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.

There are few public radio apps out there, but the official NPR News app [iTunes link] takes some of the best features of these offerings and goes one step beyond.

NPR News app was developed by Bottle Rocket Apps, the same folks who brought us Gas Buddy and a number of other well-executed iPhone apps. And, NPR News does not disappoint.

When you open the app, you're presented with a layout similar to other news apps. You have top stories, more offerings beyond that, and then a newscast where you can listen to a brief update of the top news of the hour. Along the bottom is a toolbar toggling among news, NPR's programs, a comprehensive listing of NPR stations nationwide with the ability to listen to your station of choice. For that, I tried out WUAL -- broadcast from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- my alma mater. The stream loaded quickly and I was listening to WUAL from my iPhone at a Barnes & Noble in Phoenix, Arizona. Pretty sweet. It's one of the things that I loved from Public Radio Player, and I'm glad to see this feature on the official app as well.

Under the Programs heading, you can add stories to a playlist or be taken to its podcast listing in the iTunes Music Store except for programs where you can select individual stories rather than the overall broadcast. If a program is currently airing in your local area while you're perusing the offerings, tap on the "Select Station" icon to pick a station to listen live. While in both program or station mode, the menu expands to expose a volume control if you tap on the arrow right above the time indicator.

Other than the lack of some programs, the only other big drawback to NPR News is the inability to scrub back and forth in a program. It's especially hindering if you have to stop the program for any reason because you'll have to go all the way back to the beginning.

NPR News is a free download and definitely worth checking out.

Edit (7:55 AM PDT): Some programs such as "Marketplace" aren't available because they are not produced by National Public Radio, according to Andy Carvin with NPR in our comments. These programs are available when you tune into a station live, but are not listed under the NPR programs section. He also added that scrubbing and sharing features will come in the 1.1 edition of the app. Thanks for the clarification, Andy!

The much beloved Public Radio Tuner has been updated, and now sports a new name. Public Radio Player [App Store] is your easy way to get to most of the NPR stations in the country.

This new version, which remains free, also allows you to find archived shows, like Car Talk, Speaking of Pets, Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, Fresh Air, and many others. This allows on-demand service of your favorite Public Radio programs.

You also can get a station's current schedule when you start to stream. Some stations don't support it, but if the metadata is there you'll see it in the app.

A couple of things to note at this point: Since the app has been renamed it may not appear when you check for updates at the App Store. However, when you run the older Public Radio Tuner, it will advise you of the new app and download it, leaving your older app in place. The new app won't have your favorites, so those will have to be added in manually.

There is a search function so you can find what you want by station name, call letters, frequency, city, region or category.

I find the new version a bit sluggish, and this is reflected by many other users comments. It's a bit slow to respond on either Wi-Fi or the 3G network.

Some of the stations appear in the list without their location, so it looks like the database should be cleaned up a bit. The app also has to my eye a rather sickly green color. Not a favorite of mine, and I think many people won't be wild about it. Note: The App Store page shows different, better colors (my view) but you can't get them on the release version.

Finally, I had some problems installing this app. On first run it said 'loading' and spun a gear for more than 10 minutes. I bailed out, re-booted my iPhone and it came up fine. If you see something similar, try re-starting your device and see if it solves it.

I love the new features in this app, but it has some rough edges. Luckily it doesn't write over the original version, so you can retain your favorites. I'd like to see a quick update and bug fix for this app, but as it is, it improves on the original feature set and should make Public Radio fans happy.

Here are some screen shots:

NPR hits up the issue of Mac hacking (the bad malware kind, not the good kind), and suggests that Macs are supposedly becoming a bigger target for exploitative folk.

While this is a topic that could easily (and does often) degenerate into complete misinformation and FUD, NPR basically acknowledges that Macs are showing up in more and more places (and that includes the iPhone, where even Apple is concerned about security), and that means that they're becoming a juicier target for malware developers. Fortunately, however, a familiar voice shows up later in the report (dig those dulcet tones!) to remind everyone that throughout five iterations of OS X, the malware problems have been hard to find. Malware developers may be trying, but it ain't working.

