AP Style For iPhone, Blackberry
Remember taking that AP Stylebook exam in college? Desperately thumbing through the 400+ page book in record time despite the fact your fingers were bleeding from multiple paper cuts? Frantically looking up abbreviations, accepted word forms, and tried to figure out if “Kitty Litter” is brand name (it is, and the guide encourages reporters to use the phrase “cat box litter” instead)?
Now, our beloved stylebook is digitized, searchable, and available for download on iPhone and Blackberry. It’s handy in the newsroom, and at the bar during a long argument about the hyphen in Jell-O.
Cost
$24.99 for iPhone and Blackberry
Features
- Mirrors printed copy of the book
- Includes briefing on Media Law
- Social Media Guidelines Section
- AP Stylebook Index (matches print edition)
- Users can add their own entries
- Highlight, Bookmark, and add notes
- Food Terms, including Recipe Style Guide
Pros
It’s an AP Stylebook in your pocket. Anyone that regularly uses the guide can search faster. Users can add their own entries– a plus for broadcast newsrooms looking to set a standard for CGs (character generators, aka dekos, aka key, aka lower third.)
Cons
If you bought the 2010 version of the app, your notes and customizations won’t transfer to the 2011 version.
The price. It’s pretty expensive considering the book you bought in college was probably used and only cost about $10 at your university’s bookstore. Wasn’t getting rid of paper supposed to make things cheaper?
Resources
Follow AP Stylebook on Twitter
More: AP’s StyleGuard (similar to spell check for AP style on Word)