By  David Louie, RTDNA Director-At-Large      


Thanks to technology, mobile story research and writing speed up the news gathering process.  Between WI-FI and USB modems, there are few places where a reporter can’t be connected to the internet and to the newsroom. 

Laptops have been an important tool for some time.  Notebooks provide a lighter alternative for working while covering an event.  Even a mobile phone makes it possible to blog or to file short web stories on the run. 

Now comes the Apple iPad.  Is it a suitable tool for news people?  Can it replace a laptop?  The answer is a qualified, "yes."

I’ve been testing one since the first day of the RTDNA convention in Las Vegas.  Mine is a WI-FI only version; the recent release of the 3G version gives a reporter a better chance of connectivity almost anywhere.  The Hilton Convention Center, home base for RTDNA’s sessions, was notably WI-FI challenged.  Coverage was nil in most meeting rooms. 

As a field device, the iPad just feels right in your hands - not too large, not too small.  Too bad it’s an eye-catcher, attracting curiosity and requests to touch and try it.  (I’d be careful not to leave it unattended.)  For the hardcore reporter, typing on a virtual keyboard on the screen takes adjustment.  The keys are a lot nicer than typing on an iPhone (they’re larger).  However, the keyboard isn’t conducive to standard, two hand touch typing.  The iPad does have a dockable real keyboard, which I prefer.  Still, it’s another accessory to carry around. 

The iPad alone at 1.5 pounds is light to carry around.  It’s so easy to place it on your lap to take notes.  Nobody seems to notice it at a council budget hearing.  It’s invisible when take notes, tapping on the virtual keyboard, at a convention session featuring Steve Waldman, senior advisor to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski.  One nice discovery:  The iPad doesn’t get hot the way many laptops do.  

Apple’s app store has a number of choices for note taking and script writing.   A free app called Simplenote handles those tasks just fine.  The note can be emailed directly from the app.  Just think how quickly a reporter could get breaking news details to an anchor in-studio or at the newsroom flashcam while the photographer is feeding in tape or setting up a live link. 

The long battery life of the iPad is also a big plus for news gathering.  Depending on tasks performed, it should last an entire shift. 

It’s great to have an all-in-one device to check the latest numbers from Wall Street, to do online research, to scan email, and to file stories — one that’s compact and lightweight, yet with a screen large enough to spot typo’s. 

With web editors clamoring for reporters to send in still pics taken in the field, the iPad is deficient since there’s no camera and no USB port to transfer digital photos from a camera.  The work-around is using your smartphone to take photos and email them to your iPad.  So you might as well email the photos from your phone directly to your web staff. 

Cost is always a factor in tight budget times.  A small Gateway notebook with a small screen has a $299 price tag.  A full-featured Lenovo ThinkPad runs about $829.  The WI-FI iPad 16 GB model sells for $499.  Add 3G, and it costs $629.  So price-wise, the iPad fits nicely in between. 

The iPad isn’t designed for news gathering, but as more app’s are developed, it may become another tool in a reporter’s arsenal worth considering.