Landline Phones and “Smart” Phones

1) I dunno, James. I figure a smart phone is one that people remember to turn off at night. (I have the opposite problem: I have to remind myself to turn the “ring function” on in the morning by 10 or so if I don’t have any appointments that day—otherwise, I just flip the sound on as I’m heading out the door).

But, yes: I am on the market for a Blackberry or an iPhone. Next paycheck or so. This will not increase the rate at which I twitter: once a day, whether I need to or not.

And then there is that conventional wisdom that one doesn’t charge one’s cell phone in the bedroom, lest it cut down on interactions with one’s spouse. That strategy, however, negates the advantage of having a cell phone on hand in case of fire (which can melt wiring in a hurry).

The compromise there would be to not charge it on the nightstand, and for crying out loud not to look at the screen unless there’s an emergency.

2) I am, however, about to buy a landline. One of those ones with one wired base plus a wireless satellite or two, so the main phone is still usable in an emergency. Do I plan to give my landline phone number to anyone new, aside from phone-conferencing contacts? Um, maybe. My mom has it, so I kind of get enough grief over that line anyway. (Yes, she apologized today. No, it wasn’t a lot better than I anticipate Letterman doing tonight, but it’s a bit late in the day for anyone to change.)

The TV Studio in Your Hand: The Future of News Gathering

Anyone can buy a high-definition video recorder for the price of a nice pair of shoes. They can get that video online minutes after it’s recorded. Most people watching — perhaps mainly the younger ones — won’t mind that the image is shaky and the sound is shoddy, as long as the story is covered instantly on the scene. What does this say about the future of professional broadcast news?

The soundtrack for today’s column is provided by the Dex Romweber Duo and their new CD, “Ruins of Berlin.” It’s a choice slice of rockabilly heaven with several tunes that would fit right in streaming from a jukebox in some blood-soaked Quentin Tarantino epic. Yet for all the retro goodness in the sound, my vision was filled with newfangled digital technology the night I saw the band in a smoky East Atlanta bar.

That’s because Dex and Sara Romweber weren’t 10 seconds into their first song when several people in the audience, including a good friend of mine who we’ll call the Rev. Al, had whipped out their smartphones and handheld digital camcorders to capture the action on stage. At that point, Dex’s wailing guitar, Sara’s energetic drumming and all that smoke had to compete with two other elements wafting through the air; digital bits of information wirelessly heading to other smartphones, personal Web sites and YouTube , as well as the potential Digital Millenium Copyright Act violations that flew along for the ride.

Obviously, it wasn’t the first time somebody in a crowded nightclub, or a crowded concert hall or sports arena, decided to share an artist and record label’s property with the world thanks to the fairly recent advent of handheld digital video recording and 3G networks. YouTube is full of such moments in all their raw, shakycam glory. Yet several technological and social waves are breaking at just the right time to take things like unauthorized music marketing — and DIY journalism — to another level.

Just days after the Romwebers rocked the house in Atlanta, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) executives rocked the worlds of the Mac faithful attending the annual Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco with the announcement of a new iPhone 3GS. The best-marketed smartphone with what many consider the easiest-to-use software interface now has video recording capabilities, an “upload to YouTube” button and in-phone video editing for scubbing a little of that rawness off. A few news-oriented blogs and Web sites, including the New York Times’ Media Decoder blog, argue all this sets the table for a new feast of citizen journalism (despite comments from anti-Apple snarkarellas that other phones have long had video capabilities.)

It’s hard to argue against the supposition that more cameras shooting better-quality video in the untrained hands of more people will mean more opportunities to capture breaking news — but what about trained hands? Shouldn’t traditional journalists be lining up at their neighborhood Apple Store or AT&T (NYSE: T) outlet on June 19 when the 3GS hits retail?

Another question that encompasses both breaking news and broken guitar strings: Are we training a new generation of news junkies and music lovers to consume less-than-professional video?

Sweet Technology, Sour Notes

The Rev. Al, an unrepentant rockabilly fanatic who knows a good cease-and-desist order when he’s sent one, was using a Creative Vado HD digital camcorder to record the Romwebers and the Detroit Cobras. Like the popular Flip MinoHD, the images look good and the audio is better than expected, in my opinion. Al thinks so too. “One plus is that when you post these 720p HD videos on YouTube, you get the option of watching it in a much bigger frame. Of course your PC (or Mac) has to have a really good video card,” he tells me in a Facebook posting.

