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The Guardian – a major UK-based news publication – has announced that their official Android application is now available. You’ll get access to news from several different categories such as environment, culture, technology, entertainment and more. You’ll also get the ability to view select galleries within the app. While it isn’t as fleshed out as BBC’s app, it’s sufficient for those who want their Guardian news in no-nonsense form. Grab the free download here.
Full feature list:
– navigate by section, topic or contributor
– download your homepage and favourites for offline reading with the touch of a button, or schedule a daily download for a time that suits you
– browse our award-winning audio and video content
– save contributors, topics and sections to your favourites
– add favourites to your homescreen with an expanded view or link
– swipe through stunning full-screen picture galleries
– share articles and galleries using the Android share menu
– view content in portrait or landscape orientation
nice
I don’t see the point of these website specific apps. If only there was some sort of system where websites could be accessed, or “browsed”, using a mark-up language that every computer, tablet or smart phone could access. Why would I want to use several apps for different sites when I can just have a bookmarks list? I tried the BBC News app and it didn’t seem to have any advantage over the BBC Mobile web page.
The exception is things like the IMDB app which has functionality that a web page can’t do, for example finding a movie based on a photo or barcode scan.
I don’t mean to rant, it’s a free world and if others like it then who am I to object? I just don’t see the point.
I like them because it’s convenient. The BBC RSS feed is so overwhelming. They post like 600+ things a week. It’s easier to just go to their app whenever I feel like it. Don’t get me wrong, I like Android, but the browser is kinda shitty.
There is actually some additional functionality in the Guardian app: it can be told to download the content on a schedule (e.g. overnight) so you can read it without an internet connection. Faster navigation through the app is another advantage, but so far it doesn’t have all the functionality of the third party competitor ‘Guardian Anywhere’ (e.g. widgets).