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Microsoft follows Google with its own overhauled news app
Microsoft has overhauled its MSN News app for mobile. As you might expect, it's curated for your interests, offers breaking news alerts, support for widgets on both Android and iOS, continuous scrolling and a dark theme for reading at night. A blog post from Microsoft is quick to point out that its News service uses both human and AI editors to curate news stories, going so far as to explain how the process works (AI scans over 100,000 news stories from Microsoft's publishing partners, auto-suggests photos and then human editors "with local expertise" choose what's picked).
Gannett Co. reportedly buying iPhones, iPads for journalists
A leaked memo from media giant Gannett Company reveals plans to buy thousands of iPhones, iPads and other accessories to use in news gathering. The memo, from Gannett Newspaper President Bob Dickey says that the new devices "will help our journalists meet the demands of the new news cycle, one that requires agility in real-time reporting, social media and greater emphasis on video storytelling, further increasing our competitive advantage." Does that mean there's an app for all of that? The equipment, in part, will add to 'digital workstations' at company locations around the country. The equipment is due to arrive next month, and will be followed by extensive training. Throughout journalism, print and broadcast reporters are increasingly using consumer cameras and phones to gather and create content. Gannett has been very aggressive in digital media. Its iOS versions of USA Today have been very popular, and it's interesting to see that the company is turning to Apple not only for distribution, but also for the hardware and technology to collect stories and media as well.
Online news overtakes paper, and nearly half of it is mobile
Wait, this is just now happening? The Pew Project's 2011 report on mobile devices' effect on media was published this week; it's a fascinating read from end to end that reveals a wild swing in the way we've gathered news and information as human beings over the past decade, but a couple stats really stand out. First off, the internet has finally overtaken newspapers as a news source, putting it behind just television -- and we already know the writing's on the wall there since the young ones are already preferring the web. And of those web-savvy, voracious consumers of information, some 47 percent are getting at least some of it on the go, either through their phone or tablet (like, say, Engadget's lovely selection of mobile apps). Mass transit commuters have always been a haven for newspaper-toting businessfolk -- but with iPads continuing to sell like hotcakes, not even the subway is safe from the tablet onslaught.