His Facebook and MySpace pages get the brunt of his video postings, along with YouTube, but he will take down anything when notified by copyright holders. Most of his past violations have involved postings of professionally made videos of classic rockabilly/country/pop artists. However, the Rev. Al believes he’s doing the Lord’s work when he posts DIY video of the proverbial up-and-coming band in the hopes that somebody who sees it will plug the name into Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and buy a ticket to a show or purchase their music. Citizen marketing, meet the Dex Romweber Duo.

“You hope that’s the way that works. At least that’s the lovely little ‘long tail’ theory,” laughs Rob Miller, cofounder/owner of Bloodshot Records, the independent record label based in Chicago that lists the Romwebers and Detroit Cobras among their artists. Miller is, of course, referring to Wired magazine Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson’s “long tail” theory (from the 2006 book of the same name) that puts niche-loving consumers and more economical, grassroots distribution methods at the heart of a Web-enabled economy. You can’t get more niche than rockabillly, but Miller still has his reservations.

“Given our fan base, given what we do, I understand where it comes from. It’s generally a good place, and they do want to spread [the music] around,” Miller tellls me in a telephone interview. “But the fact of the matter is, from the quality standpoint, it sometimes scares me when I do go on YouTube and type in, ‘Detroit Cobras,’ and I see 9,000 videos, and 8,796 are absolute sh*t. Do you want somebody to judge this band based on a really enthusiastic but probably intoxicated guy, where the center of the (video) frame is the mike stand and the sound is terrible?

“The great, horrendous thing about the Internet it that is has put the power into the hands of everyone, be it music, putting up your band on MySpace, or video or photography or writing. That quality filter has been removed and there’s good things about that and bad things.”

Yet Miller believes Bloodshot isn’t in a position to really do anything about the user-generated Scorseses in their audiences, other than try to use the label’s Web site to steer fans towards the better-quality DIY videos. The label’s artists, meanwhile, run the gamut of reactions; some don’t care and welcome the viral marketing; others complain on a fairly regular basis, Miller says. Not so long ago, the talk within Bloodshot focused on what to do about it. “Now that seems like such an arcane discussion. It’s like talking about, ‘Jeez, look at all these cars, where are we going to park all the horses?’”

Handheld News Gathering

If the new iPhone 3GS does set off a stampede of new customers eager to try out the new video features, I hope that traditional journalists are among those standing in line. Organizations like the Online News Association (ONA) are already planning on helping them seize the day when they grab their smartphones.

Multimedia news consultant Janine Warner and David LaFontaine have submitted a proposal for a seminar at the October ONA Conference titled “Mobile Reporting: How to File From Where You Are With What You’ve Got.” Janine shared the seminar description with me in an email: “In this session, we’ll explore some of the best practices in reporting being done with high-end mobile devices, such as the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N95, Blackberry, and (of course) the iPhone. We’ll also offer a few tips for how to get the most out of simpler phones, such the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) RZR, when you need to at least file a text message and a photo. Bring the phone you’ve got (or play with the demo models we’ll have on hand).” This was submitted before Monday’s Apple announcement at its Worldwide Developers Conference, so Janine and David will no doubt be quickly familiarizing themselves with the editing capabilities in the 3GS.

What’s being overlooked, I think, in all of the usual Mac hullaballoo is the new iPhone’s still camera. Many other smartphones have long featured 3 megapixel-plus power, so Apple upping its device to that range isn’t all that groundbreaking. However, it might still be a better phone for capturing blink-of-an-eye news photos, for which there remains a market even in the 24/7 mediaverse. Apple says it’s added focusing features and better low-light performance.

“They talked about auto white balance, which isn’t something unusual. It’s something we’ve come to expect on phones,” says Kevin Burden, research director for ABI Research. “How well they implement it is going to be the interesting part. We’re all familiar with the fact that most camera phones don’t take very good pictures. The issue tends to be around the white balance of the phone. If you can improve white balance, where the shutter stays open for a fraction of the time that it does now, you get better-quality shots. That’s why shots tend to blur right now. This is Apple’s first try at it. We’ll see how they do it. Will they raise the bar?”

