14 Best Smartphone Tools and Services for Journalists

In recent years, journalism has begun to develop very rapidly. People want to receive information directly from the scene, and most importantly – instantly. Today, a journalist does not always need heavy equipment to shoot a video or take bright photos. It is possible to use a smartphone. Among the advantages of using a smartphone by journalists are the following:

• Compactness. The small size of the smartphone allows the journalist to use it constantly for various purposes;
• Multifunctional. You can shoot videos, take photos, take notes, order services for transcribing an interview, etc.;
• Communication. The operator used to shoot, then download the material to the computer. Journalists can now shoot the video, make editorial changes, and publish it instantly;
• Editable. It is possible to quickly edit an image or video before publishing it. That is, add brightness, contrast, darken or lighten individual elements, remove the shadow, add colors, etc.

So, as you can see, a smartphone is a very useful thing for a modern journalist.

List of Top 14 Services and Apps for Journalism

Today, there are many phone tools, voice-to-text software, and services that can be used by journalists. Below you will find a list of the best and a brief description.

Transcriberry

Every moment, journalists should strive to learn new things, explore unfamiliar areas, distinguish fact from gossip, and provide the public with the latest news. They need to be mindful of the little things when searching for primary sources and recording interviews. To get interesting content, as a result, journalists usually have to listen to their audio recordings and re-read their notes.

Fortunately, transcription services have appeared on the market that facilitate the work of journalists. One of these is the professional human transcription service Transcriberry. It ranks first in our ranking. Thanks to the best combination of manual and automated decryption, journalists no longer have to waste time listening to their English audio text endlessly with background noise. The highest quality of audio-to-text transcription is ensured in each particular case.

Dragon Dictation

This is a popular iOS application that recognizes dictated text in almost 40 languages. After recognition, the text can be saved and sent to the mail. Errors may occur, but in general, the application produces a quality product. The obligatory point for its work is the connection to a network.

Cogi

Due to Cogi, during the recording of the interview, you can make notes and highlight important points. Just press the recording icon to highlight the desired segment of the audio track. In addition, during the interview, it is possible to leave comments as a text reminder and supplement it with images.

Call Recorder

Today, you can interview a person in different ways, one of which is to call. Sometimes it is inconvenient to turn on the voice recorder, set the call mode to speakerphone, and record the conversation. Avoiding all these actions will help Call Recorder for Android, which is very easy to use. Audio files are easily transferred to other devices, sent via SMS, mail, and other messengers.

Imovie

This useful application allows a journalist to combine video files, apply sound effects, add captions, and save the finished product.

Open Camera

This is one of the few professional video capture applications that is distributed for free. The feature set is significant. It includes automatic and manual control of settings during the shooting process, selection of shooting formats, color control in the frame. GPS video tagging and auto-compression for reducing the size of the final file are available.

Cinema 4K

The Cinema 4K tool allows you to work with Flat Profile (for example, Cinelike D, V-Log L, S-Log 2, ProTune, etc.). Available formats allow getting a more dynamic range of video colors for further processing. In flat profile mode, the application turns off the default sharpness effect to save as much detail as possible. Raw video may seem boring, but it’s the perfect frame for post-processing and toning.

Snapseed

Along with dynamic videos, the media product should be complemented by beautiful images and a gallery. This tool will help to correct the shortcomings of the background, highlight the important, bring all the photos in one tone.

CamScanner

Journalists often need scanned copies of documents when the printer is not in place. But in this case, this mobile application CamScanner will help. The pages of the contracts, acts, forms, and other important papers after scanning will be stored in the cloud, and you can access them at any time.

LetterSpace

A simple and convenient application for taking notes. The main advantage is the simplicity of typing and organizing notes.

Evernote

This application is one of the most valuable tools for reporters. Firstly, the free mobile app offers the best scanner and text search tool that you can fit in your pocket. Secondly, it will help to keep track of all documents for further writing of the material.

Dropbox

It’s a convenient way to share files of all kinds, whether it’s videos, text documents, presentations, etc. The free version allows storing up to 2 GB of data.

WordPress

With this program, you can quickly manage your blog or site from mobile devices if you do not have access to a PC or laptop. It has a rich set of tools for creating and editing text. It is possible to attach audio, video, and photos to notes. There is also access to statistics. The number of records, visitors, views, comments, subscribers for different periods is determined.

Adobe Spark Post

Thanks to this tool, you can easily and quickly create graphic images for distribution on social networks, sending e-mails, etc. Many templates will facilitate the work process and save time for those who do not have the skills to work with design programs.

So, in this review, we’ve considered 14 the best phone tools and services for modern journalists. Each one deserves your attention and can make your work much easier. Therefore, take the time to try each one.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.