For this review, the author downloaded
SmartNews, a mobile app that sorts news from multiple sources based
on genre. The first observation of this application is that it relies
solely on mobile network data (4G) rather than wi-fi to download the
most recent stories. This is good news for those in areas without
adequate wi-fi, but not so great for those who are on restrictive
data plans.
Once the app has downloaded the most
recent news, one can browse article titles (which show image
thumbnails, a title, and the source) by swiping sideways to switch
between tabs, which are organized by popularity and genre. The
default tabs are Top, Entertain, Sports, Lifestyle, U.S., World, Biz,
Tech, Science, Buzz, and Social, the last of which requires
connecting to a Twitter account to view popular stories from the
user's Twitter feed. There is also a “+” tab, which allows users
to add custom categories such as Women's health or Soccer
news.
Selecting a news story will open the article on its web page either in a simple read format (under the Smart tab) or in what appears to be a browser within the app (the Web tab), although it lacks an address bare. There is a share icon, however, which allows the article to be shared through email, social media, opened in a regular web browser, and more. Simply swiping back will bring the SmartNews tabs and stories back into view.
Compared to most data-based apps,
SmartNews is very lax on space requirements. Upon installation, it
only takes up around 6 megabytes (android LG phone), compared to apps
like Snapchat that take up more than 100 megabytes, although this may
depend on the device it is installed on and the frequency of use.
Overall, this app appears to be very
useful for anyone who wishes to keep up to date with the latest news
on the go. Its very easy to use, the layout is not at all confusing.
The only drawback this author can point out is the inability to use
it on wi-fi alone. But even the best apps have trade-offs.
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