Of course, we can't let this go without noting that this story was inspired in the first place by a PR report released by... you guessed it: an antivirus company. The people who profit off of programs that supposedly prevent malware are claiming that malware is a bigger threat than ever before? Go figure.

It's an interesting coincidence (or... is it?) that on the same week New York magazine goes with a cover slug of 'iGod' for its Steve Jobs/iPhone article, Garrison Keillor (that handsome devil on the right) and the gang of upstanding citizens behind public radio favorite A Prairie Home Companion do a joke with an similar punchline. On the June 16th program, during the Guy Noir (PHC's resident detective) sketch, one of the characters suggests a perfect gift for Father's Day:

Tim Russel: Well, I read about this new iGod they're putting out.
Garrison Keillor: iGod?
TR: The people who put out the iPod. It plays sermons and you just delete the parts you don't like.

Hmm, sermon editing on the fly, very nice. Since my wife is going to be a rabbi, and my father-in-law was just elected bishop of his Lutheran synod, this audio player would really come in handy for me. Too bad I didn't get it for Father's Day this year!

You can read the script of the Guy Noir sketch here, or listen to it here (starts at 19:45 in).

Thanks Heidi!

This past week's episode of the best thing on the radio, This American Life (available free via the podcast until Monday, then streaming or via audible.com) features longtime TAL contributor and 'PC' John Hodgman on the perks and perils of being a TV personality. Hodgman's segment, the first one on the hourlong show, features his observations and experience now that he's recognizable.

Best moment? His description of his rock star reception at the Apple Store Soho. Priceless.

Thanks to those who sent this in.

Are there any established rules of etiquette for meeting people through iTunes? NPR has a sweet story about David Kestenbaum's attempt to meet his musical "soulmate," a neighbor who piggybacked onto his WiFi connection and accidentally left her shared library accessible from his computer. The story proves to be part wish-fulfillment, part stalking, and partly poignant. It says something about the separate lives we lead in today's society and how computers can, or could, or maybe even can't, bring us together. If a total stranger rang your doorbell and said he admired your music, would you let him in? No? Me neither.

Thank goodness that mainstream comedians have jumped in with bits on the iPhone introduction; us funny geeks are deeply grateful that the cavalry has arrived. While CBS's Craig Ferguson weighed in with an iPhone/Zune comparison, the competition at Late Night with Conan O'Brien gave us Thursday's slightly risque iPhone advertisement above (it's a sonogram! It's a prophylactic! It's Mace!).

Today, NPR's tongue-in-cheek news quiz Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me! featured an impression of Steve Jobs' now-legendary prank call to Starbucks (4,000 lattes) by newscaster Carl Kassel. The coffee quote comes in the show intro and again in the "Who's Carl This Time" segment (about 45 minutes in) -- too bad the player misidentified it as the launch of the "Microsoft Phone." Host Peter Sagal suggested that the second version of the iPhone needs to come with a vital nerd-friendly feature: a woman who would be really, really impressed with it.

Sagal also asked the panelists how cell companies would compete with the iPhone: best answer was from Adam Felber, who suggested that Verizon would introduce a new music player where you could play your favorite song "by pressing only a dozen buttons, and get to listen to almost half of it before it drops out." Wait Wait is a personal favorite of some TUAW team members (we love panelists Felber and Paula Poundstone), so check the schedules page for your local broadcast time or haul down the podcast from iTunes.

Thanks, Eric!

Can this guy get around, or what? The Woz has been everywhere lately, from the Colbert Report to the It's Showtime event on a Segway, and he's on his way to the South Pole in a hydrogen Hummer. Now even NPR got their hands on the big W for an interview, waxing ecstatic about his life after Apple, and hopefully a bit more about his book than he got out on the Colbert Report. Check it out, though you'll need (*snicker*) Real Player or Windows Media support installed via Flip4Mac.

Thanks phi