Reiter's Camera Phone Report

Audio Moblog: Using cellular

This is my second test of using Audioblog for podcasts.  I'm testing it by speaking into a cellular phone and the service worked just fine.

I used a RIM BlackBerry, without an external microphone.  It seems that the voice quality is somewhat inferior to the first test, when I used a clip-on microphone connected to my IBM ThinkPad for recording my audio. 

Using the BlackBerry, it seems as if I have a lisp or some sort of speech defect.  No, I don't have any speech defect -- at least none that I know of!

Of course, it's quite possible that if I plugged in a microphone, the sound quality would be much better.

When using cellular, the headline is automatically posted as "Audio Moblog."  I added the "Using cellular" with my laptop's browser.  Audioblog also includes the text "powered by Audioblog.com" and the MP3 player graphic.

powered by Audioblog.com

First test of posting audio to Camera Phone Report

For some time I've been pondering doing podcasts but I wanted the process to be very fast, easy and reasonably priced. Audioblog (www.audioblog.com) might be the way to go.

I've been waiting for Odeo to offer its podcast creation tools but they aren't available yet, at least not for me.

This is a test recording. It's lame and really doesn't include any information you want to hear! I just wanted to see if it works well enough to use.

I don't know if Audioblog has any Web-based audio editing software, and I might need that. Speaking eloquently without a script is tough -- at least for me.

So far, during the few minutes I've played with its Web-based recording capability, Audioblog seems easy to use. But I might need a more advanced system, such as using client-based recording software (Audacity?) so I can edit out moronic pauses and mistakes.

Of course, I could use Audioblog as the hosting service for MP3 files I upload.

I'm also going to test Audioblog's capabilities via a cellular phone.

In any case, you may now hear my voice which is, alas, definitely not "broadcast quality."

Media report on use of camera phones during London's terrorist bombings

Yesterday I hunted for the camera phone video shot inside a London subway car after the terrorist bombings.  Today I see there are several articles reporting the value of camera phones in informing friends, relatives and the world about what occurred.

Here are links to five articles about camera phones and "citizen journalists" in London:

*  Hollywood Reporter:  "Cell phone video first from London bombing scene"
*  Los Angeles Times:  "Cellphones Change the View of Disaster"
*  Boston Globe:  "Camera phones play major role in coverage"
*  Globe and Mail:  "Stark images of disaster dialled up around the world"
*  Forbes:  "Phones Offer Snapshot of Terror"
*  BBC News:  "Mobiles capture blast aftermath"  Many camera phone videos.  (Found via Robert Scoble's weblog)

Conclusions

The articles discuss several interesting points.  In no particular order they are:

*  Major news organizations are waking up to the value of camera phones and using camera phone still photos and videos

*  Camera phone photos and videos are (typically) poor quality, but poor quality images are better than none -- and offer value.

*  Despite the conjestion of cellular phone networks, the photos and videos got out quickly

*  Camera phones are changing the way the news is reported/disseminated

*  The concept of "citizen journalists" is generating a lot of interest

*  With all the confusion, camera phone photos provided the best way to initially gauge conditions after the bombings and even after professionals began covering the bombings camera phone photos continued to provided vivid pictures of scenes

*  Camera phones are changing the way the news is reported/disseminated

*  The concept of "citizen journalists" is generating a lot of interest

Promoting value of camera phones

I have been writing a great deal about how the wireless industry -- especially the cellular operators -- has done a terrible job of marketing the value and many uses of camera phones.

Perhaps the London bombings will spark some operators to begin marketing the varied consumer and business uses of camera phones.

Camera phone video shows London subway car after terrorist bombings

A London commuter used his camera phone to take a video inside a subway car after the terrorist bombings this morning.

I saw the video on television this morning but couldn't find any link to the video until this afternoon when I found it on the NBC-TV "FeedRoom" (see below).  Check out the link above and click on "FeedRoom" graphic on the left that says "video shows trapped commuters."

I clocked the video and it's about 1.15 minutes.  It's typical camera phone quality -- grainy, shifted color and poorly focused -- but you can make out the passengers and a broken window.  There's no sound.

Another link in the article opens a slideshow of still photos taken from the video (see below).

I don't know how long the video will remain on the NBC site so you might want to check it out quickly.