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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News mobile apps

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David Madden | 11:32 UK time, Friday, 23 July 2010

Today we are launching the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News app, initially on the Apple iPhone and iPad and, later in the year, on other platforms as well.

Our aim is to develop a set of core public service apps that bring some of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s most popular, distinctive and original content to mobile in an easy to use and convenient way. The first of these apps is ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News, and I'll be letting you know about the other ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ apps soon.

So, here's a bit more on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News apps.


³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News iPhone and iPod Touch app

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳_News_app_portrait_³ÉÈËÂÛ̳_copyright.PNG

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News app puts the latest news from our journalists across the UK and the world in the palm of your hand. We've developed an easy to use design which lets you scroll through the latest headlines on your phone. The idea is to create a truly mobile experience that gives you quick access to ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News on the move.

The app includes the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s top Stories, UK and International news, Business, Politics, Health, Education, Science and Environment, Technology and Entertainment stories as well as Features and Analysis from our correspondents around the world.

You can scroll sideways through each news category or up and down the page to access more ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news sections. To refresh the stories in the app all you need to do is pull down on the interface with you thumb to load the latest news.

We have developed a neat personalisation feature which lets you re-order the news categories to suit your needs. The edit button, top right, reveals a customisation screen where you can add your favourite news sections by clicking on the green + icon and drag and drop each news category into the order of your choice. So, if you like technology news, like I do, you can move that section to the top.

The app includes a latest news banner to keep you up to date with breaking headlines and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News Channel streamed live to your phone so you can keep up with the latest stories from the newsroom.

Clicking on story icons displays the full article on your phone. News stories include embedded video clips and social features so you can share each story via email, Facebook or your Twitter feed. In the article view you can either scroll sideways through each story using the navigation arrows at the top or swipe the story sideways with your thumb to move to the next article.

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Finally, we have included a landscape view which you can access by turning your phone sideways. This view provides a handy way to skim through the headlines and get a quick summary of the latest news without having to jump in and out of each article.


³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News iPad App

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳app_ipad.PNG

We have adapted the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News iPhone app for the iPad and developed a universal app that works both on the iPhone/iPod Touch and the iPad.

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News iPad app uses the same design as the iPhone app to give you easy access to the latest news. You can scroll through news categories on the left hand side and personalise the experience by adding, removing and re-ordering the news in the Edit menu.

We have included live streaming of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News Channel along with a breaking news banner and social features so you can share stories via email, Facebook and Twitter.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳News_4copyright.PNG

We have also designed a neat portrait view to give a larger reading experience when you turn the device sideways. In this view you can either swipe sideways through articles or click through the story icons at the top of the screen.

We have made a video demo of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News iPad app which gives an overview of how the app works and the features we have developed.

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit µþµþ°äÌý°Â±ð²ú·É¾±²õ±ð for full instructions

This is the first release of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News app in the UK and it will, of course, evolve and improve as we refine the interface and add features. Here's what we are looking at doing next:

  1. Adding ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Local News so you can get the full range of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s regional coverage on your phone
  2. Adding 3G streaming of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News Channel so you can watch live ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News when you are out and about. The live stream of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News Channel is currently Wi-Fi only and we've got some ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ infrastructure coming online soon which will enable live streaming over 3G networks.
  3. Further improvements, optimisation and enhancements to make the experience better and quicker

Blackberry Apps

A while ago we developed a series of launcher apps for Blackberry phones to give you quick access to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ mobile websites on Blackberry series 4.3 and above phones.

To install these apps on your Blackberry phone all you need to do is type this address into the web browser on your Blackberry phone and click on the icons to install the apps

/mobile/bbapps/

If you have a BlackBerry Bold 2 (9700) or Storm 2 (9520/9550) you can download a short cut app for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer from this page as well.

We will be uploading these apps to Blackberry App World in the coming weeks so you can download them straight to your phone from the Blackberry app store.

The team have worked really hard to design, develop and launch these apps and we would really welcome your comments and feedback. When we Tweet about the apps we are going to use a hashtag so if you would like to use this too that would be great as we are keen to know what you think. Otherwise do post a comment on this blog post.

David Madden is Executive Product Manager, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Mobile.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Will there be an Android app any time soon?

  • Comment number 2.

    Yay! I've been waiting for this for ages! Good work.

  • Comment number 3.

