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The Weather Channel's odd local news service is coming to iOS and Android
The Weather Channel is a shining example of cable TV's heyday -- but it's become increasingly irrelevant with the rise of the internet and smartphones. The company started working to get more into localized news and weather with Local Now, a channel that covers news, weather, sports, traffic and other such updates for specific geographic areas, but it was only available on Dish's Sling TV service. Now, Reuters says its Local Now's reach will greatly expand with the launch of apps for Android and iOS.
Apple News is reportedly getting subscription articles
Apple is getting ready to bring paywalled articles to its News app, sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters. If true, this would signify a major change in the service, since it would provide publishers with paywalls (such as The New York Times and Wall Street Journal) a new way to display their entire content. Currently, these publications can only provide excerpts from articles to Apple News users, and the app doesn't support account logins for subscribers. That's very different than the full reading experience offered by free, ad-supported publishers.
Facebook announces Paper: a 'distraction-free' news-reading app for iOS
Facebook is making its own play in the news app category, going up against incumbents like Flipboard and Google's own Newsstand service. It's called Paper and it promises a "full-screen" distraction-free layout, with the app separating out your own Facebook News feed to begin with. You can then add to that, picking from Facebook's curated themes that'll include photography, sports, food, science and design. If you feared this would be populated exclusively by giant media corps, Facebook is promising that articles will come from well-known sites as well as "emerging voices," although it says it'll also ensure that trusted publications will be easy to spot within the mix. Navigation from article to article is done through swipes. And you'll be able to tilt the phone and arc across bigger panoramic pictures. From the early screens that Facebook's been sharing, the social network is going heavy on the visual appeal: Pictures dominate the navigation, with soft white icons laid on top of pictures for navigation -- there's certainly flashes of iOS 7 in places. Videos, full-screen, will also auto-play (we're hoping there will be a toggle for that). The app launches February 3rd and marks the premier release for the social network's Creative Labs department: More apps are promised from the team going forward.
Yahoo iPhone app gets customized story summaries, improved search
That pricey Summly acquisition is beginning to bear fruit. Yahoo today announced the latest version of its eponymous mobile app, sporting language algorithms and machine learning picked up when it bought the program a little under a month ago. The company's utilizing the technology to help news stories fit better on that little screen or yours, allowing you to further customize the flow of articles to mold to your own reading habits. Signing into your account lets you carrying those changes across devices. Also new in the latest edition of the app is improved search, with a focus on the video and image side of things. The new app is currently available for the iPhone and iPod touch, downloadable through the source link below.
