New App Discovery :: Adobe Voice

New App Discovery :: Adobe Voice

Actually, I've known about this app since earlier this year when it was first released. However, I just created this short vid for my ohradiogirl Channel on YouTube. Unfortunately, you may never see it there. More on that in a minute.

First, let me say that I created the video using Adobe Voice. It's a free iPad only app and it's super simple to use. Love that.

It took me just a few minutes to bring it all together. They provide themes/templates along with some cool clipart and the music too. You can, however, add your own images and/or music.

But here's where the trouble starts, there are some sharing mechanisms like Facebook and Twitter and obtaining the embed code, but you can't download the video. Group sigh!! And shakes fist.

There are some work arounds for this issue, but they are indeed, 'work' arounds like this one using TechSmith's SnagIt. You'll need the 15 day Snagit free trial for that.

And I'm not the only one to speak up about this. Here's a very thorough review from PCMag giving the app 3 out of 5 stars.

Not sure if Adobe Voice realizes it, but some of us might be willing to pay a nominal in-app purchase in order to have the ability to download or upload to our camera rolls, say via AirDrop.

There have been some updates to the app, so maybe there's still hope for the ability to download the vid or to share directly to YouTube. Also, they have an Adobe Voice YouTube Channel where they seem to be responsive to requests with some of their tutorials. You could also reach out them the via Twitter or through the official Adobe Voice blog.

I'll still play around with the app and hope that some other sharable options are introduced in the near future because Adobe Voice is an ideal tool for storytelling. I may even try to incorporate the app in class.

Give it a try and oh, check out my Adobe Voice vid.

My Favorite iPad Apps :: Part 3 of 3

My Favorite iPad Apps :: Part 3 of 3

The apps in this short series are in my regular rotation - I use them daily.

Evernote logo borrowed from Assistive Technology

Evernote: A note-taking application.

Pros:

• This app has proven useful for me for grocery lists. I make the grocery list on one device and then make sure I sync devices before heading to the grocery store. The inclusion of the check box is simple yet helpful.

• I audio record my students presentations, usually about 5 minutes. I also tag the notes and they're easy to access for grading.

• For taking notes, meeting minutes and outlining presentations, it's nice to have some formatting options like italicizing and indentation.

• My Instagram pics are automatically synced to Evernote thanks to ifttt.

• The Evernote app is great for capturing business cards and organizing them, however, make sure you double check the details to make sure that it's correct.

• Before I travel, I use Evernote Clipper to capture and file notes on places to go and things to do. I assume that I won't have Internet access and I'll activate Evernote Premium to access the folder offline.

• I don't really use a calendar/task app, I sync my Google Calendar with my iPhone/iPad. Simple and easy. I also don't use the reminder option since I use that feature exclusively with Google Calendar.

Cons:

• I think the paid platform is too expensive for what you get and have access to.

• With the paid platform, you get offline access, however, you have to download and sync in advance. Depending on the size of the notebook that you want to access offline, it could take some time for it to download.

• I know that Evernote and Moleskin have a happy relationship, however, I have the Evernote Notebook by Moleskin and I'm not seeing the big difference between it and any other notebook.

Evernote is available for the iPad, iPhone and Android devices.

I hope that you've enjoyed the My Favorite iPad Apps series. Please share your thoughts on the Evernote app and the other apps in the series in the comments.

My Favorite iPad Apps :: Part 2 of 3

My Favorite iPad Apps :: Part 2 of 3

The apps in this short series are in my regular rotation - I use them daily.

Stitcher logo borrowed from EdReach.us

Stitcher Radio: Stitcher is a way to organize your podcast listening.

Pros:

• There are lots of categories to chose from, keeps track of listening stats, sync across devices, offers suggested listening.

• I have created playlists such as my favs, media, etc. It's nice to hear the various podcasts back to back.

• Typically, I begin my Stitcher use by listening to the headlines especially for AP Radio News. The AP newscasts are about 3 minutes.

