MobileViews Blog

Category: podcast

  • Mini-Podcast 15: MarketWatch iPhone App Text-to-Speech Sample

    The recently released free MarketWatch news app for the iPhone has an interesting feature: Text-to-speech to read stories on an iPhone.

    MarketWatch 1.0.0

    This 2 minute 5 second podcast provides a brief sound sample of a MarketWatch story being read on the iPhone 3G’s speaker.

    – You can listen to the podcast right now from your web browser by using the embedded player above.
    – You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or this RSS feed.
    – You can also point your smartphone’s browser at mobiletoday.podbean.com to listen to or download the MP3 file over the air to your phone.

  • Mini-Podcast 14: Recording a Telephone Conversation Using a LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen

    In Mini-Podcast 14, I tested a tip given to me by LiveScribe Marketing Manager Karen Lee during our conversation in Podcast 37 (recorded on October 23, 2009). The tip was that since the the microphone in the LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen’s headset is actually in the earbuds (stereo microphone), you can use it to record telephone conversations by simply placing the earbud in the ear and holding a conventional telephone handset (wired or wireless) up to that ear.

    I asked my co-worker, Daniel Tian, to call me from another room using his iPhone 3GS. I spoke to him over a conventional landline office telephone. The sound quality is not as good as podcasts recorded using Skype. However, I think it is good enough to use when people are unable to use Skype because of company policy (this has been an issue several times over the past year).

    Mini-Podcast 14 is 3 minutes and 39 seconds long. The LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen recorded segment is in the last 45 seconds or so of the podcast.

    – You can listen to the podcast right now from your web browser by using the embedded player above.
    – You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or this RSS feed.
    – You can also point your smartphone’s browser at mobiletoday.podbean.com to listen to or download the MP3 file over the air to your phone.

  • Podcast 37: LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen-Conversation with Karen Lee, Marketing Manager

    I spoke with LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen Marketing Manager Karen Lee in Podcast 37. We talked about the LiveScribe company, the new 4GB model Pulse Smartpen, the 3rd party MyScript for LiveScribe ink-to-text transcription application, and some hints about using the Pulse Smartpen.

    Karen gave me a great tip that solves a problem I’ve had for a long time: How do I record a podcast with someone using a conventional telephone (instead of Skype)? The solution is one of those simple-slap-my-forehead ones that I didn’t think of trying. But, thankfully, Karen shared that tip with me. You can hear it in about the last third of the podcast.

    This podcast is 27 minutes and 31 seconds long.

    – You can listen to the podcast right now from your web browser by using the embedded player above.
    – You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or this RSS feed.
    – You can also point your smartphone’s browser at mobiletoday.podbean.com to listen to or download the MP3 file over the air to your phone.

  • Podcast 36: AP Stylebook for iPhone, AP Mobile News, & Blogger Citation-A Conversation with AP VP Jane Seagrave

    In Podcast 36, I speak with Jane Seagrave who is a Senior Vice President Global Product Development at the Associated Press (AP). Here’s what you can find in this 21 minute 31 second podcast conversation:

    – Discussion of the AP’s recently released AP Stylebook iPhone app’s high price ($28.99 compared to $18.95 for the paper version which is available for $12.89 from Amazon)
    – The state of AP’s mobile friendly website (apnews.com) and free iPhone Mobile News app.
    – Slightly off-topic but of personal interest to me: What is the situation for bloggers citing AP news reports? Will armies of lawyers descend on a blogger who directly links to an AP news story? Listen to the blog to hear the answer.

    – You can listen to the podcast right now from your web browser by using the embedded player above.
    – You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or this RSS feed.
    – You can also point your smartphone’s browser at mobiletoday.podbean.com to listen to or download the MP3 file over the air to your phone.

  • Podcast 35: Starbucks iPhone Apps-Conversation w/CIO Stephen Gillett

    In MobileViews Podcast 35 I speak with Starbucks CIO & GM for Digital Ventures, Stephen Gillett, about Starbucks’ two new free iPhone apps: myStarbucks & Starbucks Card Mobile.

    The myStarbucks app provides store locations, a drink builder, food & coffee menus. One of novel aspects of this app is that it tells you were various coffees come from and a bit about each one’s distinctive flavors. Starbucks Card Mobile lets you store your card numbers (more than one) and get balance information for each one. You can also reload your Starbucks card from the app. And, you can even make purchases from the app in 16 locations around the Seattle and Silicon Valley.

    FYI: If you noticed errors of Starbucks store locations in myStarbucks, head over to Starbucks’ web feedback portal found…

    MyStarbucksIdea.com

    – You can listen to the podcast right now from your web browser by using the embedded player above.
    – You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or this RSS feed.
    – You can also point your smartphone’s browser at mobiletoday.podbean.com to listen to or download the MP3 file over the air to your phone.

  • Podcast 34: Smule “I Am T-Pain” iPhone app – Ge Wang CTO/Co-Founder

    In Podcast 34, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Smule CTO/co-founder Ge Wang again (we first spoke in Jaunary 2009). The topic this time is the phenomenal $2.99 iPhone music app…

    I Am T-Pain

    It combines Smule’s iPhone sonic app programming savvy with the branding of musical artist T-Pain and his signature use of Antares’ Auto-Tune product. Auto-Tune corrects a singer’s pitch. In most cases, you never know it was used to “fix” a pitch error made by a singer during a recording session. T-Pain, however, uses Auto-Tune as a musical instrument in its own right. Its use in this manner, by the way, is somewhat controversial.

    So, please join me for Podcast 34 as Ge Wang and I spend a bit over 30 minutes talking about the business angle, technology, and music behind the “I Am T-Pain” app.

    – You can listen to the podcast right now from your web browser by using the embedded player above.
    – You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or this RSS feed.
    – You can also point your smartphone’s browser at mobiletoday.podbean.com to listen to or download the MP3 file over the air to your phone.