    Oh yay. More vendor and device specific support. Can you really not just run the website on open standards and let everyone play?

  • Comment number 4.

    Glad to hear they're almost available. When will it be hitting the App Store?
    Can't believe the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Trust wasted so much time and probably money pointlessly reviewing these.

  • Comment number 5.

    No mention of the Android platform? Android is as popular if not more popular than iPhone - how about versions of all the iPhone apps for Android launched at the same time?

    And it would be nice if the iPlayer app for Android worked on all versions of the phone not just the most recent one owned by the wealthiest few?

  • Comment number 6.

    Just so people are aware Android apps are in the pipeline as indicated in this blog post - /blogs/aboutthebbc/2010/07/bbc-mobile-apps-go-live.shtml

    Been waiting for this so should be good!

  • Comment number 7.

    If these are anything like the US versions they will be excellent. But cue 50 blog posts about how the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is killing off competition.

    For my '2 pence', I've paid my licence fee, I consume media from my Ipad - I've already paid for this and should be able to use it!

  • Comment number 8.

    When the "official" ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ app comes along, lets hope it will run on all Android devices and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ won't start C&D-ing the (often very good) unofficial ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News apps that are currently on the Android market.

    I'm rather concerned there will be a repeat of the BeebPlayer fiasco where the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ kills off the unofficial competition with C&D orders while providing an "official" app that will only run on a small subset of Android devices.

  • Comment number 9.

    Please .... Android! Android is now outselling iPhone, so please ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳.

    Also make it for Android 1.6 - not 2.2. My phone (SE X10) is BRAND NEW and still only has 1.6. Very, very few phones at the moment have 2.1 or 2.2, and the carriers seem to take ages in updating the phone OS

  • Comment number 10.

    Another thing.

    What it the need for the iPad app. The iPad is perfectly capable of displaying the full news website....

    Well, it would have been before the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ made a right royal bolognaise of the layout....

  • Comment number 11.

    As said above, Android!! Or even better, build a nice open architecture and let the world develop the apps.
    Why on earth do you want to develop your own apps? You will have to develop, support versions for each platform. Not very cost efficient, and irritating for those who don't have an supported platform (like Android at the moment...)
    What makes it even more irritating is that you remove 3rd party apps without replacing them! Luckily I saved my copy of Beebplayer and will treasure it until you finally get round to supporting the non-Apple market.

  • Comment number 12.

    I commend the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ on providing a brilliant online service but the budget cuts are well overdue if this is what our money is being wasted on. A mobile version of the website would suffice across all operating systems for a fraction of the cost.

  • Comment number 13.

    Why Apple only? Are apple devices unable to access the current websites? Surely it can't be that hard to support all devices rather than just a select few from a single manufacturer.

  • Comment number 14.

    Hopefully the Android apps won't be too far behind. It's on an increasing number of devices and has a massively increasing userbase.

  • Comment number 15.

    "Please .... Android! Android is now outselling iPhone, so please ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳." (@Joe Adams)

    Presumably you're basing this on a recent that gave Android a 7% lead in market-share?

    The biggest smartphone platforms in the UK are likely Symbian and BlackBerry - those are the platforms that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ should be targeting.

  • Comment number 16.

    The "Live" button doesn't work - it says I am outside the UK...? Is this just the US version added to the UK App Store?

    Other than that, this app is far more advanced than, say, the Guardian's app.

    Well done!

  • Comment number 17.

    @Kurisu

    Can't argue with your logic. At least the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ should stop this iPhone/iPad/everything Apple love affair. As you point out there are bigger mobile operating systems out there, but the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ loves all things Apple.

  • Comment number 18.

    Also, it looks pretty fuzzy on an iPhone 4. remember the resolution in the next update!

  • Comment number 19.

    OK now we know why the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ wrecked their website last week (see the relevant blog for 1000's of negative comments): by adding all that white space at the sides their target was to make it possible to read the content with this app. on mobile devices without using any sideways movement or magnification on their small screens.
    Any chance of incorporating a switch in the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ website to allow desktop / laptop users to get sensible pages of information?
    Maybe the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ are only looking to the long-term future when they expect all access will be via mobile devices.

  • Comment number 20.

    @Joe Adams : "Very, very few phones at the moment have 2.1 or 2.2"

    Actually nearly 60% of Android handsets worldwide now run 2.1 or above, around 40% are using v 1.5/1.6 of Android, so still a significant number. hopefully SE will get a move on and upgrade your X10.

