Carnival of Journalism (#jcarn): Tips for using your iPhone as a jack-of-all-media-devices

Note: This post is another installment for the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Carnival of Journalism project (#jcarn), where people passionate about journalism are sharing ideas in the blogosphere about ways to preserve and improve the craft. This month’s topic: Hack my workflow. What are the tools, apps, etc. that make you more efficient?

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For years, I used my mobile phone as just that: a phone.

I resisted the push toward the cool, shiny smartphones. I didn’t buy into the Blackberry hype. I was fine with the Nokia hockey puck that came free with my less-than-geek phone plan.

And then came Father’s Day 2008.

That’s when my wife generously bought me a first-generation iPhone, and the device morphed from phone to the jack-of-all-media-devices.

Since that time, I have loaded and unloaded dozens of apps — yes, I’ve since upgraded to an iPhone 4 — trying to find the best way to configure the machine for maximum usability and efficiency.

Here are a few of my favorite iPhone tips:

• Integrate Twitter and Instapaper: The Twitter app is the most frequently used on my phone. I check it whenever I have spare moments, waiting in line or sitting at a doctor’s office. I have three primary accounts for various purposes, and all can be accessed by this single app. My main account, @grovesprof, serves as my main news feed, and often, people I follow recommend fabulous links that I just don’t have time to read when I’m scanning headlines. So I quickly open the link and then hit the forward button (the square with an arrow bounding out of it) and click “Read Later.” The added benefit: If it’s a full Web site, Instapaper automatically formats the page for mobile reading. And when you update your Instapaper feed, it’s readable even when you’re offline (such as on an airplane).
• Turn the phone into your social-media device: In addition to Twitter, I have my e-mail accounts as well as Facebook, Tumblr, Foursquare, and WordPress all available. I don’t check them as frequently as Twitter, but I can quickly scan those sites as well to ensure I’m not missing important messages. Also, use the camera on your phone; you can share photos almost instantaneously. It’s a great way of capturing life as it happens.
• Take advantage of Calendar alerts: I admit it. I am the quintessential absent-minded professor. I forget stuff all the time. So I sync my iPhone calendar with Microsoft Outlook, load in all of my events, and have the calendar remind one day before an event/meeting happens. For some reason, the full-day alert helps me remember more effectively.
• Train your brain with Brain Trainer/Words With Friends/Bejeweled 2 Blitz: Yes, I do have a few games to while away the time. I find these three allow you to have fun in small one- to five-minute increments and strengthen your brain in the process. I swear these apps have improved my attention and ability to sight-read music.
• Limit your pushes: I don’t have apps push me data, in part because it’s a drain on the battery. Instead, I’ve set my Twitter account to alert me via text message only when someone @mentions me or DMs me. It’s far more efficient.
• Connect to the cloud: Dropbox is a fabulous tool for multiple-access folders in the cloud. It appears on your home computer and laptop, and it’s accessible via Web and iPhone app. The app is great for accessing and editing documents on the fly.
• Don’t forget the iPod: For years, I had a phone and an iPod, and the primary draw of the iPhone to me was its built-in iPod. Each week, I load a variety of podcasts and play them at double-speed. At first, the semi-chipmunk voices are disconcerting, but I’ve learned to listen this way over the past several months to consume more podcasts in less time. They’re great for car rides and treadmill runs. My favs: PBS NewsHour, NPR’s Fresh Air, and This American Life.
• Learn to read on an iPhone: At first, it’s a bit awkward to read for lengthy periods of time on the tiny screen. But I’ve found a number of free books and discovered a great app called Overdrive Media Console at our library that allows me to check out e-books on my phone. (The iPhone 4′s diamond-sharp Retina screen definitely helps.)

Sticking with the iPhone 4: Pros and cons after four months

In September, the home button on my iPhone 4 failed after a month. I called Apple Support and got a replacement phone (with an annoying $29.99 overnight shipping fee). Of course, the company had to determine that I was warranty-worthy. Fortunately, I was.

