NPR News (Free)

Version 1.2.1

REVIEW “NPR News allows you to pick and choose exactly what you want to listen to – nothing less and nothing more, all while keeping you completely up to date.”

If you have ever ridden in my car, you know that my station of choice is NPR and I get very territorial about it being changed. The idea of having to listen to the radio makes me shudder – there are the annoying songs, the repeat of songs, the songs I don’t want to hear and don’t forget about the commercials. All of this makes the radio an almost unbearable experience for me, luckily I have my NPR. So you are probably wondering, what do I do when I can’t listen to my beloved NPR? I use the NPR News app where I can both read and listen to just about anything that I want.

On a recent car ride I realized that there is no such thing as “TiVo” radio, but perhaps there should be. When you jump in your car and you miss the beginning of a story  but you get really into it and decide that maybe you want to hear the entire story, what are you supposed to do? I recently discovered that on the NPR News app, not only can you search the site and read articles to catch up on your news, but with its handy programs function, you can listen to the stories that you missed. After choosing the story that you want to hear, you are given a quick few sentences about what the piece is about and then you have the option of playing the piece immediately or adding it to your playlist (located within the NPR News app) to listen along with others. This is great when you take your headphones in the car and you need to catch up on all your news and you are worried about getting a “hands free” cell phone ticket or you just don’t want to talk to the person next to you to talk and you crank up the volume.

The NPR News app is a great way to search top stories and up to date information on just about anything. The searchable categories are similar to the website and whether you need your fix about the current World news, US News or Arts & Life, this app allows you to search so that only the things that are relevant will pop up if you decide to search by category.

Another cool feature that this app includes is the Stations tab. The allows you to locate the NPR stations wherever you are. Taking a road trip? NPR News can lead you to the NPR station in every state along the way – whether or not it comes in clearly is a completely different issue. You are able to search not only by state but by zip code and you have the option of marking any of the stations as a favorite so that next time you need it, there is no searching needed. The other cool feature about the streaming feature is that if you are a multi-tasker like me, you have the option to stream while still searching the site and reading about the current news.

The app is simple in design and very user friendly. The colors and feel are consistent with NPR’s website. There are a lot of features with this app that are not only convenient, they are comfortable if you know the NRP website or station and if you are just getting started with NPR, the app is perfect because it easy to use. So whether you are in the mood to read or listen, when you want your news, NPR News is a great app. It allows easy access to top stories, breaking news or anything specific that you may be interested in. NPR News allows you to pick and choose exactly what you want to listen to – nothing less and nothing more, all while keeping you completely up to date.

angelina r

Download Now

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Developer: NPR

URL: http://www.npr.org

DEVELOPER NOTES

NPR News: The ultimate portable NPR experience for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Follow local and national news and listen to your favorite NPR stations wherever you are and whenever you want to.

Version 1.2.1 includes greater playlist stability as well one-button playlist clearing.

With the NPR News iPhone app, NPR is always on.

Highlights:

Listen
- Listen live to public radio stations coast to coast
- Listen to NPR’s hourly news updates
- Create a playlist of stories to hear in any order or to save for later
- Hear public radio podcasts on demand without downloading and synching

Read
- Read stories while listening to live stations or on demand audio
- Download stories for offline reading

Stations
- Bookmark your favorite stations
- Find stations by location (GPS) or zip code
- Find station broadcast frequencies while traveling

Programs
- A program guide tells you where your favorite programs are playing live now; listen right on your phone
- Listen to popular public radio programs like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, Fresh Air, Car Talk, and Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

The NPR News app works on all iPhone / Touch Operating Systems and is optimized for OS 3.0.

Technical Notes:
- If you encounter the rare situation where the playlist causes issues using the app, please delete the app from your device and re-install V. 1.2.1 from the App Store.
- If you need support using the app or wish to report an issue or feature request, please do so at: nprmobile@npr.org

Download Now

© 2009, iPhone app reviews. All rights reserved. AppShouter LLC

Tweet This Post 

Tagged as: free, iphone app, Music, News, NPR, radio station, Reference, review, useful