Phase Two

The first phase of our project is complete and our senior project is over, but the project isn't over (as Will mentioned recently)- we aren't done experimenting with mobile tools and we love sharing what we have learned.

Now, the a new group of capstone students will be experimenting with mobile tools. Their goal is to explore further with Android applications, and hopefully tablets. Drew, Amanda and myself wanted to try out these tools, but weren't able to due to time constraints. The new group will also use these tools for reporting for the various newsrooms of Columbia - our original intention.

What is in store for us, you might ask? Drew has graduated and is interning/working at the Journalism Study Abroad office and working before he moves to New Zealand in the summer. Amanda and I will be working as consultants for the Missourian and Vox, the newspaper and magazine affiliated with Mizzou. In addition to assisting the Missourian, we will be giving a lecture for the new multimedia reporting class, J2150, on how to effectively use these tools. We are also working with Mike McKean to recommend purchasing some of this equipment for the various sequences and newsrooms for a more permanent basis.

Check back for details on our consulting experience..

Click here to download the 2010 Mobile Tools Guide (Google Doc).

Final Presentation

On Wednesday, December 8th, at 12 noon the mobile journalism team showed off our research in an hour long presentation to the students and faculty of the University of Missouri. We discussed our objectives, best practices and the research our group conducted. We also discussed our recommendations for how to best continue on our research in the capstone group that follows and how the university can best incorporate our research into some of the reporting classes next semester. On Monday we will meet with some key players at all of the newsrooms affiliated with the university and give them our recommendations and work with them on a plan for the semesters to come (including our team coming in as journalism consultants next semester!).

Our final paper is nearly completed in which we will detail our entire process and our findings. Here's an excerpt from our RJI Fellow Will Sullivan's foreword to our final paper.

"Welcome to the revolution. It will be mobilized.

The cultural shift that will take place over the next 5 years is going to rattle and recreate the media and Internet as we know it. It'll come in fits and shifts and multiple, quick iterations. It will challenge our perceptions of privacy, speed, collaboration and community.

While the rush to the future is exciting and often overwhelming, most media organizations don’t have the resources or knowledge to test all the different leading-edge mobile hardware, app software and web tools out there, so we were hoping to expedite the mobile evolution and shed some guidance and best practices on what works and what doesn’t."

We were planning on live-streaming our event on UStream, but due to technical difficulties it didn't happen. We did, however, tape the event and I will be figuring out a way to put up some clips on here.

Thank you to everyone for your support!

Testing the best practices guide on reporters

This week we visited the NBC affiliate in Columbia, Mo., KOMU, to test out our best mobile journalism practices guide. The plan was to see if MU broadcast students could return from their stories with an extra interview, photos or video collected on an iPhone 4, 3G or Droid 2. We had four students take the equipment on a test drive, each with prior knowledge of editing on a desk or laptop. We gave them a little spiel about how to use the built in camera to take videos and photos and told them basically how to use our recommended application, 1stVideo, and sent them on their way.

Granted, they had a story to gather and edit before the news aired later that evening, so we couldn't expect them to devote too much time to testing our gear. They returned with a couple photos, a short video and an edited video between three of them. Not too shabby for our first test group. Unfortunately, the edited video ended up on one of the iPhone 4s, and it has since stopped working. Apparently this happens sometimes, and AT&T can replace it, but we haven't gotten a chance to watch the video.

The reporters told us the reason they didn't play around was mostly because of their time constraints. They all said they didn't read our guide, which was apparent when one video was taken vertically. I feel like this is just a product of our generation though. No one wants to read guides, we'd rather just figure it out. They all said the process was time consuming, but that if they knew more about the technology it wouldn't have been difficult to get extras to at least put on the website.

