- 41 different news sources
- Loads quickly
The Bad
- Main navigation button is way too small
- No headlines on the main page
- Not free
Purchase/Download at iTunes
News Addict (TapMode, $0.99) is similar to the Fluent News app in that it compiles news from various organizations. The app includes links to 41 news sources, including USA Today, Yahoo! News, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek.
While Fluent News compiles actual headlines in its news app so you can browse the news directly on the homepage, the News Addict app only provides links to the mobile version of each news source.
You have to click through to each site to read headlines. While this is faster than trying to browse each news site on the iPhone’s web browser, and it’s nice to have links to a variety of news sources compiled in one place, I prefer how Fluent News has actual headlines listed on their homepage. Another important difference is that the News Addict app costs money, while Fluent News is free.
The homepage looks nice and is easy to browse. There’s a little icon for each news source, shaped like a website, newspaper, or television depending on the type of news available. Unfortunately, you can’t rearrange the icons or delete those you don’t use.
Once you click through to a site, the navigation gets a little sketchy. There’s a tiny little button in the right-hand corner that illuminates the navigation bar, and this button is way too small - it takes several tries to tap correctly. (You can set the navigation bar to not disappear in the settings menu, which makes things easier.)
Other than that minor annoyance, News Addict works very well.
The mobile news sites load very quickly and there’s a refresh button so you can update the pages for new articles.
The Bottom Line
News Addict does little more than provide links to the mobile versions of individual news sites. However, if you regularly check numerous news sources throughout the day, this app streamlines the process. Is it worth $0.99? I’m not entirely convinced, but news junkies who use the iPhone's Safari to visit mobile news sites may find it a worthy download. Overall rating: 3 stars out of 5.
What You'll Need
The News Addict app works with the iPhone and iPod touch, and you'll need iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later.