Published on Mac|Life (http://www.maclife.com)


iNewz News Reader
Created 2009-01-09 01:30

HOLIDAY BUYING GUIDE
    • 10 Gifts for the Mac Switcher
    • 10 Creative Gifts for Designers
    • 10 Essential Gamer Gifts that Promote Fragging

    Sponsored
SEE MORE ARTICLES

FEATURES
  • The Complete iMac History -- Bondi to Aluminum
  • New Apple Products--as Imagined by the Elite Gadget Press
  • Satire: 10 Ideas Steve Pitched to Disney
  • 50 Common Mac Problems Solved
  • From iMac to iPhone: A Video Trip Down Apple Announcement Memory Lane
SEE MORE FEATURES
TOP STORIES
  • iPhone Captures 17% of Smartphone Market
  • New Macs! Redesigned White MacBook, LED iMacs, Mac mini Refresh, and a Magic Mouse
  • 69 Awesomely Free Snow Leopard Compatible Apps
  • Fifth-Generation iPod nano
  • Screencast Video: Create 3D Photo Effects in Final Cut Pro
SEE MORE TOP STORIES
iPhone
iNewz News Reader
Posted 01/09/2009 at 3:30:54am | by Michael Simon
  • commentComments
  • printPrint
  • emailEmail
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Slashdot
  • MacBlips

 
We get it. We're using iNewz. Do we need that icon for every story?

Some iPhone apps cull your own RSS feeds to consolidate news you choose. iNewz takes the lazy approach--which we usually endorse--combining its selection of news headlines from major outlets. While this pre-chewed style is simple, a weak layout and feed limitations disappoint.

 

iNewz presents a clear interface that starts with an array of categories, from U.S. and world news, to sports and technology. The app does a fine job of its respective filtering, and the most recent headlines automatically land in the top spot. The app also includes support for sharing headlines with your Twitter or Delicious accounts.

But the presentation is ugly. Most headlines don’t have any accompanying pictures, which would be fine if the iNewz logo didn’t serve as a distractingly repetitive placeholder. Also, there’s no way to sort by source or change the number of text lines displayed.

The list of available subscriptions is fairly robust, with about 50 international media outlets to choose from. However, only 12 are from the U.S., with nary a single blog among them. Engadget, Politico or, ahem, Mac|Life would be nice additions, as would an option for regional news through the iPhone's location features.

THE BOTTOM LINE
iNewz collects headlines as advertised, just not necessarily the ones you want.

iNewz News Reader 2.5
COMPANY: ourLivez
CONTACT: www.ourlivez.com/iNewz
PRICE: $1.99
REQUIREMENTS: iPhone or iPod touch with 2.0 software update.
Diverse category selection. Twitter and Delicious sharing. Sorts breaking news to top.
Ugly interface. Skimpy assortment of U.S. news outlets. No blogs or support for Location Services.
2/5
COMMENTS: 0
TAGS:  App Store, app store reviews
  • commentComments
  • printPrint
  • emailEmail
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Slashdot
  • MacBlips
COMMENTS
  • Login or register to post comments

Source URL: http://www.maclife.com/article/reviews/inewz

Links:
[1] http://www.maclife.com/user/michael_simon
[2] http://www.maclife.com/article/reviews/inewz
[3] http://www.maclife.com/article/reviews/bloomberg
[4] http://www.maclife.com/article/newsgator_netnewswire_3_0
[5] http://www.maclife.com/article/iphone/wikipanion
[6] http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=291946460&mt=8
[7] http://www.ourlivez.com/iNewz