We don't pretend to think mobile tools should be used if a more professional camera and editing programs are available. Breaking news and small addons to stories are your best bets, but if nothing else is available mobile devices are a good option. Print reporters could add more multimedia elements without dragging around heavy equipment most wouldn't know how to use anyway. Teaching a reporter mobile devices isn't difficult, the few we taught seemed to understand the concept and the one that edited said it was easy enough. Our general guidelines gaurd against common mistakes and give helpful tips it might take a while to discover, and simply playing around helps you get the feel of the applications. If we get to perform this again, we'll need to send reporters out with only the task of collecting small reports with solely their smart phone. Then we can really see what they think without distractions.

Anyway, students at the University of Missouri are now required to have either an iPhone or an iPod Touch, so we might as well try to teach them ways to incorporate them into their reporting.

WordPress

WordPress is a free application that allows you to control your WordPress account through your mobile device. If you like WordPress already you’re going to like this application. Personally, I find it kind of obnoxious to navigate. The site on a desk or laptop is irritating enough for the casual blogger, so the application isn’t much better. It is pretty handy in that you can take pictures and video through the application as well as import them from the camera roll. You can type up a post and publish it all from the palm of your hand. You can even organize and approve comments you receive. You can even add pages. That’s great if you want to do that from your phone, but it makes things a little difficult. It’s not a straightforward application. If you already use WordPress this is a handy tool, but if you have the choice to go through another blog host, I’d go with that if you want to blog from your mobile device. If you’ve done some blogging in the past and are used to different hosts you may be all right, if you are a first timer this will be difficult to learn through. Because it’s free though, if you’re interested, try it out, it couldn’t hurt.

Solio Classic Hybrid Charger

"The device that started a movement..."

As far as hybrid chargers goes, this is probably my favorite - for several reasons. First of all, it comes with a bunch of adapter plugs and pins so that you can charge virtually any mobile device. According to their website, it is compatible with over 3,200+ devices. They are constantly cranking out new pieces, so if you cannot find the one you need, simply email them. Not only do you get a handful of adapting plus for the mobile device end of the cord, but you also get several pieces to suit almost any wall unit. You can charge the device through a wall socket or through a computer via a USB port. While researching this device, I came across a bold statement - that this charger will hold its charge for up to one year. This could be extremely handy for unexpected situations. Just charge it up and leave it in your backpack or car for emergencies, or use it year-round.

Another reason I love this hybrid is that there are three large panels for a lot of light energy intake. This is a very nice feature because charging this device only with solar energy can take a long time and most devices have smaller panels or maybe only one panel. According to the introductory booklet that comes with the device, it can take up to 48 hours to charge the device if it is cloudy or you are not in direct sunlight. This eco-friendly option may be time consuming, but if you can afford to wait, or you are on vacation (or simply just can't find a plug), this is a perfect solution. When you are done with it, just slide the three arms up. It is compact, which is perfect for a backpack journalist carrying many devices with them. For more information, visit http://www.solio.com/charger/solio-charger-classic.html.

Catch Notes

Catch Notes is a simple application that allows you to type out notes, add pictures and hashtags to keep yourself organized. The hashtags allow you to search for specific notes on a certain topic. Just like Twitter, similar ideas are bundled together. Pictures allow you to remember snap a shot of something you want to remember. An interviewee perhaps, or a detail of your surroundings. It’s a simple format and helps when you’re out in the field interviewing and trying to remember what actually happened at an event so you can review your notes later.

There are other cool features that really come in handy. If you set up an account online at Catch.com it allows you to pull up those notes from the web on your mobile device. This way a links, facts or question you wrote can be easily accessed in the field. You can also backup your notes and save them on this account directly from your phone. This is a reassuring ability, because you never know when you might lose everything when you’re working with technology.

It's a good application, but there are other great note taking applications that pass this one up. It's free, so if you're looking for something that is simple for note taking and storing pictures to jog your memory, this works fine. It doesn't have audio or drawing capabilities like some other good note taking apps. It really depends on what you're looking for and what you'd use. The Internet account portion is definitely worth having.

