BBC News mobile apps
Today we are launching the BBC News app, initially on the Apple iPhone and iPad and, later in the year, up~ other platforms as well.
Our aim is to develop a pose of core public service apps that bring some of the BBC's principally popular, distinctive and original content to mobile in an easy to conversion to an act and convenient way. The first of these apps is BBC News, and I'll be letting you know about the other BBC apps soon.
So, hither's a bit more on the BBC News apps.
BBC News iPhone and iPod Touch app
The BBC News app puts the latest news from our journalists across the UK and the world in the hand-breadth of your hand. We've developed an easy to use design which lets you scroll through the latest headlines on your phone. The creative is to create a truly mobile experience that gives you sprightly access to BBC News on the move.
The app includes the BBC's vertex Stories, UK and International news, Business, Politics, Health, Education, Science and Environment, Technology and Entertainment stories for example well as Features and Analysis from our correspondents around the earth.
You can scroll sideways through each news category or up and into disgrace the page to access more BBC news sections. To refresh the stories in the app total you need to do is pull down on the interface by you thumb to load the latest news.
We have developed a adroit personalisation feature which lets you re-order the news categories to process your needs. The edit button, top right, reveals a customisation conceal where you can add your favourite news sections by clicking attached the green + icon and drag and drop each news category into the regulation of your choice. So, if you like technology news, like I confer, you can move that section to the top.
The app includes a latest tidings banner to keep you up to date with breaking headlines and the BBC News Channel streamed live to your phone thus you can keep up with the latest stories from the newsroom.
Clicking up~ story icons displays the full article on your phone. News stories embrace embedded video clips and social features so you can share either story via email, Facebook or your Twitter feed. In the thing view you can either scroll sideways through each story using the navigation arrows at the cover on the ~ or swipe the story sideways with your thumb to move to the nearest article.
Finally, we have included a landscape view which you can access by turning your phone sideways. This view provides a near way to skim through the headlines and get a quick compend of the latest news without having to jump in and lacking of each article.
BBC News iPad App
We have adapted the BBC News iPhone app with a view to the iPad and developed a universal app that works both steady the iPhone/iPod Touch and the iPad.
The BBC News iPad app uses the identical design as the iPhone app to give you easy access to the latest recent accounts. You can scroll through news categories on the left hand margin and personalise the experience by adding, removing and re-ordering the recent accounts in the Edit menu.
We have included live streaming of the BBC News Channel at the same time with a breaking news banner and social features so you can share stories via email, Facebook and Twitter.
We have also designed a exact portrait view to give a larger reading experience when you cause to deviate the device sideways. In this view you can either swipe sidewise through articles or click through the story icons at the utmost degree of the screen.
This is the first release of the BBC News app in the UK and it self-reliance, of course, evolve and improve as we refine the interface and sum up features. Here's what we are looking at doing next:
Adding BBC Local News in such a manner you can get the full range of the BBC's regional coverage without ceasing your phone
Adding 3G streaming of the BBC News Channel with equal rea~n you can watch live BBC News when you are out and not far from. The live stream of the BBC News Channel is currently Wi-Fi sole and we've got some BBC infrastructure coming online soon which will enable live streaming over 3G networks.
Further improvements, optimisation and enhancements to arrive at the experience better and quicker
Blackberry Apps
A while ago we developed a order of launcher apps for Blackberry phones to give you quick entry to the BBC News, BBC Sport and BBC mobile websites attached Blackberry series 4.3 and above phones.
To install these apps up~ your Blackberry phone all you need to do is type this adroitness into the web browser on your Blackberry phone and click forward the icons to install the apps
http://www.bbc.co.uk/variable/bbapps/
If you have a BlackBerry Bold 2 (9700) or Storm 2 (9520/9550) you be able to download a short cut app for BBC iPlayer from this boy-servant as well.
We will be uploading these apps to Blackberry App World in the approach weeks so you can download them straight to your phone from the Blackberry app lay in.
The team have worked really hard to design, develop and hurl these apps and we would really welcome your comments and feedback. When we Tweet with reference to the apps we are going to use a #bbcapps hashtag thus if you would like to use this too that would exist great as we are keen to know what you think. Otherwise chouse post a comment on this blog post.
David Madden is Executive Product Manager, BBC Mobile.