There are plenty of iPhone apps available for catching up with the news, especially from individual newspapers and news broadcasters. But what if you want to gain a broad and unbiased as possible overview of the latest events and issues in just a few minutes each day?
This is where the Newsy.com app comes in, which last month shot to number six on the list of free news apps in the app store. As with their website, it provides short, professionally produced and presented videos which examine how the key stories of the day have been covered by a wide variety of multiple sources.
Of course there other excellent news aggregator apps such as iNewz and MeeHive that provide coverage from multiple sources, not to mention the ability to do so manually by subscribing via the various RSS apps – but Newsy ‘s focus on video is what sets it apart.
It ‘s one of the few, with the exception of the built-in YouTube app, to do video right on the iPhone. The videos play fine both using Wi-Fi and 3G though now and again there is the odd glitch with streaming (though in my experience this seems to be an ongoing issue with the device and compared to some other apps I ‘ve tried these problems are minimal).
The features are simple yet effective. You can scroll through the videos in coverflow style (see above), and by unlocking a padlock at the top of the screen, you can scroll through at whatever speed you prefer just by tilting the phone at an appropriate angle. Each video can be commented on and shared via email, Twitter or Facebook.
The videos themselves are around 2 to 3 minutes in length, which make them perfect for catching up with the latest news on the go, and the attractive presenters speak very clearly and confidently. The sources differ for each story, and vary from the likes of Fox News and the BBC to websites and blogs.
However the stories are limited to a rather small selection of that day ‘s news, with humorous or weird news a clear priority. In fact some of the sources seem to have been chosen because they had the most amusing quote rather than to give an accurate view of opinion across the board, adding a bit of a Daily Show feel to the reports at times (perhaps unintentionally). Having said that, more serious issues are dealt with appropriately.
It ‘s clear that the focus of the app is on being as entertaining and accessible as possible, whilst also being informative. Whilst this app could never replace my other news sources due to its limited content, I do find it a good way of catching up on some of the most talked events of the day if I ‘ve been out of the loop. In an age of information overload, the app ‘s simplicity and brevity is a huge part of the appeal.
Download for free from the iTunes Store
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TAGS: iPhone news apps
