WHO IS USING MOBILE AND WHAT ARE THEY SHARING?
The ordinary smartphone owners share photos and data - and increasingly, that data is video.
According to a recent report by Cisco, the networking company, mobile video traffic was 52 percent of all mobile data traffic by the end of last year. Cisco forecasts that by 2015 mobile video traffic will be 5 times greater than in 2010.
A MOBILE PIONEER
Chris Parandian is the CEO of Tin Can Communications - a public affairs and new media communications firm here in Washington. He was a mobile pioneer of sorts - he started using mobile video several years ago to share footage of events he attended.
The ordinary smartphone owners share photos and data - and increasingly, that data is video.
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| CISCO: Mobile video traffic grows X5 in 5 years |
A MOBILE PIONEER
Chris Parandian is the CEO of Tin Can Communications - a public affairs and new media communications firm here in Washington. He was a mobile pioneer of sorts - he started using mobile video several years ago to share footage of events he attended.
MORE PEOPLE ON MOBILE ARE DOING WHAT JOURNALISTS DO
According to Josh Peterson at the Daily Caller news website, the world is becoming more mobile - because the technology is convenient. He says "citizen journalism" is the natural outgrowth of that technology - ordinary people who are not professional journalists are increasingly giving their perspective on events as they share the video they shoot.
A TIP FROM A MOBILE PRO
One professional journalist whose job is putting video in context - gave me tips for amateur shooters, like the folks who send video in to his television station. Sometimes the video gets broadcast, if it's good quality. Bob Barnard says hold the phone or iPod horizontal, not vertical, for a better result.
HOW TELEVISION REPORTERS USE MOBILE
Bob is a reporter at Fox5 TV in Washington. Typically, he covers stories with a cameraman who uses a big, heavy standard TV camera. But Bob says he and his fellow reporters have used their mobile devices to get stories they couldn't otherwise cover with a crew.
It's worth noting that one man or woman working alone can cover a story with a smartphone - no need for a two man crew.
WARNING: SHARING VIDEO IS AN EXPENSIVE WAY TO COMMUNICATE
A TIP FROM A MOBILE PRO
One professional journalist whose job is putting video in context - gave me tips for amateur shooters, like the folks who send video in to his television station. Sometimes the video gets broadcast, if it's good quality. Bob Barnard says hold the phone or iPod horizontal, not vertical, for a better result.
HOW TELEVISION REPORTERS USE MOBILE
Bob is a reporter at Fox5 TV in Washington. Typically, he covers stories with a cameraman who uses a big, heavy standard TV camera. But Bob says he and his fellow reporters have used their mobile devices to get stories they couldn't otherwise cover with a crew.
It's worth noting that one man or woman working alone can cover a story with a smartphone - no need for a two man crew.
WARNING: SHARING VIDEO IS AN EXPENSIVE WAY TO COMMUNICATE
It's fun to share video from phones - for professional journalists and for ordinary amateurs.
However, it's worth noting that sending data such as video is much more expensive than voice usage. Tech reporter Brian Chen in The New York Times says that faster fourth-generation or 4G networks are driving the increase in mobile data usage. The faster speeds encourage customers to use more data-intensive applications like video. It seems that higher cellphone bills are in our futures.
However, it's worth noting that sending data such as video is much more expensive than voice usage. Tech reporter Brian Chen in The New York Times says that faster fourth-generation or 4G networks are driving the increase in mobile data usage. The faster speeds encourage customers to use more data-intensive applications like video. It seems that higher cellphone bills are in our futures.
Even worse, it's going to be harder to get a free phone. Verizon just announced it would charge customers an upgrade fee of $30 when they sign a new 2-year contract. Traditionally, a Verizon customer got a "new after 2" free phone for renewing the contract. But now that's a thing of the past. The other carriers had already done away with those plans.
Maybe it is time to go back to using that phone for an old fashioned voice enabled telephone call....
