Mobile Journalism

Mo Krochmal (@krochmal)
Asst. Prof., Journalism

-at-
Columbia University
Teachers’ College
August 6, 2009
 Mobile
Everybody has it – or will
 Magic of Mobile

“It's the only device that you have

next to you -- three feet away at any
point in time. It's not the next huge
thing; it's huge right now.”
Bonin Bough, head of the social media effort for PepsiCo

[
http://members.whattheythink.com/allsearch/articleerc.cfm?id=39923
]
Forward-Looking Statements

• This talk is based on my research

and opinions and on my experience
of creating and organizing innovative
student-run news operations at
Hofstra University. Your mileage may
vary.

• See my students work at

NassauNewsLive.com
Proudly serving the communities surrounding Hofstra university since
February 2009.
 Financial Restraint,
Responsibility
• It still about the journalism, not the
toys.

• Hardware is expensive, but, oh my,

what you can get these days for your $

• “How much did it cost to do that? Is it

worth it? Are there ways to do it
cheaper, better?”

• I’m not a Mac expert. I’m a PC, cause

I’m cheap.
 Looking Forward
• What does the future of journalism
look like?
 The Frontier of Multimedia
Journalism
• Mobile Video
– Proliferation of small handheld devices
using Internet cloud-based services and
not held to broadcast standards of
production.
• Livestreaming Video
– Using Internet-based software,
individuals and small organizations can
create highly sophisticated broadcast-
style and interactive operations with
 Entry-Level Tool Kit
To enter the future, you need these
tools:
– Phone/Mobile Internet connectivity
– Lightweight Computer
– Webcam/Mic
Plus
 Social Media as the Operating
System
The single most important piece of software
for mobile learning currently is
social network web sites.
Educational institutions already have
Learning Management Systems (i.e. WebCT,
Moodle, and Blackboard). However, these
tend to force students to conform to the
institution’s idea of how they should learn.
Enter the concept of social networking which
allows students to connect to each other,
instructors, and course content on their own
terms.
Social Media
Social Media
And, One More
Hardware
 Equipment Costs
• Laptop (~$600) with a webcam
• Or Netbook ($400)
+Upgraded Webcam ($100)
• Video capable 3G Mobile phone
($200-$700)
-- Contract=~$1,400/2 years unl
text/data
Investment over 2 years (Approximately $2,100)
 Getting Connected
• Broadband Internet access
WiFi – Cheap, but not
everywhere.
3G – Not cheap, more access,
portable.
 3G Mobile Internet Access
• Tethered Phone
Use your phone to connect your laptop to the
Internet.
• Phone-as-Modem Hacks
PDANet – for Windows OS, Treo,
Centro
• USB Modem
Buy a USB modem, and a $ plan.
• Hotspot Modem for Sharing
Mifi – A device that lets you create a hotspot,
with password.
 Tethered Phone
• If you have a smartphone, i.e. an
iPhone, a Palm Pre, or a Nokia, the
technology exists for using that
phone as your broadband modem.
• Now, you have to convince the
carriers to offer it, or do it outside
your TOS:
• AT&T – no tethering right now, but soon.
• Sprint – no tethering right now, but soon.
• Verizon – no tethering right now, but soon.
 USB Modem
• You can buy a little popsicle stick that
attaches to your computer’s USB port
and allows you to access the carrier’s
network.
• 2-year plan.
 Sprint, Verizon Hotspot
•
Modem
A relatively new gadget called “Mifi” works with
any WiFi device, connecting to mobile net,
creating WiFi cloud.

• Verizon -- $100 w 2-year service agreement ($50 rebate).

*Monthly: $40 [250 megabytes|$0.10/megabyte overage]
*$60 [5 gigabytes / $0.05 per megabyte overage].
*DayPass -- $400 for device and $15 per 24-hour access
period.
• Sprint -- $100 after $50 rebate, with a two-year contract.
Broadband-only for $60; or $150 monthly Simply
Everything
 Pay as you Go 3G
• Virgin Mobile USA
Broadband2Go on Sprint's Network
• Novatel USB broadband modem $149
from Best Buy
– $10 / month for 100MB of data usage for
10 days
– $20 / month 250MB
– $40 / 600MB
– $60 / 1GB of data usage
**--Bandwidth expires in 30 days
Pay as You Go
3G Coverage Atlantic
States, NE US
Computers+Webcams
Hardware
 Standard Computers

Allow you to perform more complex

editing tasks, and keyboard allows
texting using off-the-shelf or cloud-
based software/services. Good for
the Mojo.
 Netbooks

• What is a netbook?
7- to 12-inch notebooks powered by an Intel Atom
processor, capable of running a full operating system
such as Windows XP. Let’s you do simple editing.
MovieMaker. Blip.tv archive.
IDC forecasts manufacturers will ship 26.5 million “mini notebooks” by the end of
2009, or more than double the 11.6 million units shipped in 2008.

