Filed under: Audio, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review
NPR News app updated, improved
The NPR News app [iTunes link] is quickly becoming a jack of all trades for news junkies and those wanting a quick fix of their favorite NPR program. The latest version, 1.1, adds sharing of stories via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. You can now pause radio programs, as well as fast forward and rewind them.
Finding local stations is easy by using the iPhone's location services, or you can choose to listen to just about every NPR station in the country.
The news part of the app works pretty quickly on a 3G network, but I find the pop-up ads at the bottom irritating. I don't think there are enough news stories on screen at once, an issue it shares with the AP News app. The NPR app has been popular since the moment it was released, and the developers have continued to be responsive and add features on a regular basis.
Getting access to NPR programs like Car Talk and All Things Considered is very nice, plus you can listen to any individual news story on demand.
There is no search function, which would be most welcome, but overall the app is really useful and continues to improve.
If you don't have it, grab it for free. If you already have it and use it, be sure to update to this latest version.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeff Smith said 5:03PM on 9-17-2009
Love the app but why do they leave the margins on each side of the news stories? It makes the already small font they use hard to read and waste valuable space that would make it easier for my old eyes to read.
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Jay said 5:41PM on 9-17-2009
i was hoping that they made it a bit less crashy...so far, looks like not.
I'd also love a 'clear playlist' button.
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Unknown said 7:09PM on 9-17-2009
I was excited, but then realized this is the update that came out around a week ago. Does anyone have a problem with Fresh Air? It's the one freaking program that refuses to refresh for me after multiple installs...and of course it's my favorite NPR program.
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Tom said 9:56PM on 9-17-2009
...or, you could just subscribe to the NPR podcasts. And get the same stories delivered to your iPod app. Automatically.
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Bill said 8:50AM on 9-18-2009
I wish there was an option for me to pay $5 to remove the ads. They take up too much room and I'm happy to support development of the app.
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willy the impeached said 1:31PM on 9-18-2009
So is this like hearing the word of our Dear Leader directly? I mean is this closer to the TRUE WORD of Barry than say the CBS newsline or the ABC or any other state media?
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katerina said 2:12PM on 9-21-2009
I love that you can now "favorite" a station. But it still takes 4 taps to get to streaming my favorite station (Stations > Favorites > WAMU > Listen to WAMU). Wish there was a quicker way.
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