• You can opt-in to get notifications when new episodes of your favorites are available.

• When you sign up and sign in on the desktop app, it's syncs your account so that you can pick up where you left off.

Cons:

• There are many podcasts to chose from, but surprisingly not all podcasts are available on the platform. 
• The options to 'thumbs up' and 'thumbs down' a podcast is a bit too small.
• The description is much larger than the 'play' button. They could easily give equal space so that the 'play' button is easy to access.
• There are some advertisements that run between podcasts. So far, it's not too annoying. However, if you do find it annoying, Stitcher has a paid non-ad platform.

Stitcher Radio is available for the iPad and the iPhone.

Please check back next Thursday for the last installation of My Favorite iPad Apps. And please add your comments about your experience with Stitcher Radio.

My Favorite iPad Apps :: Part 1 of 3

My Favorite iPad Apps :: Part 1 of 3

I've been an iPad owner for several years now. It's true that I have not always drank the Apple Kool-Aid, and I'm certainly not gulping it now, but I do love a good app.

The apps in this short series are in my regular rotation - I use them daily.

Zite logo borrowed from Twit.tv

Zite: It's a curation site for news and information, but it also helps you discover news and information.

Pros:

• Looking forward to the merger of Flipboard + Zite, but for now I'll focus on how I currently use Zite.

• For me that's what differentiates it from other curation applications. Your ability to 'thumbs up' and 'thumbs down' an article will bring you more or less of what you like and dislike.

• I use Zite for curating information on the following topics: Journalism, teaching, technology, iPad apps, Cairo, travel, podcasting, hip hop and more. I love it for a quick glance of what's happening now.

• You can sign up and then sign in to the app. It will sync across devices.

Con:

• After the app has been idle for a while, it will wipe out what you were reading and refresh the page automatically. You will rarely find your way back to the same spot, but it depends on how much time has lapsed. It think it would be better if the app asked if you want to refresh.

Zite is available for the iPad and the iPhone.

Please check back next Thursday for the next installation of My Favorite iPad Apps. And please share your comments about your use of the Zite app.

Music Monday 161 :: Alice Smith's "New Religion: (Live)

Music Monday 161 :: Alice Smith's "New Religion" (LIVE)

After my recent purchase of an iPad Mini, my music library did not transfer smoothly to the new device. It's a bit cumbersome to add your own non-iTunes music to Apple devices - one of my biggest pet peeves about the company.

I say all that to say, one track that somehow weathered the storm is Alice Smith's "New Religion." Her rich and nuanced voice is ultimately relaxing. It's hard to believe that it's been, what, six years since this track was first released.

Check her out on Instagram too.

Here's a live version of "New Religion."  Or check out the original version. Enjoy.

Music Monday 149 :: Charles Bradley

Music Monday 149 :: Charles Bradley

I can't believe that I haven't blogged about Charles Bradley before now.

I originally heard this piece when I was using the NPR app on my iPad; that was more than a year ago.

The other day in my Audio Production class, I played this Charles Bradley on NPR's Weekend Edition piece for them. It's a good example of production techniques, good writing and storytelling and most importantly a solid character with a solid story.

Enjoy.

The 5 Apps I'd Rather Die Than Live Without

The 5 Apps I'd Rather Die Than Live Without

I'm basing this post on a post I recently viewed: The 8 Apps Robert Scoble Would Rather Die Than Live Without (don't forget to read the comments there).

More and more I'm using my iPad and iPhone consistently throughout the day. Though I don't have the exact same apps on each device, there's a lot of overlap.

The following apps are the ones that are definitely on both devices (the first three are also web-based and I use them on the web-platform daily as well). Although I think I could live w/o them,   they help to keep me organized and informed.

Gmail/Google (this link is to the Google search app which allows you access to all of your Google related services)

Pros: Gmail is my default email account for professional and personal. My university is using a Gmail platform for email and my primary personal account is Gmail. So having consistent access is important. And via the app, it's easy enough. And once I'm signed in to this, I can also utilize other Google services like Google+.

