Hasta La Gadget!

We usually associate smartphones in news reporting with citizen journalism, not full-time journalists. However, a confluence of events has just led to the BBC’s Nick Garnett becoming a pioneer for mobile broadcasting on the professional level. When a shortage of satellite trucks prevented Garnett from getting the usual video feed for the BBC News Channel, he successfully arranged the British network’s first live video interview piped through a smartphone. The key, Garnett says, was Dejero’s Live+ iPhone app: while live streaming apps are already commonplace, Dejero’s let him merge the 3G and WiFi connections together, getting enough bandwidth to make a TV-worthy broadcast in a country where LTE is still very new. Combined with some very ad hoc staging and help from the BBC’s technical teams, the coordination resulted in a surprisingly smooth interview about flooding in northeastern England with relatively few hints of the extra-tiny recording equipment involved. It’s unlikely that broadcast crews will reach to their pockets for live coverage solutions before anything else, but the BBC is actively testing Dejero and other apps that could make smartphones as much a part of the field reporting arsenal as a camcorder and an eye for a good story. As we can’t embed the clip, check the source link to see it for yourself.

Update: We’ve now managed to embed the clip after the break.

Continue reading BBC News Channel conducts live video interview over smartphone, goes where satellites can’t (update with video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Alt

BBC News Channel conducts live video interview over smartphone, goes where satellites can’t (update with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google launched a new app today called Field Trip. The company says that it’s essentially “your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you.” It works as a virtual tour guide of sorts, automatically providing you with information of a particular point of interest that you come across.

The information the app provides can range from historical facts about a location to reviews of a nearby restaurant. And like Google Now, it relies on your location to give you the most relevant and useful information. You could think of Field Trip as a sort of extension of Google Now, only it feeds you information automatically instead of having to ask for it first.

John Hanke, a vice president of product at Google, says “the idea behind the app was to build something that would help people connect with the real, physical world around them…It’s always running in the background, so it knows where you are and is always looking to see if something interesting is in your immediate physical environment.” He also mentioned that one thing Google wanted to focus on was moving the device out of the way and giving you the information as soon as possible without any annoying barriers.

Obviously, the app probably won’t be much help if you use it locally, but if you’re traveling to a different city (especially a big one) that you’re not too familiar with, Google’s Field Trip aims to help you out. Field Trip is a free download and it’s available now in the Google Play store.

[via The New York Times]

Google Field Trip app acts as a virtual tour guide is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Google recently announced to developers the availability of a new “Services” platform, to allow better integration of its core products in 3rd party apps. The update comes in the form of an APK that will automatically find its way to handsets with Android 2.2 and above. But, for the impatient amongst you, it’s available for download directly from the Play store now. This first release centers around better integration for Google+ (for account sign-in / Plus buttons etc) and providing OAuth 2.0 functionality, but it’s expected that deeper functionality with the Google universe will take root soon. Most handily, as Mountain View decided to deliver this in the form of an app / APK, there’s no pesky waiting around for networks to get it to you. Read up on the benefits via the more coverage links, or head to the source to make sure you’re on-board.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Google Play services arrives for Android 2.2 and above, the eager can download directly originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Foursquare is on an update tear. Aside from the “Always On” feature it introduced recently, the company just rolled out a new iPhone update that lets users create more personalized maps. Compatible with iOS 6, the update improves upon the existing Explore map with a more tailored search experience — you can map out places you haven’t been, top destinations, favorite spots, or where your friends have checked in. The app also promises to be faster and to have an improved design that takes advantage of the iPhone 5‘s larger screen. The new update certainly goes along with the company’s philosophy that Foursquare is a discovery and recommendations engine rather than just another social service. Let’s just hope the new Apple Maps doesn’t hamper that experience.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile

Foursquare rolls out iPhone 5 / iOS 6 update, Explore gains more personalization options originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TweetDeck is Twitter’s professional desktop client, though you might not always know it given that the app is sometimes out of step with its more pedestrian siblings. Today, Twitter is presenting a unified front in a more timely fashion. The web versions of TweetDeck now show the expanded tweets and header photos that reached the iPad and mobile apps a week ago. No major surprises are waiting in the wings save for the absence of a matching update to the native Mac and Windows apps — hopefully, that’s a gap that closes soon.

Filed under: Internet

TweetDeck for the web slips in expanded tweets and header photos originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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