So here I am, four months in with the new iPhone, with a tinge of Android regret. Some tweeps I follow are quite enamored of their Droid phones, and AT&T’s cell service is less than robust, especially when you travel. And Apple increasingly seems to come across as the Evil Empire, as Steve Jobs seeks to control everything.

Still, I remain satisfied with the iPhone 4.

My initial impressions still hold for the most part, with a couple of annotations:

• Keyboard issues: It appears my space-bar problems were related to imperfections in my particular phone. I’ve not had  the typing issues with the new phone (although autocorrect still drives me — and apparently others — crazy.)
• Battery life: For the most part, I can go an entire day doing what I need to do, unless I turn on all passive functionality (push notifications, location services, and wifi). I’ve tried various contortions and found that wifi is the biggest hog of them all; it’s best to keep it off unless you are in a wifi hotspot.
• Video: I’ve experimented a bit more with the video camera and have been quite pleased with the results. I also bought a camera app (ProCamera) to add some video functions (such as a horizon finder). Here is a clip I shot at a Lifehouse concert in October and uploaded directly to YouTube from my phone.

• Memory: I find that rebooting the phone occasionally helps flush out the memory. A couple of apps (such as the aforementioned ProCamera app) seem to get gummed up over time.

When I am in a 3G area, AT&T’s connection usually is speedy. I’ve been able to watch video when needed, and the Twitter and Tumblr apps connect quickly to their respective networks. And I’ve not had too much of an issue with dropped calls.

I did take advantage of the free Apple bumper program and recently switched from the cumbersome Rocketfish cover to the sleeker bumper. However, the free bumper program ended in September, leading Consumer Reports to maintain its “not recommended” rating for the iPhone 4.

Favorite iPhone apps

Over the past couple of years, I’ve also found my user habits changing some as apps have morphed and the iOS has changed. Here’s my top 10 list of favorite iPhone apps, in order of usage:

• Twitter (free): I switched from Twitterrific to the standard Twitter app after a revision eliminated the ability to connect to multiple accounts. Twitter’s free app (originally Tweetie) offers the ability to connect to multiple accounts, save draft tweets, and pass links to Instapaper — all for free. I check Twitter more often than anything else on my phone.
• Bejeweled 2 ($2.99): I played the Blitz version of this game, which allows me to compete against Facebook friends. You try to collect as many jewels in patterns of three, four, or five in a row in one minute. Warning: It’s extremely addicting.
• Dungeon Hunter (free demo, $4.99): I was fortunate to have grabbed this swords and sorcery game for 99 cents. It’s every bit as good as Diablo, with a good storyline, intuitive interface, and superb graphics.
• Tumblr (free): Tumblr is becoming the new geek spot as Twitter becomes more crowded. It’s a blend of blogging and tweeting, and the app allows you to check your account and post from the road.
• Foursquare (free): Yes, I’ve gotten sucked into checking in like a lemming. The big advantage of this location-based app — which uses the iPhone location services to find you — is finding tips for various places, such as favorite menu items or hidden gems. It’s also geeky fun to earn a badge or become a mayor.
• Netflix (free, with annual subscription): We already had a Netflix membership, and with the basic subscription, you get free instant streaming. The quality is surprisingly good, and I’ve watched several movies this way. It’s much easier to sit on the couch watching the iPhone than viewing on my laptop.
• Shazam (free, five songs a month): This app will identify songs you hear. Just hit the button, record a 10-second sample, and in a few seconds, Shazam’s servers will identify the song. It’s pretty hard to stump. I just hate that they’ve now put a five-song limit on updated versions of the free edition.
• ProCamera ($2.99): This app adds some nice functions to the iPhone’s camera, including image stabilization and lens-finder grids for lining up your images appropriately. It is a bit buggy, though, and has locked up on me a few times.
• NanoStudio ($15.99): This app is the priciest I’ve bought, but it is worth every penny, unleashing the incredible audio power of the iPhone. It is a fully functional sampler and multitrack music studio, every bit as powerful as programs that cost four to five times as much. Its built-in instruments have extraordinary sound, and you can produce some amazing tracks using the app. It’s a great way to jot down musical ideas on the fly.
• Ringtone Maker (free): This app makes it easy to carve up songs for ringtones. The only problem: The process of plugging back in to iTunes to get the ringtones is convoluted. But hey, it’s free.

