NOTE: This post is part of our “The 10 Best iPad Applications for News” series. Do check back and view the latest reviews.
BBC News
The BBC News app for the iPad offers pretty much the same content as on the website: breaking news, top stories and other headlines, news clips, and the live BBC World Service radio. In addition, it also supports news in many translations, a customizable menu where you can personalise your news reading experience, (choose what news interests you), and, unlike the Financial Times, is easily shared by email, Twitter and Facebook. While it contains advertising to support its commercial activity outside the UK, the BBC app is free to download and use. Apart from video and audio streaming, the app also automatically downloads content so you can read news articles you’ve clicked on when you’re offline. So far it doesn’t really appear to be very interactive, but for a non-priced, high quality content download, it seems unlikely that most users would sneer that there is identical content on the website.
Our ratings:
1) Usefulness/Value to User
-The first difference I noticed using the BBC app was that, unlike the website, the app seems to be more internationally focused. There is no flurry of British headlines, but it is clear that the app is definitely targeted for iPad usage. Useful for those who want a balanced content overview practically all in one view, but not as much varied and detailed content as some other apps. There is a button signalling the ‘Live Radio’ channel, for those who prefer audio. 7/10
2) Useability/Interface –The interface is really comfortable and intuitive. A conveyer belt of top stories and sectioned content, (‘Americas’, ‘Technology’, ‘Business’, etc.) can be flicked through with a finger at any image-and-caption box, which is ridiculously easy to use even for a first timer, with the actual article coming up underneath using ¾ of the screen, (although the horizontal view will split the page evenly in half). Also, no need to pinch in and out for enlarging or decreasing text size, there are two small icons at the top which do either. 8/10
3) Price/Business Model -Free (apart from your TV licence fee). Great for the consumer. According to Paidcontent.co.uk, development was jointly funded by the BBC and by BBC Worldwide, which will place ads in the international version soon. 7/10
4) Additional Functionality -Unlike the FT, the BBC app features an icon right at the top of the screen that gives you the option of sharing by email, Facebook or Twitter. Tres simple. There is also an ‘Edit’ button which allows you to personalise the kinds of topics you’d prefer to see in your Top Stories headlines. 8/10
Summary:
To the frustration of much of the commercial media (mentioning no names, Rupert), the BBC has done it again, with a superb, and superbly free, digital offering.
NOTE: This post is part of our “The 10 Best iPad Applications for News” series. Do check back and view the latest reviews.
[...] The BBC News [...]
Great work.
You guys seem to have a lot of exciting work on the go with new technologies.
Am I alone in finding that the BBC app on an iPhone 4 fails to deliver audio? And am I alone in getting no response from the Beeb to my three queries about this?
No, Damian, you are not alone! And in fact on my iPad and iPhone the audio streaming has become unusable, whilst my separate Internet streaming radio functions normally. So it is the app, and not my Internet connection. I cannot even give the app a rating on the app store site. Nigel