This Oct. 24, 2011 blog post is mirrored from an internal site at Lee Enterprises, my current employer, where I blog regularly about mobile, tablet and emerging tech. I thought it might be handy to those outside the company too, so I’m cross-posting it here.

While IOS 5 launched a couple weeks ago and has received much fanfare, Android announced their version 4.0 upgraded mobile operating system last week with several interesting new features for journalists. While there’s plenty of interesting interface improvements and futuristic-features like facial-recognition security, I’m going to talk about the two ways Ice Cream Sandwich (the Android project name for this release) is notable to mobile reporters and mobile and tablet publishers:

The most notable upgrade for mobile reporting is Android’s native camera app made some huge advancements:

• Near-instantaneous picture taking — there’s no lag anymore from when you click the shutter to when the picture is taken which is fantastic for sports and breaking news. The IOS5 upgrade also made similar improvements for taking quick photos.
• Single-motion panoramas are added to the options list along with photo and video for collecting visual content.
• Native video editing was available in Android 3.0, but now available across all devices, and photo editing too (much like IOS native camera app, you can now do basic editing in the app immediately after capturing the content).
• Google+ Hangouts with video are great for sending back quick streaming video reports and the new version of Android offers similar support to that of the desktop Google+ Hangout experience. TV affiliates have long used tools like Skype to stream back video from locations and organizations including CNN and KOMU in Columbia, MO have been leaders in using Google+ Hangout video for this same purpose.
• Wireless content sharing with other devices via Android Beam NFC technology or Wi-Fi sharing to send large files back and forth.

New publishing features in Android 4.0:

• The biggest change is Ice Cream Sandwich merges Android 2.x and 3.x operating systems, which were set up for mobile and tablet platforms, respectively. One of the major challenges that slowed developers/publishers to move to the new Android 3.0 platform was after Android 3.0 was just released this past Spring, Google had was honest and transparent about the fact that there was going to be a major upgrade, merging both mobile and tablet versions into one in Android 4.0 this Fall. Without an already established base of users, most developers held off developing for 3.0. Without the app developers, there’s been limited apps developed and that has also slowed consumer response and adoption of Android tablets. (Google recently said they had sold 6 million Android Tablets, Apple has sold 40 million iPads) With the platforms merging, in the future your app developed for 4.0 will be able to scale and function on all devices from tablets to mobile phones, hopefully providing a larger audience.
• Google’s web browser in Android 4.0 also added many features to support and extend HTML5 capabilities including advanced support for motion sensor APIs including the gyroscope as well as 3D transformations. The browser also has a performance boost, optimizing the experience speed by 550% in some tests.

Apple IOS5 devices now offer a new quick way to win a photo shootout or capture a breaking news event at a moment's notice.

This Oct. 13, 2011 blog post is mirrored from an internal site at Lee Enterprises, my current employer. I thought it might be handy to those outside the company too, so I’m cross-posting it here.

If you’re an Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad owner who uses their phone for mobile reporting, I’d highly encourage you take advantage of their free software update to the new version of iOS 5. There’s more than 200 changes in the software, one of the most basic benefits for mobile reporters is the ability to snap photos and video much quicker from the lock screen.

With the new software update, here’s how to quickly access the camera from sleep mode:

1 – Double tap the home button and a camera button will appear in the lower right corner. (Music controls will also appear at the top, if you feel the need to put on some motivational mobile reporting music.)

2 – Tap the camera button and you’re launched straight into the phone app.

3 – Shoot away!

This is much faster than having to swipe, type in your unlock code, navigate to the photo app, tap that icon and launch, saving at least 7-10+ seconds (depending on how quick your fingers are typing in your code). The time saved could mean the difference between catching the “decisive moment” or not.

Another bonus feature for mobile reporters: With the iOS 5 update, the hardware volume up botton can act as a shutter for the camera! That also includes the white earbuds with the volume rocker that come with the device and some Bluetooth headsets also activate the shutter by pressing the increase volume button.

Another double bonus feature for mobile reporters: With the update, the camera app also offers basic editing tools built in now. For photos, cropping, red-eye removal and “enhance” are available … although the enchance isn’t what you’d hope (it seems to do some color correction and toning, but can be really funky at times). On videos you can trim and preview the clips. Having these tools in the camera app can help you get basic editing done before you send the media in breaking news situations. To find these new features, in the Camera Roll click “edit” to get these features.

