By Alright NPR lovers – and I know there are plenty of you out there – go hit up Android Market and search “NPR” because they’ve just made their Android Application available for download! Earlier this month they told us it was in the works, yesterday afternoon it went live and today they’ve reached out to give us some bullet points on what you can expect:
NPR NEWS APP FOR ANDROID NOW LIVE IN ANDROID’S MARKETPLACE
NPR becomes first US Radio Broadcaster to launch Android AppWashington, D.C.; December 22, 2009 – The NPR News app for Android-enabled devices is now available in the Android Marketplace. Today’s launch makes NPR the first U.S. radio broadcaster to launch an app for Android. Powered by NPR’s API, the app uses open source code which will allow developers and NPR stations to iterate and improve the app in the future.
Highlights of the NPR News app for Android:
- Backgrounding. The NPR News app for Android allows backgrounding, so that users can click to listen to audio and then toggle between applications as the audio is playing.
- Listen and Read. Allows users to listen to programs and read news at the same time.
- Extensive Topics Section. News section showcases NPR’s top 10-20 topics of the day ranging from Science to Books to World News.
- NPR Station Listening Choices. Easy to find and bookmark more than 600 favorite NPR stations and hundreds of station on-demand streams. Live station streaming to launch in Spring 2010.
- Playlist. Bookmark favorite programs to play later.
So there you have it… if you need another excuse to put that 3.5mm headset jack to good use you may have just found it. Unless your phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm headset jack and then… yeah that’s irritating. Don’t you hate that?
Nice! All phones considered!
Just played around with it after seeing this story.
No “Hourly News”????
The 5 minute newscast at the top of every hour is the absolute best part of NPR on the radio. Why the h*ell would they leave that out??
Sad… Sticking with NPR Podcasts in the Market by Code Shogun.
No live streaming, so whats the point?
I’ll pass. NPR/PBS jumped the shark long ago. Too bad, there used to be some great programs on until the gov got their greasy fingers into it and turned it into biased Cr@p.
How about a “no thanks, NPR?”…let the world know you can think for yourself.
Thanks for updating us on the new apps for android. Keep up the good work.
Tune Wiki FTW! (shout-cast die hard fan)
how about an xm/sirius app?
I know there is the “MyNPR” app out there in the Market. I hear that the streaming is coming very soon.
It is odd that it doesn’t have streaming.
Nice! One of my few remaining iPhone envy apps. Thanks for the heads-up!
I’ll pass. The days of unbiased reports/programming on NPR and PBS are unfortunately long gone.
Sweet! This was one of the first apps I searched for when I got the droid
I’m disappointed. No streaming and as far as I can tell, adding individual stories to the playlist still requires you to click on each one to play it instead of continuing on when one is completed.
I do think that NPR is unbiased, but then I also think that neo-cons are utterly wrong so I appreciate a media outlet that doesn’t feel the need to consider whether or not Glen Beck really has a point. He doesn’t, let’s talk about something interesting instead.
Hopefully a live stream will be in a future update. That’s the best feature about the iPhone/iPod version of this application.
NPR unbiased? Riiiiiight.
I’ll pass.
Happy Fesivus to one and all!!!
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Now for the airing of grievances: No, NPR is not unbiased, but neither is Fox News, CNN, MSNBC or any other of the news stations. NPR is simply the least biased. No yelling, no screaming and everyone is treated with a modicum of respect. Do I agree with everything they report, no. But at least they are civil and provide in depth reporting. Much more then I can say for the 30-second stories the cable networks provide.
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NPR gives you something to think about, a lot of the other stations try to tell you what to think. Big difference.
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Now for the feats of strength…
PS. There is streaming. I am streaming a broadcast on the app right now. Just select the “program” option on the main screen. All NPR’s broadcasts were already available on Google Listen but I think this is organized better.
NPR is the only place, like, almost anywhere else in the broadcast world where they feature actual intelligent conservatives talking at great length about actual thoughtful conservative principles and policies instead of screaming soundbytes or dancing around like madmen.
Whether or not it’s journalism may vaguely and largely unintentionally lean left (as opposed to outlets that VERY intentionally lean right), that reality more than makes up for it. They treat different points of view with respect and allow long discussions based on reason and facts.
In other words, it’s for adults, instead of mewling manbabies.
Awesome! I’ve been waiting for this!
Also, @Drew, well said and thanks.
Anyone know if it will be blocked for use overseas?
It would be great to get some politically central news from the USA – to us overseas the networks are all pretty right wing.
This made me find / dig up my earphone jack adapter! Now I feel bad I refused a telemarketer to renew my local membership.
About NPR being biased – tell me about. Click & Clack on Car Talk are so off the deep end!
This was literally the first app I searched for when I got my Hero, and I’m delighted they finally got it out there.
That said, can we all put aside our petty political differences and unite to bitch about something important? Like Sprint Customer Service? Jesus Christ, I’m going to see if my senile grandma can get a job there, it would be a win-win, she could pay for some of her own damn bills and it sounds like she’d be qualified to offer level three tech support.
Had the Boxee plugin but I like this better.
