App Attack

In the world of smart phones, iPhones, iPads, tablets, and whatever else is released before I press "publish" on this post, there are new apps invented by the minute.

It is now quite standard for people to read the newspaper online as it has become fast, easy and accessible - but there are other apps that allow for even more freedom to access news on the go.

There is a great video by The Australian on the 'Best TV and Radio Apps' - though it is a little out of date now, published back in April 2010.

An application I've recently downloaded and love is the ABC's News App.

The ABC has a bunch of different apps (have a look here) but this free application allows the user to access a broad range of news including breaking, most popular, national, business, sport, world, indigenous and entertainment news.

The app also has the ability for users to -

• Check up-to-date weather forecasts
• Listen to ABC Radio live
• Watch ABC News 24 live
• Watch TV shows including Gardening Australia and Good Game
• Listen to radio shows from earlier in the day or week
• Program guides for all ABC channels (ABC1, ABC2, etc)
• Read movie reviews from the ABC show At The Movies
• and you can even browse and make purchases from the ABC store

It is a really user friendly app that is easy to navigate and to find exactly what you're after. I have become glued to this app as it is the perfect way to spend my bus trip or for a quick update on a lunch break. I've even taken to checking it for a quick update while waiting in line for things.

I definitely recommend this app to anyone looking to keep up to date with news on the go. While reading a newspaper on a tablet might feel cool and new-agey for a brief moment, this news app will ultimately keep any casual news reader or news junkie satisfied in the long run.

The ABC now also has an iView app for the iPad which allows users to watch programs from the ABC at their convenience. Handy! Why do we even have TVs again?