So what is in the Mobile Journalism Toolkit? First of all the phone. This is a Nokia N95 which now comes in three different versions. The original European version that we used for most of the trial (image on left). Then there is a the US edition which adds more memory and support for US carrier frequencies. Finally there is the news 8GB version which can store much more music and videos, and for our journalists more raw materials.
The next part of the toolkit are the peripherals. A key component was the bluetooth keyboard that we used. This made it much easier to enter text-based stories in the field. For this we used the Nokia SU-8W (see image on left). This folds up and has a bracket to hold the phone.
We also supplied a basic tripod to help in video interviews and a Sony microphone for directional audio recording and reducing background noise in interviews - this required a special adaptor plug that was made by Nokia for the project. Finally to deal with power issues we also used Power Monkeys, both basic and Explorer versions (see photo). The Explorer has a solar charging system which was particularly useful in Senegal.
When candidates start turning up for speeches in barns, surrounded by large vegetables and cute kids, you can be sure the U.S. primary season is upon us. “Oh boy, this is great!” Hillary Clinton exclaimed as she took to the stage at a New Hampshire “barn party” on Thursday. “We should be having a barn dance.” New Hampshire voters could be forgiven for being jaded from the campaign bandwagons that role through the state every four years — over the next three months, they will face a barrage of baby-kissing politicians seeking an early edge in the 2008 race. But they hid any early fatigue well at the barn party, where a bluesgrass band and wagon wheels hanging from the rafters completed the carefully crafted rustic image. “It’s so much fun the way it builds through December — it’s like spring break for political junkies,” said John Goldman, a 62-year-old engineer visiting from California.
See the following video for a taste of bluegrass at Clinton’s rally.
At Stream 2007, a WPP sponsored event in Greece, Jit Hoong Ng presented the latest gadget from China - a mobile phone that is also a toy. With a touch screen and excellent audio quality the phone is not just for big kids, although it could be easily left in the toy box by mistake.
So what is in the Mobile Journalism Toolkit? First of all the phone. This is a Nokia N95 which now comes in three different versions. The original European version that we used for most of the trial (image on left). Then there is a the US edition which adds more memory and support for US carrier frequencies. Finally there is the news 8GB version which can store much more music and videos, and for our journalists more raw materials.
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