Wireless Muse: Reiter's Wireless Internet Weblog

PodCampDC: NPR, NBC News discuss Qik, Twitter, video for radio stations

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I attended PodCampDC (see above) this Saturday and the most interesting session for me was by Andy Carvin of National Public Radio (NPR) and Jim Long of NBC News.  Carvin and Long discussed the value of Qik and Twitter for news gathering.  Also, I had a brief but interesting conversation with Carvin after the presentation.

Carvin is the senior product manager for NPR’s “Community.”  He’s a champion of blogging, social networks and camera phones.  He’s a blogger, has a Twitter account, uses Utterz (that I need to explore) and he and Long have a Qik account.

I don’t know Long’s exact title, but he’s a cameraman for NBC News who travels around the world.  He blogs and uses Qik (including interviewing singer/activist “Sir” Bob Geldorf).

Presentation on Qik

Carvin asked PodCampDC attendees in the room if they would use Qik to capture the presentation, and two people helped out by using his Nokia 95 to record a video.  About half of the presentation is on Qik (see below) and if you’re interested in these subjects, it’s well worth viewing. 

The Qik video was transmitted via WiFi AT&T Mobility's HSDPA network, and both the video and audio quality aren’t bad.  However, the signal crashed during the presentation, which is the reason it isn't available in its entirety on Qik (see Carvin's clarifications in the comments section).  (Near the beginning of the video you can hear Carvin say he was using Qik — “it is Qik and we’ll be talking about it later” — in answer to a question from me, whom you can’t see.)

Long notes that many people using Twitter learned about the recent earthquakes in the Midwest.  Carvin was instrumental in getting NPR to use Twitter (by first posting just news headlines).  He discusses how the NPR radio show “The Bryant Park Project,” now uses Twitter as a major source to obtain ideas for its New York City-based program.

Video for NPR

After the presentation, I asked Carvin whether he thought video would be a significant part of NPR, and he said yes.  This is a fascinating concept:  An audio medium posting videos.  NPR already posts videos on its Web site, and more are on the way.

(In my mobile TV weblog I wrote about a newspaper using Qik for videos of pro-Tibet protesters during the Olympic torch bearers running in San Francisco.  A print publication posting videos.  This is game-changing as radio and print publications become more multimedia oriented, especially being able to post newsworthy events as they happen, thanks in large part to camera phones.  As I’ve been writing for some time, live streaming cellular video is revolutionary.)

Carvin told me he is ordering more demonstrating Nokia N95 camera phones to NPR and hopes, but doesn't know, whether the network will order any (see his remarks in the comments section). 

The N95 has become something of a standard for many bloggers and video bloggers because of its excellent (for a camera phone) video recording capability at 30 frames per second.  I agree that the N95 is great for camera phone videos (and a great phone in general), but the new N82 (that isn’t available in the United States) might be a bit better. 

I’ve posted several N82 videos and more are on the way (courtesy of Nokia’s blogger program allowing me to test the handset).  I've also posted photos taken with the N82 and, as with the videos, more are on the way when I get a chance to upload them.

Verizon Wireless discusses "open network" requirements for developers, vendors

Verizon Wireless this morning is holding an “open development” meeting with manufacturers and developers in New York to discuss the requirements for certifying cellular phones for Verizon’s new “open network” service.  Verizon has an “open development” Web site (see below).

The Wall Street Journal reports handset manufacturers may either buy airtime minutes and data usage at wholesale prices and sell them to consumers along with phones or have consumers purchase just the phones and deal with Verizon for the airtime/data plan.  Verizon won’t sell these phones, but manufacturers may sell them any way they want, such as online and in retail stores.

CNET News reports consumers “will be able to choose from Verizon's existing rate plans.”  That’s a bit of a surprise.  I thought the airtime/data prices would be more expensive.

Consumers with these “open network” phones would deal with Verizon online, not in stores, to activate the phone, obtain billing information and receive support.  Verizon will offer a “limited” toll-free 800 number, although the WSJ doesn’t report what “limited” entails.

No Verizon contracts

Subscribers will not have to sign two-year contracts with Verizon, but this means the phones could be considerably more expensive without Verizon’s handset subsidy.  For example, Nokia sells a variety of unlocked GSM phones at its two retail stores (New York and Chicago) as well as online, but they are much more expensive than if offered by a cellular operator.

However, some manufacturers might be able to offer inexpensive phones, based on volume.  Top-brand vendors as well as lesser known vendors are developing a variety of low-cost phones for developing nations.  Perhaps such inexpensive products would appeal to people who want Verizon’s network and don’t care about advanced features.

Verizon continues to say that consumers may download any application onto these “open network” phones.  This approach offers fascinating possibilities.

Update (3/24/08):  I discuss those "fascinating possibilities" in my latest CMP "Internet Evolution" column about Verizon's open network conference.