  • Comment number 21.

    It's great to have this at last. With Sky News and ITV having had iPhone apps for ages, the objections in April were clearly hypocritical. Nice implementation too - the quality of the live stream on iPhone 4 is amazing!

  • Comment number 22.

    Just downloaded it.

    Annoying that you can't watch News24 other than on WiFi - you can watch it on 3G with TVCatchup.

    Would be nice to also have access to the Blogs.

  • Comment number 23.

    OK so would you just give me a summary as to how it's fair to spend license fee payers' money on developing an application for a device which only launched that was only released 3 months ago (the iPad) long before even thinking about developing an application for a platform that was launched around the end of 2008 (Android)?

    And no, the fact it shares the same OS as the iPhone is not a valid excuse when you've only just delivered a form of accessing the iPlayer for Android users, which is only usable by a very finite percentage of users at this time (with 2.2 on Flash-capable chipsets, which I'm lucky enough to have on my Nexus, few others are yet), and yet you appear to be planning to deliver both this and at least two other applications to both the iPhone and iPad before releasing anything for Android?... I'd better hope Apple don't release another form factor iOS device, or you'll probably be delaying thinking about Android even longer to work getting something out for that... (and I can't help but feel sorry for BlackBerry users probably feeling offended by getting a browser shortcut...)

  • Comment number 24.

    Hope that the Android version is released soon!

  • Comment number 25.

    About time! Am very excited to have the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ app on my blackberry, will be much easier to keep informed on the move

  • Comment number 26.

    Rob Parker - for more detail about how the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ approaches which mobiles to support see this blog post.

  • Comment number 27.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 28.

    There is an easily replicable bug in the iPad app which dans that if I launch it in portrait and turn it landscape, or even launch it landscape (sometimes) instead of the left-hand list of stories I simply get a green screen.

    The app is wonderful, apart from this bug.

  • Comment number 29.

    I love the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News App. I think it looks great, is easy to use and the video quality is really good on the iPhone 4. I'll be using this every day!

  • Comment number 30.

    The "live" button doesn't work for me, yet I am in the UK and on a wifi network. I got the error message about needing to be in the UK the first time I clicked the "live" button, and now the button is greyed-out and can't be clicked. I don't have any problems watching video from my laptop on the same wifi network!

  • Comment number 31.

    It looks nice on my iPhone but....
    The phone now takes at least 15 seconds to turn on and the same to switch off. I presume you are loading your stuff during these periods because when I remove the app the phone reverts to its normal immediate switch on and off.
    Pity. I quite liked it.

  • Comment number 32.

    Very disappointing app. Thinks I'm outside of the UK, and the news grid quickly turns to a green screen of death. Obviously rushed out without thorough testing. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ devs, hang your collective head in shame.

  • Comment number 33.

    Not impressed at all. It is incredibly slow on my iPhone 3G model, has crashed on me several times, and when I try to view the live feed, it says I am outside the UK!

  • Comment number 34.

    As others have said, nice that it thinks I'm outside of the UK even though I'm well and truly not. I'm not even on an edge!

  • Comment number 35.

    I do so agree with others who use Android devices. I expect platform neutrality. Some developers have tried to set up ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ related apps for Android: I'd like to hear that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ will encourage and help.

  • Comment number 36.

    I also get the green screen problem described in /blogs/bbcinternet/2010/07/bbc_news_mobile_apps.html, for the first 20 mins of using the app I couldn't get rid of the green screen, now it only happens when I change iPad orientation

  • Comment number 37.

    Why shaft the Android version and prioritise Apple products? Android is by far the fastest growing OS and it's been around two years! Yet Crapple release the ipad and click their fingers and the bbc runs.

    Taxpayers money is being spent yet the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ deem it right to prioritise a proprietary OS over the open source OS which is causing a revolution in the phone industry at the moment.

    What's worse, is when you do release the Android version, you will probably build it with less functionality of the iphone version.

    What it comes down to, is possibly the richest news organisation in the world can't fairly divide it's resources to release an Android application at the same time.

    What they choose to do instead is send cease and desist orders to the few who try and put a ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ app in the market to enable people to see a bit of content from iplayer. Because look at all the harm that was doing.

  • Comment number 38.

    Bit buggy, use in landscape mode on the iPad and the sections are replaced with a nice green rectangle.

