Time Magazine now has a full native app in the iPhone App Store. It ‘s called Time.com Mobile and features a good range of content from one of the top news magazines in the US.
I have to admit I don ‘t read Time as often as I ‘d like to, as I don ‘t subscribe and just don ‘t manage to pick it up very frequently. Whenever I do get a chance to read it (usually in a doctor ‘s office waiting room or similar) I enjoy it “ so I ‘m glad to see them bring out a full iPhone app.
Here are some of the new app ‘s features, per its App Store description:
- Stay connected to the latest top stories and what’s most popular on TIME.com
- Choose "List" or "Image Flow" mode for quick and simple scanning of headlines
- Browse through TIME’s award-winning photography, hugely popular Lists, fun Quotes and videos
- Read opinion and analysis from your favorite TIME bloggers
- Automatic data push keeps you connected online or offline
- Simple "Email and Share" button lets you easily send TIME Mobile articles, photos or video to friends or post a link to them via Twitter
Its sections include: News, Top Stories, Latest Headlines, Politics, U.S., World, Biz & Tech, Health & Science, Entertainment, Travel, Nerd World, and Looking Around.
What ‘s To Like?
Having spent a fair bit of time with the app this morning, I ‘ve found there is plenty to like about it. Such as
First and foremost, the included mix of content is very strong. You get a broad range of topics covered, many with in-depth articles “ and some of the best features from both printed and online versions of Time. There ‘s everything from headline news
To topical quotes
And some fun ‘Lists ‘ articles
The choice of List or Image Flow views is good to have, and both are nice to work with. Each of the sections in the app shows ten or so articles relevant to its title, and these display well in both of the view types.
You also get some striking images, just as we ‘ve come to expect from the printed magazine
The app includes ads, but they are low key and very non-intrusive, which is nice to see.
The Media section offers lots of great photos, and also a good set of Time videos
When you ‘re offline (with no Wifi and in Airplane Mode) you can view articles you ‘ve previously opened, but not any content that you hadn ‘t previously opened “ or at least that is my experience so far.
What Could Be Improved?
I ‘ve also found a few things that, in my view, could be done better
Several of the sections are quite slow in loading “ sometimes the entire screen is slow to render, and other times the text loads but images are missing for quite a while
When you ‘re reading an individual multi-page article, you cannot swipe to move backward or forward through its pages. You have to use the left and right arrows at the top, which is a little clumsy “ and a swipe is a the far more natural action for many of us who are used to ebook readers on the iPhone.
The headline font in list articles seems way too small to me, with sub-headlines or section headings looking stronger within these
There are limited options for sharing “ just email and Twitter. It would be nice to see a few more added “ Facebook and Instapaper are just a couple that spring to mind.
Overall
With news apps it ‘s all about content “ how much there is, the quality of it, and how well it ‘s presented to you so you can easily digest it. Time.com Mobile does very well on all three counts I ‘d say.
The range and quality of content is as you ‘d expect from a ‘trusted ‘ source like Time and, despite a few quirks, the app makes it easy enough to read and enjoy all that good content.
One thing I don ‘t know as yet is how often the app is updated. If updates are regular and frequent, then this app is a definite keeper for me.
You can find Time.com Mobile in the App Store now, and it ‘s a free app.
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TAGS: iphone apps, iPhone news apps
