Ideas

iA Writer’s simple interface is its whole premise. After downloading the app, the first thing that I noticed was its clean and crisp intro page. The introduction explains the reasoning behind the Spartan-like demeanor of the app. As iA Writer states,

ScribbleLive allows journalists to do real-time updates on events they are covering. It is almost like Twitter, but for media companies.

Once a username and password is created, I was able to see options for ‘My Events’, ‘Create New Event’, ‘Events’ that were Public or Features and an ‘Account’ setting if I wanted to change any of my user settings.

Pages for iPad can be considered the reporter’s notebook – the digital edition. Pages can be instantly downloaded on the iPad and allows the user to create different types of documents all with the touch of an index finger or the typing of several fingers.

The Soonr app for the iPhone and iPad connects users with their documents, projects and coworkers to create a synced workspace in the cloud. The app allows access to documents on the users Mac or PC as well as sharing over the cloud from various devices and platforms. The ability to collaborate and stay up to date on projects no matter where you are or what device your on is priceless. The app synchs seamlessly and works like you hpe it would.

The Rollei iPhone 4 Case and Lens is an interesting add on that may look cooler than it really is. The massive 8x zoom lens attaches on to the Rollei case with just a few swift rotations.

After searching for apps to review that could possibly help mobile journalists, I decided to check out the app Google Goggles. This handy little app allows a person to take a picture of the object or text in front of them, and receive information through Google as if they had done a Google search on that topic.

The XShot iPhone 4 Case & XShot 2.0 are easy to use and give users full flexibility and functionality when capturing video or photos on the iPhone 4. A universal connector acts as the liaison between the XShot iPhone 4 case and the XShot tripod and 2.0 Extender. Each of these tools gives the mobile device a unique advantage when capturing video or photography and enhances the already existing functionality.

Color is an exciting new way to share photos with the people around you. Using multiple iPhones, Color allows users to create a public photo album with other iPhone users in the 150 feet vicinity. Although it is still in its infancy, the potential for this application is huge.

This application claims it can create a beautiful Website in 60 seconds. So I tried it. Before I give the review, you can see for yourself how it turned out here. It starts with a signup, which is able to synch with a Facebook account, so that makes it easy. Otherwise users can sign up with an email address.

This application is a social media site based on location-based audio. As someone who does radio reporting, my interest was piqued, because this could be a great tool for localizing radio stories. So I checked it out. First, a user creates an account, which did not have the option to synch with Twitter, Facebook or any other outlet, which I thought was something it could do to improve.

Skype for iPhone Review

Skype for the iPhone may seem like a dream come true for reporters who want to do interviews out of their travel range. This app is free from the iTunes app store. The app uses the reporters’ existing Skype account and loads the profile right to the phone with a very intuitive interface.

When I saw this, I initially thought it would be a great news-gathering tool for crime reporters. The app was $1.99 on the iTunes store, though apparently there is a free version, and it searches the area that the user is in and broadcasts the police scanners in the area.

Apple’s Garageband makes it easy for anyone, including a non-tech savvy journalist to capture and edit high quality audio using an iPad. Audio recording can be done using the built-in microphone on the iPad or using an external mic that can be connected through the headphone jack.

The TweetDeck app can be a very useful tool for organizing and tracking information on Twitter. After a typical users follows approximately 300 Twitter accounts, the information can become overwhelming. TweetDeck allows users to sort the information they receive from Twitter in a clean and simple design.

Thee Photoshop Express app by Adobe Systems gives users a sample of what the photoshop brand is able to do on the mobile platform. Although some additional tools for the application can be purchased within the app, all of the primary functions you would expect to find are available for free.

Highlight Cam was a free app I downloaded after hearing about a Website with similar capabilities. Overall, I was not impressed. I think this had the ability to be interesting, but as a journalistic tool, it’s worth just skipping. But for the sake of being balanced, I’ll go through the review anyway.

The WordPress app by Automattic gives users the ability to stay connected with their online audience on the go. Whether you need to moderate comments or upload a new image to a post, the WordPress app gives users the ability to stay connected and up to date no matter where you are.

Pano is a great photography application that runs on the iOS platform and can be utilized on the iPhone and iPad. Although their is not an iPad optimized version, the Pano app runs smoothly on the iPad. The Pano does not have many functions, add-ons or features. Its has a pretty simple and direct function, taking panoramic pictures.

For all those who currently use Vimeo, this is a pretty cool extension for the iPhone. It’s a free app and it synchs with a user’s current Vimeo account. The staff even uploaded a video of the new app on their site. A lot of journalists I know are using Vimeo over YouTube for video sharing because it has a more professional/high quality reputation.