News App Roundup: Pocket Express - A salvation of real-estate and not too much else.

Yesterday, we took a look at AP Mobile News Network and were pleased, overall.  Today we review the news app within Pocket Express (you can find our overall review of it here).

First things first: when you open Pocket Express, you're still a tap away from the news.  This extra tap is terrible for checking headlines while hurtling down the interstate at 95 miles per hour.  So, drive slower and remember that this is a multi-function app; real news junkies want their news, and they want it now.

A fancier interface is nice, but it takes longer to load.

Once you've gotten into the news app, you will notice something strange: are those all headlines from the AP Mobile News Network app?  Why, yes they are!  You see, everyone uses the AP feed, so you're going to find some degree of overlap in any news app.  But since Pocket Express is not a dedicated news app, it just regurgitates the AP feed.

Understood.  It's not their full-time gig.

Also, you will notice that there are a lot of pretty colors.  The app provides icons on the headlines screen.  Spiffy, except that it adds to load time (once again pissing me off, as I'm trying very hard to drive very fast).  Thumbnail pics on the headline page are useless.

That's either President Obama or a space shuttle towing cherry pies.

The stories, however, are formatted differently than in AP Mobile News Network.  The pictures are shrunken to the right side of the screen, maintaining the two-column look of a newspaper.  I don't care; the picture is tiny on my screen.  The developer should drop the pics on the headlines screen and increase the picture size within the actual articles.

At the bottom of each story is an option to share the story, which is nice. However, there is no bookmark option as is found in AP Mobile News Network.

But Pocket Express does have multiple news categories, with cuter icons than you'll find in the AP's app.  With regards to selectable categories, the apps are comparable.

There is no local news section, but that isn't a big loss to the AP.  Doesn't anyone have a good local news feed? [You rocket-sled must not get local radio. -ed.]

Overall, this app is a lesser clone of the AP Mobile News Network app. Why, you ask, would anyone use it?

The answer: Home Screen Real Estate.  If you are not a news junkie, the Pocket Express news app is more than sufficient and will save you an extra icon on your home screen.  After all, that's the purpose of Pocket Express: do multiple things well (and--some would argue--none perfectly).  If you are crazy about your news and need big, pretty pictures, immediate load times, the ability to bookmark pages, easy to find new headlines and local news, then stick with dedicated news apps.

Next up: ABC News.  Stay with me here, folks.

Comments

[Eric Hundin]

I found your blog on MSN Search. Nice writing. I will check back to read more.

Eric Hundin

[HAL9000]

Um....good. I am happy for you...

...Why?

[Terrence]

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