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TAKING A SHINE TO A CHEAP LAMP If you’re looking for a smart, stylish lamp for your office, I’d recommend Groov-e Apollo. This USB-powered lamp is full of high-tech features, including three LED light modes, touch control, wireless smartphone charging and a speaker to play music via Bluetooth. Lightweight, adjustable and available in black and white, the lamp looks great in any modern office. It is also pretty affordable at £29.99. www.groov-e.co.uk


GET LOTS OF APPS EVERY MONTH Dubbed the “Netflix for apps”, Setapp provides Mac users with more than 180 apps for one subscription. Tools for writing, editing and project management include Ulysses (a writing and blogging programme), Timing (time management), Be Focused, (a writing app that aims to prevent distractions) and 2Do (task tracking). At $9.99 per month, it’s a bargain. www.setapp.com


WRITE, SKETCH, RECORD, ORGANISE Notebooks are a journalist’s best friend. If you are on the lookout for a good note-taking app, check out Notebook from Zoho. As well jotting down and organising notes, you can sketch, record sound, make checklists, upload files of all kinds, scan documents and handwrite using the Apple Pencil. Available on iOS, Android and desktop, it is free to download and doesn’t have any adverts. Notes will sync across various devices. www.zoho.com/notebook/


16 | theJournalist A GOOD CALL A


pple phones are popular with a lot of journalists although, with some models costing £1,000, they can be expensive. Despite this, the


second generation iPhone SE offers plenty of bang for your buck. Starting at £419, the handset packs a 4.7-inch


Retina HD display, Touch ID fingerprint recognition, the same chip that powers the iPhone 11 Pro, a 12-megapixel camera and 4K video recording. It is also water resistant.


In terms of design, the new iPhone SE is made out of glass and aluminium. One


downside, is it looks identical to the older iPhone 8, but that’s not exactly surprising given that it is a budget iPhone. The second generation iPhone SE comes in


three colours: black, white and red. As for memory, the handset is available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. There are discounts available on Apple products for


NUJ members, too. www.nuj.org.uk/about/membership-benefits/ apple-store; www.apple.com/uk


> Stick-on trackers locate lost items M


isplacing or losing something valuable is infuriating,


whether it is your trusty dictaphone or your smartphone. With Sticker from electronics company Tile, you


can locate anything quickly. Sticker is a small Bluetooth


tracker that can be attached to almost any product through an adhesive back. If you lose something in your house or office, you can ring it.


Nicholas Fearn on technology for journalists


If you lose an item outside, you can discover its last location on a map.


Should you misplace your


phone, you’re able to reverse call it. Stickers have a range


of 46 metres. They are waterproof, and have a three- year battery life. A pack of two Stickers costs


£34.99, while four cost £54.99. They are available at


Amazon, John Lewis, Curry’s and Argos. www.thetileapp.com


A STAND AGAINST STRAIN L


you can raise a Macbook 6.5 inches off the desk to avoid musculoskeletal strain. When it is paired with a keyboard and mouse, it feels as if you are using a desktop computer. The stand also looks great next to an external display. amazon.co.uk, £54.99


aptops are an integral part of a journalist’s life, but staring at a screen for hours on end with poor posture can cause neck and shoulder problems.


You can solve this by investing in a laptop stand. If you’re looking for a stylish, high-quality option, look no further than the Twelve South Curve for Macbook. It is made out of one piece of metal and has non-slip silicone grips. With this ergonomic design,


Keep it confidential When it comes to speaking to


sources for sensitive stories, a secure


messaging app such as Signal is incredibly useful. Free to download, this private


messenger service comes with end-to-end encryption as standard. Whether it is a message or call, everything is encrypted. You can send and receive messages,


make voice and video calls, as well as add GIFs, audio, video and files to messages. Signal runs on multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS and Linux.


www.signal.org


TALK, WRITE,


PRIVATE


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