A Web editor's tale

Updated 5 April 2012:  Some useful applications to get started creating, broadcasting, storing and sharing content from an Android smartphone for journalists and the like, many have iOS/Apple  counterparts:

General tools

Dropbox – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dropbox.android send/store files securely, along with DropSync for erm, syncing – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ttxapps.dropsync

Astrid Task/to-do lists – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.timsu.astrid, can sync with Google Tasks, recently updated, still fairly intuitive.

Wunderlist, for task organising,  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wunderkinder.wunderlistandroid (thanks @chrismccormack1)

Evernote – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.evernote note taking/storing with Evernote account, with addons for taking audio notes and drawings.

Power Note – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.diigo.android which syncs your bookmarks with your diigo.com account.

Google Docs – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs open/write/share documents using Google account.

Adobe PDF Reader – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.adobe.reader.

Google Translate – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.translate.

Google Maps – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.maps and Google Maps StreetView – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.street.

Flashlight for when, it’s erm, dark, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.intellectualflame.ledflashlight.washer  (thanks @chrismccormack1)

Browsers

• Opera Mini - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.opera.mini.android is the best browser I’ve used, pretty quick, enable sending/sharing links etc.
• A close second is the Dolphin HD browser, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.mgeek.TunnyBrowser which. now has it’s sonar speech search tool.

Social media

• Twitter‘s own native app is not the worst option https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.twitter.android
• There’s it’s new family member, Tweetdeck – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.thedeck.android.app
• Seesmic works pretty well as an alternative,  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.seesmic (thanks @Ed_Walker86_
• TweetCaster  has plenty of options for sharing/managing found links and information - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.handmark.tweetcaster

Multimedia

• Adobe Photoshop Express – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.adobe.psmobile for photo editing or Quick Pic – https://market.android.com/details?id=com.alensw.PicFolder.
• Photoaf Panorama: very nice, quick (in my experience), simple and good quality way to create 360º panoramic views http://www.photaf.com/.
• Bambuser can broadcast/stream decent quality live video, shareable  and give you a finished flv file https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bambuser.broadcaster
• Record My Call - http://www.appbrain.com/app/record-my-call/com.record.my.call
• Skype for phone and video calls, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skype.raider  (thanks @chrismccormack1)
  See also: Journalism.co.uk article: Ten fantastic apps, tips and tools for recording audio

By no means an exhaustive list, I don’t claim to have used every app in depth, but they all have high ratings and/or are backed by reputable developers/brands.

Further reading

• http://www.mobilemediatoolkit.org/
• http://onlinejournalismblog.com/category/mobile-phone-news/
• including:  What does a mobile journalist need? from October 2009, but still some good points worth noting.
• http://blogs.journalism.co.uk/editors/category/mobile/

Originally published 31 August, 2011