usatoday
Latest
USA Today thinks chat bots can keep voters informed during midterms
USA Today is no stranger to using technology as a hook for political coverage, but this time it could be particularly helpful in performing your civic duty. It's rolling out chat bots across its properties that will help you keep tabs on various aspects of the 2018 midterm elections, including national news, regional election info and the hot-button issues of the day. And crucially, the bots will help you find polling stations -- you'll know both where local politicians stand as well as where to vote on November 6th.
USA Today’s first AR app brings a rocket launch to your table
After a series of VR apps like The Wall and USS Eisenhower VR, USA Today Network is now exploring storytelling on another new (ish) platform: AR. 321 Launch is the network's first AR app, and it's designed to deliver what it says is the "industry's first, multi-layered interactive experience for space news and content." It's a collaboration between USA Today and one of the company's local news brands Florida Today, which makes sense since the Kennedy Space Center is in that state. The app releases today, and you can try it out if you're using an iPhone 6S or later with at least iOS 11, or a handset running Android 7.0 or newer. If you're a space buff or enthusiast, you'll probably enjoy it.
USA Today takes you on a VR tour of Trump's proposed border wall
After a series of experiments with virtual reality, USA Today launched its full-fledged VR news show last year. "VRtually There" (as it's known) followed in the footsteps of similar segments from The New York Times and ABC News. Since then, the media outlet's immersive broadcasts have covered everything from extreme sports to marine life. It even hosted a VR livestream of Donald Trump's inauguration. The 45th President of the United States also happens to be the catalyst for its latest (and arguably most ambitious) experience. The Wall: Unknown Stories, Unintended Consequences uses Trump's campaign promise to build a border wall as its launchpad for an in-depth exploration of its possible ramifications.
USA Today teams with Instagram to livestream the solar eclipse
The USA Today Network has announced that in collaboration with Instagram, it will livestream the total solar eclipse on August 21st. The feed will feature real-time video broadcasts by journalists in areas along the eclipse's path of totality. Reporters in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina will cover and record the event. You can see a schedule of who will be broadcasting from where and when here.
USA Today will livestream Inauguration Day in VR
USA Today announced its VR news show back in March and tomorrow it will offer a more immersive look at the Presidential Inauguration. As President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, USA Today's "VRtually There" program will provide coverage from the Capitol, National Mall and along the inaugural parade route. The livestream will begin at 9:30AM ET when VIP guests take their seats and scheduled music performances begin. To watch, all you have to do is fire up the YouTube app on you VR headset of choice. If you don't have one, the "VRtually There" coverage will be available as 360-degree video for desktop and mobile users.
USA Today announces VR news show 'VRtually There'
The New York Times is already using VR to take you inside the news, and USA Today is looking make the catching up on events more immersive, too. The USA Today Network plans to debut "the first branded news experience presented in VR" this spring. What does that mean exactly? USA Today will have a virtual reality news show, and it's called "VRtually There."
Jony Ive, Craig Federighi chat with USA Today
In anticipation of Apple's worldwide iPhone launch this Friday, Apple executives have been hitting the interview circuit. Earlier today, we pointed to a Businessweek interview with Tim Cook, Craig Federighi and Jony Ive; and now comes yet another chat with Apple's higher-ups courtesy of USA Today. In detailing why iOS 7 does away with the skeuomorphism so favored by Steve Jobs and Scott Forstall, Jony Ive explains: When we sat down last November (to work on iOS 7), we understood that people had already become comfortable with touching glass, they didn't need physical buttons, they understood the benefits," says Ive. "So there was an incredible liberty in not having to reference the physical world so literally. We were trying to create an environment that was less specific. It got design out of the way." On the same note, Craig Federighi explains that graphical improvements in mobile devices have somewhat negated the need for previous iOS mainstays like drop shadows. "This is the first post-Retina (display) UI (user interface), with amazing graphics processing thanks to tremendous GPU (graphics processing unit) power growth, so we had a different set of tools to bring to bear on the problem as compared to seven years ago (when the iPhone first launched)," he says. "Before, the shadowing effect we used was a great way to distract from the limitations of the display. But with a display that's this precise, there's nowhere to hide. So we wanted a clear typography." Ive jumps in. "Yes, we wanted to defer to the content, and just get out of the way." There's a whole lot of interesting information in the interview, and seeing as how interviews with Apple executives are rather hard to come by given the secretive nature of the company, the USA Today piece is certainly worth reading in its entirety.