Con: Having two accounts can be a pain if you don't set it up properly in the mail settings. And remember, if you change your password on the desktop application, then you'll need to do the same for the app.

Evernote

Pros: I'm using Evernote for just about everything right now:

I have a few ifttt recipes that dump stuff into folders in Evernote.

• For example, when I post images to Instagram, a copy is automatically sent to Evernote.

I definitely host my 'to do' lists on Evernote.

I organize my conference presentations using Evernote
I take notes at meetings using Evernote.

I love the cross platform appeal: I use it on my desktop Mac in my office, on my Macbook Pro laptop as well as on the iPad and iPhone. Seamless.

Cons: My account's getting a bit messy in terms of organization. Also, there have been too many occasions when material/information did not sync in a timely fashion to the devices; that means I'm without some information that I thought I'd have available. Finally, when you overwrite information in Evernote, you can't retrieve the previous version unless you have a paid account.

Looking forward to incorporating on new Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskin journal too (though the journal costs the same in store as online, but the in store version had a pen; #justsayin).

Twitter

I love Twitter and I use it a lot.

Pros: Easy access to my accounts via the official platform; easy toggling between accounts.

Cons: Seems often that not all of the tweets load in when I'm searching a hashtag; that's annoying.

iMessage

I like iMessage for the ability to quickly contact my family. Since there's a 7 hour time difference, the message will be there when they wake up or whenever they check their devices. Great for sending quick pics too. Love the group messaging too (but make sure you don't reply all when you really just want to reply to one person in the group, otherwise, oopsy).

Con: There's no con here. Most of them have Apple devices and it works for us.

Zite

This used to be my all time fav app. Now, it's still at the top, but I've waned on my excessive love for it.

Pros: I like Zite for the ability to discover new information and sources of information that I find interesting and useful. The Zite algorithm is awesome. I like the 'thumbs up' and 'thumbs down' feature to help improve the source material. I like selecting the categories that are of interest to me. And most importantly, I used to like the many options for sharing material: Evernote, Instapaper, Twitter. They used to also have Delicious and they recently removed it in one of the upgrades. I've asked them about that. They responded, but mostly recommended that I reinstall the previous version from my backup. Fair enough; I'm working on that.

Cons: They changed too much in recent months/upgrades (seems since they were purchased by CNN). I don't like the recently updated app. The interface is too busy and not intuitive. Sometimes I liked giving a 'thumbs up' to a source or to 'block' a source. Not sure if you can still do that and if so, it's not intuitive b/c I haven't figured it out yet. I'm very unhappy about the lack of share options - or that I can't share on Delicious. I'd even like to see an option for sharing via Buffer, but no luck on that just yet. 

I don't like the new 'owl' as the logo for Zite. First of all, Hootsuite has an owl. Not that there's an exclusive rights on owls, but ... whatever. The previous clean font with the word Zite was just fine. Leave well enough along. You don't see Flipboard changing their image with every upgrade.

Apparently, I'm not the only one with strong feelings about Zite's recent changes: see this article in TechCrunch and just check the app reviews on iTunes.

I say all that to say, I'm still using Zite on a regular basis, but definitely not as much.

(click the image for image source information)

Teaching w/the iPad

Teaching w/the iPad

I'm no expert on using the iPad in the classroom, but I have been experimenting.

So far my most consistent task is taking attendance using the Gradebook Pro app. Although the app is $9.99, it's quite reliable and efficient when it comes to taking attendance.

You can get a lot of mileage out of using the iPad in the classroom: presentations, grading, creating multimedia and more.

Recently, I co-facilitated a workshop: Teaching w/the iPad. Here's the Storify that we shared with the workshop attendees.

And Just Like That I'm An Apple Girl

And Just Like That I'm An Apple Girl


My brother's been using Apple products since I can remember. It might be true that he's only had two Apple computers in his 40+ years. I'll try to confirm that later.