VeriCorder MiniMic

I was not a fan of this microphone. It’s a couple inches long so really it doesn’t help pick up sound. It doesn’t capture any more audio than your camera’s built-in microphone does. If you tap it at all you get a terrible noise that is incredibly distracting and definitely not something you want in your videos or sound bites. If you have an OWLE Bubo, this microphone attaches to it. That would come in handy if you had one, but still, the microphone doesn't help enough to make it worth it. There are so many other types of mics you could and should be using over this one.

You just put the microphone in the headphones jack and go. If you want to use a microphone at all get a chord to attach a stick mic. This tiny piece of equipment doesn’t help any more than your actual phone, so I’m not sure why you’d want to spend your money on it. You’re also risking the quality of your audio or video if you happen to bump it. Not a fan, spend your money elsewhere.

Fring

Fring is a big money saver. You can chat, and call from your phone all through this one application. This way you don’t have to worry about your phone contract. You can IM on GoogleTalk, AIM, Yahoo, and view Twitter messages among other services. You can call from this application. Essentially this is just a way to keep all of your social media and communication connected and in one place.

Personally I find this really distracting. If you hook up your Facebook and Twitter your stream of statuses and Tweets gets hard to keep track of. Also, they recently took away the video chat capability when Skype split from them. It’s not worth the capabilities you get. Actually, if you don’t continually check on your stream with Fring you end up having a ton of messages built up depending on how many of your friends Tweet and Facebook. Honestly, I don’t really know why you’d want this unless you’re planning on only using a few applications. The Facebook and Twitter applications themselves are easier to use than this, so there’s not really a good reason why you’d want to use this.

Jelly Filter Lens

We had two jelly filters to test, one was the starburst filter, and the other was the wide-angle lens. They come in other filters, vignette, antique, you can take your pick. They are small and portable and easy to attach to your device. They have a jelly, sticky ring around the lens that allows you to attach the lens right around the camera. It sticks just as well as the magnetic lenses do. Apparently you can clean the dirt off the sticky part with water, but eventually it’s going to stop sticking.

Honestly, I don’t know why you’d need these filters. A lot of the photo editing applications already have these. If you use the applications you can have the original picture as well without the affect already on there permanently. I think the wide-angle lens might be the only one that is worth anything. You can get more in the shot by using it. If you’re too close to an object or scene to get everything or everyone in it, it definitely comes in handy. The problem is the lenses bend the photo a little on the edges. Also, you can’t use a flash with these lenses. If you do the lens is caught in the flash and you can’t see anything except the lens. Really, I think these are a waste of money since you can doctor your photos with other applications.

SmartLens 2 in 1 lens

The SmartLens 2 in 1 lens is a fun little gimmick of a device. It probably works better with a 4G or droid, where the curve of the phone doesn’t interfere with the camera. On a 3G, though, it actually worked surprisingly well for me.

The only real negative to using this lens is that you’re going to have to apply a magnetic ring to the back of your phone using the adhesive already on the ring. I haven’t attempted to take it off, yet, because I don’t know that the glue is sticky enough to put it back on, and the lens only comes with one ring. Moral of the story is, attach it to something you want to use long-term.

After that, you don’t have to worry about the lens NOT working, which is maybe not a great way to look at it. I didn’t notice a huge improvement in quality by using it, but at the same time, it didn’t hurt. It doesn’t bend the picture like the wider angle on the Bubo does, and the macro lens is decent. Sometimes it won’t work, and it’ll just be fuzzy, but if you can get close enough (often nearly touching) then you might be able to get some cool details.

The best part is, this thing is incredibly easy to put on and take off. So, attach the magnetic ring, put the lens in your pocket, and head out.

Qik Video Camera Pro

Qik is one of the most popular, and easy to use applications for mobile devices. The app has numerous uses from a journalistic standpoint as well as in your everyday life. For example, if you are hanging out at a local venue and you run across an interesting performer of some sort you can take a video and upload it to Qik right then and there. It’s the same for performers that have family and friends that can’t see their show. Just tell people when and where to go to see it broadcast. In terms of journalistic value, this application can be used for breaking news. Not by newsrooms, but a free lance journalist could be the first to get footage of a breaking news story in the field. That footage could then be picked up by stations in order to tell the public what’s going on.

