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| Press Release 10/23/07 |
| Nokia and Reuters Team up to Transform
how Journalists File Stories in the Field (Using ComVu PocketCaster
for Video Streaming) |
| HELSINKI, Finland, October 23 -- Nokia
Research Center (NRC) and Reuters are working together on a
mobile journalism project that could transform the way journalists
file news reports when on the move. The new mobile application
is the first project to be showcased from a long term research
collaboration that has been established between NRC and Reuters.
It centres around a lightweight toolkit that provides everything
journalists need to file and publish stories from even the most
remote regions of the world. |
| Through an ongoing trial that started this
summer, select Reuters journalists around the world made use
of the mobile journalism application in their everyday work
to edit, combine and file text, images, sound and live and recorded
video streams, producing and publishing multi-media stories
of broadcast quality without needing to return to the studio
or office. |
| "This is a very easy-to-use application that
takes account of the demands placed on journalists in the field,"
said Nic Fulton, Chief Scientist of Reuters Media. "By running
on handheld devices, rather than on bulkier laptop computers,
the mobile journalism application enables us to create complete
stories and file them for distribution, without leaving the
scene. This saves us time and benefits our audience by ensuring
that they receive high quality news that is absolutely up-to-date." |
| While the application's most immediate use
would be for professional journalists, the implications of the
research could be much wider in the long term. Timo Koskinen,
project manager with Nokia Research Center, said: "The term
'citizen journalism' has been in use for several years, but
technological innovations - particularly the introduction of
mobile multimedia computers - have transformed the concept.
'Citizen journalism' is beginning to embrace a wide range of
public engagement with the media, from groups of contributors
organized around subject or geographic areas to the casual participation
of observers who are lucky - or unlucky - enough to be at the
scene of a newsworthy event." |
| The mobile journalism application uses the
multimedia capabilities already available in existing smart
phones and combines these to produce a toolkit that fits intuitively
with the way in which journalists want to use it. The toolkit
comprises multimedia capabilities, text editing tools and live
video streaming and is accessed using an innovative user interface.
Metadata facilities automatically combine every piece of information
the device already has about the context for the story - location,
time, date and so on. For the trial, GPS integrated video-streaming
technology was provided by ComVu PocketCaster. Reuters has already
developed a mobile editorial interface that links the toolkit
developed by NRC to the in-house editorial process, allowing
stories to be published almost instantly from the field. |
| The trial involved a select group of Reuters
journalists who filed stories from events ranging from New York's
Fashion Week to the Edinburgh Film Festival. Reuters continues
to make experimental use of the application. A group of university
students will also use the application in coming months, to
give an idea of how the toolkit could possibly work in a future
citizen journalism context. |
| View footage and download stills from the
mobile journalism trial here: http://reutersmojo.com |
| About Reuters |
| Reuters (http://www.reuters.com),
the global information company, provides indispensable information
tailored for professionals in the financial services, media
and corporate markets. Through reuters.com and other digital
properties, Reuters also supplies its trusted content direct
to individuals. Reuters drives decision-making across the globe
based on a reputation for speed, accuracy and independence.
Reuters has 17,500 staff in 94 countries, including 2,400 editorial
staff in 196 bureaux serving 131 countries. In 2006, Reuters'
revenues were GBP 2.6 billion. |
| About Nokia Research Center |
| Interacting closely with all Nokia business
groups and Technology Platforms, Nokia Research Center is responsible
for the strategic and long-term research in Nokia. Looking beyond
current product development, the Research Center challenges
current strategies and drives Nokia's renewal through long-term
technology exploration. Nokia Research Center participates in
the standardization work and various international R&D projects
in cooperation with universities and research institutes. Nokia
Research Center employs about 800 people and has activities
in Finland, USA, Germany, Hungary, China and Japan. For more
information on Nokia Research Center, see the website http://www.research.nokia.com |
| About Nokia |
| Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving
the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and
communications industries. Nokia makes a wide range of mobile
devices and provides people with experiences in music, navigation,
video, television, imaging, games and business mobility through
these devices. Nokia also provides equipment, solutions and
services for communications networks. |
| About ComVu |
| ComVu is the global provider of DIY mobile
broadcasting solutions, enabling anyone to simply stream live
video from their mobile device to the Internet. Coupled with
today's 3G mobile devices, ComVu provides an end-to-end solution
for real-time broadcasting of social events, amateur sports,
breaking news and emergencies in the field. The company's PocketCaster
GPS solution is a multiple award recipient, including the grand-prize
winner of the NAVTEQ LBS Global Challenge. PocketCaster is offered
as an ASP service or licensed solution to mobile operators,
consumer portals, ISPs, enterprises and government organizations.
For more information please visit: http://www.comvu.com. |
