Tools of the trade
- 4 Jan 07, 12:53 PM
What technology does an online journalist use to cover the world's largest technology conference?
Thankfully, unlike my colleagues in television and radio I don't have to worry about booking satellite feeds, or concern myself with international TV standards, upload speeds or how footage will be edited.
Life is simpler for the online journalist - but not without its challenges. The priority always is getting text - or copy as we call it - back to the journalists in London so it can be formatted for the web.
I can connect remotely to the software we use to write for the web but everything must be checked - subbed - before it goes live on the website.
The key pieces of equipment include:
A laptop (HP 6120) - all of our stories and blog entries will be written on this machine. The most important feature of the laptop is its ability to connect to the internet wirelessly. In order to send back stories and photos I'll need to access one of the many free wi-fi networks in operation in Las Vegas.
It might not be the sexiest laptop around - but it gets the job done... eventually.
A digital camera (Canon 350D) - I'm not a professional photographer but pictures are an essential part of any online news story. All of my pictures for CES will be included in our CES which you are welcome to join.
An MP3 player/recorder (Creative Zen Nano plus and iRiver) - I've had my fingers burnt in the past using a hard disk-based audio recorder so I'm taking two devices. One is a flash based recorder while the other has a small hard disk drive.
The beauty of these devices is that any audio can be dragged and dropped onto my computer so if I want to e-mail the interviews to anyone I can.
A wi-fi enabled mobile phone (Nokia N80) - sometimes you don't want to have to open your laptop and log in to check e-mail or the latest news on the blogs.
A PDA/mobile phone (Palm Treo 750v) - I want to be able to see all of my appointments at a glance and I can sync the Palm Treo to my laptop to pick up e-mails, calendar etc. Sadly it doesn't have wi-fi - hence the need for two mobile phones.
Cables - Lots and lots of power cables, charger, plug adapters etc. It may be the wireless networked world but until power and charging go wire-free it remains very much a wired world at large.
Non-work technology
PSP - The PlayStation Portable may have not become the Walkman of the 21st Century as envisaged by Sony but it remains a very useful device. I use mine mainly to play games - it will be invaluable on the 12 hour flight to Las Vegas - and to watch movies.
I rip movies that I own into a format that the PSP can understand and playback. Sadly in the eyes of the law that makes me a criminal.
iPod - I own a 3rd generation 40GB iPod which is probably the only piece of technology that travels everywhere with me.
The battery life is now non-existent and I doubt it will last even a third of the journey from London to Las Vegas but with my entire record collection - 5,600 songs - on it, it's the one must-have device.
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yikes, i hope you find something more interesting to write about at the show.
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Interesting set of equipment. I'm always fascintated by what people on the road use to get the job done.
I also have a 3rd generation 40GB iPod. Do what I did when the battery started to weaken: go to ipoddoctor.co.uk and buy a replacement battery. It cost less than £30 and I changed it myself in about ten minutes.
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Why don't you just syncronize your calendar to your mobile phone?
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Thanks for this very useful piece! But can you please tell us a bit more about how these devices work while doing your job? For example, those MP devices produce ±«Óãtv-quality sound? Can you use it for the radio broadcast? Or do you need a proper audio-recording machine for that? What other MP devices/brands are good for simlar purposes?
And how would you use your phone to check your e-mail if your inbox is filled with thousands of messages you want to keep there?
Similarly more info about the laptop (and its alternatives) and the way the PDA work would be appreciated.
We would be looking forward to reading your reporting about the new devices in CES, which are useful for online and similar journalism. Good luck!
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Looking forward to your coverage. I'm so jealous I won't be there but I planning on doing CeBit in March :)
Make sure you have comfy shoes as your feet will be well used next week :)
Nige
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Curious to know if journalists get special dispensation to exceed hand-baggage limits, assuming you are not checking in any of this crucial equipment.
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A true journalist simply requires one thing: THE BLACKBERRY PEARL.
To direct the financial, media, network, fiscal, finance, auto, junk capitals of the planet in which we are all stuck!
Yet we are get there...eventually.
Salam.
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Like you I have to carry a number of devices whilst on business travel, I am always on the lookout to combine technical functions into a single unit so that I don’t have to carry synchronising leads, power cables and adapters for all these devices we heavily rely on. My star device is my PDA – it is my phone, diary, e-mail client, note pad. It integrates with all my desktop office application seamlessly. With it being also wireless enabled I can run my VOIP application for free telephone calls as well. Perhaps you can reduce the two phones into a single PDA device.
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Dump the iPod and PDA. Any decent phone can replace those. Camera, it it depends.
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The best solution i have found to the multiple power supplies needed to charge portable devices is a mutli voltage "universal" charger , although electronics manufactures keep producing devices with odd power connectors or requiring strange voltages to try to tie in the user. One area in dire need to a single set of standard connectors / voltages !
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I think as more manufacturers turn to USB power source to run their devices we will find that our laptop is capable of supplying all our powers to re-charge these devices. I have noticed that travel adapters now come with a USB socket to charge IPOD/PDA.
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