    At least the layout is more enjoyable to use than the browser version, and finally we can watch video clips.

  • Comment number 39.

    You say: "We have developed a neat personalisation feature which lets you re-order the news categories to suit your needs."

    Please could you go tell the people at the main news site how to do it.

  • Comment number 40.

    Whilst the app is currently slightly buggy both in terms of the ...

    1) Green screen issue in the iPad app

    2) the app on both iPhone and iPad thinking you are outside the UK when you try and stream the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News channel

    ... once these are ironed out the app will be truly brilliant. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online Team doing great work again!

  • Comment number 41.

    These applications only list a fraction of the latest content from the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News website. Why is there no ability to read local news?

  • Comment number 42.

    Great app but when I click on the lice button an error message comes up saying "cannot view from outside the uk".

    I am in the UK and get this on my wifi and 3G vodafone - iPhone 3GS I have no problem with the iplayer when connected to the same network.

    When I re-install the app it works once and then get the same error again

  • Comment number 43.

    Can anyone actually say what "today we are launching" actually means ? The iphone app is not available from apple (unless you live in the US) and there are no links to download. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ has made a hash of the launch of this app already by making us unreasonably wait. Now it looks as if the people who pay for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ are having to pay second fiddle to our friends over the pond.

  • Comment number 44.

    Although the app looks lovely and does work most of the time, it also goes blank from time to time, makes my phone seize and tells me I'm outside the UK. I'll remove it for now and wait for the update.

  • Comment number 45.

    Great app, troublo is when I click on live I got a message saying the live function is only supported in the UK, last time I looked North Yorkshire was in the UK and now I can't click the live button to try again.....

  • Comment number 46.

    The apparent quality of this application is hilarious. How on earth does something as buggy as this get through a quality assurance process? Is this what our license fee goes towards. UNBELIEVABLE........

  • Comment number 47.

    On this page ( the features list mentions world service radio. The same features list within the app itself makes no mention. I can't figure out how to get radio - is the web page wrong and this feature has not been included? Enjoying the app - been waiting ages for this! Liking the new news site design too.

  • Comment number 48.

    @26

    re: your link.

    or at the least to be available on all major platforms.

    So why no mention of Symbian, you know, the UK highest OS for smartphones?

    Please explain.

  • Comment number 49.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 50.

    @Kuriso

    "Presumably you're basing this on a recent US-only survey that gave Android a 7% lead in market-share?

    The biggest smartphone platforms in the UK are likely Symbian and BlackBerry - those are the platforms that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ should be targeting."

    I agree that Blackberry and Nokia/Symbvian should be targetted as they are most popular in the UK at the moment. Also I should imagine there are many more iPhones in action than Android phones, simply because iPhones have been widely sold for much longer.

    However, many large phone companies have reported that the HTC Desire outsold the iPhone in the UK in the second quarter of the year and remember the HTC Desire is only just one of many Android phones (eg other massively selling Android phones are the SE X10, SE X10 Mini, SE X 10 Mini Pro, HTC Wildfire, HTC legend, HTC Hero, Google Nexus One, Samsung Galaxy S and Motorola Milestone to name just 10 other such phones. As such it appears to be odds on that sooner or later Android will overtake the iPhone in phone use in the UK.

    However, even then, the likes of Symbian and Blackberry may stay out in front. Surely the best thing to do would have been to do like the Evening Standard and release apps for Blackberry, Symbian, iPhone and Android all at the same time (ignoring the fact that the Evening Standard Android app is truly substandard!). This would have at least been the fairest option and the one least likely to lead to complaints.

  • Comment number 51.

    Never seen the need for an app.
    I've always been able to view the full ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News website on the last 3 handsets that I've owned since 2006, and it hasn't been a half baked WAP style effort either.

    WAP is an old antiquated APN that mobile manufacturers are trying to kill and bury for good. With some of today's handsets WAP is a thing of the past and creating these so called "apps" is just holding back progress in the mobile market.

    Just as an example, with my current handset I can use the full, unrestricted Facebook; I have applied for jobs via online application forms including typed out the covering letter, edited my CV, uploaded them both to the site and submitted it, then received the confirmation email. I can even go to the forum/message board that I run and perform administration duties there.

  • Comment number 52.

    Short and sweet:

    It's not fair to critise an app as 'buggy' without giving details.