Where’s that bar heading now with more webcam/Skype interviews, Flip video and cell phone still-shots taking up more room on cable and local news rundowns? There are already hard-drives full of videotaped discussion, I’m sure, at recent news confabs about a younger generation that’s used to watching less-than-stellar video and doesn’t really have a problem with it. That’s okay with me, I guess. It’s just that after spending years scratching and clawing to reach a certain level in the broadcast news business so I could finally get the opportunity to work with experienced, top-notch photographers and editors armed with expensive cameras and Avid technologies to make me and my stories look great, it’s a tad weird to be checking out US$129 HD cameras the size of iPods at the nearest Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) and thinking, “How can I use this to get a story on the air?”

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Driving with cell phones

The idea of banning the use of hand-held telephones when driving is shortsighted.

Continuing to push the effort at the state Legislature might also be more of a way to draw headlines than provide for motorist safety.

Despite a Louisiana Senate vote of 27-4 against a 2008 bill by state Rep. Austin Badon, the New Orleans Democrat is back at it this year with a bill that would ban Louisiana motorists from using hand-held telephones while driving. A House committee approved the bill Monday, and the measure now moves to the House floor for debate.

Badon is arguing hand-held phones impair a driver’s ability to drive safely by creating blind spots, particularly when turning or merging onto a highway.

“When you look at the … steering capa-city, because one of your hands is tied up, it does make a difference,”Badon said according to the Associated Press.

If Badon’s contention is cell phones cause unsafe driving circumstances when one of a motorist’s hands are tied up on the phone, why does this bill not include food restrictions, tobacco dip restrictions and car stereo remote control restrictions?

If a motorist can legally pass through a fast food restaurant and buy a value meal that includes a big kahuna burger, large soft drink and french fries and then is legally allowed to negotiate that meal while weaving in and out of traffic on U.S. 90, then we should be able to use our hand-held cellular devices to make phone calls.

The same goes for fans of tobacco products like Skoal or those with fancy car stereos that have remote control access. Those products require hands for use but are not mentioned in Badon’s bill.

This bill appears to be nothing more than an attention grabber, as much designed to circulate the author’s name as it is to enhance motorist safety. If the bill tried to prevent the distraction of one of a motorist’s hands by making it illegal to occupy them with anything other than pursuits of driving, instead of solely focusing on hand-held phones, it would be more honest and effective.

HTC TOUCH Windows mobile – Ruling the Heart of Millions

When talking about HTC only one thing comes to mind “Smart Mobility”, the company really keeps up to its words. HTC Corporation is a company famous for its smart mobile phones and often jumps out of the ordinary with innovative and latest designs and technology. Founded just about a decade back, the company has become has earned a renowned name in the market. The company has really worked hard and has been giving its best performance and products to the world. Additionally, the company is well known for its work with Microsoft on advertising and popularization of Windows OS based phones.

One such mobile phone by HTC is the HTC Touch phone ruling the hearts of millions with its gorgeous looks and numerous features. You can experience the new sensation by just taking it in your hands. With this handset, the internet explorer is in your hands 24×7. As it is equipped with Windows Mobile 6 Professional surfing the net, sending and receiving mails from Hotmail and Yahoo becomes easier and handy. Now chatting on the messenger, sending photos through Windows Live gets quick and off course it can be used anywhere and without any hassles.

This HTC Touch phone has something magical; you will always remember the first touch. The touch screen is so easy to use that even a child can use it and it provides with simple user interface. With the Touch FLO screen technology, HTC Touch boasts of quick dialing, web browsing and entertainment. This HTC Touch Mobile gives a new definition to mobile phones, as it opens a new world for its users, providing him with media, communication and social interaction.

The most remarkable feature of the HTC Touch phone is the memory and the various audio formats it supports. The special piece has a total internal memory of 128 MB, which can be extended up till 1GB, making it possible for you to store songs, movies, videos, etc. The audio formats supported by the Window Media Player are: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WMA, WAV, QCELP, MPEG4, AMR-VB, AMR-WBA and MIDI, making it possible for you to listen any song without worrying about the song format. The display screen of this HTC Touch Phone is big enough to give you a crystal clear views of whatever you see, be it the functions or videos. This HTC Touch phone has a 2.0MP CMOS color camera, which gives new dimensions to photography and cherishing special people and special moments.

This HTC mobile Phone model has specialized in making your life easy and simple and with the handset in your hand makes you stylish also. This mobile phone seamlessly brings your professional and personal near giving you relaxation and new edges to life.

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