iPhone apps: CNN Mobile late to the party [steals the show]
By Ronald O Carlson
Just when the news app market seemed to be settling into competent mediocrity, along comes a new pay-to-play, commercial piece of software that puts the others to shame, reminding us once of the sage advice of the ancients — caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). But what sets the Cable News Network’s iPhone app apart from the rest?
CNN Mobile ($1.99, iTunes) has arrived more than a few days late and, were it not for how well it’s put together, a couple dollars short. Whereas nearly everyone — ABC News, BBC, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Associated Press, etc. — offers apps that are free and largely indistinguishable from each other, this application leapfrogs the competition in one feel swoop.
Here’s what voices around the web are saying about this fine piece of code:
[T]he CNN iPhone app steals the spotlight with live video streaming for breaking news and on-demand video of recent newscasts… even with the $2 price tag outshines most of the competitors’ free apps. — Macworld
The current king of iPhone news apps is, arguably, NPR, which gives unfettered access to archived content from a huge list of radio stations. But CNN’s bold move, bringing TV news to the iPhone, could mean a duel for media app dominance is afoot. — LA Times
The CNN iPhone news app doesn’t just deliver the latest news stories to your iPhone, it features live newscasts, video on-demand and photos, all wrapped in a familiar iPhone-esque interface that features a landscape CoverFlow-like view. — IntoMobile
Although the interface certainly shines, making it a snap to navigate compared to the others, the yawning gap between CNN Mobile and the crowd is the ability to give back by allowing users to upload photos and video to the networks online iReport section — the type of on-the-scene, first-person reportage that brought the recent Iranian street protests to the world.
Also, CNN Mobile takes advantage of push notifications, bringing reports and personalities to your attention as the stories break in real time. AP Mobile offers this feature, as well, but I’m thinking CNN will beat them for immediacy, given app’s still and video iReport interactivity.
Can any news app really be worth $2?
Beauty is, of course, in the eyes of the beholder. However, like iCab Mobile which shames Apple’s Safari Mobile in a dozen ways, CNN Mobile raises the bar and is a must-have addition to any news junkies home screen…
What’s your take?
Related:
Entry was posted
on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 1:02 am
under 
Print This Post
Read more entries by Ronald O Carlson.
Stumble It!
