From cable channels to newspapers to social media links—all your information now fits in your palm.
USA Today
With its pie charts and infographics, USA Today was always sort of a proto tablet newspaper—a digital pub stuck on paper. That might explain why its app shifts so deftly from platform to platform. The smartphones versions stick to headline listings, while the tablet versions more closely mimic the paper format, with sections, lead stories, and, yes, infographics.
WIRED Cache for offline reading. Browse with a full-screen photo slide show.
TIRED Focus is on presentation over depth.
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CNN
The curation tends toward the sensational, and the reporting doesn't match the depth of more venerable sources like The New York Times or the BBC. But CNN's excellent visual presentation and easy navigation get you to the headlines in a hurry.
WIRED One-touch access to CNN's live TV feed. Save stories for offline reading. Pulls up local news on GPS-enabled phoness.
TIRED Subscription to supported cable or satellite service required to access live feed.
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ABC News
ABC displays the most important news as a scrollable slide show at the top, with a list of recent headlines, summaries, and images below. (The ipads adds weather and videos to the front page.) A quick glance lets you know what's going on; a few taps take you deep into the story. But a recent update has cluttered the once-clean ioses app with ads.
WIRED Includes news clips from Nightline, 20/20, and Good Morning America. Cache for offline reading.
TIRED Smartphones app looks a bit text-heavy.
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BBC News
The mobiles version of the best English-language source for international news is organized in rows of thumbnails, grouped by either topic or region. Set your preferred topics to appear at the top of the home screen for easy access. You can also stream live BBC radio.
WIRED View video content for selected stories. Cache for offline reading. Available in several different languages, including Chinese, Russian, and Arabic.
TIRED Thumbnails limit headlines. Photo content is lacking. Banner ads never go away.
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Pulse News
View the news as an eye-popping grid of thumbnails, with each swipeable row delivering content from a different source. Browse topics like entertainment and technology, or curate a personalized collection from the vast directory of feeds, which includes major news outlets and niche blogs. You can also add your own sources through Google Reader or Pulse's own search tool.
WIRED Imports from social networks, including Facebook and Instagram. Cache for offline reading.
TIRED Thumbnail view means painfully tiny headlines on smartphoness.
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AP mobiles
For fast-breaking news, the AP is generally the first on the scene. This app rolls the wire-service stories out in a stripped-down list with large headlines and images (tablets get a short summary). A right-hand menu lets you quickly scan categories, from Top News to Oddities to bet365体育赛事.
WIRED Save stories for later reading. Photo section with full-screen images. Dishes local news based on locations.
TIRED One reader's "stripped down" is another's "dull." Windows phones app is slow and crash-prone.
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This personal magazine aggregates news from a variety of sources—major outlets like CNN and niche websites like the Awl. Default content is organized by topic, but you can customize your experience by pinning specific sources to your Flipboard page. It also crawls Facebook and Twitter to present updates from friends alongside regular news stories.
WIRED Get everything you read in the morning in one app. Gorgeous full-screen photo section.
TIRED Smartphones experience not nearly as satisfying as on a tablet.
Free ioses | Free androids | Flipboard
Zite
Where Flipboard populates your screen with stories from news sources and social networks you specify, Zite asks for your topics of interest—world news, science, tech—then goes out and grabs relevant articles. It's a great way to get stories and points of view you'd otherwise miss. Tap a Thumbs-Up or Thumbs-Down button on each story to teach the app your preferences.
WIRED Analyzes Twitter feeds and Google Reader for fast personalization. Learns preferences quickly.
TIRED Look is more neighborhood newsletter than glossy monthly.
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