It is incredibly useful for vloggers. While you are filming video for a blog a person watching can send you comments that appear in your screen, which you can then respond to right then in the video. It’s just an interesting concept and allows for a more open discussion with your followers. It opens up so many more doors than simply having a comments box under a blog post or video.

Qik even has the ability to save your videos if, for some reason, you lose your signal. As soon as you regain Internet access the videos are uploaded without anything getting lost. The application offers many effects like frosted glass and black and white. It’s one of the fastest ways to upload to Facebook and YouTube, as well as many popular blog hosts and Twitter. The render time isn’t long so you have a little less frustration.

Right now there’s no way to edit your videos, so what you record is what you get. That means be careful. Don’t say anything you would need to edit out then.

Tumblr

In terms of blogging Tumblr is the easiest way to get accustomed to the blog-o-sphere. You simply set up your blog about whatever topic you choose, pick your layout and you’re set. The application from your mobile phone is as easy to use as the online version. You can see the blogs you follow and their posts on your dashboard and you can upload text, photos, quotes, links, chats, audio and video all from your mobile device. You can take the video through the application or get it from the camera roll, same with photos. But, you can only record audio through the application.

It’s super simple and doesn’t take long at all. I highly recommend this application and blog host if you’re just starting to get into blogs or looking for a user friendly site. Also, with many other hosts you do not have the option of uploading video without upgrading. This host allows you to post whatever you want. This application would allow someone to easily manage a page for a performer. Someone could cover events as they unfold in a certain area. Really there are unlimited uses for this blog site. A lot of blogs are just random things people find interesting, sometimes they're themed. The sky's the limit here.

PixelPipe

Pixelpipe is one of the applications that really does everything. They try to combine all of your favorite social media sites into on application. This way, you only need one app to control your social life. You can store email addresses and social networks within the application. This allows you to send photos, or videos to anyone you want to. You can update your blog, Tweet from multiple accounts, and check other social media sites. All you do is check the sites you want your content to be uploaded on in the settings menu. I can send multiple pictures from my camera roll to my Pixelpipe account. It sounds great, but there are definitely some bugs. They’re actually kind of large kinks that really dissuade a user from picking this platform.

Here’s the problem, it doesn’t work as well as it’s marketed. It is incredibly slow when you have big files, or too many pictures. Photos go up relatively easily, sometimes videos have issues uploading. It gets pretty frustrating. Also, it has recently been taken out of the iTunes store. This isn’t the first time this has happened. If you’re going to go for a file transmission app, you should probably find one that is more stable than Pixelpipe. I can still see the videos I’ve already uploaded to the website, and their blog is still around and says they’ve completed Symbian signing. Before that their post was about Pixelpipe for Android. I don’t think this application is worth the hassle, considering now you can’t even find it on the iTunes store. There are other apps out there that have similar functions that work better overall.

For more file transfer applications, check out Jennifer's DropBox post.

Foursquare

Foursquare is a fun little application that seems to be getting the brunt of some pop culture venom these days. Many of my colleagues say that it’s everything from over-reaching to lame. It seems especially to be catching flak from the college-aged population. However, if you’re willing to stick with it and ignore the mild social stigma, there’s some interesting features to mined from the app.

Using it isn’t all that difficult, although you’re going to need a solid internet connection. Less than four bars of Wi-Fi is probably a no-go, and the 3G can be iffy sometimes. Once you have the connection, though, it’s a piece of cake. The Check In button gives you a list of places, You can choose from the list, use the search bar to look for a nearby location, or create a new location by hitting the “+” button at the top of the screen. Once you’ve chosen or created a new location, just write what you’re doing (think facebook or Twitter status) and hit check in.