Timehop partners with USA Today to bring old news back to life
The iOS app Timehop offers you a glimpse into your social networking past, but with its newest update, it also lets you take a peek at antiquated news stories as well. TNW reports that Timehop has partnered with USA Today to offer the top news stories from years past that were published on whatever date it happens to be. Think of it like a "this day in history" experience, but with a social twist. Another new feature that has been added to the app is called "Friendversaries." As the name implies, the new feature notifies you of the exact day you befriended certain people on your various social networks. The update is now live on the App Store, and as always, Timehop remains free. The nostalgia-centric app made our Friday Favorite list recently.
How apps are helping small business save money
During its keynote presentations, Apple often showcases how educational institutions and Fortune 500 companies are using the iPad and iPhone. Many people don't realize that small businesses are also benefiting from Apple's iOS devices. A report in USA Today sheds some light on how small business owners are using the iPad to increase productivity and save some cash. It's the iPad's portability and its robust App Store that make the tablet so attractive to businesses. With only a few thousand dollars, a small business can arm several employees with iPads so they can conduct business on the go. For example, the iPad lets a real estate agent take pictures, jot down notes, draw floor plans, and manage open house showings. When someone is ready to buy, the agent can have the buyer sign all necessary documents in the field. Though some companies have embraced the iPad whole-heartedly, many small companies are proceeding cautiously. According to a Forrester survey, only 24 percent of workers in small businesses use a touch-screen tablet for work. Apple has an enormous opportunity, if it can reach out to these reticent companies and show them how the iPad or iPhone can save them time and money.
Apple is fastest-growing US retailer
One of the topics of next week's Apple third-quarter financial results call is sure to be the performance at Apple's retail outlets. USA Today is reporting that retail sales expert David Berman has named Apple the fastest-growing major U.S. retailer, based on sales growth. He's basing that laurel on the previous quarter's results, which showed Apple's U.S. sales rising by $4.6 billion, which was a 80% increase from the same period in 2010. On its own, Apple's sales growth accounted for one-fifth of all sales growth by publicly-traded U.S. retailers. While part of that statistic reflects on the general malaise of the retail industry right now, the rest is entirely due to Apple's growing influence in the consumer technology business. The one product line expected to see a decrease in sales is the iPod. Consumers are moving away from the single-function devices and replacing them with iPhones. It's that reliance on the iPhone, which currently accounts for close to 40% of Apple's sales, that could also be its Achilles Heel. If a savvy competitor can launch a new phone that is much of a quantum leap over the iPhone as the iPhone was over almost everything in the cell phone industry in 2007, the company could be hit hard. For the time being, though, Apple can bask in its incredible success in the midst of a two-year-and-counting economic downturn.