My iPhone 4 struggles: A sporadic home button

After a couple of hours with Apple tech support, I now have a sporadic home button on my iPhone 4.

I tried rebooting the phone, and then, after backing up, I restored the phone. Weirdly, this action resulted in sporadic functioning of the home button.

For some apps such as Twitter, the button worked fairly well. For others, I had to hold it down or press more firmly to get any action. There was no consistency to the action.

“It kinda works,” I told the guy.

” ‘Kinda works?’ ” he asked. “So what do you want to do?”

“I want another phone.”

At this point, I had two options: I could wait for Apple to send me a box, send the phone back to the company, and wait 7-10 days. Or I could give him my credit-card number, allowing them to block out $699. Apple would then overnight me a new phone with a return box for my defective one.

I opted for the overnight and should get it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Part of my problems seemed to start once I loaded iOS 4.0.2. Has anyone else experienced strange behavior since the upgrade?

iPhone 4 revisited: Death of the home button

Today, the home button on my iPhone 4 died.

I push to my heart’s content, but nothing happens. Everything else works: The top button, the volume buttons, the touch screen. But the home button is useless.

I called Apple Support, and the specialist walked me through some basic steps like rebooting, but he seemed to think it was a hardware issue. (Apparently, I am not the first to encounter this problem.) I will find out more tonight when I try a full restore through my home iTunes, the apparent last-ditch effort before sending the thing back to Apple headquarters.

I’ll update the blog as I learn more. But given my previous endorsement of the product, I felt I had to share a quick post.

Kind of ironic it happened on the day when Steve Jobs unveiled iOS 4.1.

The most powerful tweet in the world: Chuck Norris, the iPhone 4 and @ceoSteveJobs

Most tweets exist in the Twittersphere for a few hours. They enter followers’ streams with dozens of others, soon to be cleared out by the latest links, thoughts, and observations of other Twitterers.

Some may last a bit longer in the form of retweets. But a rare few survive for weeks as retweeted retweets, restatements, and reiterations.

Such was the case with a recent tweet about Chuck Norris and the iPhone 4.

I first saw this tweet a couple of weeks ago as a retweet of the parody account @ceoSteveJobs, who tweeted on Aug. 10:

The tweet had the right mix of timeliness, humor, and universality, three critical criteria for anything to go viral.

A strange thing then began to happen. I noticed people began appropriating this tweet as their own, without giving credit. I saw it in my stream as “original” content. I also noticed it among self-proclaimed tech gurus.

I’m sure such repetition happens often on Twitter, but here, the Twittersphere began policing itself. People challenged the copiers and demanded that they give credit through retweeting or the “via” tag.

Bartlett responded with a tweet explaining he had overheard the comment from a friend and tweeted it.

Like a Chuck Norris action hero, the tweet kept on going as aggregators embraced the meme, again without sourcing the original tweet.

Then, like the old game of Telephone, the tweet began to morph into new iterations. People with dozens of followers tweaked the words, and the tweet began life anew in retweet after retweet.

@davidrisley posted this form on Aug. 18, a full week after @ceoSteveJobs:

A couple of days later, it spread in other languages, to other countries.

By this point, I became curious how long a tweet could linger. I’ve been on Twitter for almost three years, and I can’t remember a tweet with such a long lifespan. So I began digging.

Lo and behold, @ceoSteveJobs was not the original creator.