Now comes the addicting part of Foursquare. You get points for how many stops and new locations you go to each day. From there, medals and awards can be gained depending on how many new locations you visit, how many stops you make, or how often you revisit certain locations. If you’re really lucky, you may even become mayor of a location (meaning you’ve checked in there the most times in the last two months). Becoming mayor can be difficult if you’re just joining the service and don’t frequent a lot of places often, as someone else has probably been checking in quite regularly. However, if you can find a spot that hasn’t been checked in at before, then only a few visits makes you a mayor. Alternatively, creating a new place, like for instance your home, and checking in can be a quick route to becoming mayor.

To make matters more interesting, some businesses are beginning to jump on the Foursquare bandwagon. Certain locations will offer deals if you check in at their location (or if you’re mayor). Businesses are also offering unique medals to users who go to certain areas and check-in as a way of showing off your ability to get around. However, users should be careful. Only recently, I followed the scent of a “special” to a store, only to discover that it was some kind of practical joke and not at all a real business offer.

In all, the application is fun, but it’s not terribly interactive. You get on when you arrive somewhere, check-in, then shut it off. You can see who else is at your location, but you can’t see their status unless they are your friends, and not enough people that I’m friends with use the program that I can comb through their statuses for more than a few minutes, meaning it’s a check in, log out sort of process for me. But for some people out there, it’s going to be a fun new way to play around with their friends, gain some points, and hopefully some bragging rights by becoming a mayor.

UStream Recorder and Broadcaster

There are two different UStream applications. One is UStream Recorder and the other is UStream Broadcaster. The differences between the two are pretty self-explanatory. Both have their own uses that would benefit you in different situations.

The UStream Recorder is a good tool - it’s easy to upload videos that are in your camera roll. You can also record a video in the application but you have to be careful. If you don’t hold it the correct way the video may end up side ways or upside down when you upload it. This can happen with the camera roll videos as well. Overall, it doesn’t take long to upload to UStream and it has similar qualities to Qik. I happen to like Qik a little more. UStream is a bit laggy sometimes and the videos come out dark if you don’t have excellent lighting.

Now, UStream Broadcaster allows you to see people tweeting at you while you’re actually broadcasting live. Some people find that distracting, but it’s an interesting concept. Say you’re filming a vlog or a show; you can answer those tweets as they come up on your screen. It would be incredibly useful to cover a concert or performance. If you alert people before the actual event they can tune in and watch as you stream it. This can be a little laggy as well. As technology improves I’m sure this will stop being such a problem.

You can’t edit these videos either. So again, be careful with what you say when you’re streaming live, or if you want to upload the videos. Technically you could just edit the video in a different application, save it to your camera roll and upload it from there. That’s always an option.

To see UStream in action, check out Jennifer's election day coverage post.

Cover It Live

This would be a great idea if all the features worked how they are supposed to.

You are able to broadcast your written messages and photos easily. Essentially what you’re doing is live blogging an event of some sort. It is very simple and has great potential. You can use video captured on your phone or you can capture video through the application. It works the same with photos. Audio is captured through the app.

Right now it needs an upgrade though. It keeps saying something is wrong when I tried to upload audio or video. It didn’t matter if I used the video already stored in the camera roll, it still didn’t work. I tried making the video shorter, that didn't help at all. Same with audio. I can try to capture audio through the application and it still says I'm doing something wrong. The audio can only be 30 seconds long anyway, so shortening that didn't do anything. It is glitchy and gets frustrating if you’re trying to cover an important event. I think that if they fix the kinks, it will be a really good tool to use. They just need to tweek a few aspects. Multiple aspects actually.

For more on CoverItLive, check out Jennifer's election coverage post.