    To claim that a platform is more popular because it is the fastest growing is not accurate. Android 2.2 is not stable yet nor the mainstream. Developing an app for old versions would be a waste of effort.

    Likewise for Symbian 3 - the N8 isn't launched yet.

    The Iphone 3G is slow with every app if you have updated to IOS4.

    Those in the UK, it might be worth checking the location of your ISP. You may live in the middle of the country but your proxy might be offshore 'for tax reasons'.

  • Comment number 53.

    MyVoiceinYrHead said "Those in the UK, it might be worth checking the location of your ISP. You may live in the middle of the country but your proxy might be offshore 'for tax reasons'."

    Did you miss the part where I (and another poster) stated the video is just fine using a laptop on the same wifi network?

    Also, I'm on iOS4 on a 3Gs and haven't noticed any global slowdown in the apps I use.

  • Comment number 54.

    "Developing an app for old versions would be a waste of effort."

    thats not technically true for Android devices, the OS framework has been built to be backwards compatible, so you can build an app for 1.5 devices and it will work perfectly fine on the latest 2.2 phones.

    Obviously it doesn't work the other way round so if the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ build an app for 2.2 devices as they are suggesting it means thousands of people will miss out...

    Really the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ should have released an app for all the top devices (iPhone/Android/Blackberry) at the same time to ensure product impartiality, but as always the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ are firmly in bed with Mr Jobs (anyone else noticed how many presenters are now carrying iPads around? licence fee abuse anyone!) and so Im not surprised the iPhone apps are out first.

  • Comment number 55.

    @53 GuitarChick_UK

    No, the 3Gs is fine, the 3G is slow - I've been through the pain before upgrading to IPhone 4.

    ...and I only said it might be worth checking the ISP... ;)

  • Comment number 56.

    The app for iPad is good, but I think the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ should take a leaf out of the app known as 'Pulse' the interface is similar but much smoother and less glitchy... Also please sort out the green screen that takes over when I turn it portrait, not always but sometimes.

  • Comment number 57.

    It's a shame that the app only shows 10 articles for each category. That's not enough. I think that the (non-³ÉÈËÂÛ̳) ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News app on android is already better than this. It's not quite so visually appealing, but it does a better job of showing you the news, which should be the primary purpose of this.

  • Comment number 58.

    Dear ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Team,
    On several writings by me, i have requested to provide mobile version of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News from I Phone mobile devices.,
    Gladly to note that, you have made provisions in I Phone mobile sets to get ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news and able to watch some vital videos from them.,
    Many thanks to you and your team for bringing lot of modern changes,and easy applications by many available modern communication gadgets.,
    Now a days, i am reading all news of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ from my I Phone,and,occasionally, i am writing some comments on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News Hour through face book websites.
    Many South African and Kenyan friends had already started to watch ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ world service programs,reading my comments to ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ world services,and encouraging, recommended to surf ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ world services and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio services to their relatives,friends and other users to be in touch with ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ world services.,
    I am a freelance writer, and very much interested to see,grasp,watch and some scribblings to these world famous news channels.,
    Best wishes.,

  • Comment number 59.

    That's a Blackberry Application?
    More like a glorified shortcut to the Mobile Web Page.

    Other OS's are noticable by their absence.

  • Comment number 60.

    Why isn't the app accessible to blind voice over users. The only thing I can manage to do on this app is play the live stream. I pay my licence fee too!

  • Comment number 61.

    Anything coming for symbian devices ?

    You've gone from a website that works well on any device to one that requires specially written apps. That's an odd strategy ?!

  • Comment number 62.

    A J2ME application is a mobile app, a Symbian application is a mobile app even a Flash Lite app is a mobile app as they run on multiple devices carrying a common standard.
    The apps you mention are "Apple iOS" apps, they aren't mobile apps and they run only on Apple devices as long as Apple of California "app store police" reviews them to compatible with Apple's guidelines which even includes companies long term interests. E.g. air some big scandal involving Apple on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, put it into ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ "app", Apple has power and right to remotely disable your application and put it out of app store.
    I really wonder especially about Symbian users/developers as Symbian is one of technologies UK came up with. It is British as ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is.

  • Comment number 63.

