Been using my Motorola Triumph since last year. It’s not the greatest phone but it gets me by as I try to make it as a photojournalist. Well here are some Android Apps I’m using to help me out on the job:
I love this app. Just takes the feeds from the RadioReference.com website and puts them in a pretty useful app. Using your location, it can even find scanner feeds nearby. I set up one for Texarkana and use it anytime I don’t have my actual police scanners on me. I’ve noticed it gets some heavy traffic anytime there’s a big storm rolling in. I’ll usually post something on Twitter to try to let people know the feed exists.
It also has a list of 10-codes if you don’t have them memorized and a map. You can’t do any searching on the map but it might come in handy if you hear a cross street over the scanner and know the general area.
I decided to go with the pro version. There really aren’t many differences but letting me use the play and stop button on the widget is a huge help. If I’m going out to breaking news, I usually don’t have time to go and open up the app and start the feed. With the pro version, just tap the button on the home screen and I’m good to go!
Note: There is a setting that pauses the feed when you receive a phone call. I forgot to have that set so anytime I’d get a call, it’d stop the feed and I’d usually forget to start it up again. Now that it’s set to pause, it just starts right up after a reporter calls.
I heard about tethering years ago and always thought it was cool. With PDA Net, I can plug my smartphone into my computer using the USB cord and access the data on it. It usually goes pretty slow but there are a few times I’ve used it when I was out of town on assignment and had to e-mail something back. It’s a huge help for any breaking news. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of small towns around here where I can’t get any signal or data so this becomes useless. Of course, whenever that happens, I just need to find the closest McDonalds for some free Wi-Fi.
Since I don’t text when I drive, this app comes in handy. You can have it set to start anytime you’re traveling over 10 mph. Once you turn it on, it’ll read out text messages and give you options to reply, repeat or ignore.
The last thing I need when on assignment is my phone to die. Granted I have an external battery that has a huge capacity but if I don’t have it on me, this app is really useful. It can shut down data and other things to maximize what little battery you might have left. If you know you’ll be out of the office for a long time, it might be a good idea to just start the app up when you head out on an assignment.
Out of all the browsers I’ve used for my phone, this one is the fastest. It minimizes the amount of data used so things naturally go quicker. It’s a whole lot better than the stock browser and has a copy and paste feature. They also have a beta version called Opera Next but I haven’t tried it out yet.
Replaces my notebook for taking cutlines sometimes. It’s not as fast so I pick and choose when I use it. If you have terrible handwriting, this could come in handy. Showing the person you’re talking to could help you verify the spelling of their name in a loud or dark place.
If I know I’ll be rushing, I usually open up evernote.com and log in on the computer in the office. This way, the note is automatically uploaded and I can just copy and paste into photo mechanic when I’m editing in the office.
Sometimes I’ll type up a cutline on my phone before I talk to someone and just insert their name. I’ll usually put the file number as the title to help organize. Adding a clothing description helps too.
In other occasions, like a boring standard event, I can type a rough cutline like so and so speaks at this place on Friday. Since my phone automatically gets the note from the website, I can finish it on assignment.
It’s a live video app that is a whole lot better than UStream. It even lets you stream in HD if you have a high enough bandwith. My phone is way too slow but I can slowly stream at 640x480 which is still a lot better quality that what UStream offers. It even has a map function so people can see where you are as you work.
It also lets you upload missing data after you record for better quality replays on the website. You can also link the live video right to your Facebook and I think, play it right from your wall.
Doesn’t hurt to know the weather on your way to an assignment. You can search by location and find out how the weather is hourly, the next three days or 10 days. Also has a full motion weather map if you’re tracking a storm.
Some antivirus software for your phone. This is also helpful if you lose your phone and need to track it down. Being that I might drive an hour away for some assignments, it would be some peace of mind to know exactly where it is if it takes me a while to get back to it. It can even trigger an alarm if you’re nearby and maybe someone has it in their pocket.
The only reason I’m putting this up is because of a Send to AP feature. I’ve never used it on assignment, just think it’s cool that you can send pics to the AP through your phone. If your paper is an AP member, it might be easier to just e-mail it back to the office but maybe this will come in handy one day. Aside from that, it does have a whole bunch of AP news to look through along with pics and videos. Even has a local news section.
I’ve used a few live trackers but this one seems to be more social. People can track you as you move from assignment to assignment or the office can track multiple reporters on a breaking news story. Of course you can select who you want to see it if you don’t want it going public.
Had to add this one. It’s one of the few, if not only one that had photojournalists in mind. You actually need a Eye-Fi card to use it but if you do have one, this lets you add a whole bunch of data to your pictures like IPTC data. Pretty similar options to photo mechanic. I shoot with a 7D and the SD to CF card adapters have had issues so I don’t use my Eye-Fi card much anymore. If you do have a pro body with a SD only or SD and CF card slot, this might be handy.
It costs $2.99 but it’s worth it if you use eye-fi.
Well that’s it for now. I’m going to try to buy a USB on-the-go cord or something similar and see if anything can get a CF card reader hooked up to my rooted phone.
