Dropbox

Dropbox is one of my favorite finds since starting this endeavor. Dropbox allows you to sync multiple computers (including phones, both iPhone and Android), share and store files. To use on your computer, simply sign up for Dropbox and download the application to your computer. When you are finished, you should see an additional icon near your Bluetooth, AirPort and battery life meter (if you are on a Mac). It will also add an icon to your folders. So, now when you are in a folder on your Desktop, you can choose to share/store/sync the file with Dropbox.

The next step is installing the application on your phone. For the iPhone, Dropbox is great for sharing/storing/syncing photos. You can create a folder by pushing the plus sign in the lower left corner. To add a photo, click the camera on the bottom row. The application comes with an iPhone intro and a Getting Started guide. It really couldn't be any easier.

If you want to share files, go to their website and click on the Sharing tab of your account. It will ask you to pick a folder to share with others. When a file is shared, it will sync automatically to their computer.

The only thing I should note about this application is the amount of free space you get. With a free account, you get 2GB of free space, which is not a lot if you plan on storing a lot of photo files. 2GB is pretty standard for online file sharing, and can be found on other sites such as Mozy. You can upgrade the 50 GB for $99/year or 100GB for $199/year. For Mozy, it is unlimited storage for around $55 dollars a year, but Mozy doesn't have a mobile application as far as I know.

I really like this application and I would highly recommend it for all newsrooms. The application is free and you get 2 GB free. You can use it to get information to your editors quickly as long as you just keep a few things on it, you can use these features for free!

PicPosterous

Posterous is a place to share, well, anything that you think is fit to share. You can upload photos, videos or files or anything that you see fit to share. There are many ways to upload to Posterous - through a mobile device, email or directly from the web. It is really easy and a really good way to create a low-maintenance photo blog of sorts. It is so accessible. That is the great thing about this application - whether you are on your mobile device, on a friend's computer or your own - you can update your Posterous account. Another cool feature is that you get to choose whatever name you want for your account. For instance, mine is jenniferelston.posterous.com, but if you have a developing business or another blog and want another outlet to share with your friends and fans, this is perfect. One successful example is imjustcreative.posterous.com/ for a logo/design blogger. Graham puts most everything that he would put on his website and tumblr account, but more importantly, everything else that wouldn't quite fit in.

The iPhone application is specifically designed to be a photo-sharing app. When you open the application, you are given the choice of taking a photo or video, or adding an existing one from your Library. You can create different albums on your phone of different people, groups or whatever you feel inclined to make. If you want to share the fun in different ways, you can change the settings so that PicPosterous automatically posts to twitter, Facebook or your existing blogs by visiting http://posterous.com/autopost.

I would recommend this application for anyone who loves to share every aspect of their lives. It is one step above TwitPic and Plixi because you get your own professional-looking website that features all of your favorite pictures/videos.

Halloween Follow Up

Photo by Don Shrubshell, staff photographer

Due to scheduling conflicts, we decided against going to the superhero event for Columbia Public Schools, and it is a shame. It looked like a blast. Click to check out the story by the Columbia Daily Tribune or to see their slideshow of pictures from the event. There weren't enough people to break the world record (only 762 people showed and they needed 1,580 to break the record), the event did raise $3000 for Columbia Public Schools.

We did, however, go to the corn maze to test lights and lens. It was not as easy as I expected. One of the lights (read flash) was improperly soldered and wouldn't turn on. The other two worked quite well, but as fall as photography is concerned, they didn't lend themselves to great pictures. Here are two sets of pictures - each has one without a flash and one with. You can determine the quality for yourself.

The lenses were a different story all together. Neither the sticky gel lens would stay on, nor the magnetic ring ones. They also cut off the corners of your photo in a weird way. I have no idea why you would need most of the lenses that we tested.

Fisheye effects are not very journalistic, and if you wanted to create some of the effects such as sepia, etc... you can do so on one of any photo editing application such as Photogene. The biggest thing to note about the lenses is that you cannot use flash with them, especially on an iPhone 4. The lens will cover the flash and will create a photo of the inside of the lens. See example below.

I wouldn't recommend using a lens on an iPhone unless maybe it is an Owle Bubo or something more sturdy, durable and a higher quality.

Apple Wireless Keyboard

The Apple Wireless Keyboard is my favorite of our two Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard. It doesn't fold like the Freedom Pro, but the Apple keyboard is only $69.00 compared to, $142.94 for the Freedom Pro.

Even though it doesn't fold, it is a lot more durable. The keyboard is fully functional and the keys are normally spaced.

It is very simple to set this keyboard up. Simply put two double-A batteries in one side and turn on the keyboard on the other side. Then, if you are using it on your phone, go to Settings > General > Bluetooth. Turn it on and it picks the keyboard up very quickly. You can use this keyboard from a long distance (although I don't know why you would want to). If you are using the keyboard on your computer, click on the Bluetooth icon on your computer and click Browse Device.