USA Today sees iPad app as "real positive" for industry
While many newspapers are struggling financially and trying to figure out how to move from paper and ink to digital content, it appears that Gannett's USA Today is doing quite well on the iPad. Last August, the paper was in the midst of a restructuring and cut 130 staff members. At that time, USA Today made a commitment of resources to the iPad app. Now The Telegraph is reporting that the app is turning out to be a boon to USA Today. Gracia Martore, COO of Gannett, said on Monday that "The iPad has been a real positive for USA Today," and will "translate into a much more significant improvement" in revenues. Over 1.4 million copies of the app have been downloaded since April, and at this time, the digital newspaper is still ad-supported and free. That might change in the future as competition warms up (News Corp's The Daily is set to debut tomorrow), although the ads in the app command a price about five times that of standard web ads and appear to be fueling revenue growth at the paper. USA Today's happy story is in sharp contrast to reports from many magazine publishers, who are seeing rapid declines in readership for iPad editions after initial success. Tomorrow's unveiling of The Daily will usher in an in-app subscription feature, which should eliminate publisher frustrations with the current need for readers to purchase each issue separately. Whether or not USA Today and other iPad publishers will adopt the new subscription feature is unknown, but it will make it much easier for readers to purchase and renew their subscriptions to iPad newspapers and magazines. That, in turn, should help content providers gain and keep readers for the digital editions. [via AppleInsider]
USA Today updates and improves iPad app
There are plenty of news apps for the iPad, but I'm happy to see USA Today aggressively improving what was already a useful and easy to use app. Version 2.0 is still free, and it has added more extensive tech coverage. Tech reviews feature iPad apps, and there is a video player, along with a spiffy This Week in Space section. The app has also increased travel coverage, along with a map that displays airport delays. The app now multitasks in iOS 4.2, and the developers seem to have squashed a nasty crash on startup that many people were seeing. With more and more news apps, like the the New York Times and the Washington Post, getting ready to slip behind a pay wall, it's nice to see USA Today maintain this app as a free service. %Gallery-114889%
Chrome Web Store, HTML5 and the iPad: symbiosis at its best
It's all coming together, folks. It doesn't take much of a gander at the Chrome Web Store to notice a trend: some of the flashiest, most mature "apps" are actually just in-browser versions of iPad apps. And you know what else? Most of these "apps" actually run fine in Safari on the iPad. We're not sure how long Google gave developers to port their experiences over, but it seems like most of the best work had already been done in the form of HTML5 apps that were merely wrapped in app form for App Store delivery. Google's just taking things to the next logical step. Continue after the break as we expand this thesis paragraph into a number of supporting blocks of text, a few jazzy pictorial examples, and a stunning closer.
USA Today talks about converting its iPad app to HTML5 for the Google TV
The Android market may not be accessible from Google TV devices just yet, so webapps are where it's at for now, and USA Today is one of the ones bookmarked by default. For those wondering about the development of such apps to ease viewing on TV screens, it has a blog post detailing some of the technology used and features available, for example to switch from column to column. If you're using Chrome or Safari you can pull up the page on a computer and have a look as well.
News publishers looking to the Galaxy Tab and BlackBerry PlayBook for refuge as well
In case you were worried that it was just Apple love that got major news outlets on the iPad so quickly, you should know that the general sense of desperation (or is it their never ending sense of adventure?) pervading the likes of the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today has them building apps for the Galaxy Tab as well. The news comes courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, and has yet to be announced officially by the parties involved -- though we have a hard time doubting any of it. It makes sense, of course: the big cost is producing content for a tablet form factor, not building the reader app, and the Galaxy Tab naturally won't be the last of its Android kind. The WSJ and The Financial Times are also apparently some possible gets for RIM's PlayBook, though less is known about those deals. On the Tab, The New York Times is supposed to be pre-loaded with some carrier's versions of the device, and its app will be free until January of next year when The Times starts charging for its website.
Starbucks reveals plans for a Digital Network, made up of 'exclusive and premium' digital content
Free WiFi not enough of an enticement to get you to step into a Starbucks? Don't worry, the ubiquitous frappuccino purveyor has another card up its mocha-stained sleeve. Beginning this fall, Starbucks locations will be enriched with a new Digital Network, a freely accessible portal unto exclusive content from some of the more highbrow providers. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today will flesh out the news offering, Yahoo will pick up business and career duties, and Apple's iTunes will provide free downloads to sate entertainment needs. Curiously enough, nobody is exchanging any cash up front -- Starbucks isn't paying for this and neither are you -- but the trick is as always to try and upsell you on to even more premium goodies, in which case the coffee chain and content provider have a revenue-sharing deal in place to split the profit. Doesn't sound like the worst idea in the world to us, bring on the freebies!