• On the Horizon:
Smartbooks -- netbook-like devices that run
smartphonechips and use operating systems such
as Android. Can play back HD video.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/06/netbook-evolution/
 Best Netbook, For Now

Experts say:
ASUS Eee PC 1000HE (EPC1000HE-
BLK005X)

~$400

Via Hardware Central Review

 Data Plans
Netbook with built-in 3G
• Verizon offers HP Mini for $199 with 2-year
plan and costs $40 to $60 per month with
caps on data.
Smartbooks and netbooks with integrated
3G also don’t make much sense if you also
own a laptop.
In this case, it’s better to have a USB
broadband modem so you can use one
wireless account with both mobile devices
(unfortunately there aren’t many laptops or
netbooks in the U.S. with a SIM card slot).
 Webcams
• Simple technology that can be
bundled to do some sophisticated
switching using cloud-based
software.
 Webcams

• Low-end
Microsoft LifeCam VX-5000

~$25-$35
640-by-480-pixel resolution for video, 1.3-megapixel sensor, performs in low light than other
cameras in its price class. It has an integrated microphone and a unique, flexible base that
can clip on to more surfaces than some other webcam mounts.http
://www.consumersearch.com/webcam-reviews

• Not Mac compatible

 Webcam
High End

Logitech's QuickCam Pro 9000

“A top-quality webcam with
outstanding optics, user-friendly
software and excellent audio.”
http://www.consumersearch.com/webcam-reviews/logitech-quickcam-pr
$73.38 from Amazon, $99 from Dell
* -- not Mac-compatible
Software
as
Service
 Livestreaming
• Livestreaming
Ability to stream video in real time.
Watch: WNYW/Fox 5 [
http://www.myfoxny.com/]
Livestream.com
Livestream.com Console
Livestream Interface
Ustream.tv
Ustream Dashboard
 Other players
Mobile clients: Stikam, Kyte, Qik,
Justin.tv
Video Social Networking:
• Seesmic http://seesmic.com/
• 12seconds http://12seconds.tv/
• Paltalk
• Oovoo
• Google Talk/Voice
• Skype
 Smartphones
Top 3
– Iphone – new edition is out, has video
– Nokia N97 – new. Pricey
– Palm Pre – new. Cool

For me, video and a QWERTY keyboard

are the critical factor in a purchase
decision.
 Smartphone Costs
• Smartphone costs:

“If you follow the rules, service for an

unlocked Nokia N97 or any other smart
phone will cost you as much as service for
any subsidized smart phone, BlackBerry or
iPhone that AT&T sells. These plans cost $30
a month for unlimited data and if you want
a texting plan you can choose from plans
that range in price from $5 a month to $20
a month for unlimited texting.”
 Bandwidth
• Average iPhone user eats up around
400 megabytes of capacity each
month.

• Average smartphoneusage is 40 to
80 megabytes.
• Roger Entner, head of telecom research for
Nielsen
 Mobile Video Services
• Qik.com

• Kyte.tv

• Flixwagon
Nokia N97
 Distribution
• Outbound information

Write once, distribute.

Innovation
Collecting Your Streams
Innovation
Services
 Smartphones
• Nokia says that 100M of the 1B
mobile phones sold last year were
smart phones, with perhaps 200M
smart phones to be sold in 2009.
Netbooks are also selling very well.
• http://viodi.com/2009/06/14/tiecon2009/
• Smartphones are still a small part of
the overall market — about 27
percent of mobile phone shipments
• http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/06/09/smartphones-apple-iphone-price.html
The Phone: It’s the tool most of
the world will use to see the

Cell phone adoption exceeds 100% in

many economies (Intel)
http://www.wimax.com/commentary/blog/blog-2009/june-2009/wimax-inside-0602

“By 2013, 90 percent of web traffic

will be [for] the distribution of video."

Mozilla's Mark Surman

 Networks, Reliability
• Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
3G Reliability, Availability
 The Teaching
Presentation of Materials
I’ll present this in class
Students will find examples
Hands-on practice
Students will be required to identify and
share news-worthy content in practice, then
live.
Written Test
Students will be graded on a basic
knowledge of best practices in mobile
journalism
Practicum
Students will report and produce using the