Freedom Pro Keyboard

This wireless keyboard is easy to set up and doesn’t require a lot of stress to get it working. Just follow the instructions and you'll have it up and running. The Freedom Pro works with the Android and iPhone. We tested it at a decent distance and it worked even when we were in different rooms. It’s so much easier to type notes and get things organized with a keyboard. The small screens are frustrating to type on especially if you have clumsy, fat fingers. There’s nothing better than being able to type without correcting your spelling errors every two seconds.

The best feature about the Freedom Pro has to be its ability to fold up. That’s my favorite aspect of it. It fits wherever you need it and comes with a case so you never have to worry about destroying it. The keyboard is a little cramped because of the folding, so it does take a little getting used to. It’s not a big problem, but it is annoying at first. I'd take getting used to this keyboard over the tiny iPhone or Android ones any day though. I think a wireless keyboard is definitely a good and necessary investment. It’s too difficult to keep up with notes and internet searches without being able to type.

The Bottle Cap Tripod

Along with the Monster Pod, this is another very strange invention for mobile journalists. You take a bottle of water or pop, and place this tripod over the cap. There’s a cold foot on top, so be sure you have a way to screw your device into it. It’s a cheap way to keep your video steady. It actually works like the Zgrip in a way, and is sort of a cheap alternative to the expensive Zgrip. The Bottle Cap Tripod is a little unstable, but it’s better than nothing. It’s kind of cheap, so you might want to invest in something sturdier if you're serious about using a tripod. Using this tripod is better than nothing, but it's not great. Also, I don’t know how many people would take you seriously with your camera mounted to the top of a Coke bottle. Without the bottle, it’s the smallest tripod you'd carry around. That’s a perk, overall it’s kind of just a silly novelty tool. It's not expensive, so you can have it in your arsenal just in case you want a slight improvement over holding the phone.

The Monster Pod

The Monster Pod is the strangest piece of equipment I’ve ever used or seen. It’s a tripod that sticks pretty much wherever you need it to. It stays on branches, rocks, brick, glass, you name it, and it sticks there. Just be careful. If you leave it for longer than 10 minutes it starts to either slide down the wall, or fall off the surface where you stuck it. The circular tripod has an orange Silly Putty like material on the bottom. Simply screw your camera onto the tripod mount and you’re set. You can use your mobile device as your camera; you just need to attach something to your phone that allows you to screw it into the Monster Pod.

It works in any situation. The problem is, it’s very flat, so you might have to be creative with where you stick it to get the shot you want. It’s small enough to fit in your backpack or pocket. It’s also a really light tool. If dirt gets stuck to it, all you need to do is wash it off with water. Also, remember to put the cap back on it when you’re done so you don’t get orange goop on any of your belongings. It’s not a bad piece of equipment, just different. Make sure you have a way to screw your mobile device into it, and make sure you can figure out a place to stick it or you might be in trouble. There are other tripods out there that offer you a more traditional approach to tripods, but it definitely has its place.

Mophie Juice Pack Air and Boost

I think this is the best battery to use when you’re on the go. All of the external charges need to be plugged in so they can charge, so that’s something you need to do before taking it to report. But this particular tool saved me when we went to cover an event once. Let’s say you completely forgot to charge your phone and now you need to go out and report. Or you have been using your phone all day and then a breaking news story erupts but your phone might die at any moment. This tool comes to the rescue.

The Juice Pack Air is light and fits right onto the phone. It’s not distracting or annoying to try and store. It basically just feels like you have a case on your phone, but it's really a battery. Certain external batteries get in the way when you’re trying to use the phone to capture audio and video, but this one does a good job of being mobile. It’s secure and you don’t need to baby it or hold the phone a certain way. Just leave it on your iPhone until it’s charged, or keep it on until you’re done with your assignment. It can really be a lifesaver.

The Boost is something you'd use if you didn't bring your charger. It's not really a mobile battery, it's something you'd plug into your phone and leave in until it's ready to go. It's just another option. It's useful if you don't need to actually do any work right away. They both charge the iPhone within a couple of hours. If you leave the Air on, it doesn't really matter how long it takes to charge because you can use the phone while it's doing its job.