I found a tweet from June 25 crafted by @vowe, a consultant and systems architect from Darmstadt, Germany, with more than 1,600 followers. His tweet had been retweeted more than 100 times.

Is it the original most powerful tweet? Only the Twittersphere knows.

(Note: This post focuses on tweets surviving in real time on Twitter proper. Some do live on for months and years in web archives and leaderboard-type sites such as Favstar.)

A month with iPhone 4: Initial impressions

The iPhone and I

Earlier this summer, I waffled on whether to stick with the iPhone or switch to an Android phone. After some handwringing, I opted for the iPhone 4.

A month in, I remain satisfied.

Before you scream “Fanboy!“, let me confess that I, too, fretted about the antenna woes, the battery life concerns that arose with iOS 4.0.1, the growing Apple empire. But I’ve found my personal experience differs somewhat from that of the early rush of bloggers and journalists.

Granted, part of my decision to stick with Apple stems from habit. I’ve had an iPhone since 2008, and I’ve grown quite attached to its functionality and a number of its apps. I didn’t really want to spend time fiddling with a new operating system and app store.

With that in mind, let me share a few good/bad observations from my first months with the new device:

The Good

• The screen: The much-touted 960-x-640-pixel Retina display is beyond sharp. Even a month later, I’m in awe of the screen’s clarity.
• Responsive OS: Compared with my iPhone 2G, this device moves silkily from screen to screen with little effort. I’ve experienced none of the chokes of my previous phone.
• Solid structure: The metal frame and thick screen feel sturdier than just about any other phone I’ve felt. It almost dares you to drop it.
• Improved audio: This improvement is not appreciated often enough. As an audiophile, I find the sound clarity (both through the headphone and charging jacks) much improved over my iPhone 2G: Fuller bass, better separation, sharper imagery.
• Front-facing camera: I love this feature. It’s great for those pics you need when no one else is around to shoot you and your loved one, and you don’t want to resort to the “mirror shot.”
• GPS: I love how quickly the phone responds when I’m lost. On a recent trip to Denver, the iPhone saved me from missing an important presentation. (Warning: Real-time GPS does suck up the battery power.)

The Bad

• The keyboard/screen: On my iPhone 2G, I became adept at tapping out messages with the on-screen keyboard. But I seem to make more mistakes with this phone, either because of the screen or the OS. The spacebar is especially finicky and often fails to register unless I really poke it.
• The antenna: The first day I had the phone, I dropped a couple of calls, including one to AT&T Customer Service. As soon as I bought a $15 Rocketfish cover (see photo) — which I planned on buying anyway — I have not had a problem with dropped calls.
• The forced obsolescence: I have a charging block from a previous iPod that will not work with this iPhone. Also, the cable on my car stereo — which works perfectly with my iPhone 2G and iPods — will not charge the iPhone 4.

The Undecided

• Battery life: I’m still playing with the right mix of settings for optimal battery life. Most days, I can surf the Internet, listen to music, play Bejeweled 2, write e-mails, scan Twitter, take some calls, and shoot a few pictures — and still have charge before bedtime. The biggest issue I’ve found is that occasionally, an app (usually Safari with multiple windows) will remain open and gulp down the power.
• Multitasking: You mean bopping back and forth between apps? Few apps truly operate in the background, and I find myself using the phone fundamentally the way I have in the past: One app at a time.
• Video: I don’t like that you can’t zoom, and I have recorded a couple of loud events that seemed to overwhelm the microphone. But the HD video is extremely clear. At this point, it’s too early to judge because I honestly don’t use this function much. It is, however, good to have in a pinch (especially for those kid events where you don’t want to lug around a camera).

I know there’s been much made of the antenna problem, but those critics miss a major point about iPhone users like me: My iPhone is a personal media device, not a phone. The majority of my time is spent on the Internet, not talking on the phone. For $199, it was definitely worth the upgrade.

And when I use it as a phone, it works just fine.

What are your experiences with the iPhone 4? Am I abnormal?