USA TODAY for iPad adds crossword, stocks
One of the first iPad applications, USA TODAY (free), has been updated to version 1.5, which adds the long-awaited crossword puzzle and customizable market and stock information. I've been waiting for the crossword puzzle to go live for a long time, and now that it's here I'm not disappointed. You'll find it in the app's Life section. Give it a tap and the day's current puzzle appears. It looks good in both landscape and portrait orientation, but I prefer landscape (at right). The puzzle grid is in the center of the screen, flanked on either side by the down and across clues. To enter an answer, tap the beginning square once for across and twice for down. The row or column you're working on will be highlighted in purple. At the top of the screen you'll find a hints button and an archive of the previous two weeks worth of puzzles. There's also a timer for those who like to see how quickly they can finish. Finally, the settings let you hide or display the timer, show your mistakes (there's no eraser with the iPad!) and skip filled squares. I've always enjoyed newspaper crossword puzzles, and it's nice to see one migrate to the iPad so successfully. Additionally, customizable stock information has been added to the app's money section. Tap the Markets box to pop that section out. You can quickly search for a company you're interested in or tap Edit Stocks to re-order the market listings or add and remove particular companies. The next time the app is launched, it will remember your settings. Version 1.5 is a nice update to an app I've used consistently since buying my iPad. Let us say, "Well done" to everyone on USA TODAY's iPad team.
iPad apps: news and magazines
Apple's done a pretty good job convincing the old media that the iPad will save their industry, so we've taken our time trying out the launch titles in the App Store -- it's plain to see that different publishers have radically different ideas about how you're supposed to buy and consume their content, and everything from pricing to UI is currently up in the air. But while the apps we've seen so far are definitely intriguing, we haven't seen any silver bullets yet -- and to be perfectly honest, in several cases we wondered why an app was preferable to an iPad-optimized web site, or even (gasp) a paper subscription. Let's run down the launch lineup, shall we? Update: We added in NPR and Zinio by popular request, check 'em out below!
Reflections: A day and a night with the iPad
Getting an iPad was an unplanned part of my day. My original idea was to wait for version 2, but I found myself at a local Best Buy taking pictures and interviewing people in line, and the manager came out and said there were some available. Bingo. Reality distortion field. Up went my hand. I spent yesterday afternoon and last night getting a pretty good idea of what this baby does and doesn't do. Here are a few preliminary thoughts: Setup is easy, but a bit slow. I plugged it into iTunes, selected what music, movies and apps I wanted to copy to the iPad and I was on my way. It seemed like the sync took forever, and subsequent syncs are VERY slow. Lots of spinning beach balls. Maybe it's my system. Maybe not. The iPad alerted me that there were quite a few app updates that gave direct support to the higher resolution screen, so I was happy for that. How is the iPad to use? In a word, interesting, liberating, sometimes frustrating. It's heavier than I thought it would be. I think for most people, it is not a one-handed device. Sitting on my lap, or on a table, it's just dandy. As others have noted, the iPad is very snappy. Web pages render quickly, graphics are quickly updated. The screen is beautiful, and movies and photos look striking. The screen is very reflective, so you may have to fiddle around with angles if you are in a room with sunlight streaming in.
Edward C. Baig: iPad is a winner
Edward C. Baig at USA Today is among those at top newspapers who posted their first take on the iPad this evening. His verdict? Definitely a winner. Look out, Nintendo and Sony. Amazon, go cower in the corner with the Kindle. The iPad will be giving all of them a run for their money, Baig says. "At the very least, the iPad will likely drum up mass-market interest in tablet computing in ways that longtime tablet visionary and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates could only dream of," Baig points out. Ouch. Point to Steve Jobs. Baig's review goes through a rundown of the iPad that we're all familiar with -- both its strong points and its faults. But, he points out the magnificent capabilities -- especially when it comes to things such as e-books as he describes the hands-on experience with one particular app that's more like an e-book: "The iPad's splendor and power may be best shown by The Elements: A Visual Exploration. The $13.99 program is more electronic book than traditional app, but it's not like any e-book you've seen. The periodic table of elements comes to life when you touch your finger against any element. Handsome photographs of objects spin around so you can observe them from all vantage points." Read Baig's complete review at USA Today. And see an iPad video review by his co-worker, Jefferson Graham, after the jump.