    Although this much anticipated app is good I much prefer the standard mobile website version for these reasons. It loads faster, is easier to navigate, doesn't bombard you with video and updates quicker. Here at Wumpy (www.wumpy.co.uk) we are on the front line of switching websites to become mobile phone friendly and also produce iphone apps. With our knowledge and experience their is no doubt that the benefits are far greater for mobile friendly sites. Either way the future is defiantly all about mobility!

  • Comment number 64.

    bbc news ipod touch app is great but how do you keep listening to live radio when the screen has timed out?

  • Comment number 65.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 66.

    Just one question, when the Android app will be available will it be able to watch ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News live outsidde UK? I'm in italy.

    thanks

  • Comment number 67.

    I for one think the app is superb both myself and my wife have it installed on our iPhones. I also plan on writing a full review on our blog once the app is available on the Android platform as well.

    I too have developed iPhone apps having worked for Apple in the past and I think the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s in house app is well designed and implemented.

  • Comment number 68.

    Love the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news iPad app but not too keen on the Latest revolving bar at the top. It is really distracting when your truing to read a story. It reminds me of all the ticker tapes they have on Sky tv. Could we have a option to turn it off please?

  • Comment number 69.

    The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News app is great.

    For "other news" I use these 3 iPhone apps:

    Humor:

    Headlines:

    Pictures:

  • Comment number 70.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 71.

    is the fastest growing OS in the world being ignored by the bbc?!?!
    will there be an android app coming anytime soon?

  • Comment number 72.

    It states in the blog post that "soon it [the app] will come to Blackberry and Android phones in addition to other devices later in the year." Well unfortunately 'soon' and 'later in the year' have come and will soon be going again as it's December now and we are yet to hear of a release date for other mobile operating systems. From my computer, my only source of news is the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, however Sky is the only reputable British media outlet with a high quality app (even if the content is somewhat questionable) for android. There are many people who are awaiting the release of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ apps for android. DON'T KEEP US WAITING MUCH LONGER!!!

  • Comment number 73.

    The most useful thing an app could possibly do would be to download content ahead of time so people jumping on the tube or into their car in a rural area can get content when there is no signal. That's what the Guardian app does.

  • Comment number 74.

    Is there any indication of when Android and Windows Phone 7 users can hope to see apps for their respective platforms? Evidently, Android users have been waiting some time without any updates from Auntie Beeb, and although Windows Phone 7 is a much younger platform, it's also deserving of some dedicated app action.

    It seems somewhat inappropriate for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ to provide dedicated apps for only two mobile platforms. On Windows Phone Marketplace, the gap is being filled by third-party developers, at least one of which is using the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News logo, and which may be perceived by some to be the 'official' ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News app - which isn't a good thing as it's not exactly brilliantly designed.

    It would be nice to at least get an update on what's happening behind the scenes.

  • Comment number 75.

    Discoverability and Stability
    I use both your website and your iphone app and i think they both have a problem. When i read news on your website i rarely get beyond the top three headlines. Below this point on your website i find the fragmentation of he page make it very hard to read. The structure seems efficient for getting to a particular category or story if you know what you're looking for, but it seems limited as a newspaper replacement for discovering news.
    This is where i think your iPhone app shines. The consistency of layout through sections and arrangeable nature of sections allow me to easily read many headlines across many areas and find stories that interest me. I voluntarily use my iphone for news even when sitting at my computer. However, it is the most unstable app on my phone, it crashes at least twice every session and i don't really understand why. i both love and hat your app, its so easy yet so unstable, a problem your website never suffers.
    Another thing i would be interested in seeing is in either is the ability to log in like on iPlayer and have my reading tracked, in order to identify new stories that i would find interesting.
    so in conclusion, i think your website needs to be a lot more like your iphone app, but your app needs to be more like your website. Each holds the solution to the others problem.

  • Comment number 76.

    THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!

    How Dare the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, a publically funded organisation, show such BIAS towards APPLE products. They aren't even the most popular smartphone operating system anymore.

    They write "Apps" for "iTunes" and then threaten developers who put ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer viewers (n.b., not rebroadcasters, but feed off the official ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer streams) on Google Marketplaces.

    ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ SHOULD FOLLOW THIS DOCUMENT UP WITH A LIST OF HOW MUCH BIAS THE POSSES TOWARDS APPLE (THE WORLDS LARGEST IT COMPANY).

    Please post a follow up with lists of Apps (1. News App, 2. Football App) they develop for the iOS and a list of Android Apps they have served "Cease/decease" notice on.

    ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳: I want my License fee back.

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