Getting a new app on your iPhone can be a treat or a huge disappointment. The disappointment comes when you realize, "That's all it does? It's just the Web site on my phone."Mobile devices, especially smart phones, are becoming increasingly important in delivering news. So it's useful to look at news applications that serve the mobile user well, both in content and packaging. Looking at these apps can guide the rest of us as we figure out how to provide relevant content in the new world of smarter mobile phones.
I downloaded about 40 news apps and played with them, looking for those that target the needs of the mobile user and didn't simply duplicate a news site.
Some of my favorites give me location-specific information, while others are just fast and efficient at providing what I want in a readable, enjoyable format on the small screen. Some don't offer traditional news stories at all, but tools and information useful when on the move. And It took some searching, but I found three local news apps worth a look.
Here, in no particular order, are some news apps that I think do this well. All are free unless noted otherwise. Since I have limited access to an Android phone, they're all iPhone apps. (My niece got an Android phone for Christmas, and she let me load up a couple, which I've noted below.) Android users, I'd love to hear your favorites.
AP Mobile
This is first on the list simply because it has become my favorite general news app. AP was early to the iPhone, and its developers have continued to innovate. The customization is terrific. I can select up to six regions of world news, choose to see only baseball news instead of all sports, and separate health from general science news.
I also like having a local section with selections from both Tampa Bay papers. (Unfortunately, the structure of the local feeds generates some odd top stories, like "Senior lunch menus in Pasco County.") Rating a story is easy and intuitive, as are saving and sharing. Photos and videos are easy to access. The video quality varies, but this is a minor quibble. And if you doubt people watch videos on their iPhones, take time to look at the latest numbers.
Unfortunately, the app doesn't provide local news based on my current location, but on the information I supply, which is a drawback when traveling. The upside is that you can set multiple local sources.
The Android app on an HTC phone has very similar functionality.
ESPN ScoreCenter
ESPN also was early to the mobile scene, and its mobile-optimized Web site is a gem of usability. The ScoreCenter app, though, rocks. Customizable by sport and team, it's most useful for keeping up with scores during a game or finding an upcoming matchup. The app updates scores as quickly or faster than broadcast outlets and the MLB app, and it fits an impressive amount of game details on the small screen. ScoreCenter does a limited number of things and does them well. The Web site picks up the rest.
NPR
What makes NPR's app interesting is the ability to assemble audio stories into a playlist that you can listen to one at a time or in a stream. This is great for commuters without access to the radio and those who travel when news programs aren't on air. I like searching by program; I can listen to shows that are live now or archived ones.
The Android app has a much more limited functionality, with no live streams. (Or my eggnog-fogged brain couldn't figure it out on a new phone.)
I find I still use the Public Radio Player for live streams because it seems to do a better job remembering the last station I listened to and retaining my favorites. My local NPR station airs the morning and afternoon news shows and classical musical the rest of the day, so if I miss the news slots, I like to pick up the programming from a different time zone via my phone plugged into my car stereo.
USA Today and USA Today AutoPilot
The attractive USA Today app is one of the few I've found that uses your location for more than the weather forecast. When you view "Snapshots," USA Today's iconic infographics, you can answer a related poll question and see results sorted by your current city and state. Sweet! The app also does a beautiful job handling photos.
USA Today AutoPilot is also worth a look. Based on USA Today's travel section, it provides quick access to its travel blogs and gives you information related to upcoming flights (although you have to enter them manually or forward flight bookings from an account on TripIt). The phone directory for all kinds of travel-related resources could come in handy next time you're stranded.
Kayak's trips option looks like it has similar functionality as AutoPilot -- showing that the line between news and other types of information is getting fuzzier and fuzzier, and that neither domain is owned by traditional news organizations.
IndyStar
Kudos to The Indianapolis Star for creating a news app that uses your current location to customize its news feed. I believe this is going to be critical to all mobile apps, but particularly for local journalism, so having a site that makes an effort to provide news that way is exciting. The traffic maps are fast and functional, too.
WCCO
WCCO-TV in Minneapolis-St. Paul has developed a well-organized app clearly customized for their newscasts, highlighting regular segments like "Good Question" and "Good to Know." The video quality is terrific. Since it was released, I have seen a number of other local television stations use the same interface for their apps.
Dolphins Football 2009 ($1.99)
Produced by The Miami Herald, this app is based around its Dolphins In Depth blog, with the ability to comment on the blog directly from the app. Nice! The photo galleries are huge, and the videos of reporter game analysis look great. Seems to me if you're a Dolphins fan, this is a must-have. The Herald has similar apps for four college teams as well.
Bloomberg
The stock charts on the Bloomberg app are awesome pieces of mobile interactivity, enabling you to zoom in for a close view or choose a variety of views over time. For your mental well-being, I don't advise looking at the five-year view on media stocks. The six-month perspective is much more heartening.
Fluent News Reader
A news aggregator that constantly pulls news from 37 major news outlets, Fluent News is fast becoming one of my favorites. The free version lets you turn off one source and view more or fewer stories from one source. The premium access version (which costs $1.99 a month) enables you to fully customize sections and filter news sources.
Another interesting aggregator is the BNO News app ($1.99). It sends alerts on breaking news stories, which I find to be quite a bit ahead of the other news sources I'm using. This app is done by the same people who run @breakingnews on Twitter. The app provides the alerts, but no links to the source story, which definitely limits its usefulness. With the paid subscription of $0.99 a month, you can add more categories to the alerts. BNO is working with msnbc.com as its first client, so it will be interesting to see how the app and service develop.
CNN Mobile ($1.99)
CNN generated a lot of press when it released its $1.99 iPhone app this year. I figured it was worth it just to be able to watch live video on my iPhone. Sadly, since the launch, CNN has cut back on live Web video, and this seems to have affected the mobile app as well, since I haven't seen a live video alert in the app in months.
Still, the video offerings are extensive and look great. If you turn the phone sideways you can flip through thumbnail images of videos, just like the "coverflow" view in iTunes. That isn't necessarily more functional, but it does look cool. Not only can you save stories, you can "follow" them, which means that when you return to the app, it tells you how many developments have been posted since you visited last.
Get started
If you're not working on a mobile strategy yet, it's time to get serious. The New York Times reported getting 60 million mobile views of its content in April. Yes, I know that's the Times and not you, but 13 percent of traffic from mobile is nothing to shrug off. A new report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations [PDF] suggests mobile traffic will increase as much as 25 percent in the next two years.
You may, at this stage, choose to use a vendor to get you up and running. It's a logical choice many organizations are making in times of tight budgets. Even if you don't have resources to develop an app, you shouldn't delay developing a mobile strategy, as Amy Gahran wrote earlier this year. An important first step is to make your Web site mobile-friendly and so you can move into the next platform for news content delivery.
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