To upgrade your software, just plug your iOS device into your computer, open iTunes, and iTunes should prompt you to update your software and take it from there. Just a heads up: It’ll take a LONG time to update, the files are almost 1 gb in size, so don’t do this at the last minute before you head home from work.

The iOS 5 upgrade is available for free for all iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S, as well as the iPod Touch 3rd & 4th generation and iPad 1 and 2.

I’m excited to announce that after 5 years of co-chairing the NPPA Multimedia Immersion, we’re back for another intense workshop and this year we’re going to have both Canon and Nikon as sponsors!

Here’s the official NPPA Multimedia announcement & more info on how to get in on the fun:

The 2011 NPPA Multimedia Immersion in Syracuse, NY will be an intense, five-day, hands-on training workshop for visual journalists looking to expand and grow their multimedia skillsets using the latest technology.

Our focus is on mixing photos, video and audio content and editing them into multimedia presentations.

Our previous students have ranged from multiple Pulitzer Prize Winners, Best of Photojournalism winners, the current White House Photographer, academics, editors, students, working professionals and freelancers all looking to supercharge their careers.

Looking back, it’s amazing to see how students over years have evolved and grown from the workshop. It’s really inspiring and humbling. We’re still working on the schedule and especially trying to recruit an awesome group of diverse coaches, but in the mean time, if you’re interested, you should move quick.

We’re limited to 40 students for 20 awesome coaches, so if you’re looking for the best multimedia training for your buck, do it to it.

Multimedia Super Hero, Western Kentucky University Professor, Fulbright Scholar and Multimedia Immersion Teacher, Josh Meltzer, sends word about one of his projects coming up in January, the Truth With a Camera Workshops in Quito, Ecuador. If you’re interested in photojournalism and social justice, definitely check out this great opportunity, registration is open now and filling quickly:

Truth With A Camera workshops is pleased to announce and open registration for the next workshop which will take place in Quito, Ecuador from January 9-17, 2010. Registration is now open, and typically the workshops have filled up fast.

Our mission is to educate photojournalists, not only in current technologies, but in understanding cultural differences and similarities and to contribute to truth, ethics, and social justice.

Our goal is to reflect honesty, sensitivity, and intelligence in photojournalism, and to use these as tools to inspire, educate, and promote change in the world around us.

Through the workshops, photojournalists will experience international location coverage and develop an understanding of their social responsibility to provide a voice to all members of society while stressing truth and ethics in an effort to bring about social change.

With a population of 2 million people, the capital of Ecuador is one of the most modern in the country, although the presence of social inequality and the urban poor remain powerful reminders that thousands of people live below the line of extreme poverty.

This will not be a vacation. During this intensive week, you will work with Ecuadorian students from some of the best universities from across the country. At the end of each day, you will edit your images with some of the leaders in the field of documentary photography from the U.S. and Ecuador. Your work will be shared with our partnering NGOs, which gives you the opportunity for your work to stand as a witness and defense of the lives of your subjects. It is an opportunity to strengthen your skills while donating your work to an NGO at the same time.

www.truthwithacamera.org
www.truthworkshopblog.org

Game over. Sell your Nikon glass. They’re done.

Canon has officially finished Nikon off with it’s new EOS 5D Mark II, a full 1080 HD video DSLR, with almost twice the megapixels of still resolution plus auto inputs (which Nikon neglected in their newest D90 DSLR with 720 HD video), all wrapped up in a Canon pro-quality magnesium body.

Normally, this would just be a link in feed, but this is such huge news that will change multimedia and silence every still shooter’s complaints about carrying around a video camera I’m going to put it out big in front.

I predicted it about a week ago, but official word hit the street right now … actually the release is dated tomorrow (Sept 17). (Thanks to Seth Gitner for the heads up).

With this development, could you see TV stations start buying these now? Shooting straight to digital and grabbing stills? The world is definitely getting smaller.

More info from:

• Digital Photography Review
• Engadget
• Rob Galbraith
• CNet Crave

P.S. Anyone want to buy my 20D?