARTPHONE

photo credit: ilamont.com

Whether it’s an iPhone, Android, Blackberry or WebOS device, smartphones allow you to report via Twitter, add to a blog, text contacts, shoot photos and video and even record interviews. Many of these devices also support GPS and live streaming capability (see Qik.com).

Smartphones are also an excellent source for news monitoring as well. The ability to watch Twitter and RSS feeds as well as search Google News and other sources allows you to check on what details have already been reported.

Before buying a smartphone, do your homework. There is not only a big difference between individual phones, but plan prices also can vary hundreds of dollars over the term of the contract. You will want a plan with unlimited data, unlimited text and picture mail. The phone itself should at least have a 3MP camera, GPS, a nice browser, QWERTY keyboard and support 3G (also called EVDO). Software is also available for many phones allowing the phone to be used as modem for a laptop. This is usually not approved by the service provider and may incur unexpected expenses if the provider finds out.

NETBOOK
photo credit: nDevilTV

Netbooks are small laptops designed especially for portable online work. Although some may cost in excess of $500, most run in the $300 price range. Some netbooks even offer solid state drives which have no moving parts. SSD equipped drives generally have lower storage capacity but better durability.

Before purchasing a netbook, it is important to realize that these devices are not designed to run World of Warcraft or even to heavy image editing. Netbooks are best for jobs that can be done online such as Google Docs, email, Pandora, general web surfing and online video.

The more you learn to use cloud applications, the happier you will be with your netbook.

photo credit: nDevilTV

3G HOTSPOT OR MODEM

If you roam a lot and do most of your work outside of your house, you may want to ditch your wired broadband access (cable or DSL) and subscribe to a wireless service from a cell service provider (Sprint, AT&T, Verizon)

3G service is slower than cable, but faster than all but the most expensive DSL service.

Devices such as the MiFi 2200 allow you to connect multiple devices to the 3G network at any given time. The best part of 3G service is the portability. Essentially, you can get fast Internet access from anywhere that offers cell service. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but those exceptions are rare.

POCKET CAMCORDER

photo credit: ilamont.com

Pocket camcorders are extremely simple camcorders that are designed to shoot video quickly and easily. Typically these cameras can be turned on and begin recording within a couple seconds. Most do not offer optical zoom lenses.

Don’t expect to do anything fancy with these cameras. They are intended to get the shot and have it ready for editing very quickly. Most videos shot with a pocket camcorder are less than a minute. Think of them as Polaroid (instant cameras) for video.

Most pocket camcorders have built-in USB adapters so that you can easily transfer your video to any computer to load it to YouTube or other online source. I use the Kodak Zi8 because it shoots 1080p video and allows for the use of an external mic.

PORTABLE USB MICROPHONE
photo credit: thms.nl

Although podcasting isn’t as popular as it once was, it is still a very powerful medium for the citizen journalist and commentator.

Many podcasters build elaborate recording studios with multiple microphones, mixing boards and effects generators, but the equipment does not the podcast make. Many podcasters will tell you that the ability to create good podcast quickly is more important than the overall quality of the podcast.

Podcast listeners are very forgiving as most are listening for the information rather than a HiFi experience. Creating a nice sounding podcast can be very easy an inexpensive with the proper microphone. Many companies such as Blue Microphone, Samson and MXL are producing some very professional USB microphones. Expect a review at talkingDigital.org soon on the new Blue Microphone Yeti, it is an excellent USB microphone with a variety of recording options for almost any situation.

If you are an iPhone or iPod Touch user, you may want to take a look at the new Blue Microphone Mikey – a very cool little microphone that plugs directly into your device and over rides the internal microphone.

PORTABLE AUDIO RECORDER

There are probably dozens of portable audio recorders on the market, but certain devices are made for higher end audio recording. One of the more popular devices is the Tascam DR-07. The Tascam is designed for a single user but there are some devices such as the Zoom H-4N with inputs for additional mics and other input devices and instruments.

Ya. We know, the photo used here is not of the actual iPad ( photo credit: nDevilTV).

Apple has described the iPad as the most innovative piece of technology they have ever produced. This may be true if you take it apart and look at the pieces, but the end result is a device that is actually strong in it’s non-innovative approach.

Perhaps, it would have been nice to see a larger screen, a slide-out keyboard, a digital camera/video, true GPS, full OS X, an OLED or color eInk screen, and innovative features that have never been seen before. However, a few years from now we may look back and realize that it may be the iPad’s similarity to the iPhone and iPod Touch that make it a success for Apple.

The iPad is actually an answer to complaints from iPhone and iPod Touch users. The larger screen and ability to attach peripherals are the only real differences between Apple’s current touch screen devices and the iPad.

But, is the screen big enough and will people use a device that is missing some of the features that make the iPhone attractive?

Where would Twitter, FourSquare, Yelp!, and mobile Google Maps be without the iPhone. Sure, there are plenty of smartphones that use these services, but would those companies have reached their current value had it not been for the iPhone. The even bigger question is would the iPhone be as popular had these services not found innovative uses for the camera, GPS and overall awareness of the iPhone?

iPad discussions on Twitter and in forums seem to be full of debates on whether the iPad is good enough to be useful to current iPhone and iPod Touch users. And then there’s the Netbook crowd. A nicely equipped netbook costs roughly $200-$300 less than the iPad.

