Apps On Smart Phones

With many people turning to online sources to receive their news, phone applications are great for journalists to add to their cell phones.

Phones are able to have applications if they are labeled as a smart phone. Smart phones have been a great addition to the journalism world because they have many applications that journalists can use for finding news or helping enhance their story.

By the end of 2011, it is predicted by many computer software companies that smart phone mobile devices will hold the dominant position in the wireless device market.

With the popularity of smart phones increasing, journalists should be aware of some of the applications that are offered free to them directly on their mobile device.

Qik- An application for users to capture live video directly off their phones and enables them to upload news or Kodak moments right to the web. Qik can also be used to chat live with others.

Wordpress- This application is a great way for journalists to do simple blogging, along with the ability to add pictures and videos to their posts. Wordpress also allows users to comment on other blogs posted, which is a great way for users to receive feedback and give advice to other users.

Photoshop Express- As the quality of cameras are increased on phones, this application benefits people that want to edit their photos directly on their mobile. Photoshop Express is also a great way to upload a picture directly to Twitter, Facebook, or your online blog.

VoiceTask- When covering a story, it has to be a huge bummer for journalists realizing they left their voice recorder at home. However, with this application, journalists are able to use the microphone right off their phone to record whatever they need to. Afterward, the conversation can be directly sent via e-mail from the phone by simply typing in an e-mail address.

While I have only listed just a few phone applications, there are thousands of different applications that are offered free or can be purchased on smart phones for many different purposes.

People that have a smart phone should take advantage of the benefits that come along with having one.

I have a Blackberry and enjoy the different things I am allowed to directly do from my mobile device for classes, writing, or entertainment.

Whether it's checking your grades on Scholar, reading news for our weekly quizzes in BNR, or using one of the applications I mentioned above, having a smart phone is a huge advantage when it comes to being a journalist.

Photo Credit: Bind Apple @ Creative Commons

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Straight Statistics of Americans and their Technology

Americans' technology have an increasing amount of ownership throughout time whereas some of the newer devices haven't taken off yet.

Inthe digital age people use an abundance amount of technology throughout their daily lives. Among these people, I have found statistics specifically referring to America.

Cell phones are popular among the digital age are seen just about everywhere you turn. Eighty-five percent of Americans now own cell phones and 96 percent of 18-29 year olds own a cell

phone of some sort.

Desktop and laptop computers will almost be a necessity in the near future. Seventy-six percent of Americans own either a desktop or a laptop computer.

Although the rising popularity of the mp3 player has not reached its peak, it is still lower than I anticipated for the statistics that I found. A little under half of Americana adults own an mp3 player, which was an increase from the 11 percent in 2005.

A step down from mp3 players, gaming consoles such as the Wii, Xbox, or PlayStation, are shown to be owned by 42 percent of Americans.

Among the newest devices such as the e-Book reader and tablet computers, five percent own a

e-Book and only four percent own a tablet computer.

The statistics are based on a survey of 3,001 American adults (ages 18 and older) conducted between August 9 and September 13, 2010. Download the document HERE for specific detail on the statistics.

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China to Censor: Text Messages?

Given China's history of censorship and the country's well-publicized recent battle with Google, one is rarely surprised by new reports of censorship in China. Providers of mobile phones in China recently announced plans to monitor the texts of citizens for "illegal or unhealthy content," immediately stopping a person's cellphone service if such content is detected.

The phone companies will pass any potential violations on to the police for review and prosecution. If a customer is relieved of the charges, his or her phone service will begin again.

This crusade is officially part of an effort to keep pornography from the country. Over 5,000 people were arrested in China last year on internet pornography charges.

Phone services haven't been explicit on what constitutes a punishable offense, but services will monitor a specific list of words provided by officials. Every communication using these phone services will be monitored, including conversations between a husband and wife.

China's going farther than expected for this one. With no idea about what words and phrases to avoid, people are sure to get their phones disconnected often. A majority of the 'criminals' investigated by the police will be innocent. Anyone who is actually talking about something illegal will use codes or slang. This is an absolutely useless endeavor and will cause much more harm than good... but isn't that always the way?

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