I, on the other hand, have had a subtle dislike for Apple for some time. Ever since learning that they used proprietary audio files. That's when I first discovered that Windows Media Audio don't play well w/Macs and Mac files don't play well w/others either. That, my friends, was a long time ago.

My nice and shiny new Macbook Pro. (Dec. 2011)

A lot has changed over the years and to make a long story short, I broke down and purchased a Macbook Pro over the Christmas holiday. Now this is after I'd been working on a Mac in my office on campus. I remember when I arrived at AUC in Egypt in 2009 and they asked if I wanted a Mac or a PC. "I'll have a Mac," I recall saying. But I'd never paid much attention to Macs and I didn't even know how to turn the damn thing on. Still, often in my office, I'm frustrated at how to do simple things on the Mac like jump to the bottom of the page or jump to the end of a sentence.

Last Christmas I broke down and bought an iPad. Now that was a worthwhile purchase. I don't think a day has gone by when I haven't used that device.

Add to that the fact that I lost my mobile phone traveling from Washington, DC to Cleveland, Ohio at the airport in Philadelphia. I know, why was there a layover in Philly anyway. Whatever. Point is, I lost my phone and was 'eligible' for an upgrade. And into my life walks "Siri."

It looks so pretty in the box. (Dec. 2011)

Of course, now I'm sucked into the expansive and expensive world of Apple:

• Apple Care ... enough said!
• With three devices tethered to each other, I need more storage from Apple (ching ching)
• I'm considering iTunes Match (ching ching)
• I bought some iTunes gift cards for Christmas (ching ching)
• Additional devices and accoutrements (protective shell, hard drives, mic, bluetooth devices, etc)
• Those irresistible iPad apps (ching ching ching ching ching ching)

But after that briefer at the Apple store in my hometown, I'm all full of knowledge, ready to conquer the world and even ready jump to the bottom of the page.

Blogging Made Easy ... thanks to the iPad

I don't know about you, but blogging has become a bit easier for me over the past few months. I have my iPad to thank for that.

I have two blogs that I try to post to at least twice weekly: The Radio Girl blog and Indy Hip Hop World. I have a third blog, Radiogirl Cards, that I haven't been very attentive to, but I aim to post there more regularly in the near future.

One thing that's made blogging easier for me lately is that I'm taking advantage of the email address for blogging using Blogger and that way I've started emailing articles and blog posts to the different blogs.

Now, in terms of apps for the iPad that are specific for blogging, I don't use any of those. What's working for me are the following apps - all of them are FREE:

My iPad Feed Reader Apps

Zite: Love the look and feel of Zite. I have several sections including and iPad section, journalism section and DIY section. I like that I can give articles a 'thumbs up' or a 'thumbs down' and that I can kick out the article to Twitter, Facebook, Instapaper, Delicious or email.

What I don't like about Zite is that it seems to take a bit of time to load in; I'd say 20 seconds or so.  Also, I don't like that you can add a subject, but not a specific feed. That means in my 'hip hop' section, I have to constantly go in and give a 'thumbs down' to some of the seedy stories that end up there. On the plus side of that, Zite does allow me to discover more stuff than any of the other apps.

Flipboard: I've always liked Flipboard ... though it was getting on my nerves just prior to the most recent upgrade. But what I recently learned (thanks to @AmrAdelAmin) is that I can create a flipboard for individual folders from my Google Reader. That's what I've been wanting (and the ability to use multiple Twitter accounts).

News360: This is not my fav app; it's just wonky and it doesn't offer much in the area of personalization, but I like it for getting the most current news headlines. You can also publish the stories to the various social media platforms and send via email too.

Pulse: I used to be a big fan of Pulse, but after a recent upgrade, the feeds are no longer updating. Pulse is aware of the problem and tried to assist me in fixing it, but it's been such a hassle. I may just go in and re-install the damn thing, but ... doesn't that defeat the purpose of being efficient?

