Note taking software for journalists improving, though most still offer limited capabilities

Conducting interviews, either in person or over the phone, continues to be a time consuming chore for most newspaper and magazine writers. The interview itself is the easiest part, transcribing the interview quickly and accurately is where the work is at.

Before proceeding I should point out that I always seek the consent of the recorded party while on the phone, and never continue the interview unless I have received that consent. I always point out that I only record to make sure the quotations are accurate.

My iPhone usually works just fine, either using the phone's built-in app from Apple, or one of several other apps that work, as well. The advantage of the Voice Memos app is that once you have connected your phone to your computer the voice memos will sync, this will allow you to use iTunes to hear back the interview, using iTunes to repeat sections or advance to the next question.

The problem with the iPhone, though, is that notes have to be taken on a separate device. For me, I simply open up the TextEdit program on my Mac to take simple notes. The problem with solution, of course, is that it doesn't work on the road.

One advantage of using Evernote, available for both the iPhone and iPad, is that it will allow you to record an interview while also taking notes silently in the background. The program will also let you take pictures with your phone (or iPad, though the camera on the iPhone is vastly superior).

The app lets you organize the interview into a logical whole, and then upload the notes and recordings to the Evernote website for easy access. The user can then, if desired, download the audio file (which comes in a wav file).

If there is one complaint I have with Evernote it would be that right now the app does not support external USB microphones. Ever since the last major iOS update that included Apple launching an iPad version of GarageBand the iPad's port now works with third party USB microphones (assuming you have Camera Connection Kit).

And speaking of third part microphones: Blue Microphones have several options of external microphones that will work with both the iPhone and iPad through the Camera Connector Kit, but again, one needs to match this up with a software solution. Sadly, my old Mikey, which worked so well with my iPhone 3GS, does not work with the iPhone 4.

Publishers who do not 'own' their apps face possible nightmares down the line; two new magazine apps

Today should be a great day for two publishers as their first iPad apps have hit the App Store. But, sadly, one of the publishers is probably questioning the wisdom of their decision to go with a third party to create their first tablet edition, while the other is just thankful not to be in the shoes of the other.

When you see a new media app in the App Store what is the first thing you look at? Is it the screenshots, the app description? For me, I like to see who the 'seller' is – the person or company listed as the creator of the app. For large companies it is most often the publishers themselves, as in 'Condé Nast Digital' or 'Hearst Communications, Inc.'

But for small to mid-sized publishers the 'seller' is often the third party developer – as in Texterity or Magazinecloner.com. The name of the developer often gives you a pretty good clue what you are about to see in the final app: native apps for those publishing under their own names, replica editions when you see the developer's name.

There are certainly exceptions such as two new apps from the developer Produtoralink from Brazil: Status, a men's magazine from Mexico, and Istoé Dinheiro, a Brazilian financial magazine.

The developer here appears to use the Mag+ system developed and used by Bonnier. The system allows publishers or developers to take their InDesign files and convert them for use in a tablet edition.

The signs of the process are obvious as you open the app: text boxes located within page designs that allow for scrolling within the frame, the use of animation for photo galleries, etc.

Both apps are free to download and give you free access to the latest edition. The apps create a library where the reader downloads the issues. Status is offering the May issue, which weighs in at 274 MB – quite large for a magazine that only offers portrait layouts. (The problem of creating only a portrait mode for your app becomes instantly apparent when you run into two-page spreads as seen at left.)

But the download was fairly quick and the reading experience was pretty good, though I will admit that my lack of Spanish skills limited to me to evaluating the layouts, animations and navigation.

Then there is the Revista Istoé Dinheiro app: if I were the publisher I would be wondering why I let the developer act as the seller.

Opening the app takes you to the same library set-up, with the same Status magazine available to download! Yep, the developer messed up big time and included the same magazine for download for both publishing clients.

For me, this is a reminder that I would want more control over my app development, even if I was using a third party to create the app. Yes, there are advantages to having someone house your files, etc. But you only launch once and this launch was blown.

Becoming an Apple developer is not expensive, and the process of submitting apps is simple. Most importantly, by becoming an Apple developer you can test your own apps, a process called ad hoc testing or distribution. An ad hoc app acts like a live app except that it isn't actually in the App Store. I should think that ad hoc testing would be essential for publishers and editors prior to final submission of the app to Apple.

Tablets-Phase Three: Sony to launch two Honeycomb driven tablets this fall; will Amazon launch an Android version of the Kindle? Realtor.com app for the iPad

First there was the iPad, then the first halting attempts at competition, now comes the third wave of tablets including an Android driven Nook, as well as new product launches due in time for the holiday season.

Today Sony jumped into the tablet game by unveiling two new Honeycomb driven tablets called S1, with a 9.4-inch display, and S2, with two 5.5-inch displays. The unveiling by Kunimasa Suzuki, Sony's deputy president of the consumer products and services group, is another example of a manufacturer previewing its tablet offering months ahead of any actual product launch.

Nonetheless, with its integration of its PlayStation games, Sony stands a good chance of success with a games-oriented tablet product. Additionally, by the time the fall season comes there should be some built up demand for an Android tablet that is well designed and which contains all the basic features – read: email, calendar and contacts – that were left off the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The question is whether the next few months will begin to see a large number of Android tablet optimized apps being developed and released.

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While many doubt that the new Android version of the Nook will take a big bite out of the emerging tablet market, others are betting that if Amazon does the same as Barnes & Noble and releases an Android driven Kindle that it will have a winner.

But won't this mean a move away from it current displays?

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Realtor.com released its first mobile app for the iPhone in early 2010, a very useful mobile app that assisted home buyers find and evaluate properties for sale. Of course, while the last few years have been great for Apple, it has been a disaster for the real estate industry.

