Filed under: iPhone, App Store
News apps for the iPhone span the political spectrum
Building a native app that aggregates and spruces up the content of a single news organ's website is all the rage, although it seems like overkill in some cases -- personally, I enjoy curating my own reading list with good old Instapaper, which also offers the advantage of clearing out most of the graphical cruft and leaving nothing but yummy text. Still, if you like having all the news that's fit to print in the palm of your hand (yes, the 2.0 version of the NY Times app is quite nice), there are two new choices of single-site apps (SSA) for your reading pleasure.
In the right corner, weighing in at four sections, it's the Wall Street Journal! Yes, the official newspaper of American business (whatever's left of it) has an iPhone app, and according to Silicon Alley Insider it's pretty good; the app lets you cache content for offline reading (similar to the NYT app), and offers audio and video content from the paper, along with stories and rich media from sister sites like Uncle Walt's hangout AllThingsD.
Most notably, using the iPhone version of the WSJ -- which is free -- you can read most or all the content from the daily paper... which, via the WSJ.com website, is not free (most full stories require a subscription). There's no way to know how long this workaround will be in place, but for now it's a great way to get access to the paper's stories.
And, in the opposite corner, weighing in at one home page and sporting a killer left hook, it's the Huffington Post! The HuffPo iPhone app has been in soft-launch mode for the past month and was just updated to version 1.1, quashing bugs and improving performance. It's not as polished as some of the other SSAs yet, but it gets the job done. The app is free.
If you have a preferred single-site app for news, let us know below.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gilles said 2:35AM on 4-16-2009
The New York Times and Le Monde.
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Crazymike said 8:58AM on 4-16-2009
Nice article. I am going to check the WSJ app out, great value until they charge. Maybe the are waiting for OS 3.0 to come out so they car charge inside of the app to read more, who knows. I am not the biggest fan of the news apps, but I like the AP (free) and USA (free) for basic daily headline news.
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Galley said 7:56AM on 4-16-2009
Le Monde.fr est trés magnifique!
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jakebond70 said 9:15AM on 4-16-2009
I use NYTimes app and AP News app, both of which are very well put together apps, until yesterday when I discovered the HuffPo app, which I am very, very pleased with!
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Mike said 10:47AM on 4-16-2009
I've had nothing but trouble from the NY Times app. It crashes constantly, even after the 2.0 update. I have tried reinstalling several times as each update is released and same problem. Any tips?
I will check out WSJ and HuffPo today.
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Jon said 12:10PM on 4-16-2009
Your not alone in thinking the NYT app crashes frequently. Just look at the reviews on the app store. Personally I love the NYT app and content, which makes all the crashing just barable.
It's good to see HuffPo and WSJ getting in on this, I'm hoping the CS Monitor and Washington Post build SSA apps soon
PS. This horrible poster authentication system on TUAW really sucks on an iPhone since it won't remember my password and I must re-authenticate every freaking comment via email :p,
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Malfoy Roark said 1:27PM on 4-16-2009
Those of us who already subscribe to the WSJ should get something special if we sign in. :( (I haven't dled the app yet so I don't know if there is a spot to sign in)
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colin said 2:14PM on 4-16-2009
Check out Stitcher Radio. We provide a single source to listen to audio news and more from all of these content providers. Stream shows directly to your iPhone without snycing, even over edge.
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tauw said 3:19PM on 4-16-2009
Why aren't these simply done as web apps? As others have complained, the New York Times app is horribly crashy, and in my opinion, doesn't really have enough features to justify a slot on my launcher.
Both the mobile New York Times and the Washington Post sites are crisp and clean, and either loads faster than the NYT app does. Any website can be given a dedicated launcher on the Home screen.
So why are we bothering with apps when web pages can do the same thing?
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Michael Rose said 10:52PM on 4-16-2009
Offline access.
Joel said 4:43PM on 4-16-2009
the WSJ app has been a long time coming. Hopefully they will add the ability to sign in to our accounts so the adds will go away.
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Johnny Dangerously said 6:49PM on 4-16-2009
I guess no one likes the USA Today app? Very speedy, includes sports scores, and you can get very specific in the subcategories of news you want.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=300669003&mt=8
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John said 1:43PM on 4-23-2009
These "single publisher" apps are well executed, but it seems like trying to read tiny text while you're on the go could cause eyestrain - or car accidents ;)
For a news & blog app that's totally unique, check out PimpMyNews (It talks).
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303410281&mt=8
It converts text news stories from your favorite sources to audio, so you can *listen* while you drive, workout, ride the train, etc. You can "curate" your personal playlist by picking from over 1,300 of the web's top news and blogs.
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Politician Watcher said 11:06PM on 4-24-2009
If you want more than one point of view, the politicoTracker app gives you access to over 25,000 global news sources in one app - plus you pick which politician you want to see news about.
That's right - you choose your news.
http://politicoTracker.com
Not news aggregation, it's the evolution of news search - highly targeted, relevant, timely, and cross-searchable.
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