*As published in DIGIDAY:DAILY**

It’s often said and for the most part it’s true: the AP Stylebook is to journalists what the bible is to Christians. Love it or hate it, there is only one gold standard in news writing style, punctuation, grammar and general best practices – and The Associated Press has a lock on it.

Working as a journalist over the past decade, I’ve gone through a few hard copies of the book. They were lost, left behind at newsrooms or outdated in large part to the rise of the Internet (yes, Google was barely a blip on the radar when I started studying journalism in 2001). Social media and words like “blog” and “tweet” were but a speck on the horizon, and sure enough AP has updated its book of record every year without fail to lay down the law, so to speak, on how journalists should formally refer to all these new things in writing. Read more

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Monterey Bay Aquarium Price: free Platform: iOS
Advertising: None
Functionality: B
Fun Factor: B-
Overall: B

Maybe you’ve watched “The Cove” like I have, and have been inspired to be a little less apathetic when it comes to the seafood you eat and buy. Or maybe you just want to be more aware of the chemicals and antibiotics that could be lurking behind your next bite of fish. Either way, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch is a great place to start. Read more

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: RealNetworks, Inc. Price: $5 Platform: iOS
Advertising: None
Functionality: A
Fun Factor: B
Overall: B

NCIS, a game based on the TV series, is fresh off the App Store shelves so to speak, having been released just after the Labor Day holiday weekend. Read more

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Netflix Inc. Price: free Platform: iOS
Advertising: None
Functionality: A
Fun Factor: A
Overall: A

Some apps take so long to join the mobile party that you eventually just assume it won’t ever happen. I am happy to say that isn’t the case with Netflix. Read more

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Fotonauts, Inc. Price: free Platform: iOS
Advertising: None
Functionality: C
Fun Factor: B-
Overall: B-

Roaming the world to visit each of the more than 900 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage sites would be quite the feat. Most people would consider themselves lucky to see just one of these majestic, awesome and inspiring places — ranging from Dinosaur Provincial Park in Canada, to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, to the Great Zimbabwe National Monument in Africa. Read more

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Research In Motion Ltd. Price: free Platform: BlackBerry
Advertising: None
Functionality: A
Fun Factor: B+
Overall: A-

For years now, BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd. has been noticeably behind in the mobile entertainment space. Competitor after competitor has leapfrogged the smart phone giant with media offerings that are more in line with what consumers expect online. RIM may be systematically late to the party, but at least it doesn’t flake out entirely. Read more

**As published at digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Rdio Price: $9.99 for unlimited web and mobile, $4.99 for unlimited web
Platform: iOS and BlackBerry
Advertising: None
Functionality: B+
Fun Factor: B
Overall: B+

Music has turned out to be a rather tough proposition on mobile. While apps like Pandora have soared in both popularity and revenue-generation capabilities, other apps like RealNetworks’ Rhapsody have garnered less favorable reviews and market penetration.

Still, there are a growing number of free and subscription-based streaming services to choose from, which makes the “music on mobile” market all the more compelling to participate in. Case in point: The Rdio app. Read more

**As published at digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: StoryCorps; developed by Bottle Rocket Apps Price: Free Platform: iPhone
Advertising: None
Functionality: B-
Fun Factor: C
Overall: B-

With a mission that’s as large and as simple as recording America’s stories, it didn’t take much to convince me to give the StoryCorps app a go-round. I absolutely love StoryCorps’ premise — recording people’s stories, and getting them archived in the Library of Congress — but I wish the app provided a better window into the tens of thousands of interviews the non-profit group has already recorded.

This app does a great job of introducing the user to StoryCorps with a limited selection of clips from about 35 interviews, but the true value of StoryCorps lies in its rich vault of far more stories. While the website offers a full selection of stories, it would be great if the app could do the same. Read more

**As published at digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: TripIt, Inc. Price: Free Platform: BlackBerry OS, iPhone and Android
Advertising: None
Functionality: B+
Fun Factor: B
Overall: B+

I travel frequently for business, so finding the right digital tools for keeping track of all my itineraries has become a necessity. But it’s been a bit of an ongoing journey, simply because there are almost too many options. The one solution that has grabbed the bulk of my travel interest — at least since the beginning of the year — is TripIt.

Like any good app these days, TripIt has all the makings of Web 2.0: Users can connect with other users, share details about upcoming trips and then expand that reach to various social media outlets. Personally, I’m not interested in sharing my travel plans (work or personal) with much of anyone, but for those that are, this is a must-have feature. Read more

**As published at digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: SocialScope, Inc  Price: Free  Platform: BlackBerry OS, iPhone and limited Android devices Advertising: None

Functionality: A+
Fun Factor: A
Overall: A+

Just when I think I’ve found my all-time favorite client for Twitter on my BlackBerry, an alternative jumps into my radar and I begin the evaluation process anew once more.

I can’t remember how long it’s been since I requested an invite to check out the beta for SocialScope, but I finally got a code via e-mail last week and was downloading the app on my BlackBerry minutes later. The company has seemingly made an early commitment to developing for the BlackBerry, as it lists a number of compatible RIM devices on its site; there’s also support for the Android-based G1 and the iPhone. Read more