Practical Apps for Working Journalists

Screenshot of VehiCal mileage log

When my desktop computer crashed with an unrecoverable hard drive error, it was the first time in my life I wasn’t in a total panic over the situation. Since purchasing an iPhone, I’d shifted so much of my day-to-day business to it that one of the few painful parts was losing my iPhone backup … and all of my desktop email. My crucial business operations, however, are snugly fit on the iPhone. Here’s how you can turn yours into a workhorse for your on-the-go life. Don’t have an iPhone? Versions of some of these apps are available for Droid as well.

Contacts (free)
Loaded into every iPhone operating system, this app is the core of your business operations. Contacts can be pulled into most other applications. If you haven’t copied your contacts from your desktop mail software, do it now! Outlook is the default mail manager that the iPhone plays nice with, but you can load up your Thunderbird contacts into an empty Outlook installation just to move them to the iPhone.

Calendar (free)
Another app that comes installed on your iPhone, Calendar is essential to keeping track of your appointments and deadlines. Calendar entries can repeat, and each comes with two alerts, ranging from 2 days before to 5 minutes before the event. Use it to keep yourself on task with projects.

Camera (free)
Why take extensive notes when you’re looking at an interpretive sign or historic exhibit? Capture it visually so you can zoom into the details later. Think of the built-in camera not just as a handy point-and-shoot but as your own pocket copier (snaps of checks before you deposit them), scanner (linked to business card software, it can be effective), and window on your world to your social media accounts. You can also take screenshots with it of activity inside your other apps, and mail those to yourself for blog posts like these.

Notes (free)
I’ve learned to leave the pen and paper behind and use Notes, another free app that comes with your iPhone, to grab snippets during an interview or to transcribe ideas when I’m on the run. While stuck waiting for the mechanic, I’ve written queries, blog posts, and short articles in Notes. Email them to yourself when you’re done so you don’t lose them.

iTalk (Lite, free; full version, $1.99)
While the iPhone comes with a free Voice Memos app, iTalk makes it possible to capture ambiant sound and interview subjects with the rich audio quality of an iPod (when in Best mode). I found the output clearer than using my digital recorder with an external microphone. You can append to audio files, rename them, and play them back from any point in the recording. A companion piece of software that sits on your desktop or laptop enables you to drag and drop the .aiff files to your home base for editing, or you can mail them to yourself.

iXpenseIt ($4.99)
For once, I won’t be filing an extension on my taxes, thanks to this handy app. It’s an expense and income recorder, which you can set up with your tax categories, vendors, and payment types. As you incur an expense (or open a check), take a minute to type in the details. It becomes second nature quickly. You can “scan” receipts and checks by photographing them, as well. In addition to one-touch cashflow per month, the app produces reports carving up the financial data any way you choose. Export them as CSV files to do your tax prep.

VehiCal (free)
Goodbye, handwritten logbook! This digital version of a vehicle log has three sections – gas, repairs, and mileage – which you can fill in as you’re on the road. See your MPG and total miles at a touch, and break those miles into tax categories as you go. All three logs can be exported as CSV files for spreadsheet use.

DueTime ($1.99)
It’s the simplest way to keep track of billable time, or time spent on any particular project – just start and stop the timer once you have your tasks and projects set up. The latest upgrade enables you to put in your hourly rate and see the dollars – as well as hours – pile up! Overall and by task or project hours can be exported as CSV.

PhotoGene ($1.99)
Tweak those snapshots into something worth sending your editor with this simple photo editing app, which includes the basics – crop, straighten, color adjustment – as well as a handful of filters and effects more appropriate for social media use. The app makes non-destructive changes to your snaps by saving your changes as a new image.

AppBox Pro ($0.99)
This is an app of apps – a grab bag of apps that are just plain helpful, and help you avoid installing a dozen one-off apps on your iPhone. The one I use the most is Battery Life, as we know how easily that gets drained, especially when you’re in the field. System Info is helpful, too, with a visual representation of how packed the iPhone hard drive is, and with what. But AppBox Pro also includes goodies like a currency converter, flashlight, ruler, tip calculator, a multi-language translator (tied to 3G access to Google Translate), and a digital wallet for your account information (be sure to password-protect this one!)

Time = Money!
I recently received an email from an SATW colleague asking about apps that saved me money. While I can’t point to any specific dollar savings by using my iPhone, it’s saved me an incredible amount of time by using these apps, and has kept me more organized than I’ve ever been before. It’s also lightened my load. Where I used to juggle a camera, digital recorder, and notebook and pen, plus a logbook in my car, I now just carry the iPhone.

First published in the SATW Traveler,  Summer 2010

1 Comment

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  Kath Usitalo July 11, 2011 at 6:44 am

  I have a Droid but I’ll look into some of these tips. Thanks!

  Reply