Car Talk is biased, they only discuss automotive.
Wait Wait Dont tell me! is biased, they satirize the news
Prairie Home Companion is biased, its only about entertainment
All the NPR haters, you guys are biased. You want to be spoon fed vitriolic ideas and prefer to spew obvious agendas.
Car Talk is definitely biased. I’m PRO engine trouble.
Cooolih that androids racking up Apps …hope they get apps like Dailymotion-which is what old apple got a few days ago…yo
Coolish
Here’s the difference … my tax dollars are funding NPR and PBS. Gee, do you think they’ll bite the government hand that feeds them? Don’t think so lest they be “FOXed”. I believe the in the old Eastern Bloc countries it was called “State Run Media”.
And as far as NPR “haters” … where exactly do you see an “NPR suxxors” or “NPR is just plain cr@p”??? Opinions were stated that the publicly funded programming has tilted away from unbiased reporting. Don’t pull your typical SOP of turning opinions into “hate”. Get a clue, opinions are allowed … at least for a little while longer.
Gert, I’m guessing your a Rush/Hannity listener? Because they are the ones harping on the supposed taking away of “opinion” which is not even close to reality.
NPR has always come accross to me as slighly leaning left. But, I listen to it every morning and every evening, and guess what? They lay out both sides concerns with whatever is happening, and allow intelligent discussion about the pros and cons of EVERYTHING. They don’t talk in soundbytes, or pick a sentence apart for 4 hours ad nausium. Even if I don’t agree with every report run by NPR, I usually walk away more educated on both the pros and cons of whatever they are discussing.
If it was all about not “biting the hand that feeds them”, then why didn’t they spend the last 8 years being anti-abortion, gay hating, and god loving? Because that was the hand that fed them the previous 8 years.
Oh yeah, and why were they not overly PRO WAR. They are trying to educate people, so they can make smart, intelligent decisions. Try actually listening for a while, you’d be surprised how much time the opposition gets.
> my tax dollars are funding NPR and PBS. Gee, do you think they’ll bite the government hand that feeds them?
They bit Bush’s ass pretty good.
Yee-haw!!!
@Mensahwatts, unfortunately this was written by a Google developer who offered to help NPR. Even the license in the app is from Google. So, sadly, this one doesn’t count towards “Android racking up apps”.
“Gee, do you think they’ll bite the government hand that feeds them?”
You don’t know what you’re talking about. NPR and other public shows have done a LOT of great journalism breaking stories about state, local, and federal corruption, waste and so forth. It’s just that they don’t weave it all into a crazy conspiracy theory or say that it proves that Democrats are out to destroy America, so it may be harder for people used to that sort of thing to recognize.
NPR Streaming. Although somebody mentioned a way to stream NPR in this app. there are at least 2 Android apps that will do it pretty easily. “A Online Radio” is what I us. You have to install the app. then go to the stations site and find the mobile streaming link. click on the link and it will ask you if you want to use A Online Radio. I set KQED and KXJC as favorites in the App. Droidlive works too, but I’ve never tried it.
KQED’s paged with the Link is:
http://www.kqed.org/mobile/
Oh yeah SK? Well does not matter cause android still gets hundreds of new apps daily. And being that they have so many phones out there, there apps will only continue to flow on in….so they racking up will only continue to a insane point in the future….in case u didnt know
Great app. Thoughtful news. You “biased” freaks ought to turn Rush off and start thinking for yourselves.
Everybody in this country knows that you can get whatever type of news you want. It is just that most people seem to want the soundbite-screaming-opinion type of news. Personally, I like the (admittedly left-leaning) in-depth audio news type.
AS FOR THIS APPLICATION: I think it is hugely flawed! All the stories are there, but I just want it to continuously play them! I am not interested in constantly cueing every story. It is my understanding that the NPR developers designed a simple app with code that could be manipulated…I don’t really care to do so. I just want a continuous stream.
…Like FLOMAX.
It seem’s the anti-fox crowd are suprisingly willing to forgive the liberal news networks. That includes NPR, which is intentional left, not unintentional, Drew. Funny how double standards work.
Oh, and Mark Palmos, the notion that ALL american news networks are Right Wing is just pure crap. Fox is right leaning, but CNN & MSNBC / others are Hardly right wing, and not neutral either. I suspect you are a closet MSNBC fan.
john meyor, Fox is NOT “right leaning.” That’s a absurd statement. They are hard-core right wing and no-where near “fair and balanced.” Having a couple of people on the network that are allowed to question right-wing motives as tokens doesn’t come anywhere near to balancing the scales…
Oh yeah. Android is cool. :)
The “MyNPR” app can stream radio stations now :-)
Every time I try to listen online…the app crashes. WTF?
Nice start but doesn’t integrate into the android environment well. If you stop to take a picture while listening, you have to start the broadcast over from the beginning. Also would be nice to have the transport controls in the status bar when in the background.
Where is the QR code?
Any Android mentioned online should be presented with a QR code so readers can find it more quickly. While this sounds like promoting laziness, but all of these little time savers improve user experience.
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