The site integrates photo galleries and videos optimized for viewing in the iPhone. Users can set local news options and send stories via email or text message.

I think one way that traditional news organizations can stay relevant and regain market share is to support hot new portable devices like the iPhone. This launch by AP shows that they’ve put a lot of time and effort into making their iPhone mobile news site a top notch destination.

Apple - Web apps - AP Mobile News Network

Technorati Tags: news, mobile, iphone

© Robert J. Safuto - visit the Awakened Voice Blog for more great content.

iWphone is a WordPress plugin that detects the iPhone/iPod Touch user agent and reformats the site accordingly. I know that the Safari browser on the iPhone is a nice one that allows you to view most web pages well. But I also feel that this optimized version looks so much better. Surf here on one of these devices and and let me know what you think.

© Robert J. Safuto - visit the Awakened Voice Blog for more great content.

Podcasters desperately need tools that extend their reach. They need tools that allow them to smooth the integration between their feeds and the various destinations where people find and consume content.

Do you really think that podcasters love having to take the time to post to Facebook and Twitter and MySpace, etc? Um, No! Time is money folks.

Likewise podcasters want to make sure that their shows present well on mobile devices. What’s the hottest mobile device of 2007? The iPhone/iPod Touch wins by a mile.

So the team over their at Wizzard used some common sense and put together a web based app for browsing a well formatted directory that allows you to find, manage, subscribe to and play podcast content right from your iPhone/iPod Touch.

I tried it today and the service works pretty darn well. Head over to http://iphone.wizzard.tv on your computer or iPod to check it out.

You can also check this video to see for yourself.

© Robert J. Safuto - visit the Awakened Voice Blog for more great content.

My Samsung Blackjack was 1 hour behind the sprung time. Thank heavens for Google! A quick search yielded a blog post which pointed me towards Microsoft.

I followed the instruction on the Windows Mobile Update for DST page and now I’m back on the right time.

[tags]Social Media, Mobile, DST, Windows Mobile[/tags]

© Robert J. Safuto - visit the Awakened Voice Blog for more great content.

The Apple iPhone has been officially announced at Macworld 2007. If this thing lives up to the specs presented by Steve Jobs then 2007 may be the year that portable social media takes off.

The implications for podcasting are clear. With iTunes integration, a Safari browser and enough hard drive space (4GB or 8GB) to store plenty of media, the iPhone may be the first fully integrated portable podcasting platform. This is great news for people who love to consumer portable digital content. What about goodies for content producers?

There’s a 2 megapixel camera and a microphone input. Integrated WiFi means you can create, then upload to a central server for editing or immediate distribution. The operating system running Mac OS X means a robust platform that can support rich media.

Apple has thrown down the gauntlet here. And this could mean that other hardware manufacturers will wake up and start building mobile phones that integrate better with standard software and accessories. Apple has a standard 3.5mm jack for earphones on this thing. My new Samsung BlackJack requires that you purchase a $30 set of custom earbuds which provide decent sound.

There are other snazzy features included with the iPhone including that huge touch screen. The point is that the sum of the features makes for a device that makes consuming, creating and distributing media over the web easy and fun. That’s a big win for everyone.

Now all Apple needs to do is actually deliver with a production device that works as well as the demo version. We’ll see in June of this year when the iPhone is scheduled to begin shipping.

[tags]Social Media, Podcasting, Apple, iPhone, Macworld 2007[/tags]

© Robert J. Safuto - visit the Awakened Voice Blog for more great content.

All of the top of the line phones accept flash memory cards up to 2GB. All of them play music and 3GP video. Some sync up with music subscription services. Most take pretty good photos and videos. All of them have some kind of access to the internet and email, usually at decent data speeds.

I’ve been a Nokia/Symbian user over the last two years with my Nokia 6620 and was leaning towards the new Nokia e62 for my upgrade. The lack of a camera and the data limitations (this model can’t access 3G mobile networks) put me off though. So I decided to go with the Samsung Blackjack which is classified as a Windows SmartPhone. Since this isn’t a mobile phone blog I’ll skip the excruciating details and move on to the point of the post.

The array of features available in the latest class of cell phones, combined with the availability of high speed 3G networks from cellular providers adds up to a more prominent role for mobile phones in the consumption of social media. Some new phones even have WiFi capability.

The fact is that these new phones have the storage space to hold a decent amount of media. They can play audio podcasts and even some video podcasts if they’re formatted correctly. An investment in a high speed data plan means that rich media can be accessed directly from the internet. Even without a high speed data plan users can simply transfer media from their computers with USB data cables or card readers.