Who knows when the real estate market will recover, but Realtor.com is moving forward with its apps launching an updated app that improves the look and feel of its app on the iPad. The old app was one of those mobile apps that worked fairly well on the iPad, unlike most apps designed for the iPhone's smaller screen. It wasn't great, but it was functional.

Now this new universal app is the first released for Realtor.com specifically designed for both the iPhone and iPad. Since Realtor.com has also released Android and BlackBerry apps, I expect we will see new versions of those apps soon, as well.

Fragmentation of Android market one of the biggest obstacles facing publishers

I've been a bit incapacitated today, which explains the lack of new posts. But in the meantime I've been reading about Barnes & Noble's conversion of the Nook into an Android tablet – I'm not terribly impressed.

This is all good news for eReader users, mind you. Now Nook owners can download some apps for their eReader and have some sort of tablet experience. But Nook owners won't have access to the Android Market, limiting them to an extremely small number of apps.

The problem for publishers is not just the number of app stores for the Android platform – the Android Market, app stores from Amazon and now Barnes & Noble – the problem comes in having different Android apps optimized for versions of Android and different flavors of Android tablets.

But this may be, at least for now, what the future will look like on the Android platform, and it's probably good news for vendors who like to sell publishers their digital publishing solutions.

Homage Magazine launched as tablet-only app: teaser issue works hard to frustrate any prospective readers

It is interesting to me that tablet-centric and tablet-only magazines are beginning to be produced around the same time that some major publishers are already expressing frustration that their tablet efforts are not catching on with the general public. It is proof, I believe, of the argument I made a year ago that it will be those that are committed to the new platform that will show the way for traditional print publishers.

But even though I have great faith that the new, independent electronic publishers will have lots to offer the industry and to magazine readers, it is also true that the basics of publishing do not change from platform to platform – and rule number one is don't piss off your new readers.

On Saturday a new tablet-only magazine appeared in Apple's App Store, Homage Magazine, and it certainly violates rule number one big time. The app is free to download and then gives readers a "teaser" issue. Does any one like to be "teased"? Better that the publisher had offered an abridged issue, or better still a full prototype issue.

Instead Homage Magazine gives its new readers lots of messages that say "To use the features of this section, download the full edition from the App Store". Grrr.

To make matters worse, there is no "full edition" currently in the App Store. (I actually think they mean that the full edition will appear as an in-app purchase, but we'll see because neither option is currently available for readers.)

It's probably just as well, because judging from the music the publishers use here it appears that this magazine is designed for those people who walk into an elevator and stay there all day because they like the music.

The app description says the new magazine will "pay tribute to the extraordinary people, places, events and products that are positively changing the fabric of our planet." I think the emphasis here will be on "products". As for those "extraordinary" people mentioned, well, think "rich".

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The website that supports the new magazine is not very helpful in understanding the company and people behind this new tablet magazine. But it does contain the first spec sheet targeted at the advertising community I've seen from a publisher.

Other publishers who have yet to build their own media kits with specs might find this simple PDF of interest.

Morning Brief: Guardian asks about the future of B2B publishing (but provides no answer); Condé Nast app slowdown due as much to failed strategy as tiny market

It may be only April but the media world already looks to be in a summer funk. News is light, magazines are thin, and we are not even near those August vacations. Last week I picked up a couple of B2Bs that contained so few ad pages that according to my figures were down 80 percent in ad pages when compared to two years ago.

Speaking of B2B: The Guardian this morning asks Have trade magazines got a shelf life?

Any headline that ends in a question mark is a sure sign that the author has failed to come up with an answer themselves and is forced to conclude that they don't know. But the article is worth a look, nonetheless, if only to get a little perspective on the health of the B2B media market from across the pond. Things are not going so well over there either, if the article is any indication.

Unfortunately, other than stating that the total number of B2B titles in the UK has declined, the author fails to give many other details that a publisher would like to have – like ad pages, for instance.

In the US, the sector is still on life support. After seeing ad pages fall nearly 30 percent in 2009, ad page declines moderated a bit, falling only 3.1 percent last year. The first report from the ABM is probably due within the next month and expectations are that there should be some growth recorded. But for many B2Bs it is way too late: decreased ad sales staffs, combined with dropped BPAs has condemned a number of titles to the inevitable. For others, however, 2011 may indeed be a turnaround year – we'll see.

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Over on the consumer side, things are looking up for some of the larger titles. The first quarter was a blow out for Vogue, for instance, with its ad pages totally 621 in the first quarter, up ten percent or so.

Condé Nast's mens titles struggled, however, with Details and GQ down, though Esquire did manage to report a small gain.

All this is mentioned to put into perspective the recent talk about Condé Nast slowing down its magazine app development. I would bet you a bundle that the publisher would not be saying they are slowing down launching apps if the company were blowing out its numbers . . . of it consumers were enthusiastic about what Condé Nast is offering iPad owners.

Face it, by pricing their magazines at single issue prices, Condé Nast was never going to succeed on a massive scale with its tablet publishing efforts. A quick look inside the App Store shows that that the following magazines have mostly negative reviews: GQ, Allure, Brides, Self, Vogue, Golf Digest, The New Yorker, and Wired. Across the board, the reviews are similar: readers don't like having to pay newsstand prices for their digital editions.

So who will still buy these titles? Well, the same loyal readers that have been buying the print titles one at a time. The problem is that this represents a very small portion of the reading public – an iPad owner and a single copy buyer.

So you could say that Condé Nast is indeed smart for slowing down its iPad app development, the market is just too small at this point to make going after this segment a good business proposition. But conversely, you could also say that the strategy was faulty to begin with, and instead it would have been smart to have used the launch of the iPad to try and attract new readers by pricing their products more in line with reader expectations.