Whether or not the iPad is a hit will depend on the actual needs of users, not the hype that Apple has put behind it. A table on Apple’s website has a price breakdown for each model.

Once cost not covered on this chart is the additional $15-$30 per month for the 3G service (only offered by AT&T). $30 per month for 3G data is a very good deal when you compare it to the cost of other networks data plans or even data plans on AT&T for other devices. If the iPad has a killer feature, this is it. On the other hand, most wireless providers offer a USB 3G wireless adapter that can be plugged into any netbook or notebook for roughly $50 per month.

The question is whether people will pay $629 (or more) plus $15-$30 per month ($180-$360) for a data service that can only be used on a single device. Compare the $629+$180 minimum for a 3G iPad which only offers 16GB of storage, no webcam, and no tactile keyboard to almost any $300 netbook with a 3G dongle or built-in 3G. The pricing is roughly the same. However, the added cost in getting a netbook plus USB 3G dongle allows you to pick your 3G service, you will likely get 160GB or more in storage, a webcam, a tactile keyboard. The USB dongle route allows you to use the 3G service on other device.

On the other hand, if you go the iPad route, you will have a cool device with a touch screen. You will also get noticed in coffee shops as you sit with your neck at a right angle pressing the keys of the onscreen keyboard as you punch out an email that say something like…

Bob,

Got your message. I will write more when I get to a real computer.

Thanks,

Bob

Sent from my iPad

To other iPad users this message will show that you cared enough to hit the function keys that allowed you to make a few punctuation marks. Of course, there is a full QWERTY keyboard available for the iPad. It is important to note that spending the extra $60 on the keyboard will bring you to within $30 of the price difference of going the netbook route. If you choose the 64GB version and unlimited data, then you surpassed the cost of a netbook a long time ago.

If anything, Apple has open the doors for a real non-Windows competitor to step in and steal the market share from anyone who is not a brand loyalist (fanboi).

The instant on, 3G and touch screen are nice features that make the iPad unique. That helps competitors who want to go to the cost and expense define what their competing product needs. We hope it means an Android-based tablet with a real keyboard and OLED or color eInk display. Throw in a webcam, real GPS and the 3G service of the customer’s choosing and you have a device that could win big among people who consider features over brand. Apple has opened the gates on the $500+ price point for a small screen. This allows competitors to come in and offer better equipped devices for a lower cost.

The big question will be whether OS X is enough to draw enough buyers over competing products. The operating system is the only feature that competitors cannot duplicate. If Windows were the only option, the iPad would be a solid winner. Linux, Android, Chrome and even WebOS are always lingering out there for customers and manufacturers who are willing to break with Apple and Windows and try something different.

It’s an exciting time to be a geek.

photo credit: [BarZaN] Qtr [Boston]

We are attending our seventh CES and our coverage will begin in less than 12 hours as we get on the road. Watch us on Twitter for live updates. We will also be posting photos to our Flickr account and posting updates here on talkingDigital.

Attending CES as press is quite fun. We enjoy the press parties, the free food, using the press room and the backroom demonstrations of future products.

If there is anything we don’t like about attending CES as press, it is the overwhelming barrage of email press releases.

The typical press release starts out thusly… “Another CES is upon is. We know your time is valuable, but we wanted to give you a special invitation to visit us at…”

Another favorite line is… “Our company is announcing an exciting new line of products that promise to change the way people (insert verb).

None of these press releases does much at all to attract our attention. I do read them, but I don’t care to follow up. If anything, these press releases are primarily tools for building brand recognition at the show.

Here are a few tips for creating a solid press release for CES and other big shows where schedules are limited.

Attach a picture – Sure it was proper etiquette five years ago to include a link rather than an attachment, but those days are gone. Virus writers have discovered far more effective methods of sending viruses and everyone who deserves to hear your message has broadband Internet. As long as the attachment is small (under 1MB) there is no real reason not to include a picture of the product.

Link to the product web page – Don’t just include a link to your company website, make sure there is a link to the exact product you are pitching.

Invite bloggers to cut and paste – Many bloggers are not trained in professional journalists. However, most of them have heard terms like fair use, plagiarism, and copyright and they fear falling on the wrong side of the law. If you invite bloggers to copy and past a well written article in the style of a third party blog post,  you may be more successful in getting the information picked up. If writers know that they have permission to use a well written article verbatim, lazy bloggers will likely do so.

Post video – Include a link to a video on YouTube of your product in action – if applicable. Make sure to use YouTube, not an obscure video service that may require a plug-in or long load times.

Keep it short, very short – If you make a compelling case to visit the website, we don’t need all of the product info in the press release. Pitch the product, get us interested, then close it up with contact information.

Press releases can be very effective, but only if they get the press interested in the product being pitched. If the press release is 800 characters with four hyperlinks and no pictures, there is a good chance it will never be read unless it says “Apple Announces New Tablet Device” in the subject line (don’t do that unless it’s true though).