Both phones mentioned above include RSS readers as part of their standard software package. The one on the BlackJack is pretty good and allows me to view feeds offline. The built in browser looks great when using my preferred option of Google Reader mobile version. These phones are definitely a boon to consumers of social media.

Publishers are getting closer to an all in one device as well. The camera on the BlackJack takes good pictures which can then be uploaded directly to my Flickr account. I can use the POP3 email capabilities to keep track of new comments posted to my blogs. The video capabilities are decent too with recording available at the podcast standard 320×240 resolution. MP3 Audio recording is available with certain 3rd party apps. Interesting indeed.

Now I don’t expect the production or consumption experience to approach the tools that people use today. These next gen phones tend to be the jack of all trades but a master of none. Sometimes the convenience of an all in one device is worth it though.

[tags]Social Media, Mobile, Samsung BlackJack, Windows Mobile[/tags]

© Robert J. Safuto - visit the Awakened Voice Blog for more great content.

Run out of Toronto, Canada by Howard Chui, the site has been online since 2001 and now has over 200,000 members. You can find just about anything you need to know about cellular service providers (including European carriers), cellphones, software, accessories and more on the site. There’s even a marketplace for mobile phone equipment.

The entire community is housed within the confines of what appears to be standard forum software with a few add ons. RSS and email subscription are supported so you can keep track of conversations without having to visit the site. There’s even a mobile version of the site at wap.howardforums.com.

I spent quite a bit of time away from the community but recently returned since I’ve been shopping for a new phone. I was glad to see the community going even stronger than it was two years ago. The site is obviously earning some revenue as they’ve incorporated more ads and also offer a premium membership level.

Other burgeoning communities and social networks can learn from the approach taken by Howard Forums. The focus on a topic that people are passionate about. They provide a simple, well organized environment with features that help users connect and share information. Finally, they moderate the environment to make sure that discussions stay on topic. It’s a pretty simple formula that you find practiced by other successful long term communities like eBay and Craigslist.

So while all of the sexy communities that reached into the stratosphere in 2006 (like MySpace and YouTube) featured rich media as a strong component of their success, there’s still plenty of room for niche communities based on ideas and opinions delivered with a good old stroke of the keys. In fact, earlier in 2006 CNET acquired a similar type of community (with a parenting focus) called UrbanBaby.com. My wife doesn’t have a MySpace page, but as soon as she got pregnant she was on Urban Baby.

So before you think about jumping into or jumping on the bandwagon of the latest hot online video venture, think about this. How many people thought in early 2000 that Craigslist would be worth millions and WebVan wouldn’t even exist in 2006? Some food for thought on social media hype.

[tags]Social Media, Communities, Forums, Mobile, Howard Forums, Hype[/tags]

© Robert J. Safuto - visit the Awakened Voice Blog for more great content.

The mobile version of Google Maps is a better alternative to a paper map in my opinion. No need to fold my phone up and over to find a spot. Just type in an address and you can zoom to see the streets in the area. So what’s social about this tool? If you’re heading to a social media event and need to find the location then it becomes a very social tool!

Mobile Gmail works really well on my phone too. A few months ago my carrier’s (Cingular) email service stopped working. Not sure why, but since I wasn’t paying extra for it they weren’t responsible to keep it going I guess. Enter the new mobile Gmail app. The thing is fast and it works very well with my Gmail account. What’s social about it? This tool allows me to monitor blog comments and even approve them when I’m on the go.

The mobile interface for Google Reader rocks! I like the idea of having my feeds set up in a hub and spoke model where the hub is on the web and the spokes are my cell phone and laptop. Google Reader has enabled the cell phone spoke. More and more I find myself checking up on my RSS feeds via my phone. Now that’s social!

There are a pair of caveats to mention when it comes to getting the most out of these tools. First, your phone needs to support Java apps. Second, you need to be on a data access plan with good coverage. Cingular has great GSM data coverage, at least they do in the places I frequent. I also happen to be on an unlimited phone data access plan that has now since been eliminated for new users. So you have to consider potential data access charges.

So if you’ve got the right phone, coverage and data plan you can really take advantage of these free tools that turn your phone into a powerhouse tool for managing your social media endeavors.

[tags]Social Media, Google, Google Mobile, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Reader, Nokia, Cingular, Cell Phone, GSM[/tags]

© Robert J. Safuto - visit the Awakened Voice Blog for more great content.