5-0 Radio

5-0 Radio is a great idea for anyone covering a crime/police beat or for any newsroom who wants to be first on breaking news. There are paid applications that do the same thing, but the 5-0 Radio application does the same thing, for free!

It turns your phone into a police scanner, and depending on your region you can tune in to several different scanners in your region.

When you open the application, you can choose your country and your state. Then, pick your county. Depending on where you live, you may have a few options to a whole list of choices. For Columbia, Missouri, I chose Boone County and I have two options - Boone County Fire and EMS and Boone County Sheriff and Columbia Police. (If you choose Los Angeles County in California, you are given over 20 options).

When you select a scanner to listen to, it tells you the KB per second (KBPS) and how many other listeners there are. There are several tabs that provide a lot of information. The first is time, Faves, Chat, Map and More. Under chat, you can sign in with your twitter account and communicate with other listeners. There is also a list of police codes with their definitions, in case you are not an expert on their lingo. The map tab simply geo-locates the scanner and under more there are more explanations for codes. If you buy the paid version of this app (the full version), you can set an alarm, sleep timer, record and playback the feed. The arrow in the top-right corner allows you to add the section to your favorites, share the feed by email, pick a new skin for your phone scanner and instructions in case you need more information.

This application actually turns your phone into a police/rescue/EMS scanner. As you can see, this application could be wildly successful for any newsroom or freelance journalist.

XLR Mic Adapter & KV Connection Cable

The VeriCorder XLR adapter cable is my favorite microphone adapter. The iPhone sound quality alone is not good enough to run on the radio, or, in my opinion, even for professional-sounding web videos. The iPhone microphone isn't focused and picks up everything in an approximately 10 foot radius.

The XLR adapter allows you to direct and choose which sound you want to capture. To use, you simply attach an XLR stick mic, plug in your headphones in the other receptor and plug in the device to the headphone jack on your iPhone/iPod. This device allows for professional quality sound to be recorded on the go. It is a lot cheaper than professional quality devices, such as a Marantz. The VeriCorder adapter is $60.00, but it is a great investment for professional-sounding audio. Some of our fellow journalism students have used devices such as these and ran the finished product on our NPR affiliate.

The KV Connection cable works under the exact same principle, only this kind of adapter is for a different kind of microphone. The great thing about the KV Connection cable, besides the price ($23.50), is that the adapter fits a 1/4 microphone, but you can buy another piece, for a small price, to put inside the adapter. This makes it multi-functional, for many different microphones.

(Note: For better sound, make sure to turn your iPhone on Airplane mode).

Mobile Tripod

First of all, any tripod is leaps and bounds better than holding the phone steady. Your hands are not steady enough, no matter how calm or relaxed your muscles are. If you are using the mobile phone to live stream an event, you absolutely need a tripod so the characters (and not the background) are the only things that need to be refreshed. Clarity is much better and your audience doesn't feel seasick.

Brando's Mobile Tripod is a fairly good mobile tripod. You can separate the legs as you like and you can adjust the pivoting head, but it is pretty limited compared to the Gorilla Pod (which can be wrapped around fences, limbs, etc...). The portion that holds the phone has foam and adjusts to many different phones, which is very good - not everyone has an iPhone. I would recommend this device if you are looking for a small, cheap tripod (it is only $10.00, compared to $29.95 for the Gorrilapod). If only the legs were longer or moldable, because the price sure is right.

OtterBox

I have tried many different cases for iPod and iPhone, but the iPhone 4 Defender Series OtterBox is my favorite. It is a little pricey ($49.95) compared to some cases, but in my opinion it is worth it! There are sleeker sleeves and fabric cases if you are looking to be stylish, but if you are looking for protection, OtterBox is the best bet. Reviews say that the Defender Series can supposedly be dropped into a puddle and still protect your device, but the company's website says the case is not waterproof.

If you are looking to be stylish, this case comes in several different colors (blue, red, black, black/white and black/pink). It has a nice felt lining inside of the case, which just seems to cushion the back. My favorite part of the case is the front membrane. It helps to keep your screen clean and it is very receptive. This membrane is made in a way that it doesn't cut down on sensitivity and it doesn't get 'bubbles' under it like a lot of other cases do. The case also comes with a holster to clip on to your pocket (right) or you can use the holster for hands-free viewing.

The OtterBox makes the iPhone a little bulkier, so if you are looking for a sleek case, this isn't your best bet. OtterBox makes other cases such as the Commuter Series, for three levels of protection ($34.95), and the Impact series, for a slimmer protection ($19.95).

I think having a case like the OtterBox is very necessary. If you are willing to spend hundreds on a phone and data plan, then you should be willing to protect it. It is a small price to pay for the confidence in knowing that you phone is protected.

Photo Application Week!

With Halloween quickly approaching, we decided to make this photo app review week! Stay tuned for reviews on Adobe Photoshop Express, CameraBag, Pano, PhotoGene, Camera+ and Hipstamatic.