Several years ago, some colleagues and I were chatting about what was missing from tech journalism. Plenty of news media outlets had written breathlessly about hot new gadgets and apps. But what were people really doing with that tech?

That question spawned Tech We’re Using, a weekly feature that documented how New York Times journalists used tech to cover a wide variety of topics, including politics, sports, wars, natural disasters, food and art.

With the decade coming to a close, we decided to also wrap up the column after interviews with more than 130 Times reporters, editors and photographers. Here were our biggest takeaways.

Indispensable Tech: Encryption Apps and Batteries

Unsurprisingly, the smartphone was the most vital work tool among journalists. Many reporters relied on smartphones for recording interviews and turned to A.I.-powered apps like Trint and Rev to automatically transcribe interviews into notes.