Samsung Galaxy Tablet

As a journalist, I would need something lightweight and easy to carry, where I can write my stories on the spot after the event, and immediately send it to my editors as soon as possible. It would need something that can send SMS messages, emails, Internet access, and at least audio recording. As far as my research had gone, the Samsung Galaxy Tablet has all those features.

The gadget can send text messages and emails. Depending on the version (US or Europe), it could make video calls whenever necessary – the version that can’t make calls can be fixed if installed with certain applications.

I see that this device is slimmer and lighter than most tablets, which is convenient for travel, especially for long travels.

This tablet is actually no different from a smartphone. And my past experience with a smartphone was with the Samsung Google Nexus. If these two are quite similar, then I don’t have to re-learn how to use the device.

The video recording is said to be quite poor, but the audio quality is believed to be sufficient. I don’t think I need the video itself, as long as the audio is capable enough to record all the sounds, especially from interviewees, or within press conferences.

I could also install applications such as dictionaries, news feeds, and maps to use whenever I need to get to a specific location. Get immediate necessary information using the 3G capabilities.

With all these features, I believe this gadget is provides what some journalist needs whenever they’re out in the field.

Inside the Manila Bulletin

Taking eager, tentative steps into one of the country’s biggest broadsheets, was like stepping off a cliff and landing on a soft, queen-size bed surrounded with a myriad of treasures and wonders.

The compulsion to run around amok was fierce, to satisfy the curious ever-needing-to-know eyes in what was inside Manila Bulletin and what makes it tick. I will spare the details of what’s inside, and simply say that each floor is a hidden Atlantis, where the weird and the outright awesome are found, along with profound and arcane technologies that would leave you in bright awe.

I have to admit, how the system works is somewhat confusing at first. Nevertheless, it is a system that works efficiently, given that no clot blocks the bypass of networks that makes Manila Bulletin possible.

It starts with the news reporters scouting for stories in their specific beats and assignments. Most of the time they will send their stories through the Internet for the editors to assess in time. Reporters, who haven’t reported back about the status of their stories, are taken care of by the Managing Editor. And truth be told, it seem like a pleasant experience.

Dummies are printed out and delivered by a copyboy to the layout artists, where they would design what the paper would look like. Banner photos are discussed in groups, and they take every absolute measure not to make a mistake. As far as I know, whatever people read in the newspaper is the general acceptance in how to spell things, and that can be extremely crucial. If there is a problem within the article, the copyboy is sent back to the editor to make the necessary fixes. This process can take as long as five minutes to a few hours depending on how fast people work.

Files saved in the computer network are called slugs. These slugs are accessible in every computer in every section throughout the Bulletin, granting efficient transfer of files. At times if the problem is minor, the layout artist will find effective means to fix it himself. If not, then it goes back to the editor.

I can imagine how everything worked ten-twenty years ago, people running around, shouting, smoking, hard pressed on deadlines and typewriters going chik-chik-chak-chik-chik-chik-chak-chichak-chik-chik-chat—PING! The finest music in the newsroom, indeed, I regret not being to experience it, but knowing that it had come to past, is just exhilarating, mind-crushing thought.

There is a gym, a basketball court, and a game room – Playstation 3, Xbox360, and all that. I surmise these gadgets and tools are here to for the completely stressed that need to unwind.

By the end of the tour and education in how things work around here, I came home thinking if Manila Bulletin is a nice place to work. They say journalism has no profitable financial career, and I believe that, perhaps journalists are indeed underpaid. Yet, from the amount of contacts you collect, the experiences of being out in the field, and the gaining a few dozen skills along the way. I suppose so that this place is a great place to work and start off a good healthy career sometime in the future.

How Technology help Students

It started with the discovery of fire, the development of the wheel, the conception of levers and pulleys; these simple technologies at that time were the state-of-the-art gadgets that helped civilization progress.

Now, the year is 2011, and we have the Internet and wi-fi, ipads, cell phones, these complex technologies that somehow affected people’s daily way of life. Students of all levels receive a huge benefit from all of these modern-aged technologies. Let’s skip the general fact that some students take it a habit to simply “copy-paste” their home works, projects and research papers, skipping the entire learning experience. As we well the use of the computers and Internet have sped up the students’ research, instead of pouring long hours inside libraries.

With the current electronic technologies we have today, students are able to communicate with one another if they need to confirm about class schedules, sudden changes in venues where they’re suppose to meet up for group projects, submit assignments via e-mail if needed. In short, electronic technologies are making the students’ life easier.

For graduating students, they can make use of the Internet by posting their resumes in websites like Jobstreet, where potential employers are always looking for fresh graduates each year.

Some Blackberry applications can show tutorials how to tie, how to reach certain locations, what team won what game, and even perform weather forecasts.

Even handheld video game consoles such as the Playstation Portable and the Nintendo DS help the students to kill some time, wind-down from stress. And these types of gadgets are evolving as well, having their own wi-fi, digital clocks, cameras, and other applications.

The scary truth however, is that technology everywhere is becoming so advance that it is starting to develop its own sentient presence. Boundaries between leisure and laziness blur, and certain websites, such as Facebook, are known to destroy productivity even professionals within the corporate world. Everyone, not just students, is getting too drawn into these technologies that we are being used instead of us using these technologies. Too much of anything can never be good, a form of self-discipline is being called for. Of course, that’s up to the person how to use the technology.