So many news apps exist that I couldn’t keep my thoughts to just one post!
Aside from Yahoo! News Digest, NYT Now and Flipboard that I already analyzed, here’s a list of the top 5 news apps I would recommend to college students (in no order) that they may not know about.
Aside from Yahoo! News Digest, NYT Now and Flipboard that I already analyzed, here’s a list of the top 5 news apps I would recommend to college students (in no order) that they may not know about.
Time-saving on-the-go is what Circa is about. One feature about this app that’s unique is that it lets users follow news stories they are interested in and will give them push notifications when a new development in that story hits the interwebs. Like other news apps, it gives you a morning briefing based on the stories you have read before. It allows you to subscribe or continue to the site without an account and customize your breaking news alerts.
The app’s layout is one to be admired. Like others, it’s a list of headlines, but also a photo as the backdrop to each headline. Each story is pieced into sections big enough for your smartphone screen.
While I don’t like that it pulls chunks of news and quotes from other news sources without much credit, I do like that it’s super user-friendly and easy to use and navigate.
The app’s layout is one to be admired. Like others, it’s a list of headlines, but also a photo as the backdrop to each headline. Each story is pieced into sections big enough for your smartphone screen.
While I don’t like that it pulls chunks of news and quotes from other news sources without much credit, I do like that it’s super user-friendly and easy to use and navigate.
2. AP Mobile
Super visual is the first thought that comes to mind when looking at the interface of the Associated Press’s app. Each section of stories is divided into blocks to separate content.
For example, the “News” section has a photo of Minnie Miñoso, a former Chicago White Sox player who died Mar 1. Once the user clicks on a section they want to explore, readers are offered a list of headlines and photos to scroll through (again, following the “bite, snack, meal” method).
Like the NYT now app, the AP posts the whole story. Again, it is a news organization, unlike an aggregate, that creates its own content, so once they have a reader, they want to give them as much as they can.
Super visual is the first thought that comes to mind when looking at the interface of the Associated Press’s app. Each section of stories is divided into blocks to separate content.
For example, the “News” section has a photo of Minnie Miñoso, a former Chicago White Sox player who died Mar 1. Once the user clicks on a section they want to explore, readers are offered a list of headlines and photos to scroll through (again, following the “bite, snack, meal” method).
Like the NYT now app, the AP posts the whole story. Again, it is a news organization, unlike an aggregate, that creates its own content, so once they have a reader, they want to give them as much as they can.
3. Salon.com
With a sleek design, Salon’s news app design is something to fawn over. Its crisp logo is at the top with two stories shown as you open the app. Like the AP, Salon creates its own content, so it offers users top stories it wants them to read instead of letting the user choose.
As a writer, I enjoy Salon’s headlines because they’re so clever and are smart clickbait to get the reader to click on them.
Salon also gives users the full story with links in it, which allows reader to go elsewhere on the web. Once in a story, Salon allows you to press an arrow and go to the nest one that the staff chooses for it to be in its top stories section. There’s also a most read section after scrolling through five headlines the site selects for you that dictates what others find interesting in Salon’s content.
With a sleek design, Salon’s news app design is something to fawn over. Its crisp logo is at the top with two stories shown as you open the app. Like the AP, Salon creates its own content, so it offers users top stories it wants them to read instead of letting the user choose.
As a writer, I enjoy Salon’s headlines because they’re so clever and are smart clickbait to get the reader to click on them.
Salon also gives users the full story with links in it, which allows reader to go elsewhere on the web. Once in a story, Salon allows you to press an arrow and go to the nest one that the staff chooses for it to be in its top stories section. There’s also a most read section after scrolling through five headlines the site selects for you that dictates what others find interesting in Salon’s content.
4. Agogo
Agogo is a news aggregator that allows you to select the the topics you are interested in and offers you a customized timeline of short audio stories. It allows users to sign up via email or Facebook and choose the stories to add to your “GO channel” you want to follow with a click of a button.
To be honest, I don’t like the Agogo’s layout because it is so blocky and text-heavy. I think the fact that you can listen to stories is great, but I like to be brought into a story by a good visual as well.
The app is totally customizable and can be easily navigated by using the hamburger (what the app calls the menu bar) in the upper right hand corner. I think the fact that users have to perform the extra step and use the menu bar to navigate the site is annoying.
I also feel that its icons to add a story to your GO Channel (pressing the start in the upper left hand corner of a story) aren’t easy to understand what they are used for at first. However, if you’re an audio learner or want to listen to a five minute news update as you walk down the Esplanade, this apps is right for you!
Agogo is a news aggregator that allows you to select the the topics you are interested in and offers you a customized timeline of short audio stories. It allows users to sign up via email or Facebook and choose the stories to add to your “GO channel” you want to follow with a click of a button.
To be honest, I don’t like the Agogo’s layout because it is so blocky and text-heavy. I think the fact that you can listen to stories is great, but I like to be brought into a story by a good visual as well.
The app is totally customizable and can be easily navigated by using the hamburger (what the app calls the menu bar) in the upper right hand corner. I think the fact that users have to perform the extra step and use the menu bar to navigate the site is annoying.
I also feel that its icons to add a story to your GO Channel (pressing the start in the upper left hand corner of a story) aren’t easy to understand what they are used for at first. However, if you’re an audio learner or want to listen to a five minute news update as you walk down the Esplanade, this apps is right for you!
5. Newsbeat
Another radio news app, Newsbeat allows users to select what topics of news they are interested in and hear and read about those topics at the same time. It also allows you to select international, national and local news sources you already use and reads the stories to you.
I don’t like that the voices reading the stories are super monotone and not interesting, but that’s on the computer system the company uses. I do like that users have the choice to read a bit of a story or listen to it. They also have the choice to add similar content to their news feeds, by clicking two squares in the upper right-hand corner.
As a journalist, I like that this app gives credit where it is due when users either read or listen to news stories. The site also gives readers the option to continue to the news site for the full story.
The app is easy to use with a simple audio bar at the bottom that allows users to stop and start a story or flip to another story using left and right arrows. Depending on the source website’s mobile friendliness, the stories are either hard to get through by reading or easy to see in short chunks of text.
Another radio news app, Newsbeat allows users to select what topics of news they are interested in and hear and read about those topics at the same time. It also allows you to select international, national and local news sources you already use and reads the stories to you.
I don’t like that the voices reading the stories are super monotone and not interesting, but that’s on the computer system the company uses. I do like that users have the choice to read a bit of a story or listen to it. They also have the choice to add similar content to their news feeds, by clicking two squares in the upper right-hand corner.
As a journalist, I like that this app gives credit where it is due when users either read or listen to news stories. The site also gives readers the option to continue to the news site for the full story.
The app is easy to use with a simple audio bar at the bottom that allows users to stop and start a story or flip to another story using left and right arrows. Depending on the source website’s mobile friendliness, the stories are either hard to get through by reading or easy to see in short chunks of text.