What I did like about Pulse was the feed lines that I'd added and the look of the app. Now, I think I'll just take the feeds and add them to my Google Reader and go from there. Good luck to you Pulse.

That summarizes my use of some of the feed reader apps that I use. Again, they're helpful to keep me up to date and in keeping my blogs fresh with content.

What other apps are you using or would you suggest? Or is there some other tip that you're using to keep your blog current?

My iPad and My Notes

My iPad and My Notes

I've been using my iPad for nearly six months now and I've grown to like it a lot (though this is only my second post about my iPad; see my first iPad blog post). It has some pluses and minuses, but in the end, I'd rather have it than not. Even though I don't have the 3G; that's my only regret about purchasing the first generation model.

But if I could make an adjustment, I'd make a simple keyboard update:

• There's a need for arrow keys; having to backspace or highlight a long word just to change one letter is a bit cumbersome and annoying. Usually the cursor will only set at the end or the beginning of a word. I just think arrow keys might be easier to maneuver.

One program that I'm starting to love is the Notes app that comes downloaded on the iPad. At first, I thought it wasn't a big deal, but now I know otherwise. The key here is that every note that you type gets emailed to the email account that you have tethered to the iPad. Even if you update an old note, a new email is sent with the updated notes.  Also, in my Gmail where the notes are sent, they are automatically labeled 'notes' with a label.

I've been typing a lot of notes, so when I discovered that all of the notes were in my Gmail, I was ecstatic.

One of my notes from the Broadcast Education Assn Conference, April, 2011

One downside of notes that I noticed is that when I emailed a note to my Tumblr account, the notes format did not transfer as it was displayed on the note in the iPad. That could be a Tumblr issue; I'm not sure. But knowing that the notes are in my Gmail, I can just email the notes from Gmail to post to Tumblr.  At the time, however, I was attending a conference and wanted to post my notes from the conference immediately; that did not work out so well.

Additionally, I'd like to see a few basic features for Notes; really just font related. The ability to increase the font size, bold, italicize, maybe add color. That would be nice.

Music Monday 89 :: Music Related Apps for the iPad

Music Monday 89 :: Music Related Apps for the iPad

Listen to the blog post as a podcast

I'm a late adopter of the first generation iPad. That means I got one for Christmas and a new one, the iPad2, was released a few months later.

I'm not mad about it, just ... well, I'm an iPad owner and not an Apple fan. I don't like the proprietary-ness that's related to their files and what not. I could go on, but that's not the focus here.

It's Monday ... Music Monday and I'd like to share with you two music related apps that I use on my iPad.

NPR Music
I've used this app sporadically, but for no good reason. Every time I fire it up, I discover something that I like. I found Beans and Charles Bradley via the NPR Music iPad app, oh, and a killer interview w/Lupe Fiasco. Can't beat the fact that it's free, but if you're like me, you'll feel guilty and head to the NPR Website to make a donation:

• I like the way you can check out music via genre.

• Not all of the stories have audio, but still some good writing and discovery.

• The live performance options are endless: variety in genres, npr programming, etc.

• You can easily share the things that you like (or dislike): there's email as well as Twitter and Facebook integration.

Aweditorium
This app bills itself as 'aural happiness'. Aaaah, and it is. The folks behind this app are the cool kids over at thesixtyone. I've blogged about thesixtyone before. The iPad app is something of a variation of thesixtyone webbie. You will easily discover new music and have fun swiping and 'hearting' music and all for the price of free:

• I like the layout: a photo mosaic of the artist and you can tap anywhere and that artist's song plays.

• I like the way the app fades in and out between songs.

• Of course, there's Twitter and Facebook integration.

I won't say run out and get an iPad because I'm not that kinda girl, but if you have an iPad or access to one, then there's no good reason why you shouldn't try out these two applications.

What music-related apps are you using on your iPad?